Short answer: the Vifa Helsinki if sound quality matters most, the Ultimate Ears Epicboom if price matters most. The Vifa Helsinki ranks #1 of 78 large speakers at $449. The Ultimate Ears Epicboom ranks #58 at $213.41, $235.59 cheaper.
What the Ultimate Ears Epicboom offers: 17 hour battery with USB-C charging (first UE portable with USB-C). IP67 rating, floats in water. Made mostly from recycled fabric and plastic. Large best-sounding UE portable that still feels portable. 180ft Bluetooth range. Watch for: Not very deep bass for the size. Gets distorted at around 70-80% with bass thuds.
What the Vifa Helsinki offers: Generally regarded as the best midrange and treble sound quality of any battery powered Bluetooth speaker. Watch for: No TWS pairing, looks like a purse, requires a hacked Vifa app (Android only post #48) to enable night mode to sound good. Not sure I can recommend this one generally these days, the Uboom L has 98% of the sound quality with more features and a way cheaper price. There are mentions that the 2022 “new” version of this speaker doesn’t sound as good as Vifa was purchased by a Chinese company and laid off all the great sound engineers in the Austria office.
Buy the Ultimate Ears Epicboom when the price outweighs sound quality for you, and the Vifa Helsinki when sound quality outweighs the price instead.
There is a real battery-life gap here: the Ultimate Ears Epicboom is rated for 17 hours, the Vifa Helsinki only 8 hours.
If water resistance matters to you, the Ultimate Ears Epicboom at IPX7 (brief submersion) holds up far better than the Vifa Helsinki at no water resistance.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Portable Bluetooth rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Ultimate Ears Epicboom | Vifa Helsinki | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $213.41 | $449.00 |
| Ranked | #58 of 78 in Large Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #1 of 78 in Large Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | ~55Hz | 48Hz |
| Battery Life | 17 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 8 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Weight | 4.3 lbs (1.97 kg) | 3.1 lbs (1.4 kg) |
| App | No | No (official app is broken, 3rd party android app only) |
| Aux Input | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC | aptX, SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | Yes |
| EQ | No | No |
| IP Rating | IPX7 | None |
| Party Mode | No | No |
| Power Bank | No | No |
| Power Input | USB-C | AC Power brick |
| Stereo | Yes | Partially (shared woofer) |
| Omnidirectional | No | No |
| TWS | Yes | No |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.2 | 4.1 |
| Drivers | 1x 120mm woofer, 2x 45mm tweeters | 2x 50mm fullrange, 2x 66mm woofers + 2x passive radiators |
| Dimensions | 4.7" x 9.5" x 6.4" (119 x 241 x 162 mm) | 6.1" x 8.3" x 2.8" (156 x 210 x 70 mm) |
| Frequency Response | 50Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) | 58Hz - 18kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Amplifier Power | 10W RMS | Specs not published by manufacturer |
| Maximum SPL | 94dB (Manufacturer specified) | - |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More worthwhile head-to-heads for Vifa Helsinki:
- JBL Xtreme 5 vs Vifa Helsinki
- Tribit Stormbox Lava vs Vifa Helsinki
- Brane X vs Vifa Helsinki
- Minirig 4 with subwoofer vs Vifa Helsinki
- Soundcore Boom 2 vs Vifa Helsinki
Prices on this page were last checked September 16, 2026 at 12:41 AM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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The Two Speakers In Full
Ultimate Ears Epicboom: $213.41 Amazon eBay
Pros: 17 hour battery with USB-C charging (first UE portable with USB-C). IP67 rating, floats in water. Made mostly from recycled fabric and plastic. Large best-sounding UE portable that still feels portable. 180ft Bluetooth range. Measured bass extension of ~55Hz (-10dB).
Cons: Not very deep bass for the size. Gets distorted at around 70-80% with bass thuds.
Full Ultimate Ears Epicboom review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 10W RMS |
|---|---|
| App | No |
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | ~55Hz |
| Battery Life | 17 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.2 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 4.7" x 9.5" x 6.4" (119 x 241 x 162 mm) |
| Drivers | 1x 120mm woofer, 2x 45mm tweeters |
| EQ | No |
| Frequency Response | 50Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IPX7 |
| Maximum SPL | 94dB (Manufacturer specified) |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | No |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | Yes |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 4.3 lbs (1.97 kg) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Jay’s Straight Up Reviews & More: Bass Check 💣 Treblab HD-360, Ultimate Ears EpicBoom, Marshall Middleton & JBL Pulse 5. Boom or Bust? More from JaysStraightUpReviews →
- Jay’s Straight Up Reviews & More: $350 Ultimate Ears EpicBoom gets Epic Beat-Down 😮by $120 Soundcore Rave Neo 2. Bluetooth Speaker KO🤛
- Jay’s Straight Up Reviews & More: Bose SoundLink Max vs. Ultimate Ears EpicBoom 🤑Big Bucks No Whammies? 💣 Let’s Find Out 😧
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Vifa Helsinki: $449.00 Amazon eBay
Pros: Generally regarded as the best midrange and treble sound quality of any battery powered Bluetooth speaker. Measured bass extension of 48Hz (-10dB).
Cons: No TWS pairing, looks like a purse, requires a hacked Vifa app (Android only post #48) to enable night mode to sound good. Not sure I can recommend this one generally these days, the Uboom L has 98% of the sound quality with more features and a way cheaper price. There are mentions that the 2022 “new” version of this speaker doesn’t sound as good as Vifa was purchased by a Chinese company and laid off all the great sound engineers in the Austria office.
Full Vifa Helsinki review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | Specs not published by manufacturer |
|---|---|
| App | No (official app is broken, 3rd party android app only) |
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 48Hz |
| Battery Life | 8 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | aptX, SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 4.1 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 6.1" x 8.3" x 2.8" (156 x 210 x 70 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 50mm fullrange, 2x 66mm woofers + 2x passive radiators |
| EQ | No |
| Frequency Response | 58Hz - 18kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | None |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | No |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | AC Power brick |
| Stereo | Partially (shared woofer) |
| TWS | No |
| Weight | 3.1 lbs (1.4 kg) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Vifa Helsinki vs JBL Xtreme 5
- Vifa Helsinki vs Tribit Stormbox Lava
- Vifa Helsinki vs Brane X
- Vifa Helsinki vs Minirig 4 with subwoofer
- Vifa Helsinki vs Soundcore Boom 2
- Vifa Helsinki vs Marshall Stockwell 2
- Vifa Helsinki vs Soundcore Motion Boom
- Vifa Helsinki vs Bose SoundLink Max
- See all 39 comparisons