Sony rivals Sonos with new Ult range of speakers with bass-heavy focus
Sony has revealed a whole new audio series from the acclaimed Japanese brand: its Ult range (pronounced 'alt', but stylised in caps as 'ULT') comprises three speakers and one pair of headphones at initial launch.
All have one thing in common: an 'ULT' button that takes bass levels up to bassier and beyond*. That's the USP with this range: bass is the aim of the game and Sony has gone all-out to deliver an abundance of the low-end across these products.
At launch there are the following speakers: the Sony Ult Tower 10, a massive party speaker with integrated lights and a built-in mic; the Sony Ult Field 10, a large-scale portable to rival the Sonos Move 2 or various large-scale JBL portables; and the Sony Ult Field 1, which is a bass-focused Sonos Roam rival mini Bluetooth portable speaker.
On the headphones side of things there's just the one release, the Sony Ult Wear, which is like a spiritual successor to the 'Xtra Bass (XB)' range of headphones, except this model has a lot in common with the top-end Sony WH-1000XM5 that'll make it massively appealing if you're seeking the best travel headphones without the huge asking price.
T3's Tech Editor has tried out the Ult Wear already, which proved to be impressive straight out of the box thanks to their XM5-like credentials and fantastic active noise-cancelling (ANC), but also the cut-price positioning.
The Ult Wear also fold down in size, which will be great for those seeking the best travel headphones, although the ULT bass settings do go from 'sensible' (off) to 'unnecessary' (ULT1, known as 'Deep Bass') to 'obscene' (ULT2, known as 'Attack Bass'). But each to their own: if you want seas of bass then this is the product line for you.
In terms of pricing, the Sony Ult Tower 10 will be on sale for £1,000 in the UK; the Ult Field 7 will cost you £400; the Field 1 will set you back £120; and the headphones are around half-price compared to the XM5 over-ears, at £180. At the time of writing other regional pricing is to be announced.
It's an interesting and eclectic cross-section of products, which relies on its heritage - Japan loves a party speaker! - whilst also relying on breaking new ground and taking on the oft-praised Sonos best portable Bluetooth speaker market and dousing it in a bath of bass.
*note: the Ult Field 1 only has two ULT settings: Power Sound on, Power Sound off. There's no Deep or Attack for this smaller-scale speaker.
