Loewe We Hear Pro: Two-minute review
The We Hear Pro is the latest powerful outdoor speaker from luxury brand Loewe, and it comes with a luxury price tag too: it’s more expensive than its sibling, the We Hear 2, and it’s more expensive than many rivals too. However, it’s also considerably more powerful than most of the best Bluetooth speakers with 100W of Class D amplification driving two woofers, two tweeters and two passive bass radiators. If budget allows, you can connect more than a dozen of these speakers to play simultaneously.
The We Hear Pro is a good-looking thing, especially in its neon option, and the design is familiar with some thoughtful touches. Having on-device EQ controls is unusual and useful, although the illumination on the controls isn’t visible in direct sunlight.
The bass frequencies aren’t as low as some rivals but the low end is tight and doesn’t get unpleasant at higher volumes, and the volume of this speaker goes very high indeed. Like any single-speaker system it can get a bit tiring when you’re listening loud but as a go-anywhere speaker it’s very impressive in almost every respect: it’s big enough to deliver a big sound but not so big you’ll hate moving it around.
This isn’t the most expensive party speaker you can buy, but it is still considerably more expensive than most rivals. However, its closest rival, the JBL Xtreme 4, costs even more – and Ultimate Ears’ loudest portable is more expensive still.
Loewe We Hear Pro review: Price & release date
- Released May 2024
- Costs £249.99 (about $319 / AU$489)
The We Hear Pro is available now with an RRP of £249.99. That’s significantly more expensive than its £159 predecessor the We Hear 2, but it has 40W more power and around seven more hours of battery life.
At this price the Loewe is competing with some of the best portable speakers by brands such as JBL, Ultimate Ears and Marshall.
Loewe We Hear Pro review: Specs
| Weight | 2.2kg |
| Dimensions | 280 x 138 x1 35mm |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C, 3.5mm3 |
| Battery life | 24 hours |
| Speaker drivers | 2 woofers, 2 tweeters and 2 passive bass radaitors |
| Waterproof rating | IPX6 |
Loewe We Hear Pro review: Features
- Fast and stable Bluetooth
- Up to 24 hours of battery life
- Can charge your other devices
Setting up the We Hear Pro couldn’t be simpler: press the on button, press the connect button and it’ll appear in your phone’s Bluetooth list. Connecting is fast and remained stable; we didn’t suffer from a single dropped connection. There are nicely subtle audio cues on power up, power down and when you establish a Bluetooth connection.
The We Hear Pro has Bluetooth multipoint and can be paired with up to 14 other Loewe speakers if you have the desire and the cash, although unlike the JBL Xtreme it doesn’t support Auracast multi-speaker streaming. It has an aux input as well as Bluetooth 5.3 and includes a mic so you can use it for voice calls via your phone.
The USB-C port isn’t just for charging the speaker; you can use it to charge your smaller devices too.
Unlike most speakers, where the EQ is controlled via your phone, the We Hear Pro enables you to adjust the bass and treble using controls on the top. We didn’t feel the need to change the standard EQ but it’s nice to have the option. It’s most effective at lower volumes; at full pelt it doesn’t make a great deal of difference.
Battery life is a claimed 24 hours, which seems accurate enough: if you run it at full power that’ll drain the battery more quickly but as we were listening at more neighbour-friendly levels in the evenings we were able to go the best part of a week between charges.
Loewe We Hear Pro review: Sound quality
- Very, very loud
- Sounds particularly good with dance music
- EQ controls are right there on top
This is first and foremost a party speaker – something for the football dressing room after a win, say. And that means it needs to be loud, it needs to deliver great bass and it needs to be able to connect to more speakers in larger spaces. The We Hear Pro delivers in all three respects. Its 100W Class D amplification with two drivers, two tweeters and two hard-working bass radiators is impressively loud and doesn’t push the drivers too hard into excessive distortion; like most party speakers it loses all subtlety at higher volumes but it remains punchy and fun, especially on dance tracks such as Charli XCX’s 360. Rock music, particularly classic rock such as AC/DC, works very well too, but it’s with dance music that this portable speaker really excels.
In addition to our usual playlists we decided to try some party-themed songs too from The Associates’ Party Fears Two through LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem and of course, Andrew WK’s Party Hard. They’re very different songs sonically – 80s synth-pop, chart-topping house and hard-driving party rock respectively – but the We Hear Pro delivered each one with plenty of enthusiasm.
The frequency range doesn’t go quite as deep as some rivals – it’s 50Hz to 20kHz, while the likes of the JBL Charge 5 goes down to 20Hz – so if you’re looking for truly subterranean bass you might want to look elsewhere. But during our extensive listening we never felt that the Loewe was lacking in low-end; for solo indoor listening you might notice a difference but outside with friends it really isn’t an issue.
We only had a single speaker to review so we weren’t able to test it as a paired speaker or as part of a multi-speaker setup.
Loewe We Hear Pro review: Design
- On-device controls are really useful…
- …but the illumination isn’t visible in direct sunlight
- Celebrity branding isn’t off-putting
While the We Hear Pro’s cylindrical design with bass ports at either end is a familiar silhouette, there are some nice touches here. On top the volume, bass and treble controls light up with a separate touch-sensitive bar to adjust them. It looks really nice in the evening but the choice of white illumination here means you can’t see it at all in direct sunlight.
The obligatory USB-C port and aux cable socket are on the bottom, protected by a weatherproof flap. It’s neat but it does mean that you’ll need to slightly angle the speaker if you’re using a cabled connection to an audio source.
There are three colour choices: black, blue and the eye-popping neon yellow of our review unit. That’s by far the best-looking option and means you’re very unlikely to misplace it. There’s also a matching carrying strap that enables you to wear the speaker like a satchel or to carry it like a small handbag; it’s a little scratchy feeling but it’s solid enough, and you’ll be glad of it: the speaker weighs a hefty 2.2kg.
The speaker is IPX6 water resistant but not waterproof, so while it’ll survive the odd rain shower it’s not a speaker you want to dunk in deep water. If you’re planning to party poolside you might be better off with a fully waterproof rival.
Loewe We Hear Pro: Value
- Very expensive compared to most portable speakers
- You’re paying a lot for that extra power
- The same firm’s We. HEAR 2 is a lot cheaper
The We Hear Pro is one of the most eye-catching outdoor speakers around, especially in its neon option, and it’s also one of the more expensive options. That’s largely because it has a larger battery and more power than similarly sized rivals, delivering 100W with 20-plus hours of listening time. You can also use it as a portable charger for your other devices. However, that price tag means it’s up against some serious competition: at the time of writing the Sonos Roam 2, our current pick of the best portable Bluetooth speakers, is around $169 / £139. You could buy two for only slightly more than you’d pay for one We Hear Pro.
Should you buy the Loewe We Hear Pro?
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Long battery life, serious sonic power and it doubles as a device charger too. | 4/5 |
| Sound quality | It’s very loud with impressive bass. We found it particularly good for dance and electronic music. | 4/5 |
| Design | Don’t go for the boring shades: the neon one is fun. On-device EQ controls are really handy. | 4/5 |
| Value | It’s very expensive compared to many rivals, but it’s much more powerful than most. | 4/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Loewe We Hear Pro review: Also consider
| Header Cell – Column 0 | JBL Xtreme 4 | UE Hyperboom |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $379.95 / £329.99 / AU$499.95 | $399.99 / £359.99 / AU$599.95. |
| Weight | 4.63 lbs / 2.1kg | 13 lbs / 5.9kg |
| Dimensions | 11.69 x 5.87 x 5.55 inches / 297 x 149 x 141mm | 14.33 x 7.48 x 7.48 inches / 364 mm x D 190 mm x W 190 mm |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Battery life | 24 hours (plus up to 6 hours more with Playtime Boost) | 24 hours |
| Speaker drivers | 2 x 30W woofers, 2 x 20W tweeters | 2 x 114 mm woofers + 2 x 25 mm tweeters + 2 x 89 mm x 190 mm passive radiators |
| Waterproof rating | IPX67 | IPX4 |
How I tested the Loewe We Hear Pro
- I tested for two weeks as an alternative to Apple HomePods and UE’s Wonderboom 4
- I used it indoors at sensible levels and loud outside
- I listened to Apple Music, my own library, Overcast podcasts and some of my own tunes too
I tested the Loewe We. HEAR Pro over the course of two weeks both indoors and out, testing it both as an everyday speaker inside and a party speaker outside. I have a go-to playlist that encompasses a lot of different genres including block-rocking bass and much more delicate recordings, and for this speaker I added in plenty more party anthems as that’s the most common use of such a loud outdoor speaker. I used Apple Music and Overcast for streaming from my iPhone and also streamed from my Mac.
I’ve been a musician and audio obsessive for over 35 years now, and I’ve been reviewing audio kit – headphones, speakers and audio devices of all kinds – since the late 1990s.
Read more about how we test
- First reviewed: October 2024
Read the full article here
