Ultimate Ears Epicboom

Is this heavyweight portable speaker a sonic boom or a misfiring bust?

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Portable speaker | £330 | whf.cm/Epicboom

With their garish colourways and bold sonic brushstrokes, the point of Ultimate Ears products is to be fun, aimed at the on-the-go end of the market who want their music to be portable, punchy and party-ready. These are products designed to be pulled out at pool parties and student shindigs, and usually have the confident, fun-loving sonic profiles to match.

That’s no bad thing. We’re just as able to gush over a funky piece of lovable tech as we are an austere set of high-end speakers.

At a similar size to the Sonos Move 2, the Epicboom is a robust mini-monolith that pushes the boundaries of what you might consider portable. Could you take it out on a walk? Yes, but it’s better suited as a semi-stationary speaker that can be carried to a location and then set down; think picnics, parks, that sort of thing. We expose it to garden fitness sessions, a patio meet-up, even a pitchside cameo at a hockey match, and not once did it feel fragile or even particularly cumbersome.