ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Sony Ult Field 1 is the model’s latest moveable speaker that prioritizes crystal-clear sound and pronounced bass.
- The speaker punches above its $130 worth level with vibrant audio that sounds prefer it’s coming from a way more costly gadget. Proper now, it is on sale on Amazon for $98, an unimaginable deal for the speaker’s worth.
- It does not boast as lengthy a battery life as its predecessor, however what it lacks in battery it makes up for in stellar sound.
My roommates and I are continual occasion throwers; weeknight dinner events, birthdays, anniversaries — heck, we even as soon as threw an April Fools’ Day occasion. Now we have every part wanted for a profitable occasion, besides a very good speaker — and that is not with out attempting.
It is a acquainted scene: my roommate pulls out her outdated Bose speaker that requires a twine connection — unsurprisingly, it will get no mileage. We ask buddies to deliver their very own audio system, however not often do theirs win the battle in opposition to a crowded residence of 20 to 30 folks.
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So, after I examined out Sony’s model new Ult Field 1 speaker at our 15-person feast, I used to be half anticipating the bustle of visitors to overpower this moveable speaker’s sound. Boy, was I unsuitable.
At $130, this speaker crammed the room with wealthy audio that sounded prefer it was coming from a much more costly gadget. In truth, this speaker exceeded my expectations in a number of key methods. It is simply grow to be my summer time occasion and seaside day companion due to how impressed I’m with the sound, construct, and battery.
Sony is thought for naming its units like they’re airplanes: The Ult Discipline 1’s predecessor that shares the identical price ticket, for instance, is the SRS-XE200. That does not fairly roll off the tongue, does it?
The corporate is altering its methods, as the gang cheers. This new lineup of audio tools has rather more pronounceable names, together with the Ult Discipline 1. Ult for “final” and Discipline for its portability, as a Sony spokesperson defined.
The brand new speaker is the smallest out of the Ult Discipline mannequin lineup, and is available in 4 colours: off white, forest grey, black, and orange. It is about so long as your forearm and has the circumference of a soda can. Alongside its IP67 waterproof, shockproof, and dustproof scores, Sony added a rustproof score, catering to those that take the audio system to the seaside the place they’re weathered by salty ocean water.
Like its predecessor, you may place the speaker right-side up or on its facet. The Ult Discipline 1 improves on the SRS-XE200’s sound with extra energy and stability — it does not prioritize one orientation, whether or not horizontal or vertical, over one other. My songs sounded simply as vibrant in each orientations.
Listening to music on this speaker has been such a pleasure. I’ve spent on common of about an hour a day listening to music by means of the speaker, and the battery life lasted round per week and a half. That is according to the 12-hour battery life that Sony advertises. The SRS-XE200 had a 16-hour battery life, however what the Ult Discipline 1 loses in battery life, it makes up for in improved sound.
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In a side-by-side demo of the SRS-XE200 and the Ult Discipline 1, the excellence in sound and readability was evening and day: the already-clear SRS-XE200 sounded tinny within the presence of the Ult Discipline 1’s crystal-clear sound.
Connectivity is a breeze: the speaker paired almost immediately to my cellphone and my good friend’s cellphone as we swapped DJ shifts at dinner.
To get extra bass out of your songs on the Ult Discipline 1 you may press the Ult button on the appropriate.
Nina Raemont/ZDNET
The Ult lineup, which incorporates the $130 Ult Field 1, the $500 Ult Field 7, the $1,200 Ult Tower 10, and the $200 Ult Wear headphones, prioritize large, booming bass. After I wished to engulf myself within the bass of certainly one of my favourite songs, Dijon’s Speak Down, I pressed the Ult button on my speaker, and it instantly remodeled the track right into a pulsing anthem that reverberated in my front room.
You needn’t hearken to booming bangers to be impressed by the readability of this speaker, both. After I performed my classical music playlist, the violins and strings sounded so shut in proximity and undeterred by the construct of the speaker, it was as if I had simply walked into the New York Philharmonic for a live performance.
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Whereas I used to be testing it, I spent two hours of my Saturday afternoon in mattress, doing nothing else however listening to music solely due to how clear it sounded. The Ult Discipline 1 is a speaker that performs sound correctly, true to how its creators meant.
Not solely can the speaker mission a wealthy, bass-heavy sound, it may additionally get loud. After I powered up the Ult Discipline 1 at my 15-person Easter occasion, it held its personal, stunning me with its massive energy regardless of its compact measurement.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
After a number of weeks of listening to each track, album, and playlist on my cellphone, I am assured to suggest this new speaker to anybody searching for a sub-$150 sound system that punches properly above its worth level. The Ult Field 1 is ideal as a speaker for a small residence or anybody who desires to be surrounded by juicy bass and clear sound.
You may snatch the speaker at a reduction proper now, for $98 on Amazon, proper in time in your seaside hangouts, grill outs, and Fourth of July events.