Sony ULT Field 5 - What Are ULT Portable Speakers All About?
Did you know that the whole world took a step backwards regarding audio quality in the name of this? Well, this Sony speaker brings portable audio quality closer to where it's supposed to be. And I'll show you how. This is the Sony ULT Field 5. Ult stands for Ultra…I'm not sure about that, but I am sure that this button right here unleashes the Sony ULT Field 5's weapon of mass destruction. It is essentially an extra bass bass button. Do you want to hear what it does?
ULT Sound Test
That's given you a good idea of what this speaker's name is all about. It is, of course, that Ultra sound. Yes, I said it Ultra. Listen, it can add extra bass when you need it. Out of the box, this button switches between ULT attack bass and the regular, more balanced EQ mode. However, you do have the option to remap this button…within Sony's Sound Connect app. You can change the ULT power button to toggle the ULT mode 1. Which is the deep bass mode you just heard. Or ULT mode 2, which is said to add power? It adds power to the mids and the bass. But this one isn't quite as bass-heavy as ULT mode 1.
And the third option is your own personal EQ. Now, I'll say that no matter how much you play with this EQ, you won't be able to match the bass output on ULT mode 1 or ULT mode 2. Sony has saved that extra bass for their own ULT EQs. Now, there are quite a few unique features and tricks that this speaker has up its sleeve that separate it from the pack. You need to see before you go ahead and buy another mid-tier portable speaker. This ULT Field 5 Speaker comes at the £259 price point, with two colour options: Off-White & Black. The slightly smaller Field 3 speaker is £179, and the smallest ULT speaker, the Field 1, is £89.
Design
Before we get to the killer features of this piece of Urban Lifestyle Technology. Let me give you a close look at this design. The majority of the body is wrapped in this hard-wearing, tight-weave material. It has rubberised buttons across the top. The only button not rubberised is the reflective & backlit ultimate button. On the front, you get that nice, reflective Sony logo with that multicoloured shimmer effect. On each side are the passive radiators, and around them are RGB lights. The smaller ULT fields 1 & 3 do not have RGB.
These lights strobe in time with your music and can be customised with the Sound Connect app. Here, you can choose a custom colour or manually control the lights with a party flash…which, in my opinion, is a lot of work…but could be fun to play with. The best way to describe the size of this one is that it is roughly the size of a loaf of bread. However, it is, of course, heavier at 3.3 kg. On the base, there are 4 rubber shock-absorbing feet. Around the back, there's a watertight trap door that protects the USB-C charging port. And here you also have an audio in port.
You also have a button to change the LED colour manually, and there is also a battery button which will give you a readout of the current level & if you push and hold, this activates the battery care mode that protects the battery by limiting the charging to 90% And when this door is closed, the official ingress protection rating is IP66 & IP67. Put simply, this can withstand sand, water sprays & can be submersed in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes. Up top are two more hidden doors for the shoulder strap attachment, which has a nice, low-key pattern and solid metal buckles.
How Loud
I know many people don't talk about this in speaker reviews, but it's important. You may want to know how loud the Field 5 can get. Is it powerful enough for what you need it for? Here's how this sounds to me. Within 2 meters, the volume at 20% is more than enough, and the bass is nice and bouncy. You can feel the thump and still have a conversation with the person next to you.
7 meters / 40% volume is comfortable bass, and the levels also match. You get a noticeably wider sound stage at this distance, even though it's a mono speaker. And there are two tweeters & a centrally placed large X-balanced woofer. The X balance drivers are more rectangular and have a larger surface area than circular woofers. This allows them to deliver more bass. And then, of course, there are those passive radiators on both sides. That helps push the low-end sound out a bit further.
At 12 meters / 60% sounds nice & it still sounds at this distance, and highs and mids carry well. However, at a further distance, you don't get that same feeling of deep bass, but it would disappoint, & of course, as you get closer, you realise how powerful the bass is. And if you turn it up to 80% or higher at this range, you'll reach that volume where you'll struggle to hear the person next to you and feel that bass kick in a bit more. That gives you some much-needed context of how loud this speaker can get. Ok, let's get into some more of the need-to-know stuff.
Battery & Charging
Battery life is subjective. If you play at max volume, the power will drain fast, and your power will last at lower volumes. So you just consider that. And if, like me, sometimes you play loud and quiet… well, then there's really no knowing. Here is a guideline that might help. At level 22, Field 5 can last 25 hours.
When out of power, the recharge speed is 27 Watts. And when it's empty, a quick 10-minute charge can give you 100 mins of playback…a volume level of 22. I hope that helped. If it didn't, just know the battery is above average in this speaker category.
Killer Features
Even though this speaker is mono, it can be stereo-paired with another Field 5. It can also be linked with 99 more Sony Ulta speakers. BT audio via AAC and SBC, which are the go-tos, is a step down from the CD quality we had in the 90s. That's where Sony's LDAC codec comes in. This much faster codec can deliver more audio data and should result in better-quality audio. However, it is important to note that the range is not as good as that of AAC/SBC. You'd only use this if you knew your phone would be close to the speaker. You could wire in a £1000 Sony Walkman if you want the best possible audio quality. Or any other audio device, for that matter.
You can connect two devices simultaneously using regular codecs, thanks to BT5.3. It also has mics, so you can answer calls via the speaker. Sony's Sound Connect software also offers some fun functionality with its party light control & the DJ controls are also really fun to play with. I actually really like the Isolator feature. You can also find the custom equaliser here. So, I have two critical questions for you. One, has the Sony ULT Field 5 impressed you? And two, what does ULT really stand for?
