Description
The Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 is a portable Bluetooth speaker built around outdoor use. Ultimate Ears, a Logitech brand, specifies 360 degree sound, a 20 hour battery, a wireless range of 147 feet or 45 meters, drop protection up to 3.28 feet or 1 meter, and a body that is waterproof, dustproof and floats. The speaker measures 4 inches in diameter by 8 inches high, weighs 2.7 pounds, and carries model number 984-001964 in black. The listing dates to June 2024.
The 360 Degree Design
The cylindrical shape is not styling. A speaker that radiates outward in every direction gives the same presentation to everyone around it, rather than aiming at one seating position. Put it in the middle of a table, a blanket or a kitchen counter and nobody is sitting in the wrong place.
The trade is stereo imaging. Omnidirectional dispersion means left and right channels overlap in space, so the sense of instruments occupying distinct positions is reduced compared with a stereo pair aimed at you. The specification block lists a 2.0 channel configuration. For a party, a garden or a beach, even coverage is worth more than imaging; for a desk, a stereo pair such as the Mackie CR2-X Cube speakers is the better geometry.
The specification block lists a woofer diameter of 1.97 inches, which is consistent with a 4 inch wide enclosure. Bass output from a driver that size comes from enclosure tuning and processing rather than from cone area, which is why manufacturers in this category use phrases like thundering bass rather than publishing frequency response figures. Ultimate Ears does not quote a frequency response here, so this page makes no claim about the low end.
Durability and Portability
This is where the MEGABOOM 4 makes its strongest case. The listing describes the speaker as drop-proof, waterproof, floatable and dustproof, with drop protection stated up to 1 meter. A speaker that floats is a genuinely different proposition around water: dropped in a pool it comes back rather than sinking.
Note carefully that the listing does not state an ingress protection code. It says waterproof and dustproof in plain language and gives a drop height, but no IP rating appears anywhere in the product data. If a specific rating matters to you, for insurance, for a work environment or simply for certainty about immersion depth and duration, get that figure from Ultimate Ears rather than assuming one. This review will not state a rating the listing does not provide.
At 2.7 pounds and 8 inches tall, this is genuinely portable in a way that larger party speakers are not. It fits in a bag, it can be carried in one hand, and it is light enough that you will actually take it places, which is the practical difference between a speaker used often and one left at home. Compare that against the Monster Adventurer Max at over nine pounds: louder, and carried far less often.
Battery, Range and Controls
Battery life is quoted at 20 hours from a listed 6666 mAh cell, with a charge lasting a full day of use. As with every portable speaker, that figure applies at moderate volume; sustained high output shortens it considerably. Charging time is not stated.
The 147 foot range, which the listing also gives as 45 meters, is a line of sight figure and will be lower through walls. In practice it means you can leave your phone indoors and walk around a garden without the music cutting out, which is the scenario the number is describing.
The Magic Button on top handles play, pause and track skip directly on the speaker, and Ultimate Ears describes setting up one touch playlists on streaming services, naming Spotify, Amazon Music on Android and Apple Music on iOS. That is a small feature that removes the most common reason people pick up their phone. The specification block lists app control as the control method, so an application is part of the setup.
Highlights
- 360 degree sound from a 4 by 4 by 8 inch cylinder weighing 2.7 pounds.
- Quoted 20 hour battery life from a listed 6666 mAh cell.
- Waterproof, dustproof and floatable, with stated drop protection to 1 meter.
- Bluetooth range listed at 147 feet, which is 45 meters.
- Magic Button on the speaker for play, pause and skip.
- One touch playlist setup named for Spotify, Amazon Music on Android and Apple Music on iOS.
- App control, with a 1.97 inch woofer and a 2.0 channel configuration listed.
Things To Consider
The specification block contradicts itself in a few places, and the entries below should be ignored:
- “Speaker Size: 8 Inches” describes the height of the enclosure, not a driver. The woofer diameter field gives 1.97 inches.
- “Subwoofer Connectivity Technology: Wireless”. There is no separate subwoofer; the drivers are inside the unit.
- “Controller Type: Battery Powered”, which is not a controller type.
- “Number of Batteries: 1 Lithium Polymer batteries required. (included)” reads as though a user replaceable cell is involved, which is not how a sealed waterproof speaker works.
Beyond the data, three real points. First, there is no auxiliary input mentioned anywhere in this listing, which means Bluetooth is the only way in. That rules out wired sources and older equipment; the Bose SoundLink Revolve II includes an analog input if that matters to you.
Second, no charging port type or charging time is stated. On a sealed waterproof speaker the charging arrangement is worth knowing before purchase, since some designs use a covered port and some use a proprietary connector.
Third, the listing describes the speaker as virtually indestructible. That is manufacturer language, not a specification, and the concrete claim behind it is drop protection to one meter. Treat the phrase accordingly.
Who Should Buy It, and Who Should Not
Buy the MEGABOOM 4 if you want one speaker that goes to the garden, the beach, the shower and the kitchen, sounds the same from any direction, and survives being dropped or dunked. At 2.7 pounds with a 20 hour battery it is the size that actually gets carried, and the floating and drop resistance are practical rather than decorative features.
Do not buy it if you need an auxiliary input, if you want the loudest output for the money, or if you need a documented ingress protection rating. Larger and heavier speakers move more air; the JBL Charge 5 and the Sony ULT Field 1 are the closest comparisons on size and intent, and the Altec Lansing Super LifeJacket Jolt takes the same floating waterproof approach. Our portable Bluetooth speakers category covers the range.
