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The new ULT series from Sony looks to add more bass to its lineup
Sony ULT series offers its signature sound with deep bass and caters to people with different profile of speakers and headphones.
Sony’s audio products have been the heavyweights of the industry. Be it speakers, headphones or TWS earbuds, the company has managed to keep itself at the top in most segments. Now, the brand wants more of the same with the new ULT series of speakers and headphones. The ULT Field 1 is an extension of Sony’s rugged speaker lineup with the added bass there to satiate your love for the genre.
Priced at Rs 10,990, the ULT Field 1 if fielding itself in a crowded territory with the likes of JBL and Sony itself in the reckoning. So, does the ULT add a new dimension to Sony’s lineup and entice buyers with its varied audio profile? You’ll find the answer over here.
Rugged Sony Style Assured
Sony ensures that most of its portable speakers are outdoor and pool party ready. The ULT Field 1 is just another iteration of that but with a lot more spunk on board. The mesh design of the speaker allows the brand to push 360-degree sound. The extra rugged nature of the speaker comes through because of the finishing and the tight sealing of the ports ensure you don’t have to worry about water seeping through the gaps.
Having IP67 rating gives you the peace of mind using the ULT Field 1 next to water or even dust falling on the unit which can be more often than you think. The speaker can grip on any surface because of the finishing and that is a big plus for an outdoor portable speaker.
The controls are positioned at the top like the other Sony speakers, while the USB C port for charging sits behind the panel at the back. The speaker weighs just 650 grams which makes it easier to carry, even in a bag.
The ULT Effect
Sony speakers have been renowned for their signature sound that prefers bass without dropping the leg on other genres of music. With the ULT series, Sony is taking the bass effect deeper. To prove its point, the company has even added a ULT button on the speaker, which activates a new layer of bass on the ULT Field 1. We have used the Sony XB series speakers earlier and their bass output was quite good.
But the Field 1 takes that experience deeper, and gives you more pronounced bass notes that bring the extra thump to tracks, movies and more. That’s the good thing about the ULT mode, but at the same time, when you disable the feature, the sound notes get flatter and don’t sound as bassy with the mode turned on. Having said that, if you do prefer listening to instrumentals and more vocal-heavy genres, turning off the ULT mode gives you a rich experience without the added bass effect.
The speaker works through the compatible Sony app which feels a little outdated and lacking features to make it really worthwhile using. We have felt the same for the WH-1000 and WF-1000 series headphones and earbuds previously, and it is high time that Sony polishes on this front of its product.
Runs Enough To Keep You Engaged
Sony claims the ULT Field 1 gives you 12 hours of battery life for the music playback which is ideal in most cases.
The fact that the speaker doesn’t feature any LED lights (would have loved it) means you get close to those claimed numbers, and during our time, we barely needed to charge the speaker over a few weeks. For Rs 10,990, there is a lot to like about the Sony ULT Field 1 speaker, especially if you dig the punchy bass notes in your music.
