TechAudioSpeakersBluetooth SpeakersSony ULT Field 1 review: a new contender on durabilitySony’s rugged little speaker makes a good impressionWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)T3 VerdictThe Sony ULT Field 1 presents a fairly compelling case for competition in the portable speaker market – it immediately marks itself out as a proper contender if you’re on the hunt for a new rugged speaker. It’s small enough to be genuinely portable, has proper durability, and sounds very solid indeed. But its competition isn’t in any way lacking – and JBL and Ultimate Ears remain hard to ignore.Reasons to buy+Solid design+Really rugged+Solid soundReasons to avoid-ULT mode is a little messy-Sound isn’t exceptionalWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
TechAudioSpeakersBluetooth SpeakersSony ULT Field 1 review: a new contender on durabilitySony’s rugged little speaker makes a good impressionWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)T3 VerdictThe Sony ULT Field 1 presents a fairly compelling case for competition in the portable speaker market – it immediately marks itself out as a proper contender if you’re on the hunt for a new rugged speaker. It’s small enough to be genuinely portable, has proper durability, and sounds very solid indeed. But its competition isn’t in any way lacking – and JBL and Ultimate Ears remain hard to ignore.Reasons to buy+Solid design+Really rugged+Solid soundReasons to avoid-ULT mode is a little messy-Sound isn’t exceptionalWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Sony’s rugged little speaker makes a good impression
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)T3 VerdictThe Sony ULT Field 1 presents a fairly compelling case for competition in the portable speaker market – it immediately marks itself out as a proper contender if you’re on the hunt for a new rugged speaker. It’s small enough to be genuinely portable, has proper durability, and sounds very solid indeed. But its competition isn’t in any way lacking – and JBL and Ultimate Ears remain hard to ignore.Reasons to buy+Solid design+Really rugged+Solid soundReasons to avoid-ULT mode is a little messy-Sound isn’t exceptional
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
T3 VerdictThe Sony ULT Field 1 presents a fairly compelling case for competition in the portable speaker market – it immediately marks itself out as a proper contender if you’re on the hunt for a new rugged speaker. It’s small enough to be genuinely portable, has proper durability, and sounds very solid indeed. But its competition isn’t in any way lacking – and JBL and Ultimate Ears remain hard to ignore.Reasons to buy+Solid design+Really rugged+Solid soundReasons to avoid-ULT mode is a little messy-Sound isn’t exceptional
T3 VerdictThe Sony ULT Field 1 presents a fairly compelling case for competition in the portable speaker market – it immediately marks itself out as a proper contender if you’re on the hunt for a new rugged speaker. It’s small enough to be genuinely portable, has proper durability, and sounds very solid indeed. But its competition isn’t in any way lacking – and JBL and Ultimate Ears remain hard to ignore.
T3 Verdict
The Sony ULT Field 1 presents a fairly compelling case for competition in the portable speaker market – it immediately marks itself out as a proper contender if you’re on the hunt for a new rugged speaker. It’s small enough to be genuinely portable, has proper durability, and sounds very solid indeed. But its competition isn’t in any way lacking – and JBL and Ultimate Ears remain hard to ignore.
Reasons to buy+Solid design+Really rugged+Solid soundReasons to avoid-ULT mode is a little messy-Sound isn’t exceptional
Reasons to buy+Solid design+Really rugged+Solid sound
Solid design
Really rugged
Solid sound
Reasons to avoid-ULT mode is a little messy-Sound isn’t exceptional
ULT mode is a little messy
Sound isn’t exceptional
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
It’s easy to see why the likes of Sony might look at JBL and Ultimate Ears' lineup of extremely ruggedportable Bluetoothspeakers and want in on the game. Many of the best Bluetooth speakers can now be relied upon in bad conditions as well as the home, after all – people are almost starting to expect it.
So, it’s fleshed out its growing ULT range with the ULT Field 1, an impressively powerful little speaker that I’ve been using for a couple of weeks for this review. But can it act as a serious rival to more established options in the rugged market?
Sony ULT Field 1 review: Price & Availability
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The Sony ULT Field 1 comes in with a full price of £119, $130 or AU$229 – but having been on the market for a few months it seems to rarely still hit those heights. You can expect to find it widely for anywhere from £85/$90 if you keep an eye out for a deal.
That makes this speaker a direct competitor with more globe-shapedUltimate Ears Wonderboom 4, which we rated five stars. So, Sony has its work cut out.
Sony ULT Field 1 review: Design & Features
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
The Sony ULT Field 1 looks extremely inoffensive, taking a tried-and-tested approach to portable speaker design. It’s oblong in shape, with some nicely curved edges and rubberised grips on either end of its span to anchor it when placed down.
The whole middle of the speaker is basically a fabric-covered tube that changes according to which colour you pick – there are black, grey, green and orange options to choose from, varying wildly in terms of how subtle they are. The black version I’ve been testing has the sort of vague anonymity that I actually really value in this sort of speaker – it’s utilitarian, which is ideal for taking out and about.
The top of the speaker houses some control buttons, letting you power it on and off, initiate Bluetooth pairing, and control your audio. There’s also a slightly iridescent ULT logo that initiated the audio boost mode that gives Sony’s ULT range its name (more on that later). On the back of the speaker, there’s a flap behind which you’ll find its USB-C charging port.
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Sony also says the unit is drop-tested and can hold up to proper bashing, although it doesn’t provide much detail to back that up. So, you should be fine if it falls off a table or takes some other sort of ding.
For those who like a carrying strap, Sony includes a refreshingly simple option – the speaker has some large toggle holes on each end of it, in that rubbery section. An included length of colour-matched slightly elastic string can be, well, strung through these to give you a handle of sorts.
Sony ULT Field 1 review: Sound quality
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Turning ULT (or Power Sound as it’s officially called) mode on, though, grants you a palpable boost to bass. In the context of a smaller speaker like this, especially one that you’re likely to want to use outdoors, it’s actually really handy. After all, open-air sound can so often lose the low-end if it’s not from a huge speaker array, and the ULT Field 1 benefits from this tuning to maintain fuller sound in those sorts of conditions.
Comparing the same tracks with the feature turned on and off can be a bit of a rabbit hole though. In decent listening conditions, then turning it off does bring more to the highs and mids, but the fullness that you get from using it means I ultimately recommend the setting.
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Whatever your preference, you should find the ULT Field 1 capable across a range of genres. I checked out some oldBeirutmaterial for a check on its quieter, more folksy range and it held up very capably. Still, this is a speaker that probably gets closest to its best when it’s given harder, louder material – like some old-schoolRush, which sounded terrific.
Sony ULT Field 1 review: Verdict
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
The Sony ULT Field 1 presents a fairly compelling case for competition in the speaker market – it immediately marks itself out as a proper contender if you’re on the hunt for a new rugged speaker. It’s small enough to be genuinely portable, has proper durability, and sounds very solid indeed.
It doesn’t quite match the value and simplicity of the best options from JBL and Ultimate Ears, for now, but with revisions doubtless planned down the line, it’ll be fascinating to see where Sony takes things from here.
Also consider
TheJBL Flip 6is a really obvious comparison point for the Sony ULT Field 1 – they’re both of very similar sizes and shapes, and are both impressively built. The Flip 6 might be available slightly cheaper if you search, though, since it’s a good whack older.
Alternatively, if you want something a little smaller and even easier to pack, I think theUltimate Ears Wonderboom 4is well worth the money. This little ball of sound is perfect for holidays, roadtrips and more, and it’s also slightly cheaper than Sony’s speaker.
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