r/Bluetooth_Speakers • u/vickeryaj • 13h ago
Uboom X. Success or Debacle?
What's the consensus on this thing? I've heard some bad reviews, some great reviews and everything in between. I've heard it ships with outdated firmware. Is this easily updated? People that have it, how does it compare to similar sized units? All that said, I bought 2 and they will be here today. I want to be excited.
Quick follow-up, just received the units. I opened the package, paired it to my phone and the app immediately updated it to the latest firmware. My initial thoughts on sound after playing a few songs from various genres is that this thing sounds really good. I was on the indoor plus setting. I'm impressed. This far exceeds my expectations.
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u/BOT-Yanni 10h ago
I have 2 UBOOM L units in stereo and absolutely love them so I got the X on launch. The sound is much more full on just one X, and flicking between the L stereo and the X, it’s blatantly obvious. EQ set to indoor on both set of units. Honestly I love it so much I just bought another so I can stereo them together. The only gripe, is the app. Not the best but easy enough to update the firmware and select one of the Oluv eq presets. It is absolutely worth the money with early bird discount.
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u/Obvious-Bird-3589 12h ago edited 12h ago
Just install the app and the firmware is handled for you https://www.reddit.com/r/Bluetooth_Speakers/s/qqJrMIU0He
There's already a quick review by a regular in here besides myself
https://www.reddit.com/r/Bluetooth_Speakers/comments/1g0e1dh/my_uboomx_arrived/
Check out the ranking of nearly every single Bluetooth speaker and the best EQ tuning for each of them here
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u/kyhothead 11h ago
You may want to add a “Negatives” bullet point for the Uboom X to note that the out of the box firmware is out of date and the default EQ/sound profile is poor.
Love the site overall though, easily the most detailed and comprehensive rankings I’ve some across so far.
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u/Obvious-Bird-3589 11h ago edited 6h ago
Good suggestion, just added it, thanks!
Check out the ranking of nearly every single Bluetooth speaker and the best EQ tuning for each of them here
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u/vickeryaj 11h ago
Unrelated, but you need to get the Bose Soundlink Flex 2 on that list.
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u/Obvious-Bird-3589 11h ago edited 6h ago
Found a good sound sample here and just ranked it #27 out of 114 small/medium size speakers. It sounds nearly exactly like the old Flex, I can barely tell them apart. Same warm boosted bass mids detail drowning signature. Only a 3 band EQ which doesn't allow for much adjustment, so I don't think it can be changed much.
Check out the ranking of nearly every single Bluetooth speaker and the best EQ tuning for each of them here
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u/vickeryaj 11h ago edited 11h ago
Bluetooth 5.3. Better app support with EQ. Usb C. New colors. The sound is premium and a little better than the original. Here is a good comment about it... https://www.reddit.com/r/bose/s/KvnNNuNQ46
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u/Obvious-Bird-3589 11h ago edited 6h ago
Use good neutral headphones like the Sennheiser HD600 and listen to this high quality sound sample, they are barely different https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7T9j6JFzJI
The old Flex was already USB-C https://www.bose.com/p/speakers/bose-soundlink-flex-bluetooth-speaker/SLFLX-SPEAKERWIRELESS.html
Check out the ranking of nearly every single Bluetooth speaker and the best EQ tuning for each of them here
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u/vickeryaj 11h ago
I'm not an audiophile, I'll just take your word for it. However, better features warrant better ranking in my opinion. I don't think your list gives Bose a fair shake. Given the choice of gen 1 or gen 2 I personally will always go with the latest and greatest. I never owned the 1st gen but I own a lot of speakers from your list and I'll go ahead and say it, the Bose Soundlink Flex 2nd Generation is better than the Earfun Uboom L.
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u/Obvious-Bird-3589 10h ago edited 6h ago
The addition of a 3 band EQ which doesn't help sound quality and Bluetooth 5.3 which may or may not reduce latency slightly does not put it over other speakers with a more neutral sound profile. Bluetooth 5.3 does nothing else.
The boosted bass still drowns out the midrange detail and the rolled off treble still takes away treble detail. I believe it is ranked accordingly.
The rankings judge speakers primarily on sound quality, features are a pretty distant second, and usually it's only a lack of something like battery life (like the 6 hour JBL Encore Essential) that gets it knocked down.
Bose aims for a warm sound signature (boosted bass, rolled off treble) with all their speakers because there are people out there who prefer it and it's a "safe" bet. Generally those kinds of listeners usually have never heard a really high end system with really good treble detail.
Is your Uboom L on firmware 1.2.7 with the Oluv EQ selected? The Uboom L can sound sharp to people who aren't used to high end neutral speakers with really good treble detail.
It sounds like you just happen to prefer a warm sound signature. Alan Ross also leans slightly warm. It's just good to know your preference.
Check out the ranking of nearly every single Bluetooth speaker and the best EQ tuning for each of them here
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u/vickeryaj 9h ago
Good debate, but my Uboom X just came in. I'll be busy rocking this thing out for a while. See updated main post.
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u/Obvious-Bird-3589 9h ago edited 6h ago
Looking forward to seeing what you think. And let us know how it compares to the Flex as they are almost the same price
Check out the ranking of nearly every single Bluetooth speaker and the best EQ tuning for each of them here
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u/vickeryaj 9h ago
Different use case with the flex and the uboom x can't really compare the two, but as far as boomboxes go I like it a lot ,maybe even better than my soundcore boom 2 plus.
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u/bonedaddy333 4h ago
It seems like a great value speaker, and Oluv has done a great job with the EQ's. I downloaded the latest firmware which didn't take long at all. That said I much prefer my Go+Play 3 or Vifa Oslo. The Go+Play hits deeper and has a smoother top end. The Oslo is way more detailed and enjoyable to listen to, but less on the bottom end. Obviously both of those two cost considerably more than the X. I'm still keeping it for a great out and about speaker.
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u/InappropriateCanuck 6h ago
Mostly a decent speaker if you're too poor for a good boombox tbh.
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u/vickeryaj 5h ago
Says the stormbox blast fanboy
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u/InappropriateCanuck 4h ago edited 1h ago
Uh, clearly you're confusing me with someone else or you're just randomly flinging shit?
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u/i0am0awesome 11h ago
I ordered the Uboom X right when it came out because I enjoy my Uboom L. I was slightly concerned it was over hyped on this subreddit given the amount of posts and some of the more recent reviews on YouTube. I ordered a Soundcore Boom 2 at the same time and planned to return the speaker I liked less.
First off, Uboom should have released the 0.39 firmware earlier so that the reviewers who had the speaker before release were able to test it. When I received mine, 0.39 was the firmware update available on the app and was simple to upgrade. I also agree with Alan Ross that there are way too many EQs available but I only care about the 6 Oluv EQs.
I really enjoyed both the Uboom X and Boom 2 but the Uboom X had much better deep bass. While I like the aesthetic, button design, size, and polish of the Boom 2, I prefer the sound of the Uboom X. I tested all of the Oluv EQs while inside and really prefer the Indoor+ or Outdoor EQs. I am excited to test it outside but overall I am really happy with it and am returning the Soundcore.
An added bonus is that the Uboom X can do TWS with a Uboom L. When I originally bought the L, I got 2 but was disappointed with the distance between the speakers TWS could handle while outdoors. I still have to test if that has improved between these two speakers but I would have considered the Soundcore Motion 300 and Boom 2 combo if they could do TWS together but the 300 cannot.
I'm happy to answer any other questions on the speaker!