How waterproof is the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom?

If you're looking for a quality Bluetooth speaker that you can use in the shower, take on hikes (even the rainy ones), or even to take by the pool, then both Ultimate Ears Wonderboom and Wonderboom 2 can tag along.

Both versions are water-resistant enough to survive submersion in up to 3 feet of water for 30 minutes. Any deeper or longer and the water pressure may prove too much for any water-tight seals or gaskets on your Wonderboom.

You've probably seen this rating, in particular, being mentioned over the last years, specifically in the smartphone market. The Ingress Protection (IP) rating is given to products based on how dust-resistant and water-resistant they are.

The first digit, in this case, the six, refers to solid particle protection. Six is the highest rating of dust protection, meaning the Wonderboom is fully dust-tight. Sand, snow, or dirt of any kind ain't getting inside your Wonderboom.

The second digit, seven, refers to the Wonderboom's liquid ingress protection. The scale goes from 0 (no protection) to 9K (protection against powerful, high-temperature water jets). A seven on this scale means protection against immersion of up to 1 meter in depth.

The official test duration for this rating is 30 minutes, so your Wonderboom may even be able to last longer than 30 minutes (and it should), but I wouldn't chance it.

Basically, so long as you're not taking it into the deep end, you Wonderboom should come out unscathed every time.

What's new with the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2?

While both the original Wonderboom and the Wonderboom 2 have the same IP rating, there is a couple of difference between the models. Price is probably the first thing you'll notice, as the Wonderboom 2 is about $40 more expensive than the previous model; so what do you get for all that extra dough?

For starters, the Wonderboom 2 has about a 30% larger battery, meaning it can rock out for 13 hours straight on a single charge rather than the 10 hours the previous model received. Plus, from a design standpoint, the new fabric that surrounds the speakers is now two-tone color, giving the speaker a slightly more refined look.

Of course, the biggest upgrade is how the Wonderboom 2 handles Ultimate Ears Double Up feature. If you buy two Wonderboom 2's you can pair both speakers together to form a stereo pair, meaning you have both left and right channels. The older model could use the double up feature; however, it didn't create a stereo pair, but rather just allowed you to play the same audio from both speakers at once.

If you're looking to save money, buying the original Wonderboom is your better choice. It has the same IP rating, meaning getting it wet is no big deal, and the 10-hour battery life is pretty great for a speaker this small.