EarFun Uboom L Review
Fun, affordable sound for the outdoors
Verdict
The Uboom L is another win for EarFun, offering balanced audio, punchy bass and some handy features all wrapped up in a durable package. However, I found the battery life fell short of EarFun’s claims.
Pros
- Big, energetic sound
- Punchy bass
- Durable design
Cons
- Bland look
- Battery life falls short
Availability
- UKRRP: £69.99
Key Features
- Two 55mm 14W driversAlong with dual passive radiators for bass
- Rugged designDust and water resistant up to IP67
- Different modesIncluding outdoor, video and stereo pairing
- 16 hour battery lifeAnd USB Type-C charging
Introduction
Despite its young age, EarFun has churned out true wireless after true wireless, consistently impressing us with its sound quality and features.
EarFun has only recently begun dipping its toe into the world of speakers, though. The Uboom L is the second speaker from the brand after the Uboom, a 360-degree speaker designed to be taken out and about.
Like the Uboom, the Uboom L has an outdoor mode, a 16-hour battery and a waterproof rating. The speaker also benefits from a new design and a pair of passive bass radiators that promise to give the low end a boost.
Design
- The speaker doesn’t offer 360-degree sound like the regular Uboom
- It has a dust and water resistance rating of IP67
- Bland design
Unlike the regular Uboom, which stands vertically and offers 360-degree sound, the Uboom L is designed to be positioned horizontally with both 14W drivers facing toward you. The speaker is large, with a slightly angular shape, causing the drivers to tilt up and out instead of straight ahead, though you can also stand it vertically if you prefer.
The speaker has a bit of weight to it at 650g, but its still small and lightweight enough that I could see myself slipping it into my bag to take to the park without issues. It’s durable too, with a dust and waterproof rating of IP67, so it can handle a trip to the beach.
EarFun even says it’ll float to the top if you drop it in the pool, though I didn’t get the chance to test this out myself.
Much of the Uboom L’s personality is in its sound, with the outer design consisting of a plain black woven fabric and matching matte edges. I do wish the speaker came in more colours, as it lacks the character of the Ultimate Ears Boom 3 and the JBL Flip 5.
The main controls, including the on/off switch, the pairing button, the basic playback controls and indoor/outdoor mode toggle have a tactile feel on top of the speaker, and there’s a 3.5mm jack and USB Type-C port for charging around the back.
Features
- Outdoor mode gives the speaker a boost outside
- Can pair two Uboom Ls for stereo sound
- The battery life falls short of expectations
The Uboom L has a handful of features that make it perfect for social situations like parties, trips to the park and sitting by the pool.
One of the speaker’s most useful features is the outdoor mode, which increases the volume and widens the area the audio can reach, giving it a boost in more open environments.
There’s also video mode accessible by pressing the pairing button twice. This lowers the latency and I did see a noticeable difference when streaming video content.
The speaker can also be paired with a second Uboom L for stereo listening and a bigger sound. Its limited to two speakers, with no equivalent to the PartyUp mode on Ultimate Ears speakers that allows up to 150 devices to be connected (though why would you want to, or have that many, speakers to connect?)
The battery is one of the most disappointing features on this speaker. EarFun claims the Uboom L can run for up to 16 hours, but I only managed to over 12 hours of playtime from the speaker.
This isn’t terrible – the Wonderboom 2 only lasts an hour longer at 13 hours – and I can’t see many circumstances where you’ll need to listen for 12 hours with no break to charge, but it does fall 4 hours short of the number on the spec sheet.
Sound Quality
- The speaker creates a big, energetic sound
- The bass is tight and punchy
- You can push the volume high
EarFun employs dual passive radiators alongside its two 14W drivers to power what it calls its JumboBass technology – and the results don’t disappoint. The Uboom L offers a big, energetic sound that’s perfect for parties.
Panic! At The Disco’s House of Memories sounds fantastic through the EarFun. The tonal balance is great, creating a realistic and even performance and the bass thumps behind the vocals, driving the track forward. Brendon Urie’s vocals are vibrant with just enough detail and the soundstage is open and spacious in both the indoor and the outdoor modes.
I also found I was able to push the volume quite high without being hit with distortion, making the speaker ideal for cutting through noisy group settings like parties and outdoor gatherings.
IU’s Lilac is equally punchy, with the bass coming across impressively tight and controlled despite its big sound. The vocals are bright and airy and the soundstage is spacious. I think more detail could be pulled from the vocals in the track, but there’s little to complain about in terms of the Uboom L’s audio performance.
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Should you buy it?
You can a good affordable speaker The Uboom L offers a lot for its price, including a waterproof design, outdoor and video modes, stereo pairing and big audio.
You want a 16 hour battery life In most cases, the 12 hours I recorded will be more than enough time between charges, but those taking the speaker camping or to a festival will be left disappointed.
Final Thoughts
The Uboom L is an excellent choice if you need an affordable speaker to entertain at a party or a day out at the beach.
The audio is big and balanced, its dust and water resistant up to IP67 and there’s an outdoor mode to give it another boost in more open settings.
The design isn’t the most exciting and the battery lasted longer than I’d hoped, but if you want a durable speaker that sounds great, the Uboom L is a solid choice.
How we test
We test every wireless speaker we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used the speaker for a week
Tested the battery life to determine how long it could last
Listened to music streaming services
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FAQs
Yes, the speaker is dust and water resistant up to IP67.
EarFun claims the speaker has a 16 hour battery life, but I found it cut off after just 12 hours.
The Uboom L is only available in black.
Full specs
Sustainability
Trusted Reviews’ holds the fact that global warming is not a myth as a core value and will continuously endeavour to help protect our planet from harm in its business practices.
As part of this mission, whenever we review a product we send the company a series of questions to help us gauge and make transparent the impact the device has on the environment.
We currently haven’t received answers to the questions on this product, but will update this page the moment we do. You can see a detailed breakdown of the questions we ask and why in our sustainability info page.
Jargon buster
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a method of wireless transmission that allows for the exchange of data between devices over short distances.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
