Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
Sony has herald a pedigree of wireless audio products under a new sub - make called ULT Power Sound ( or ULT for short ) . They look familiar because they are the next - gen versions of three of Sony ’s live product lines : Extra Bass headphones , portable Bluetooth speakers , and column - shaped party speaker unit .
They ’ll all be available this spring , but Sony has n’t given exact timing for release dates .
Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
Why group wireless headphone , a motley of portable Bluetooth speakers , and some giant party speakers together under a individual sub - brand ? Sony says that it has place two key lineament that its purchaser value : great bass speech sound and lots of exponent ( i.e. , volume ) . The ULT brand unify Sony products that deal these two traits .
Sony is no alien to the bass craze . Its ExtraBass and MegaBass features have been included on dozens of its audio Cartesian product for decades . But now , that ExtraBass capacity has been folded into the new ULT feature — each Cartesian product include a dedicated ULT clit that lets you advance the sound via consecrated ULT modes .
A side benefit of the ULT strategy is that Sony has at last abandoned some of its complex model numeral . Instead of needing to retrieve that the Sony headphones you want are call the WH - XB910N , now you may just call them the Sony ULT Wear . The portable speaker are known as ULT Field , and the party verbalizer are now the ULT Tower serial .
Here , we ’ll wrap up the ULT Power Sound products that Sony has announced today , but you could also await additional models in the ULT family in the future .
Sony was kind enough to ask in me to a demo session in New York City so that I could hear the new lineup ahead of its launch , so I ’ve include a few first impressions with each production .
Sony ULT Wear, $200
The ULT Wear replace Sony ’s bass - oriented WH - XB910Nnoise - cancel headphonesand know straight beneath Sony ’s flagshipWH-1000XM4($350 ) andWH-1000XM5($400 ) headphones . They amount in three colour : black , off - bloodless , and a new Forest Gray selection .
With the same shut down up / fold prostrate innovation as their predecessor , the ULT Wear get a variety of claimed improvements including better haphazardness cancellation thanks to the use of Sony ’s V1 chip , better wind - noise reduction for ANC and call , quicker quick - charge times , habiliment - detection sensors , and forefront - track spacial audio when used with Sony 360 Reality Audio track and compatible smartphones .
Sony says it has also improved the comfort of the earcups , and the earphone will supportBluetooth LE Audiowith a contrive microcode update .
The most celebrated change , however , is the summation of the ULT button on the unexpended earcup . Pressing it will cycle the headphones between three modes : ULT 1 ( sea bass enhancement ) , ULT 2 ( bass and reasoned pressure sweetening ) , and off .
In the above photo on the left , it may look like the ULT push button is backlit with a rainbow LED , but it ’s really just the luminosity chew over off of a dichroic recording label ( material that mull different colors base on the angle of the light ) .
My light time with the ULT Wear convince me that Sony had indeed better its ANC compared to the WH - XB910N , and while I ’m not sure I ’ll be spending a lot of listening prison term in ULT 1 or ULT 2 modes , they created an undeniable uptick in power and bass answer — at times it felt like the earcups were vibrating .
Sony ULT Field 1, $129
The ULT Field Series are the new version ofSony ’s premature X - Seriesportable Bluetooth speakers . The Field 1 pick up where theSRS - XE200left off , with a succinct design and a rugged , IP67 - rated bodyfor full sealing and dustproofing . Like the ULT Wear , it ’s available in contraband , off - white , and Forest Gray , as well as a new orange colour selection .
bombardment life history has been reduced from a claimed maximum of up to 16 hours to up to 12 time of day , however , the Field 1 can be used in either erect or horizontal orientation course , whereas the XE200 was optimise for vertical use only .
Sony has maintain the speakerphone functionality and has modified the carry shoulder strap so that you may use it as a grip as well as hang lanyard .
As with the ULT Wear , the orbit 1 get an ULT clit , but in this case it only has two modes : off and ULT 1 ( basso sweetening ) .
My Field 1 demo included a comparison with the SRS - XE200 . The Field 1 produce an immediately ostensible advance in the overall effectual field — particularly in horizontal orientation — produce a much more immersive experience .
Sony ULT Field 7, $499
The ULT Field 7 replaces the SRS - XG500 . Similarly to the playing area 1 , Sony has modified the Field 7 so that it work in both horizontal and vertical orientation , with handles mount at both ends of the flame cylindric bod .
LED lighting has been keep , and the Field 7 is now a bit tougher , with an IP67 military rating instead of IP66 . For the first time , the speaker is now rustproof as well as rainproof .
Sony has kept electric battery life at a claimed 30 hour , and you still get inputs for a pumped up karaoke microphone and a guitar insert forth in a rearward covered panel .
LED lighting is incorporated into the sides of the speaker and can be controlled via music or the Sony app .
freshly on the Field 7 is Sony ’s Sound Field Optimization . Yes , that ’s the name of the standardization technology that Sony use on its HT - Series soundbars , but Sony tells me it works otherwise on the Field 7 . Apparently on portable product like the Field 7 , Sound Field Optimization adjusts the speaker ’s sound to compensate for environmental haphazardness , whereas the same feature on soundbars adjusts sound base on a room ’s acoustic property .
The Field 7 gets a ULT button , of course , which cycle you through ULT 1 , ULT 2 , and off mode .
As with the Field 1 demo , the Field 7 possessed a far great sense of breadth and depth when compared to the XG500 , though there were a few moments when the XG500 ’s key sounded more natural and less forced than that of the Field 7 .
Sony ULT Tower 10, $1,199
Sony ’s new devil mental block rocking chair grabs the floor from the previousSony SRS - XV900 . It maintains the omnidirectional sound , but with considerably more power . A large set of wheels makes it easier to move , and it comes with its own radio set mic and a handy set of flip - out mic holders .
you could use a 2nd cable mic for karaoke duets or use the input as a guitar amplifier .
LED lighting is a key feature of any party speaker and Sony says the multicolor light-emitting diode system on the Tower 10 has 34 area of illumination — twice as many as the XV900 . Sony has kept the TV Booster fashion , which lets you stop up the Tower 10 into your TV via an optical line , and Sound Field Optimization should complete the pseudo - soundbar functionality .
On the Tower 10 , the ULT button ’s modes are designed to give you profoundly , broken bass frequencies ( ULT 1 ) or louder , punchier basso ( ULT 2 ) .
The one thing the ULT Tower 10 ca n’t do is power your party without a cable system — unlike the XV900 , there ’s no internal battery .
My Tower 10 demo was a solo act — Sony did n’t have an XV900 on hand . But I was mightily impressed by the sheer ability of this loudspeaker . Sony had it set up in the basement of a fairly roomy New York bar and restaurant . The sound was so intense that the eating place could have easily used a exclusive Tower 10 to power that one quad , instead of what was potential a much more expensive instal sound organisation .
update with more information about Sony ’s portable version of Sound Field Optimization .
