It’s unlikely that the Jawbone Jambox will be shoved off its throne anytime soon; not necessarily because it’s the best-sounding portable Bluetooth speaker out there, but because it was here first, and it made a huge splash (in part because, yes, it sounds pretty good).

But I were to bet on a challenger, I might put my money on the smart new UE Boom. Not only is it ruggedized against drops and splashes, but it’s armed with two very unusual tricks.

The first is that two Booms can become a stereo setup with the help of a free companion iOS or Android app; the second is its ability to blast sound in 360 degrees.

Then there’s other good stuff, like the Boom’s special plasma-coated acoustic skin — which sounds like it jumped straight out of the latest Marvel flick, and lets the Boom shrug off stains and water.

All this, coupled with a 15-hour li-ion battery and UE’s solid reputation for making stuff that sounds fantastic (like the UE Boombox, which we absolutely adored), means that we could be looking at an usurper of the the throne.

The UE Boom will be available this month for $200.