Performance

The Logitech UE Boombox is a special device that is good at very specific things. Its major selling point is its wireless connectivity and battery operation. The battery incorporated into the device should, according to Logitech UE, give you 6 hours of play time. Our battery tests show that it is totally possible to get the unit to last for over 6 hours even while using Bluetooth. At moderate volume level, you will be able to get around six and a half hours of play. For use on the go - in some places where you may have to raise the volume because of considerable noise levels - battery life drops to around four and a half to five hours. This is also dependent on what sort of music you play; temperature also plays a role since it is running on a battery.

The unit is light and handy enough to enable you to take it with you. Its long, slender form-factor makes it quite easy to pack into a backpack. Why Logitech UE decided not to include some kind of carrying pouch is beyond me - one would have made it much easier to carry the boombox around.



The first test was conducted at home. The unit was fired up and connected via Bluetooth to a Samsung Galaxy SIII. The whole affair was painless: you just turn Bluetooth on your phone on, push the Bluetooth sign on the boombox, and, voila, the two units find each other. Once the pairing is complete, a little sound played by the boombox tells you that the pairing was successful. After the pairing is complete, you are ready to play music. The volume can be adjusted on the unit via the +/- signs, or on your phone. There is a slight delay after you begin to play a tune, but it is nothing horrible. Multiple devices can be connected at the same time, which is quite handy when you have a lot of eager friends around that want to show everyone their newest music finds at parties.

Sound quality of the device is pretty good considering it is portable. Its background noise is pretty high, but not obtrusive unless you are sitting and doing critical listening at home. Of course, a blacker background would be better, but there is a trade-off here. The bass is pretty weak and depends somewhat on the settings you are using. Generally, the bass extension is quite bad, but it does maintain an impressive linearity until the drop off; that is, for a portable device. The bass does not sound bad at all, but it is not great either. The midrange is totally acceptable, albeit slightly lacking in the texture department. Detail-wise, it is on par with the Qinpu V-1.8 speakers and completely outdoes the Travagan's Mini Speakers. Bass-wise, it is actually better equipped than the Qinpu V-1.8 powered by the Travagan's Green, which is quite impressive. Background noise is, however, a lot higher on the boombox.

The midrange is pushed back in the mix , and it is not as detailed as one would hope, but it is sufficient in a noisy environment. You can fix it a bit with a little EQing, but do not expect miracles in the bass and midrange departments. Compared to iPod docks, sold for around the same price point, the boombox does really well. The background noise-level is higher than usual, but the performance is very similar. The boombox is, of course, easier to use and take along than most iPod docks because you can physically decouple the player from the device.