Ultimate Ears - EVERBOOM

If you like the UE sound and design style, I'd go for a MEGABOOM 4 (maybe an EVERBOOM or EPICBOOM if you want something a little larger). The 360-degree design of the UE speakers is a real benefit IMO. And they all play nicely together in Party mode.

If you like Ultimate Ears speakers (durability, design, etc.) there are some good options and today is a really good day to make a purchase because there are deals. I always recommend that people get two speakers and use them paired in stereo, rather than spending the same amount of money on single speaker. It depends on your use case though - if you typically are moving around a lot when listening then having a stereo pair is less important. It seems like ruggedness and “seaworthyness” are important to you and that makes UE a good option even though the sound quality and bass output aren’t the best - what about size/form factor? I have both the Everboom (bigger) and the Wonderboom (smaller). That’s where I would start. If you move around a lot and don’t want to carry two speakers the Everboom is a good bet if you’re okay with the size (it’s bigger than the Megablast but still very portable). Everyone I’ve recommended the Wonderboom to has been very happy and it’s very affordable.

I can't comment on the Hyperboom as I've never heard one. However, I have heard various generations of the Boom and Megaboom and I can tell you that these definitely don't sound good at all.

I bought one of the Ultimate Ears Boom 2 years ago and have never needed to buy another. Great bit of kit, maybe you can find one NOS? 

Not really, it’s the sound in general. It’s not a great sounding speaker.

The ratings are done mostly from people who are not aware of what a good sounding speaker is like. Also, it’s hard to rate something when you’re not comparing it to anything else - if you never put the UE Boom side by side against a JBL charge, you’d always think your UE sounds great

I don’t think it has a better design. Many would say it’s based on preference, but in reality, the UE Boom is much more compact and rugged (the whole point of a portable speaker), and its a shame really that they’re not pushing the sound of a JBL

That’s the thing. You think they’re amazing until you put your megabooms against a JBL charge. You’re of course going to think they’re insanely good. It’s like giving someone a sweet, and they think that’s the best thing ever, until you give them hardcore drugs like heroin, they’re gonna love that shit much more than they love sweets

It’s a shame really cause they have a great design and durability. Wish the sound was on par with JBL’s

I have 2 ultimate ears Booms (thought I lost the first one so I bought a second). I have had them for about 10 and 6 years respectively. They have the same sound quality and battery performance as they did the day I bought them. I use one for about 3 hours each day and it usually lasts about a week - a week and a half.

Yesss I’ve had my first one for 10 years, second for 7ish, and they’re stellar. The app is great too

I’m 10 and 7 years on my two booms respectively

Been using the Ultimate Ears Boom for a while now and they’ve been great! Got a second the a bigger one because of how much I liked them.

I'm not sure what exactly you mean by "high quality" - If you are referring to the quality of the speaker itself as well as the sound quality, I would recommend BOOM from ultimate ears (Logitech, Swiss). I've literally thrown it down 2 floors and it survived, the sound quality is by no means bad either.

For the small portable my affections are always with Bose. Some of my favorite speakers for sound stage, portability, and loud reaching well made BT speakers in super portable, easy to handle packages. I have three of their BT speakers and they really perform. As I get less portable, I stumbled into one not on your list — Logitech’s Ultimate Ears brand — which has some smaller BT speakers as well. They’re really well made and they double down on putting resources into the simple features I care about most (sync, app, weatherproofing etc).