You can only get so much power out of a small Bluetooth speaker. Ultimate Ears seems to have hit this wall with the UE Roll 2. The small, rugged follow-up to the UE Roll has longer wireless range than the original, but doesn't offer any significant audio improvements over its predecessor, and struggles with deep bass when you crank it up. But it still boasts a clever design, and sounds very good when you don't push it to maximum volume. It's a solid option at $99.99, though our Editors' Choice, the JBL Clip 2, can be found for about half as much.

Design

The Roll 2 looks and behaves identically to the original. It's a 5.3-inch disc that measures 1.6 inches at its thickest point, with front and back sides that curve toward each other to form a single circular edge. It weighs 11.6 ounces and is rated IPX7 waterproof, meaning it can handle total submersion in 3.3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. While the Roll 2 can survive being dunked, you can't easily listen to it underwater. Fortunately, it comes with an inflatable cushion that keeps it afloat when you take it into the pool. Just blow it up and set the speaker on it like an inner tube.

Like UE's other speakers, the Roll 2 is available in a variety of bright colors, often with strong contrasts between the body/grille of the speaker and its accents (the front buttons and built-in bungee). Color options include orange/blue, magenta/yellow, black/red, blue/red, and two different patterned versions.

The front side of the speaker is covered entirely in grille cloth, with large plus and minus symbols for volume control. The back of the speaker is rubber, with Bluetooth pairing and power buttons readily available and a 3.5mm input and micro USB port for charging hidden behind a rubber door. The back is also home to the built-in bungee loop, along with a hook to keep the bungee in place when it's not being used to dangle the speaker. You can also pull the bungee around a pole and hook it back onto the speaker to keep it in place. It's a clever design element we first saw in the original Roll.

The Roll 2 shares the same nine-hour estimated battery life as its predecessor. In fact, the only major change here seems limited to Bluetooth range, which UE puts at 100 feet compared with 65 feet for the original. There are also a few software features like Remote On/Off with the free UE Roll 2 app for Android and iOS.

Performance

The Roll 2 can get quite loud for its size, but don't count on playing it at top volume levels. The speaker clearly uses digital signal processing to cut out low frequencies when the volume is cranked high, while still bringing up the rest of the mix in whatever track it's playing. This can result in a shrill, almost painful sound. It isn't an issue until you push things to the very upper level of the speaker's volume range, but it's a noticeable issue. At medium to medium-high levels, the Roll can fill a small room with sound or provide music to a handful of people hanging around outside. It isn't going to power your next party, though.

Like the original, the Roll 2 lacks a sense of deep bass. This isn't surprising for a speaker this small and this flat. When playing our bass test track, The Knife's "Silent Shout," the Roll 2 noticeably distorts and pops on the kick drum hits at maximum volume, and it doesn't offer any real rumble.

The Stranglers' "No More Heroes" shows similar behavior on the Roll 2. The track's high-pitched, psychedelic guitar riffs come through clearly, with the vocals sitting just slightly behind them. The drums on the track fill up the mix and sound solid at medium to medium-high volume levels. However, the top few notches of volume cause the speaker to cut out a lot of the bass while boosting the rest of the mix, producing a lackluster sound.

This is also the case with N.E.R.D.'s "Spaz," where the snare hits and higher frequency strings overwhelm the mix as the bass and heavier drums simply drop out at higher volumes. It's a balanced sound at medium volume levels, though. Really, if you just don't crank the speaker up to the very top, you'll be pleased with its performance.

The Ultimate Ears UE Roll 2 is a good-sounding Bluetooth speaker as long as you don't push its volume to maximum, and its clever, rugged design makes it easy to take and hang up almost anywhere. $100 is a bit pricey for the amount of power you get, though. The $60 JBL Clip 2 features a waterproof, attachable design and good performance, and the Polk Boom Swimmer Jr. is even cheaper. If you're willing to spend more, the waterproof EcoXGear EcoCarbon and UE Boom 2 are much more powerful, and offer significantly more low-end.

Best Speaker Picks

• The Best Outdoor Speakers for 2020
• The Best Soundbars for 2020
• The Best Wireless and Bluetooth Speakers for 2020
• The Best Bluetooth Speakers Under $100
• More Speaker Reviews
• More from Ultimate Ears

Further Reading

• New Sonos Playbar Leak Hints at Redesign
• How to Use an Amazon Echo as a Speaker For Your Television
• How to Protect Your Home With Alexa Guard
• How to Control Your Roku With an Amazon Echo
• No More Bricks: Sonos Drops 'Trade-Up' Program's Recycle Mode