No matter how much audio has improved in mobile devices over the years, nothing beats having an external source for music. And, as many of you know, portable speakers are an awesome thing.
Not only have speakers gotten more feature-rich, better sounding, and practical, they’ve also gotten cooler. Some have lights, some are water resistant, and others can talk to your connected home. Now, with Ultimate Ears’s latest creation, portable speakers can be unique to the individual.
Ultimate Ears recently launched its myBOOM Studio, an online portal that lets consumers create a portable Bluetooth speaker’s entire design. Indeed, this is where you’d go to build your very own BOOM 3 speaker.
This isn’t as basic as choosing from three colors and snapping a grille on it. Rather, the myBOOM Studio offers up quite the customization. There are a handful of components with multiple color options. You can truly mix and match until you have the exact speaker you want.
myBOOM 3 Studio Options
- Fabric Colorway: 12 colors
- Cap: 8 colors
- Volume Buttons: 8 colors
- Spine: 8 colors
- Hanging Loop: 9 colors
- Custom engraved message on spine
We had the opportunity to test out the new experience where we got to see how things work on the consumer end. Moreover, we were shipped a complimentary unit upon completion. Here’s what we thought of the myBOOM Studio.
Quick Note: This isn’t a review of the actual speaker itself, but more of the experience that one gets when using the myBOOM Studio.
One of the problems we face when dealing with customization such as this is we end up paralyzed by decision. The paradox of choice, if you will. That’s certainly what happened here as it was tough for us to nail down the look.
The myBOOM Studio is a fun tool that helps to show off all the options. For those who don’t know where to begin, Ultimate Ears has a handful of designs to start with, giving you the ability to tweak any or all of the details.
Interestingly enough, the colors all seem to work well with each other — to a point. Don’t go crazy with it, because you can make something a little hideous. But, largely, the palette is one that you can create some hip, modern aesthetics by simply hitting a random button.
The speaker we received was exactly what we anticipated, matching the online picture. The textures were right in line with what we figured they’d be and it had all the markings of a UE speaker. That is to say the stitching was excellent, the fabric was consistent and strong, and the other materials had a premium feel.
Ultimate Ears does an excellent job of conveying what the final product will look like in the real world. If you’ve ever purchased a UE speaker, you know the quality of the product. This isn’t any different whatsoever as it’s the same stuff you’ve seen and heard before.
If you’re in the market for a new Bluetooth speaker and don’t want to go with the same old, same old, consider the UE myBOOM Studio. With dads and grads season underway it’s the perfect, personalized gift. It’s a difference of about $30 from the standard BOOM 3 speaker but it is infinitely cooler and more unique.