Verdict
The Sony ULT FIELD 1 has plenty going for it. It’s solidly built, ergonomically designed, and feature-rich. It’ll also cope with water, dust and drops, making it great for wet and wild indoor or outdoor pursuits, and comes in some nice colours to boot. Energy saving, sound-enhancing and rapid pairing smarts all add up to a comprehensive package for the price, but audio and app-wise, it’s just lacking a little something to see it through to five stars. Even with ULT mode on, the Field 1 left me a little wanting in the lower end, opening the door to rivals from JBL and Ultimate Ears.
Nevertheless, there’s plenty to like here, the question is whether it’s to your taste.
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Thoughtful ergonomic design -
Waterproof IP67 rating -
Speakerphone smarts
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Sound feels flat -
Battery life is mid -
No EQ presets
Key Features
Sony ULT sound enhancer
Add more bass with the press of a button
Stamina battery saving mode
Save battery to keep the music going for longer
Echo Cancelling call tech
Removes noise during calls with the speaker
Introduction
Like Harry Da Souza in MobLand, the Sony ULT Field 1 is rugged, portable and expected to be at your beck and call for all the dirty work.
It’s the fixer for festivals, garden parties, impromptu picnics and trips to the park. It’ll sit in your bicycle basket, your hand luggage, accompany you to the beach, and substitute for your car stereo when it’s on the blink. Whether at home, on location, or even the building site, it’ll shadow you and even take calls. You get the picture.
In a way, it’s asking a lot for a sub-£100 Bluetooth speaker to be all things to all people, but in Don Corleone fashion, you will call upon it to do a service for you time and again, and expect it to do the business with the minimum of fuss.
Pity the poor Sony speaker, for from the moment you unbox it will become your unwitting audio slave, and for the next fortnight I’d be the one cracking the whip.
Design
- Strong build quality
- Ergonomic proportions
- Multiple carry options
The ULT Field 1 is off to a strong start. A durable, “partially recycled” plastic shell wrapped tightly in fabric, it’s as solid as they come.
From the second it’s fully charged, you’d have no hesitation throwing it in at the deep end – so it’s just as well the IP67 rating covers you for water submersion up to a metre and it’s saltwater-resistant, too.
With a visible passive radiator at either end, it’s good the IP67 rating extends to being dust-tight and shockproof. But reassurance in writing is one thing; first impressions also count, and you get a sense this is a Sony built to go the distance.
Unlike the strictly tube-like JBL Flip, the ULT Field 1 is ergonomically proportioned with an inward slope, making it very clutchable. It’s incredibly comfortable in your hand and about the same size as a large, reusable coffee cup.
It’s not the only way to grab it, either. The detachable multi-way strap can be positioned to carry it like a handbag or create a hook for hanging it anywhere indoors or out — a nice touch for soundtracking showers.
On top, you’ll find a rubberised control panel comprising a power, Bluetooth pairing, play/pause/calls, volume down, volume up, and a mysterious backlit ‘ULT’ button, which I’ll explore in a moment.
On the rear, there’s a USB-C charging port protected by a chunky rubber cover, plus you get a wee 30cm USB-A to USB-C cable bundled in the box.
Colour-wise, you get four options — Black and Off-White (a subtle, light grey) for £89.99, then Orange or Forest Gray (a rather smart dark green) for £99.99.
Features
- ULT sound enhancements
- Speakerphone capabilities
- Stereo pairing
The ULT Field 1’s bread and butter specs include water, weather, shock, dust and rust proofing, plus a JBL Charge 6-equalling 12-hour playtime, but there’s more here than meets the eye.
Sony has included the speaker as part of its ULT Power Sound series. Designed for music lovers, it aims to emphasise powerful, deep bass and dynamic sound at the press of a button, and is aided by the aforementioned passive radiator.
Google Fast Pair enables snappy connections to Android devices, while a built-in mic turns the ULT Field 1 into a speakerphone with a button for answering calls if your handset is out of arm’s reach.
From thereon, you’re at the mercy of the Sony Sound Connect app. This opens up several device settings to play around with, plus visibility of vital info like battery percentage and current track info.
What I like: A ‘Stamina’ option for suppressing power consumption and saving your battery. ‘Auto Standby’ for powering down after 15 minutes if standing idle. Stereo pairing with a second ULT FIELD 1 for true left and right channels.
What I don’t like: A custom EQ but no presets to pick from. Stereo Pair, yes, but no Party Connect support for syncing multiple Sony speakers. Seemingly no shortcuts to streaming service apps like you get on the outgoing Sony Music Center app.
In short, Sound Connect feels half-baked and well, just a bit bland. but credit where credit is due — not all Bluetooth speakers at this price point get anywhere near this level of app support to start with.
Connectivity
- Seamless pairing
- App support
- Tempting accessories
Tell Harry Da Souza to do something, and he does it. The ULT Field 1 falls in line as well, without the C-bombs.
Bluetooth 5.3 pairing, calls, ULT mode — done and dusted in milliseconds. The same goes for Google Fast Pair and Stereo Pair. The Sound Connect app is responsive, if uninspiring, and the USB-C port is Ronseal in its functionality.
Would I like an aux-in? Perhaps, but peruse the Sony website and some tempting wireless accessory options reveal themselves — notably a bundle deal with a Bluetooth turntable saving you £42.90, or even a karaoke mic for kitchen discos.
Sound Quality
- Bang for buck clarity
- DSP tech
- Echo cancelling on calls
Under the hood, the ULT Field 1 packs a 16mm tweeter to take care of mids and highs, and an 83x42mm woofer for lower-end wobbles. This is supported by a Sound Diffusion Processor that expands sound in any space with DSP (Digital Signal Processing) technology.
You can listen with the speaker lying on its side or standing upright on one end, should you find yourself craving a rave in a phone box. This might be subjective, but I preferred the sound quality when perched on one end.
Starburster from Fontaines D.C. shows the ULT Field 1 offers exceptional clarity even at top volume, with room-filling sound, but even with a passive radiator and ULT mode activated, there’s a surprising lack of low end.
Joe Bought A Gun from The Amazons, with roaring guitar riffs, befalls the same shortcomings, whereas power pop like ‘Sexy Goodbye’ by Chloe Qisha is this Sony’s happy place.
Goodbye country, hello nightclub and the T4PES x Nick AM Edit of A Tribe Called Quest’s Electric Relaxation provides a stiff test for any speaker. You can tell the ULT Field 1 is battling hard to stave off distortion, but again, things just feel a bit flat.
Sony said the ULT bass boost would make my heart tremble. As it stands, it won’t be troubling any cardiology departments.
Switch ULT mode off, and there’s a noticeable drop off in impact across all the frequencies. No bad thing, and making this your go-to mode for playback in compact spaces, plus podcasts and spoken word radio broadcasts.
Switching to calls and connectivity is steadfast. Calls are clear, thanks to something Sony calls Echo Cancelling technology, which uses microphones and adaptive filters to detect and remove reverberations and background noise. Mission accomplished.
Battery Life
- 12 hours playtime
- Stamina mode
- Auto Standby
Up to 12 hours playtime feels par for the course at this price point, and we’ve no qualms with it, although the likes of the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 and Loewe We. HEAR 1 stretch this to 14 for the same outlay.
Increase your budget to the sub-£150 mark and the forthcoming JBL Flip 7 will offer 16 hours, while the Marshall Emberton III delivers a stonking 32 hours with an IP67 waterproof rating, too.
We’ve told you about ‘Stamina’ mode and ‘Auto Standby’, while it’s worth noting that turning off ULT mode will save you precious juice, too, but overall, we got a pretty good sporadic use return from the ULT Field 1 over the fortnight.
A peek at the Sound Connect app will give your current battery percentage. There’s no gauge on the speaker itself.
Should you buy it?
You’re buying a reputable brand
The one thing you get with Sony is stability. The ULT FIELD 1 isn’t just feature-rich, it’s feature-rich with the reassurance that everything works as it says it should. Will it set your world alight, no? Will it maintain the equilibrium? Absolutely.
The world has caught up with Sony
The world’s your oyster where portable Bluetooth speakers are concerned. Sony is certainly reliable, but the JBLs and Ultimate Ears of this world somehow seem to have injected a bit more fun — and expansive sound — into the fold.
Final Thoughts
Competition is fierce in the rugged, portable Bluetooth speaker market, and so the Sony ULT FIELD 1 has its work cut out for a seat at the top table.
Among those jostling for places in the sub-£100 category, you’ll find the exceptional Ultimate Ears Wonderboom series alongside a cut-price JBL Flip 6, which is arguably the ULT FIELD 1’s closest competitor.
Ease open your wallet a little more, and you’ll find an even wider selection of options in our ‘Best Outdoor Speakers’ and ‘Best Bluetooth Speakers’ listicles.
So why buy Sony? Well, the name is reassuring, isn’t it? It makes the best noise cancellers in the business in the shape of the WH-1000XM6, and so you’d expect its Bluetooth speakers to reach the same dizzying heights.
The truth is, though, Sony simply doesn’t have the edge in this sector, and if you’re willingly brand agnostic, you’re best shopping around for the best outdoor speaker deal and spending what you save on your streaming subscription.
How we test
The Sony ULT FIELD 1 was tested over two weeks across a series of indoor and outdoor scenarios, including: home office, bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom use, trips to the park and country walks, and being bashed about in a Land Rover Defender. The battery was run from full to flat.
I predominantly tested with an iPhone 12 Pro using Apple Music and the BBC Sounds app, but also YouTube from a Mac Mini M1, and connecting to a Philips OLED 805/12 TV. For music testing, tracks were selected cross-genre, from classical compositions and film scores to rock, pop, dance, and hip hop tracks to assess the speaker’s audio prowess across the full frequency spectrum.
- In the car
- In the home
- In the park
FAQs
Battery Life: Approximately 12 hours at moderate volume levels.
Charging: Use the supplied USB Type-C cable and a compatible USB AC adaptor (1.5A or 3.0A output). Charging time is about 5 hours with a 1.5A adaptor.
Yes, the speaker features a built-in omnidirectional microphone, allowing you to make and receive calls when connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth.
The speaker supports SBC and AAC audio codecs, ensuring high-quality Bluetooth audio streaming.
Full Specs
| Sony ULT Field 1 Review | |
|---|---|
| UK RRP | £99.99 |
| USA RRP | $129.00 |
| EU RRP | €99 |
| CA RRP | CA$149 |
| AUD RRP | AU$169 |
| Manufacturer | Sony |
| IP rating | IP67 |
| Battery Hours | 12 |
| Fast Charging | Yes |
| Size (Dimensions) | 206 x 76 x 77 MM |
| Weight | 650 G |
| ASIN | B0CX1WXP8M |
| Release Date | 2024 |
| Audio Resolution | SBC, AAC |
| Driver (s) | 16 mm tweeter, 83×42 mm woofer |
| Ports | USB-C |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Colours | Black, Off White, Orange, Forest Gray |
| Frequency Range | 20 20000 – Hz |
| Speaker Type | Portable Speaker |
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