Sony has just announced a trio of new speakers in a new audio product line called the ULT Power Series. This is an attempt by the company to reduce some of the clutter associated with its naming conventions and XE series products. Both lines will be integrated into the ULT Power Series branding. In keeping with this new branding, each of the following speakers has a so-called ULT button, which provides bass reinforcement.
The ULT Field 1 is your standard portable Bluetooth speaker. It is compact and available in a variety of colors including black, white, gray and orange. The battery lasts about 12 hours per charge and the case is IP67 water, dust and shockproof. Like many of these ultra-portable Bluetooth speakers, the design allows the user to stand it on its side or lay it on its side to make the most of the space. There is also a built-in microphone for hands-free calling. This speaker retails for $130 and will be available at major retail stores later this spring.
The ULT Field 7 is essentially a more powerful version of the Field 1. It’s larger but still portable and has two dedicated ULT buttons. One provides deeper bass in the lower frequency range and the other provides a powerful, punchy bass. There’s also plenty of atmospheric LED lighting that syncs with the music.
The battery lasts 30 hours, which is a fantastic metric, and has fast charging capabilities. It is also advertised as a karaoke machine thanks to the built-in microphone port. Finally, Sony says you can string up to 100 of these things together to create a cacophony of noise that will really annoy your neighbors. However, these neighbors will likely live in a magnificent mansion, as just a Field costs $7,500. They go on sale later this spring.
The ULT Tower 10 is, as the name suggests, a Bluetooth tower speaker for living spaces. This speaker connects wirelessly to stereos and TVs for enhanced sound and features the same two ULT Bass Boost buttons as the Field 7. There’s also a sound optimization feature that detects local noises and adjusts settings to suit the environment.
The speaker features omnidirectional synchronized lighting, which Sony says “makes listeners feel like they’re at a music festival.” There are two microphone inputs for playing karaoke duets and the speaker actually comes with a wireless microphone. Listeners can also connect up to 100 compatible speakers simultaneously, including the Field 7. However, this is an expensive tower speaker, so you’ll have to pay $1,200 when it releases later in the season.