Ultima Boom 181 ANC Review, Is it the Best TWS under 2000?

By | Senior Editor

Senior Editor

Published Dec 27, 2024

The Ultima Boom 181 ANC arrived with a bold claim, terming it as the best earbuds under 2000. What even bolder is the company's confidence. If you find a better TWS than this in the segment, Ultima will give you all your money back. Well, we had to run a test and we did. And without further ado, let's get into our Ultima Boom 181 ANC review. Before heading to the review, let's take a quick look at the specs first.

Ultima Boom 181 ANC Specifications:

Design: In-ear, silicone tips
Drivers: 13mm Hi-fidelity drivers
Noise Canceling: Yes, 30 dB
Microphones: Quad (each: 2)
Connections: Bluetooth 5.3, HyperSync
Features: 45 ms low latency, ENC
Battery: 400mAh (case), 35mAh(on each earbuds)
Charging: Fast charging (10 minutes = 2 hours of playback)
Color Options: Space Black, Serene White
Price in Nepal: NPR 2,499

Ultima Boom 181 ANC Review

Design and Looks

Okay, let's commence with the design side. The Ultima Boom 181 ANC boasts a good-looking vibe. Talking of the fit, the default ear tips were okay for my ears. Due to its lightweight profile, I didn't feel uneasiness during the prolonged usage. I have this White colorway and you can also get this guy in Black shade if you are afraid of dirtying your earbuds too soon. Likewise, the IPX5 rating on this TWS will do well against sweats and light water splashes.

Regarding its durability, Ultima has mentioned 50,000 plus flip tests and 700 plus charge tests on its website. Well, I haven't performed drop tests and such on this guy for obvious reasons, and let's just hope, the build will be sturdy enough to last long.

Audio

In terms of audio, where Ultima has made a strong claim, it was just an average for me at the beginning with the default EQ profile. Boomy sound and an overwhelming amount of bass, clipping the mid and upper midrange frequencies like vocals and flute, to put into words. The vocals were quite undermined especially the female vocals (Bird of a Feather by Billie). After exploring the Ultima Link app, I found the culprit to be the excessive sub-bass boost set on the default profile.

Ultima Boom 181 ANC Equalizer Settings — EQ settings for Boom 181

To be honest, the default tuning doesn't sound too good for budget earbuds and loudness is also fine. Then, I did some tuning for my liking and it got a lot better. In terms of EQ modes, there are two default options: Signature and Balanced. Likewise, the Ultima Link app looks clean and deserves some praise as it's the first Nepali OEM app in the scene.

Tests with other Earbuds

I also tested it with Redmi Buds 5A and Anker K20i which are actually more expensive (both at NPR 2,499) than the Boom 181. Speaking of the Buds 5A, it's got an exactly opposite kind of tuning. A neutral, flat type sound with not a lot of bass and isn't too loud either. I found its audio to be cleaner but I bet not many people would prefer this. The ANC was pretty useless while the Boom 181's ANC was much better, canceling low-frequency humming noises.

Ultima Boom 181 ANC vs Anker Soundcore K20i

Meanwhile, the Anker Soundcore K20i sounds much cleaner to Ultima overall with better treble response, clarity, and dynamic range. Especially in the songs with busy composition, the K20i does a better job than the Boom 181 ANC. But the K20i is void of ANC and transparency modes, unlike the other.

Latency and Others

Okay, I also did some sessions of PUBG with the Ultima Boom 181. The company claims a 45ms low latency and in my tests, it was playable. A slight delay was noticeable but I'd term it good for casual gaming. A serious gamer will always use a wired earphone anyway. Moreover, each bud features a dual mic and it works just decent indoors while outdoors, it is just as average as every other budget earbud.

Ultima Boom 181 ANC Review: Conclusion

So, we are here on the conclusion part, folks. So, is the Ultima Boom 181 ANC, the best earbuds under 2000 in Nepal? Well, it is indeed technically. Cause' there are literally no other options that are better than this guy. You can tune the EQ through the Ultima Link app for better audio and the pricing is just too good, considering the features like ANC, and app support, and good sound after tuning. But if it's under Rs. 2500, I would slightly lean over the Anker K20i but its semi-in-ear design might not fit everyone's ear. So, I'd recommend the Ultima Boom 181 ANC under 2000 rupees right now. But one thing to note, the 2000 rupees price stage its its launch offer price, otherwise, its MRP is 3,999 rupees.