SONY ULT WEAR REVIEW | Super focused headphones immerse you in powerful deep bass at the touch of a button, recommended for listening to live audio sources

In April this year, Sony announced “ULT POWER SOUND”, a new series of Bluetooth speakers and headphones that feature powerful deep bass. A new type of wireless headphones from the same series, `ULT WEAR', has been launched.

“ULT WEAR” not only allows you to enjoy music while switching between three types of sound with the “ULT BUTTON” that amplifies deep bass, but also supports active noise cancellation, so you can immerse yourself in the music without being affected by the surrounding environment. The environment is that.

This time, I was able to borrow the actual device of this product from Sony for about two weeks and check out the actual product design and sound, so I would like to provide a review of the actual device.

Design/Comfort

First, let's check out the “ULT WEAR” design. It has a minimalist design reminiscent of Sony's popular WH-1000XM series of headphones, such as the ear cups that are flat on the outside. Colors are black, off-white and forest grey.

I often use white/silver colors for Sony headphones, but of the three colors in this “ULT WEAR”, I especially like the off-white color. Also, the forest gray color, which we rarely see in other Sony headphones, is an interesting color, and I personally feel that a lot of people will like it.

The “SONY” logo on the side looks slightly different depending on the viewing angle.

All the operating buttons like the power button and NC/AMB button are located on the side of the left ear cup. The right earcup is equipped with a touch sensor that allows you to play, pause and play music through touch operations.

Behind the left ear cup is the ULT button, which amplifies the deep bass. Like the logo, this button has a stylish design that changes appearance depending on the viewing angle. By pressing the ULT button, you can easily switch between 3 types of sound modes.

The charging station is USB Type-C and is located on the left side of the ear cup. It supports fast charging, and can be used for about 1.5 hours with just 3 minutes of charging (when ANC is on). When fully charged, it supports up to 30 hours of music playback.

I actually tried wearing it. The ear cushions are thick and firm, so it will not hurt your ears. The holes in the ear cups are also relatively deep, so my earlobes didn't get in the way. If you have smaller earrings, you should be able to fit them comfortably while wearing them.

Adjust the headband

Like the ear pads, the headband is thick enough to prevent pain on the top of your head. This makes them safe to wear for long periods of time, such as traveling on an airplane.

“ULT WEAR” is foldable and can be stored in a special case and carried compactly. The case is slim type, making it easy to store in a backpack.

Unique sound featuring deep, powerful bass

'ULT WEAR' is a headphone described as 'delivering the best deep bass experience in Sony's history', and is particularly recommended for those who want to enjoy powerful deep bass.

The main body is equipped with a 40mm diameter driver unit designed specifically for ULT. It is said to be able to achieve a wide sound field with a good balance between deep bass and clear vocals.

First, check the normal mode without pressing the ULT button. I regularly use Sony's WH-1000XM5 headphones, and the sound quality is close to that of the WH-1000XM5, and I felt the overall sound was flat and well balanced.

Now, let's switch to “ULT1” mode by pressing the “ULT” button, also known as the “Fun Boost Button”. The bass has increased several steps compared to normal mode, and the sound tends to go from flat to loud all at once. The sound was so powerful that I couldn't believe it was the same pair of headphones.

Some headphones lose clarity in the mid-to-high range when the bass increases, giving the impression of a dull and obscure sound, but ULT WEAR's bass is clear and the mid-to-treble range is also clear, so you can enjoy quality without the treble. This sound will attract the attention of people who like bass-focused headphones, but also want to enjoy sounds other than bass.

Next, press the ULT button again to switch to “ULT2” mode. Then, I was overwhelmed by a deep bass sound that shook my head, and when I tried it for the first time, I couldn't help but exclaim in amazement: “Awesome!”

I was supposed to be listening to my favorite song in my room, but I was suddenly pulled into the live venue, and felt like I was listening to heavy bass from somewhere close to the front row of the venue. I think it was truly “the best deep bass experience Sony has ever had.”

However, the “ULT2” mode was suitable for some songs and not others, and depending on the song, the mid-to-high range sometimes lost some clarity. If you listen to music in the same mode for a long time, you will get tired of listening to it, so it is better to use the “ULT1” mode normally and enjoy it in the “ULT2” mode only when you want to feel the presence of a live sound source so felt.

Excellent noise cancellation and clear sound

“ULT WEAR” supports active noise cancellation, which completely eliminates external noise and allows you to enjoy music in your personal world.

The headphones are equipped with the “V1 Integrated Processor” that enables low-latency processing, and a total of four microphones placed on the outside and inside of the headphones on the left and right pick up noise, achieving high noise cancellation performance said there.

The noise cancellation performance was as good as other Sony headphones, and I think it was able to effectively cancel out the sounds of trains, other vehicles, and the sound of air conditioners. Depending on the product, you may feel discomfort due to your ears being blocked when using noise cancellation, but with this product, I didn't have that feeling and was able to cancel the noise completely naturally.

“ULT WEAR” has a strong bass sound at first, so once you're playing a song, you won't notice much outside noise, but the fact that it's equipped with an active noise cancellation function shows that Sony particularly cares about sound.

Naturally, it also supports the “External Sound Capture” function that intentionally picks up ambient sounds. It doesn't sound quite as natural as it does when you don't have headphones on, but I think I can hear outside sounds as well as with regular noise-canceling headphones from other companies.

In addition, thanks to the use of a wind noise-reducing structure, almost no wind noise is generated, both during noise cancellation and when capturing external sound. I tried using it outside when it was windy, and the wind noise didn't bother me and I was able to continue using it comfortably from start to finish.

Summary: Whether you want to improve your mood or relax, leave it to ULT WEAR.

After using the ULT WEAR for about two weeks, I found that although it retains the characteristics of Sony headphones, such as natural noise cancellation and comfortable touch controls, it also has a unique feature that allows you to easily change the strength of the bass. I felt like the “ULT” button and the deep bass The two powerful features make these headphones very unique and interesting.

The main advantage of this product is that you can enjoy the bass-heavy sounds of “ULT1” and “ULT2” by pressing the ULT button, but I also like the fact that you can return to normal mode by pressing the ULT button.

“ULT1” and “ULT2” are the modes you want to use when you want to boost your mood, but when you want to relax after a busy day, you may find the deep bass sound too heavy. In such a situation, press the ULT button to return to normal mode and enjoy music in quiet volume.

I think one of the good things about ULT WEAR is that you can use the same headphones in any situation, whether you want to boost your mood or relax.

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