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Music on a ROLL – The UE ROLL Review


GolfSpy Dave

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Music Evokes Passion

Today I am bringing you the latest installment of how to play music on the golf course. Now before we get to the UE ROLL, and its advantages and disadvantages when compared to the previously reviewed UE BOOM and UE MEGABOOM, let's address one little issue.

 

Some of you are not fans of music on the golf course. Really not fans. One of you even went so far as to tell me to “grow up” in the comments after the last review. As an older guy, that one made me chuckle a bit, but I appreciate the passion in the response.

 

The simple fact is that some enjoy playing a round with music, while others do not. Last I checked, the leader in the poll about music on the course in the last review was â€œIs fine as long as it's used responsibly.”.

 

I was happy to see that, but not too surprised. Golf etiquette is all about not being invasive. We repair our damage to the course, and we keep quiet when others are swinging. Music played under the same pretext should be unobtrusive to those around us who are not interested. Manners are key, as always.

 

That being said, if you are not interested in music during your round ever, you can probably tune out now. I'm not here to convince you that it's OK. Rather, I'm giving some product options to those of you who like a bit of casual music during your casual rounds. I definitely don't always want to hear music when I play, but when I do, I want it to sound good.

 

Music on a ROLL

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So far, I have been very impressed with the Ultimate Ears speakers. As I have continued to use them, my level of impressed-ness has grown. How much do I like them? Why just last week, I took the old JVC stereo system to Goodwill.

 

Phone + BOOM is the new music solution in my house.

 

Such an amazing solution to home audio. We had some people over last Saturday for Halloween, and I was able to sync the MEGABOOM and the BOOM, placing the BOOM in the house and the MEGABOOM on the back patio. It made for a great audio set-up as I walked in and out of the house, all the time controlling the music from the phone in my pocket. It seems like audio magic to this kid born of 45's and cassette tapes.

 

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Anyway, today's UE audio goodie is the UE ROLL. The ROLL is a little different than the other two reviewed speakers, both in shape and in price.

 

The UE ROLL is not cylindrical like the BOOM and the MEGABOOM. Instead, it is a round, flat-ish disk. It's kind of shaped like a giant M&M.

 

Price-wise, the UE ROLL comes in at $99. For reference, the MSRPs on the BOOM and MEGABOOM were $199 and $299, respectively. The question, of course, does the reduced price represent reduced quality?

 

Shape and Portability/Golfability

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For some reason, I expected the UE ROLL to be a bit smaller. I'm not sure why, but I thought it would be about 4” in diameter. It's actually closer to 5.5”. It's not a huge difference, but it does make it a bit less portable.

 

I think that the cylinder shape of the BOOM works a bit better for the golfer, as it will fit into a cup holder in a cart, or even into the drink pocket in a golf bag. The UE ROLL does have a little elastic strap and hook system that will allow you to lash it to just about anywhere on your bag though. Here it is attached to the towel loop on my bag.

 

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However, I am not 100% confident that the strap will keep the ROLL secure. It seems like it could come unattached. It never did while I was using it on the course, but it seemed like it could. It may make sense to add a back-up attachment, like a carabineer, just in case the loop slips.

 

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Battery in the ROLL will play music for nine hours, charging via the included USB cable. Nine hours should be enough to finish a round. If not, the only music I want this thing playing for me at hour nine would be Taps...

 

Non-golf portability is pretty solid as well. Here is a shot of the ROLL lashed to the bike basket prior to my weekly happy hour ride with the wife. The ROLL is a perfect size for the bike, and we both enjoy adding music to the afternoon ride.

 

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I bet that the ROLL will also end up in the kayak next summer as it is waterproof/resistant like its brethren. The ROLL is so water friendly that it even has a flotation accessory. It's a little inflatable swim ring that the roll sits upon. I don't know that I'll float it next to the boat, but I definitely won't be concerned if it gets wet.

 

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Sound

Pairing the speaker to the phone is fast and simple, just like the other two UE speakers. The initial pairing is very straight forward, and the speaker then remembers your phone (and up to seven others) as soon as you power it up. Simple.

 

Before playing it. I didn't think that the UE ROLL would live up to the sound quality of the BOOM and the MEGABOOM. Being totally fair, it doesn't.

 

However, the sound from the UE ROLL is way better than I expected. In most cases, the entry-level product, regardless of the marketplace, is a shadow of the higher end products. While the other two speakers do sound better, especially the MEGABOOM, the UE ROLL holds its own in the sound department.

 

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Volume is pretty amazing for a small speaker, only distorting once you are above comfortable listening volume anyway.

 

It doesn't have the bass of the BOOM or the MEGABOOM, but it keeps up pretty well compared to those. Compared to other brand wireless speakers that I have used, the ROLL still stands out. It may not fully compete with its family members, but it can definitely take on all of the neighbors.

 

Controlling the volume works just like it does with the other speakers. Big buttons for easy manipulation, pressing both to know how much battery is left. I find that I usually adjust volume with my phone, many times just by pressing the volume buttons on the phone through the fabric of my shorts. Simple. Again, magical.

 

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There is an app for the ROLL, sadly separate from those for the BOOM and the MEGABOOM. One single app would be better. What is nice is that the app gives you the ability to power up the speaker from your phone, and it will pair with a BOOM, MEGABOOM, or another ROLL.

 

Like the MEGABOOM, you can update the ROLL through the app and your wireless connection from your phone. They are continuing to add functionality to the app, and to the speaker. There is now a BLOCK PARTY mode that allows you to share the speaker easily with friends, and the MEGABOOM can now pause and skip songs by sensing when you tap it.

 

Good keeps getting better.

 

Ranking The ROLL

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Of the three that I have reviewed, I do put the ROLL in third. It's not a bad unit, far from it. The others are just better. If you don't want to spend the money to get the BOOM or MEGABOOM though, then the ROLL is a good option.

 

BOOM vs MEGABOOM is a bit more of a situational scoring scale. If you want a speaker to take to the course, or anywhere, then go with the BOOM. It's just the more portable of the two. For home use, the MEGABOOM is my favorite. The sound is amazing. As I said above, my home audio system is now typically the MEGABOOM and the phone.

 

So if you are interested in playing some music, responsibly, while you play golf, or around the house, or really anywhere, then the Ultimate Ears speakers are great options. You will have fun with them.

 

Website: http://www.ultimateears.com/en-us/ueroll

Volvo Intorqueo

All the cool kids follow me on twitter: @GolfspyDave

If you are not a cool kid, following me on twitter will make you cool...

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Great review Dave.  I have a question or two for you....How laong do the batteries last and what type of battery does it use?

Driver: image.png.6ba1c8a254ad57aa05e527b74c2e04ba.png0311 XF 10.5* w/Project X Cypher 40 gram Senior shaft or 0811 XF 12* w/Evenflo Riptide CB Senior shaft

Fairways:  image.png.80321f01fc46450b6f428c7daf7b3471.png0211 5W & 7W w/ Evenflo Riptide CB  regular shaft and Tour Edge E521 9W w/Fubuki HD50 regular shaft

Hybrid: None in bag at the moment

IronsTitleist T300 5-PW w/Fubuki MV Senior graphite shafts w/Golf Pride Tour

Wedges: Edison forged 49*, 53* and 57* wedges with KB PGI Senior shafts(80 grm).

Putter: 33” Evnroll ER6R or  ER2 or Bellum Winmore Model 707,   or Nike Method Core Drone  w/Evnroll Gravity Grip

Bag: Vice cart bag(Black/Lime). 

Ball: Snell MTB Prime X, Maxfli Tour/S/X CG, Titleist Pro V1x or Titleist TruFeel

Using Shot Scope X5 and Pinned Rangefinder

 

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Great review Dave.  I have a question or two for you....How laong do the batteries last and what type of battery does it use?

Batteries are internal, charging via USB. Spec sheets say 9 hours of play and 3.5 hours to fully charge.

Volvo Intorqueo

All the cool kids follow me on twitter: @GolfspyDave

If you are not a cool kid, following me on twitter will make you cool...

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That's pretty good......

Driver: image.png.6ba1c8a254ad57aa05e527b74c2e04ba.png0311 XF 10.5* w/Project X Cypher 40 gram Senior shaft or 0811 XF 12* w/Evenflo Riptide CB Senior shaft

Fairways:  image.png.80321f01fc46450b6f428c7daf7b3471.png0211 5W & 7W w/ Evenflo Riptide CB  regular shaft and Tour Edge E521 9W w/Fubuki HD50 regular shaft

Hybrid: None in bag at the moment

IronsTitleist T300 5-PW w/Fubuki MV Senior graphite shafts w/Golf Pride Tour

Wedges: Edison forged 49*, 53* and 57* wedges with KB PGI Senior shafts(80 grm).

Putter: 33” Evnroll ER6R or  ER2 or Bellum Winmore Model 707,   or Nike Method Core Drone  w/Evnroll Gravity Grip

Bag: Vice cart bag(Black/Lime). 

Ball: Snell MTB Prime X, Maxfli Tour/S/X CG, Titleist Pro V1x or Titleist TruFeel

Using Shot Scope X5 and Pinned Rangefinder

 

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