Sony is breathing new life into its Bluetooth speaker lineup, today announcing that it’s giving three of its portable models the ULT Power Sound Series branding and treatment that it launched last year. With upgrades including a fresh new look, dedicated bass-boost buttons, new LED lighting effects, and improved battery power, the new speakers range in price from $200 to $900, as well as in size, from compact all the way up to party speaker. And if that wasn’t enough fanfare, Sony has partnered with Post Malone for the launch.
At the smallest and least expensive end of the spectrum is the Sony ULT Field 3, a $200 cylindrical speaker that can be used standing up, laying on its side, and can be taken anywhere you go with an included shoulder strap. A replacement from the older Sony SRS-XE300 and a step up from the ULT Field 1, the Field 3 features a single woofer, a single tweeter, and two passive bass radiators on either end. Sony is putting a focus on big low-end sound, and the Field 3 includes a bass boost button that Sony is calling ULT1, “for deeper, lower frequency bass,” it says.
Sony says that the ULT Field 3 “offers power that doesn’t compromise clarity,” but in addition to the ULT1 bass boost, users can tweak the sound to their liking with a 7-band EQ and can also connect multiple speakers together for bigger sound, as well as just a stereo pair. The Field 3 offers up to 24 hours of battery on a charge, which is slightly reduced when using the bass boost, and is IP67 certified. The new speaker will undoubtedly go head-to-head with the new JBL Flip 7 which turned heads (and ears) late last month.
Next up, Sony announced the larger and more powerful ULT Field 5 speaker, a $330 Bluetooth speaker that’s similar in form factor the the Field 3 (it can work standing or on its side) but offers a central woofer but with two tweeters instead. Dual passive radiators also push out the low and from the sides, too, but in addition to the Field 3’s ULT1 bass-boost button, the Field 5 has a second one, the ULT2, that instead delivers “powerful punchy bass.”
Another feature the Field 5 has that the Field 3 doesn’t is LED lighting that brings a party speaker element to the proceedings, and is controlled by the accompanying Sound Connect app. It also gets an additional three bands on its adjustable EQ that’s also accessed through the app. The Field 5 delivers up to 25 hours of battery life (again, reduced by the bass boost and lighting), features the party connect and stereo pair function, and is also IP67 dust and waterproof for whatever party you want to take it to.
And now for the big guns. Sony today also launched the ULT Tower 9 party speaker, the biggest and loudest of the three new Power Sound speakers. Replacing the Sony SRS-XV900, the Tower 9 is a battery-powered party speaker through and through, that will undoubtedly compete with the likes of
the JBL PartyBox Stage 320 and Soundcore Rave 3S.
With a large 12.6-inch woofer for big bass, four tweeters that deliver clear highs, and two mid-range drivers for punchy vocals and guitars, the Tower 9 can be rolled into to any party on its sturdy wheels. Its 16 x 35.8 x 17.9-inch frame and 65-pound weight make it a bit of a beast, but that’s what you get with a party speaker and what you need for huge sound. Speaking of which, the Tower 9 also gets both the ULT1 and ULT2 bass boost features, as well as a 10-band EQ and app connectivity.
But the ULT Tower 9 can be used for more than just music, with support for wireless karaoke mics, and connectivity to your TV through its Optical input, which enables the speaker’s TV Sound Booster feature that Sony says brings bigger, more immersive sound to your TV viewing that can also be controlled with the Sound Connect app. Oh, and of course because it’s a party speaker you’d better believe it comes with an impressive LED light show.
The $900 ULT Tower 9 delivers up to 25 hours of playback on it’s battery, but there’s also an AC powered version, the $750 Tower 9AC model, as well, if you want to save a few dollars.
The Sony ULT Field 3, Field 5, and Tower 9 speakers are available now at online retailers and on Sony’s website.