Sony - ULT Field 1

I don't have any of them but based on A LOT of reviews (videos and pages) that i've seen, here's my thought: The Ult Field 1 is definetly the loudest here by a ~1db difference wich is about 17% more volume than the Flip 6 so it will probably be the better option considering all of them are S size (very small) speakers and you want to fill a mid size room. Talking about sound quality, the Ult Field 1 seems to have the deepest bass by a small margin, but the Flip 6 feels more punchy; also, the Sony has better mids and less harsh highs. The Bose has a lot of upper bass wich makes it sound very rich and clear, the bass is warm and very confortable to hear but in terms of volume it places third on the list. And i honestly haven't seen much about the Beats pill but based on a couple reviews, it has a very good sound quality, clear and detailed and the depth of the bass is comparable to the Ult Field 1 but his major flaw is that it distorts a lot and loses a lot of his bass when the volume is set above ~60%. NOTE: i've heard them all (except for the Beats pill) in real life on official shops so my opinion is not 100% based only on reviews and i also own other speakers myself to compare.

I think so! My Sony ult field 1 just arrived today at my house so if you want i can give you a better review later when i test it personally.

It is a good speaker, way better than the Flip 6 in terms of bass and volume but lacks detail on the highs. That's the only flaw i've encountered, because strangely, it has amazing clarity in the voices and instruments, but if you hear it side to side with another speaker like the Soundcore motion 300 or JBL flip 6, you will notice that there's certain subtle high sounds that you won't hear on the Sony, but it's only noticeable when comparing side to side and otherwise is a amazing speaker and overall better than the Flip 6 and comparable to the Soundcore.

I don't think it's posible to do that with the Sony. The Soundcore on the other side is the best speaker i have for the size, with a good EQ you can make it absolutely shine, it sounds amazing, i don't know why would you say that it sounds unpleasant. You're probably using it with the default EQ.

I recieved my new Ult Field 1 yesterday and i've been doing some tests comparing it to both of my JBL Charge 5's, TL and TT versions. Today i wanted to test the bass so i put my usual bass test video wich goes from 100hz to 20hz with 5hz steps and i discovered that when the Charge 5 goes below 60hz, the volume decreases significantly when in the other hand, my Sony Ult Field 1 kept almost the same good volume on the bass up to 50hz. Below that, on 45hz the bass on the Charge 5 completely dissapears when the Sony still kept reproducing the frequency at a reasonably audible volume. Any thoughts about this? Has anyone tested it? This shocked me because many reviewers and people in general tend to say that the JBL FLIP 6 has a deeper bass than the Sony and even though i don't have the Flip 6, taking in count what the Sony managed to do here, it just cannot be true that the Flip 6 has a better bass response. The Sony basically reached the JBL Xtreme 3 frequency response being a quarter of it's size. On rtings.com page, the Sony ult field 1 reached a low-frequency response of 55.8hz, the Flip 6 reached 75.5hz, the Charge 5 reached 58.2hz, and the Xtreme 3 reached down to 55hz. I saw those charts before recieveng my Ult Field 1 and i thought that they did something wrong in the tests but it just proved me wrong. NOTE: both of my Charge 5's we're equalized with the bass turned all the way up and tested on the same phone and same place so there's no excuses here.

Oh yeah apart from having an amazing bass it sounds sooo clear and detailed.

Yes, it is somewhat close, but i've tried quite a few of S size speakers (about the size of a JBL flip 6) and every speaker of that size has that problem, maybe the only one that doesn't is the Soundcore motion 300, so don't be dissapointed about it. It's just that since they're small speakers, you will normally put them at 60-70% volume where on a bigger speaker that would be about 50%, and most estimated battery life measurements are done on 50% volume, so that's why it's not too accurate on this cases.

I literally made my entire post saying that i TESTED it and compared it myself, i heard it myself. It does go deeper. And i know about sony's 20hz claim on their page, i'm not basing my facts on that at all; the page that i mentioned is RTINGS.COM wich is a page that does detailed speaker reviews, they have a whole speaker testing method and even tell you the level of distortion of them.

I actually think that this happens because JBL optimized their Charge 5 to go only up to 60hz because is already a good frequency range and maybe that leaves enough room to give the speaker more volume without distorting the bass or something like that.

I can agree that the Charge 5 is a better overall speaker but there's a size difference wich plays a huge role. I was just commenting that it's still an amazing achievement for a speaker that size to reach 45hz. Thanks for your opinion!

You're not wrong, the equalizer sucks on the ULT Field 1, so yes, it is hard to get a clearer sound without killing the bass punch, the best setting for that matter that i found is Bass +5, Mids +7, Highs +10, but it still not that great. Also, you can't have the ULT Mode enabled with your own equalizer, it's one or another. Though i found out that phone integrated equalizers work great to solve that problem, for example, on Asus phones and Oneplus phones you have an integrated equalizer for bluetooth devices that doesn't affect the max volume of the speaker, and since it's from the Phone and not from the speaker, you can keep the ULT mode on and boost the highs and the mids on your phone equalizer while keeping the bass depth and punch. I'm aware that on Samsung devices, even though there is an integrated equalizer, it lowers the max volume of the speaker, so keep that in mind. I don't know about other brands.

You use speakers only for white noise? That's a lot of money just for sleeping. Well, both have great battery in my use tbh there isn't much difference, i've used both for an entire day playing loud music in my school and house and neither of them died on me, that's from 8:15 am to 12 am.

How do you know that? It makes sense to me, the bass sounded way less deep compared to the Sony when i heard both. Also, if the charge 5 reaches about 55hz like almost every other speaker of that size, then it makes even less sense to me that, like you said, the Flip 6 rolls off at 50hz.

No problem, and yeah though it is technically true that if you use it at 50% volume it could last you 12 hours, a speaker that sounds so good just makes you want to crank up that volume! If you want any opinions/recommendations though, right now my favourite and the one that i'm gonna stay with is the Earfun Uboom L (i've had Soundcore motion 300, JBL flip 6, Sony ULT Field 1, Soundcore Motion+, JBL Charge 5, etc). You might be surprised, but that single 10 band equalizer is what makes it so good, because you can have the clarity and brightness of the Flip 6 while having the strong deep bass of the Ult Field 1. Just to compare, it goes deeper and way louder than the ULT Field 1, and i think that on indoor Mode it has a deeper bass than the Charge 5, while in outdoor mode it gives an amazing party soundstage, and i also think that it goes the same loudness of the Charge 5, at least with high volume equalizers. The battery life is a bit better than the Sony too!

Man, i literally mentioned that the Ult Field 1 mantains a good volume on bass down to 45hz while the Charge 5 died at that same frequency, you didn't even read my post at all, or do i have to explain that 45hz is a deeper frequency response than 60hz? It seems like you don't know what is deep bass. You are extremely biased.

I also thought that Rtings.com reviews were wrong but my testing just shows the opposite. I said it on my post.

I said on my post that i got that info from RTINGS.COM. You could be experiencing a fake response, because on almost every speaker that i've tried, you can even hear something on 20-30hz, but it's just the drivers making an attempt to reach that frequency and they aren't really moving at the necessary amplitude but instead, it's making a nonsense sound that could make you think it's reaching that low.

Hello I bought the ult field 1 and well at first I was excited since I never had a better speaker other than those Chinese crap priced at like 20 euros or something. The sound is good I like it but after watching reviews of JBL flip 6 and ult field 1, I came to the conclusion that JBL flip 6 indeed has more clearer sound, it's more crispy. Ult field has better bass. So I guess it depends on what you want to listen to in your music. Sometimes you want the bass with some techno and sometimes you want to hear the clear crisp sound like the person is singing in your own room. So my question is: can you adjust the sound in ult field 1 (music center app by Sony or whoever) to make the sound more clear and crisp or something like that. I tried in the equaliser a bit and I don't know... It's not doing that much.. maybe I am doing it wrong? I set bass to max, mid to 2 and treble to 5 or something like that, since I assume middle is the best attribute in the Sony speaker. When I activate the ult button it does wonders to the bass but then it kinda lacks in highs sometimes I don't know. Another question, is it possible to have both ult button on and the equalizer turned on to your liking?

Ult field 1 user here...I got fed up with the ult mode on and inspite of less bass settled myself with ult as off....any custom equalizer settings for a balanced sound?

Mine is arriving, how you feel so far?

True that, realized it, maybe need some burn in or have you tried custom equalizer?

That's right, I tried the custom one but it somewhat works with the acoustic songs or vocal focussed but not for all tracks....looking for a middle ground, bose soundlink is more soothing/pleasing to hear for long term or the speaker placement also is a thing for ult1? Any recommendations ?

Also was listening to shapeshifter from celdweller, it sounded very unpleasant, still trying to find a good balance

How's the anker soundcore motion +?  Though I've purchased it but the rock songs specially the guitar ones doesn't sound pleasent...I'm not a basshead, I like balanced sound, by any means or tweaking can I make the ult field 1 balanced?

Sorry I mean Sony....Ult1 sounds unpleasant for some rock or metal songs.....I'm still trying to find a perfect balance for Sony...especially the guitar doesn't sound good in Sony

Well, considering decibel, 60 db at 1m distance is really quiet for what I consider a usable speaker. If measured the same way. I think most portables I know are in the range of a maximum of 83-90. This is cause 10db jump equals roundabout a doubling of the felt loudness. So 10 more is much (so, ~20db more at ~80 is waay louder) Are you planning to have your speaker outside of the shower? And a bit far away? Cause I would even consider my phone to be loud enough to use while lying next to my shower, so I would say get a good small one like soundcore select 4 go, that’s noticeably louder and thumpier than my phone, can be tweaked over the in app eq to your liking and is waterresitant so it could be placed next to you in the shower. If that’s not enough, i would choose a speaker with a 2-way setting (mid-woofer + tweeter) for more highs like the Sony ult field 1 oder Jbl flip 6. if it’s just for podcasts, I wouldnt go bigger than that cause i guess that mostly means just more bass, which might even be contraproductive since it might make it harder to understand vocals / speech.

The 4 also has a weird bug where if you're using a newer Samsung Galaxy S (maybe more) it will randomly lower the volume every 3-5 minutes for a second like you're getting a notification. But you aren't and it never stops doing it. Can't update firmware because it isn't supported. Went with a Field Ult 1 and love it.

2 Sony ULT 1's and the Sony Music center App. was my choice after trying several brands. Two ears; two separate speakers. Very precise big sound, small package and the versatility. One speaker is very impressive by itself. I'm a 70 year old retired Engineer in northern Wisconsin now but luncheons with R and D Audio Engineers, Dr. Koss Audio Inventor, East and West Coast USA Manufacturers etc. My biggest setup is 3 tube amps 580 watts/8 ohms. The speakers are custom and 2-15", 4 -3"x9" horns and 3 super tweeters. That's per 2 piece speaker per side the size of a large refrigerator

The only comment I can make about the EQ is that you can't get rid of the veiled mids. Yes it's loud and bassy, but the clarity is lacking. I returned mine because of it. For clarity, I recommend the higher rated Klipsch Nashville or Marshall Emberton 2 or 3.

Hi, I just bought my ULT 1 too and after weeks using I've found the battery is quite low, I have to charge my speaker after 4-5 hours with 50-70% volume and ULT mode on, it's out of my expectation from what Sony told (up to 12 hours). I'm not sure if your speaker is like so.

I think it's in replicate mode and no stereo, that's why I purchased them too, to try it out haha. It's not the better/clean bass out there but it's better than Sony ULT 1 for example, on a prettier package imho.

As someone that's owned and returned almost all of these, my current favorites are the Sony ULT Field 1 and the bose soundlink max

Sony’s last wave of portable speakers were not great so I think a lot of people didn’t bother trying the new ones. For context, I prefer not having to mess with EQ to find the best sound, but I will do it to see if there’s any improvement over the default or the included extra bass mode (xbass, ult, etc). Speakers used to need to be EQ’d but the newest ones sound great without needing to mess around (for my ears). For portable, the sony ult field 1 is my sweet spot for sound quality and size. I used to carry around the bose soundlink flex, but it lays flat or on the side while this one can stand straight up, taking much less space. The passive radiators give it a ton of bass and I honestly prefer the sound over the flex. The tribit micro is “smaller” but takes up more space when using. The tribit stormbox 2 is a good budget option. Boom 4 was not worth the price. For home, the partyboxs are great but so big, also too big are the boombox, blast, motion boom plus, etc. The bose soundlink max is big but still pretty small in comparison and it sounds massive. Really easy to take room to room. The speakers that I am looking at that might replace it are the brane x, or the sony ht-ax7 for portable surround. Will be checking out the tribit lava soon.

Ult field 1 is awesome

I think you would best like the Sony Ult Field 1 and with 2 units so around $280 if you get no deal...! So many choices many are great options though consider $65 the most to pay for a pair $25 TO 35 Each and some may need a .1 channel speaker as well I suppose JBL party mode is supposed to be most flexible but I hear my Ult Field can work with more than 2 speakers if they are all Sony please consider the big ULT field offerings also perhaps one ULT 7 center 3 ULT 1 surround

It is very good try just using the onboard Sony sound in place of poweramp EQ though preamp can go high and never do you see the distortion usually noticed by us and we overlap units +7+7 +6 is too high! Lastly my demux profiles have a notch 188 Hz sharp Q down 12 dB : Tweety needs to be T 225-15000 Hz Woofie is at 12-145 and Thumpers 0-100 hz You can see a missed coverage 165-300 but listen to various "demuxing" notches of your own designs see the difference.... The the Ult Field is the easiest to use speaker so far by a long way I also have owned Beats products very similar to my Radio-Shack clock-radio format speakers I originally used with my REI accelerator Panel...remember in Series OR In PARALLEL your decision but + is - and - is + that's not your choice!

I got a pair of them too! I got mine on sale too but I still paid almost double of what you paid. I wish they had an aux port though. Might end up buying the ULT 7 just so I can use it for movies.

I think for best sound quality the Bose Flex and the JBL Flip 6 both sound really good. The Sony Ult 1 also sounds really good that is easy to pickup for 99 at Walmart USA. (Costco USA has the Bose for 99). Both the Soundcore Glow and Motion 300 are both really good. The 300 rips off the Bose design, but it has all of its best options of the Bose like it knows when it flat or on the edge and adjust the speakers based upon this. I have the Wonderboom 2. The newer 4 has improved base. I do like its 360 sound design and its small footprint that makes it easy to carry around.

I tend to purchase smaller sized speakers like the flip, ult field 1, and I purchased the boom 3i to replace my ult field one and the 2 things I dont like about the boom 3i is the bass at loud volumes isn't as punchy as the ult field one, and id go as far to say the ult field one does loudness alot better, which sucks becuase this speaker is advertised at 50w and the ult 1 is 30w. secondly, the battery life is mediocre, but its understandable becuase it maintains a nice deep bass at low to medium volume. So if you regularly play louder music probably go with the ult field one since its about the same size, and if you're going to listen to low to medium volume music, then the boom 3i is perfect.

I bought three ULT Field 1’s and one ULT Field 5 at Target while they were 70% off (in-store). The ULT Field 1’s are very portable. They are very nice. They sound relatively close to as quality (I’d say about 75% as good) as the ULT Field 5. I am going to Keep the 5 for myself and give the 1’s to my family for Christmas. I think you will like the 1 if you choose it. I am mostly just using it for inside my house and that is why I opted for the 5 for myself. If I needed something super portable for on the go, I would have kept the 1.

I had two of these got them for $32 a piece I gave one away. They sounded good paired together not as good as the two JBL charge 5’s. You got a great deal on them.

Sony ULT 1 if you can find it on sale. It’ll be closer to the Bose sound profile you’re used to with more bass. The JBLs get louder with more bass but they sound too forward and bright even after tweaking the equalizer. Sony, Bose, and Marshall are more laid back and relaxing to listen to.

Sony ULT Field 1, compares well with the equivalent JBL

Sony Ult field 1 is good all around with an app you can eq. I’m a big fan of mine.

I have Bose SoundLink Flex 2 and Sony ULT Field 1. They both sounded good but I prefer and use Bose more especially when it’s at horizontal/flat position.

Ult field 1 owner here! It's a great speaker but if you plan on using it a bunch while camping you'll probably go through the battery fairly quick. Check out the rtings comparison. The ult field is better in some areas but battery life isn't one of them.

best sound (warm): flex 2 Best soudn (crisp): flip 6 best value for money: xsound 2 or Uboom L best practicality and reliabilty: Sony Ult 1

The current follow up would be the sony ult 1. It is a little smaller, can stand easily verticallly and horizontally and now features a bass button. With that turned on, it has more and deeper bass, it also has more prominent highs, giving it a crisper v-shaped sound signature, while the xb23 has a warmer, more soft and natural sound. If you want an upgrade in sound and bass without loosing the mellow warmness in sound, you might also look at the sony xg300. This one much heavier, though. It also has some extra features like lights, extractable handle and aux in. If you are looking at competitors from other brands, there are bose flex 2, jbl charge 5 and soundcore x300 or motion + to consider. Btw, all the mentioned sony speakers are linkable, so you could link them with your old xb23 (but tws stereo is only possible with 2 of the same model).

Sony works great for stereo pairing and stays paired

I'd go for a sony ult 1 as it looks cute and stylish & practical, and you can do phone calls also. Its 79 in Germany everywhere now. The motion boom has better sound no doubt, has more bass and gets louder, but its much bulkier and looks and feels cheapish. and it produces white noise at low volumes.

My Sony ULT Field 1 speakers have a option to automatically turn off after 15 minutes of inactivity. You'll still need your music app to stop playing music after your predetermined timeout period. 15 minutes later, the Sony speakers will silently turn themselves off.