Description
What the Wonderboom 4 Is and Who It Suits
The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 is a small cylindrical Bluetooth speaker built for outdoor use. Ultimate Ears describes it as ultra portable with 360 degree sound, 14 hours of playback, and an IP67 rating that makes it waterproof, dustproof and buoyant. The listing gives a 131 foot maximum range, a weight of 1.21 pounds, a 40 mm driver size and a lithium polymer battery included in the box. The manufacturer field reads Logitech, which is correct since Ultimate Ears is a Logitech brand, and the model number is 984-001876.
This is a speaker for pools, beaches, showers, campsites and kitchen counters, in that order. The 360 degree layout means the speaker does not need to be aimed, which matters when it is sitting in the middle of a group rather than at one end of a room. Buyers who want more output for a party should look at a larger unit such as the JBL PartyBox 310, while those who want a smaller and lighter option can compare the Bose SoundLink Micro.
The IP67 Rating and What It Actually Covers
IP67 is a specific claim and worth unpacking rather than treating as marketing. The first digit, 6, is the dust rating and means the enclosure is fully sealed against dust ingress. The second digit, 7, means the unit can be immersed in water to one meter for thirty minutes without harmful ingress. That is a substantially stronger claim than a splash resistance rating, and it is what allows Ultimate Ears to say the speaker survives a drop into a pool.
Ultimate Ears adds that the speaker floats, which is the practical difference between recovering it from a pool and losing it in a lake. The listing also names Shockproof under Special Feature, though no drop height is published, so the extent of impact protection is not specified in the retail data. Buyers should note that immersion ratings are tested with new units, and seals degrade over time and with exposure to chlorine and salt. Rinsing with fresh water after pool or ocean use is sensible regardless of the rating. Comparable rugged options include the JBL Flip 6.
Sound Layout, Range and Pairing
The 360 degree design places the driver arrangement so that output radiates evenly around the cylinder rather than firing in one direction. Ultimate Ears describes the result as crisp and bassy in its own product copy. The listing gives a speaker size of 40 millimeters, which is a small driver, and the physical size of the unit sets the same low frequency limit that applies to every compact speaker: there is only so much cabinet volume available, and no processing overcomes it. What a well designed small speaker can do is deliver a full sounding midrange and enough upper bass to make music feel complete at moderate levels.
The stated 131 foot range is a line of sight Bluetooth figure and will drop substantially through walls or around a building. Ultimate Ears also supports pairing two Wonderboom units together, which produces a wider spread and more total output than one unit alone. That is the sensible upgrade path for anyone who finds a single speaker too quiet outdoors, and it is worth knowing before buying a larger single speaker. Battery is listed as lithium polymer with the 14 hour figure coming from the manufacturer’s own description rather than the specification block. Anyone running a speaker all day away from power should also read about the Anker power bank.
Size, Portability and Where It Ends Up Living
At 1.21 pounds the Wonderboom 4 is light enough to carry without thinking about it, and the cylindrical shape is easier to pack than a flat bar shaped speaker because it fits in a side pocket or a cup holder. Ultimate Ears lists a hook style attachment as part of the design language of this family, which is what allows the speaker to hang from a shower rail, a backpack strap or a bike frame. That single detail explains much of the product’s appeal: a speaker that hangs stays out of the water and out of the sand.
Compatible devices are given as laptop, desktop, television, tablet and smartphone, and specific uses are listed as travel, party and gaming. The television entry is worth a caution, since Bluetooth from a television introduces lip sync delay on many sets and this is not a speaker designed for that job. Where it genuinely earns its place is as the speaker that lives in a bag permanently, ready for a beach, a campsite or a hotel room. Readers who want something with more low end for indoor listening should look at a mains powered unit such as the Marshall Woburn, which trades portability for cabinet volume.
Highlights
- IP67 rated against dust and immersion, and listed as floating.
- Ultimate Ears states 14 hours of playback per charge.
- 360 degree sound layout, so the speaker does not need to be aimed at listeners.
- 131 foot maximum Bluetooth range according to the listing.
- Light at 1.21 pounds, sized to clip to a bag or sit on a counter.
- Carries a 4.6 star rating across 1,119 ratings on the source listing.
Things To Consider
The listing has a smaller set of data problems than most, but two entries stand out. Product Dimensions are given as 4 inches deep by 4 inches wide by 8 inches high, and the 8 inch height is inconsistent with the compact cylinder shown in the product images, which suggests the figure describes the retail package rather than the speaker. Controller Type is listed as Battery Powered, which describes the power source rather than any kind of controller. The 14 hour battery figure appears only in the manufacturer’s description and not in the specification block, so it is a manufacturer claim rather than an independently listed specification.
The real limitations are those of the format. A 40 mm driver in a small sealed cylinder cannot produce deep bass, and outdoors without walls to reinforce it, any small speaker sounds thinner than it does indoors. There is no aux input listed, so a device without Bluetooth cannot connect. There is no listed microphone or speakerphone function. The battery is not user replaceable in speakers of this type, which sets the practical lifespan of the product at the lifespan of the cell. And an IP67 seal makes the unit harder to service if anything does fail.
Who Should Buy It, and Who Should Not
The Wonderboom 4 suits someone who wants a speaker that can be treated carelessly: taken to a pool, left in the rain, dropped in a bag or hung in a shower. The combination of the immersion rating, the floating design and the 360 degree layout is a good match for that use, and pairing two units covers most situations where one is not loud enough.
It does not suit a listener who wants full range sound in a living room, someone who needs a wired input, or anyone hosting a large outdoor party. Those buyers should move up in size, and can compare larger options across the portable Bluetooth speakers category.
