Professional’s Score
Execs
- Glorious audio
- Sturdy, eco-friendly design
- Good battery life
Cons
- Aged Micro-USB charging
- Can’t pair with the (equivalent) Wonderboom 2
Our Verdict
Little has modified within the Wonderboom 3, however you get nice audio, lengthy battery life, and a sturdy design – what’s to not love? Effectively, the Micro-USB port for one, however in any other case this stays an amazing purchase.
Value When Reviewed
$99.99
Finest Costs Immediately: Final Ears Wonderboom 3
$84.99
$84.99
Final Ears’ Wonderboom 2 was an exquisite little bit of equipment, so you may’t blame the corporate an excessive amount of for making minimal adjustments to the third era.
The transportable powerhouse appears to be like the identical, sounds the identical, and even makes use of the identical previous micro-USB port. In reality all that’s new is an additional hour of battery life, barely higher Bluetooth vary, and the usage of extra environmentally pleasant supplies.
That makes the Wonderboom 3 slightly more durable to get enthusiastic about, particularly for anybody who owns the final mannequin. However it may possibly’t change the truth that that is as soon as once more a wonderful choice for a compact, transportable, waterproof Bluetooth speaker that may take a kicking and carry on ticking.
Design & construct
- Chunky, vibrant design
- Waterproof – and even floats
- Eco-friendly supplies
The Wonderboom 3 appears to be like equivalent to the Wonderboom 2. Actually, equivalent – it hasn’t modified within the slightest, apart from a slight refresh to the vary of brilliant, punchy colors it is available in.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
That’s probably not a criticism although – Final Ears nailed it the primary time round, and this rotund little speaker is simply as charming as ever. It’s compact sufficient to throw in a backpack with no second’s thought, gentle sufficient to lug round all day, and feels sturdy sufficient to outlive the expertise.
The actually courageous can throw this into a shower or swimming pool.
It’s pleasant to make use of too, with only some easy buttons on the highest for Bluetooth, energy, and playback, and two monumental quantity buttons on the aspect that you just actually can’t miss, that means anybody at a celebration can seize it and determine what to do.
It’s as powerful as earlier than too, with an IP67 mud and water-resistance ranking meaning it may possibly survive splashes and brief dips. It’s even designed to drift, which suggests the actually courageous can throw this into a shower or swimming pool, although I’ll admit I haven’t fairly dared.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
The one actual change this 12 months is that Final Ears has tweaked the supplies beneath the floor. It now makes use of a minimal of 31% post-consumer recycled plastic and is wrapped in a sustainable material constructed from 100% recycled polyester. Even the packaging is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) licensed.
Sound high quality & options
- Highly effective, well-rounded sound
- Optionally available ‘Outside Mode’
- Stereo pairing with one other Wonderboom 3 (however not 2)
If the Wonderboom 3 appears to be like much like the two, it’s sounds much more alike. Put merely, Final Ears hasn’t modified this speaker’s sonics in any respect.
Once more although, it may possibly get away with that as a result of it just about nailed issues final time round. The Wonderboom 3 delivers brilliant, well-rounded sound that’s tuned to go well with most genres. There’s sufficient bass so as to add depth and heat with out overpowering, rounded mids, and barely skinny high-end – however it does sufficient to get the job performed.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
Outside Mode additionally returns, activated with a single push of a small button that’s for some purpose hidden on the speaker’s underside, with a tree icon to mark it out. This pulls again on the bass and ups the treble, serving to the sound to hold additional in expansive outside areas, and supplying you with a welcome second sonic choice.
Audio is just dealt with by Bluetooth, now improved with a spread of as much as 40m, and pairing is fast and easy. After we reviewed the Wonderboom 2 we lamented the shortage of any bodily wired choice to attach, and whereas that’s nonetheless lacking it doesn’t really feel like such an issue any extra – you had been going to make use of Bluetooth anyway, proper?
Dominic Preston / Foundry
You even have the choice of selecting up a second Wonderboom 3 and connecting the 2 to double the quantity or create a stereo pair. The large annoyance right here is that regardless of the equivalent audio you can’t pair this with one of many older fashions, a pointless frustration for current house owners that’s sure to trigger confusion as folks decide up the in any other case equivalent audio system and marvel why they gained’t work collectively.
Battery & charging
- As much as 14 hours’ battery
- Micro-USB charging
The excellent news first: Final Ears has added an additional hour onto the Wonderboom’s already spectacular battery life, so it’ll now do 14 hours on a cost.
Which means it’ll comfortably final all night time at a celebration, and may run for a number of days of occasional use on the trot whereas travelling. There’s no speedy visible technique to establish the present battery stage although, so that you’ll wish to prime it up every so often for those who’re undecided how a lot is left within the tank.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
Now the unhealthy information: it prices by way of Micro-USB, not the extra trendy USB-C. That’s one other hangover from the Wonderboom 2, however one which at this level is totally unwelcome.
That is merely an pointless inconvenience.
Not one of the different tech I take advantage of day-to-day prices by Micro-USB any extra, so bringing this on vacation now means an additional cable I wouldn’t have to fret about in any other case. Except you’re utilizing a critically dated Android machine there’s no method your cellphone makes use of the identical port. That is merely an pointless inconvenience.
Value & availability
The Wonderboom 3 will set you again $99.99/£89.99, which is just below the road of what we contemplate a funds Bluetooth speaker. There are extra inexpensive ones on the market, however as all the time you get what you pay for.
You possibly can decide it up from Amazon in fact, together with the same old retailers like Finest Purchase and Walmart within the US, or Currys and John Lewis within the UK.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
Try our full rating of the very best low-cost Bluetooth audio system we’ve reviewed for extra choices, together with inexpensive choices just like the JBL Clip 4 and EarFun Uboom.
Verdict
The Wonderboom 3 is a superb transportable Bluetooth speaker, however don’t let the title tempt you into an improve from an older mannequin – this can be a Wonderboom 2 in virtually all however title.
The transfer to eco-friendly supplies is welcome in fact, as is the additional hour of battery, however the determination to stay with Micro-USB is the closest this has to a critical flaw, freely giving how dated the design actually is.
Current Wonderboom house owners will likely be pissed off by the information that regardless of utilizing the identical sonics this will’t be paired with older fashions, however the remainder of us can get pleasure from a banging little Bluetooth speaker.
Specs
- 2x 40mm energetic drivers
- 2x 46.1 x 65.2mm passive radiators
- Frequency vary: 75 Hz – 20 kHz
- Outside increase
- Optionally available stereo pair (with second speaker)
- 40m Bluetooth vary
- Micro-USB
- 14-hour battery life
- 95.3x104mm
- 420g
- IP67 mud and waterproof
