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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Ultimate Ears BOOM 4 vs Sony LinkBuds Speaker
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Ultimate Ears BOOM 4
Sony LinkBuds Speaker
Tested using Methodology v0.8
Updated Nov 20, 2024 03:25 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v0.8
Updated Feb 04, 2025 12:25 PM
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Amazon.com
BluetoothYes
Wi-FiNo
SpeakerphoneNo
Voice AssistantNo
Battery PoweredYes
BluetoothYes
Wi-FiNo
SpeakerphoneYes
Voice AssistantYes
Battery PoweredYes
Variants
- BOOM 4 (Active Black)
- BOOM 4 (Cobalt Blue)
- BOOM 4 (Enchanting Lilac)
- BOOM 4 (Raspberry Red)
- LinkBuds Speaker (Light Grey)
- LinkBuds Speaker (White)
Our Verdict
Ultimate Ears BOOM 4
Sony LinkBuds Speaker
The Sony LinkBuds Speaker and the Ultimate Ears BOOM 4 have different strengths. The Ultimate Ears is very good for using outdoors. It's IP67-rated and will even float in water, so it'll withstand getting soaked on a rainy camping trip. It also gets noticeably louder than the Sony. On the other hand, the Sony is more of a home device. Its built-in microphone means you can use your phone's virtual assistant with it, and if you have a pair of LinkBuds headphones, you can automatically switch audio between your speaker and headphones.
Main Differences for
Threshold
Music
6.7
6.3
Soundstage
9.1
6.1
Frequency Response Accuracy
5.7
6.5
Dynamics
7.1
5.5
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
RGB Lights
No
No
Portability
9.2
9.3
Dimensions Photo
Volume
58 in³ (953 cm³)
47 in³ (769 cm³)
Weight
1.4 lbs (0.6 kg)
1.1 lbs (0.5 kg)
Power Source
Battery & USB
Battery & USB
One-Hand Carry
Yes
Yes
Build Quality
9.0
7.0
Build Quality Photo
Material Quality
Great
Good
Water Resistance
Submersible (IPx7)
Water-resistant (IPx4)
Dust Resistance
Dust-Proof (IP6x)
No
Impact Resistance
Yes (IK rating unspecified)
No
Floats In Water
Yes
No
Controls
5.8
7.8
Controls Photo
Controls Photo 2
Ease Of Use
Good
Good
Feedback
Good
Good
Music Play/Pause
Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)
Call Answer/End
No
Yes
Volume Up/Down
Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)
Track Next/Previous
No
Yes (Physical)
Microphone On/Off
No
No
Additional Controls
No
Yes
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Sound
Frequency Response Accuracy
5.7
6.5
Frequency Response Graph
Slope
-1.26
0.81
Std. Err.
4.07 dB
2.79 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
93.8 Hz
72.3 Hz
High-Frequency Extension
17.0 kHz
15.1 kHz
Raw Frequency Response
Raw Frequency Response Graph
Binaural Recording @ 1m
Binaural Recording @ 2m
Soundstage
9.1
6.1
Directivity Graph
Directivity Index
1.72 dB
3.55 dB
Stereo
Yes
No (mono)
Dynamics
7.1
5.5
Dynamic Range Compression
SPL @ Max Volume
87.0 dB SPL
81.3 dB SPL
DRC @ Max Volume
1.55 dB
3.24 dB
Active Features
Battery
8.8
8.6
Battery Life
12.1 hrs
15.5 hrs
Charge Time
2.6 hrs
4.4 hrs
Power Saving
Yes
Yes
Charging Port
USB-C
USB-C
Battery Powered
Yes
Yes
Voice Assistant
0.0
4.6
Alexa
No
Yes (Requires Smartphone)
Google Assistant
No
Yes (Requires Smartphone)
Speakerphone
No
Yes
Siri
No
Yes (Requires Smartphone)
Voice Assistant
No
Yes
Voice Activation
No
No
Microphone Mute
No Microphone
No
Far-Field Performance
No Microphone
Great
Ambient Noise Performance
No Microphone
Great
App
7.9
6.3
App Picture
App Name
Ultimate Ears
Sound Connect
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
Yes
Yes
EQ
Graphic + Presets
Graphic
Stereo Pair Mode
Yes
Yes
Party Mode
Yes
No
Multi-Room
No
No
Connectivity
Wired
Aux Input
No
No
USB Audio
No
No
Other Ports
No
No
Bluetooth
8.1
9.3
Bluetooth
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth Version
Unspecified
5.2
Bluetooth iOS Latency
51 ms
10 ms
Bluetooth Android Latency
112 ms
73 ms
Bluetooth Range
341.2 ft (104.0 m)
334.6 ft (102.0 m)
Multi-Device Pairing
No
2 Devices
Wi-Fi
0.0
0.0
Wi-Fi Version
No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi Frequency Band
No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
No
No
Apple AirPlay
No
No
AirPlay Latency
N/A
N/A
Google Chromecast
No
No
Chromecast Latency
N/A
N/A
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Ultimate Ears BOOM 4
Sony LinkBuds Speaker
Comments
Ultimate Ears BOOM 4 vs Sony LinkBuds Speaker: Main Discussion
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