Ultimate Ears is still very focused on audio quality and design, and the MEGABLAST proves that they can fit a lot of features and quality into a relatively small box at a quite competitive price of around $200 in the US. The MEGABLAST is definitely a more suitable speaker for someone looking for a mostly stationary speaker. If you only occasionally bring your speaker with you and have space for it, the MEGABLAST is definitely a better option than the BLAST.

The sound quality you get with the new MEGABLAST is something that helps bridge the gap between the portability of BLAST-sized speakers and small-sized active speakers for home use. It is pretty hard to get a speaker of this size to sound as great as the MEGABLAST, and on top of that, it is still portable, albeit a bit cumbersome to lug around. The bass performance is pretty great for small and medium-sized rooms, and the speaker packs enough punch to light up a small party in a normal apartment.

One thing that consistently annoys us about the new BLAST-series speakers is the omission of the Power Up base. The base is $49 and well worth it. In fact, so much so that we would have preferred the speakers to be sold for a bit more with it included. For anyone serious about using it as a smart speaker, you should definitely splurge and get the charging base as well.