Sony Ult Field 1 Review | 130 Data compared

The Sony ULT Field 1 is praised for offering excellent audio clarity, impressive precision, and a punchy, versatile bass, particularly when engaging the dedicated "ULT" button, all within a rugged, IP67-rated portable design. It provides a 12-hour battery life and capable hands-free calling, though the speaker can be overly critical of lower-quality audio sources and faces stiff competition from industry leaders like the JBL Flip 6.

The Sony ULT Field 1, as reviewed by PCMag UK, is a durable, IP67-rated portable speaker featuring a fabric-lined design, a handy strap, and a dedicated button that delivers punchy, rich bass, making it ideal for rugged, outdoor use. While offering solid performance via Bluetooth 5.3, the speaker outputs mono sound and experiences limited battery life at high volumes, with significant audio compression, muddiness, and distortion occurring at maximum volume.

The Sony ULT FIELD 1 is a highly portable, lightweight Bluetooth speaker with an IP67 rating and a durable, buoyant design, offering a balanced sound profile suitable for vocals. Key advantages include low latency with iOS, multi-device pairing, and a built-in microphone, while limitations include a mono soundstage, lack of deep bass, and heavy compression at maximum volume.

The T3 review of the Sony ULT Field 1 highlights the device as a highly durable, IP67-rated, and compact portable Bluetooth speaker that offers impressively powerful sound for its size. While earning a "T3 Recommends" award, the speaker's noted limitations include a respectable but not class-leading 12-hour battery life and fierce competition from rivals that offer tighter audio at maximum volumes.

The Sony ULT Field 1 is a durable, IP67-rated portable speaker featuring a 12-hour battery life and an "ULT" button that delivers surprisingly deep, powerful bass for its size. While offering convenient features like Google Fast Pair, the speaker's heavy bass-forward sound can compromise vocal clarity, and it downmixes audio to mono, creating a narrow soundstage that may distort at maximum volume.

The Sony ULT Field 1 ($129) is a compact, IP67-rated portable speaker featuring a rugged, outdoor-ready design and a dedicated button that significantly boosts low-end bass. While delivering powerful audio for its size, the speaker’s main drawbacks include a lack of true stereo separation, limited companion app functionality, and short battery life when operating at high volumes with bass boost enabled.

The Sony ULT Field 1 is a compact, 1.4-pound portable Bluetooth 5.3 speaker offering rugged IP67-rated water/dust protection, a convenient carry strap, and a dedicated ULT button for enhanced bass. While it supports Google Fast Pair, multi-device pairing, and delivers punchy sound for its size, limitations include native mono audio output and reduced battery life when using the bass boost at high volumes.

The Sony ULT Field 1 is a portable, rugged (IP67-rated) Bluetooth speaker delivering powerful, bass-forward sound via a dedicated ULT mode and a customizable companion app. While designed for durability, the speaker suffers from a notably thin, anemic sound profile when the ULT mode is disengaged, alongside technical drawbacks including DSP distortion on certain tracks, a lack of high-res codec support, and no auxiliary input.

According to a review in Forbes, the Sony ULT Field 1 is a rugged, lightweight, and highly portable Bluetooth speaker featuring a durable exterior, a 12-hour battery life, and a built-in microphone for calls. The speaker is praised for its dual-sound profile that offers punchy bass in "ULT" mode and clear vocals when off, though it is limited by a lack of smart assistant support and a clumsy companion app that fails to properly manage user EQ settings.

The Sony ULT Field 1 is a rugged, highly portable $129.99 Bluetooth speaker designed for enhanced, bass-heavy audio, according to Mashable. Its pros include a budget-friendly price point, durable, waterproof construction, and a dedicated ULT button for improved bass, while the cons are limited app customization, diminished sound precision at max volume, and a lack of deep internal bass architecture compared to higher-end models.

The JBL Charge 5 generally outperforms the Sony ULT FIELD 1 by offering a longer 20-hour battery life, greater loudness, deeper bass, and less audio compression at maximum volume. However, the JBL lacks a microphone for calls and is less portable, whereas the Sony ULT FIELD 1 features a more compact design with a strap, better voice capabilities, and clearer mids, but suffers from lower battery life and higher distortion at top volumes.

The RTINGS.com comparison indicates that both the Sony ULT FIELD 1 and ULT FIELD 3 are durable, high-volume portable speakers, with the FIELD 1 prioritizing portability due to its lighter, canister-like design, while the FIELD 3 offers a significantly longer 14.5-hour battery life and voice assistant compatibility. A major differentiator is that the FIELD 1 is more compact and lighter, yet the FIELD 3 provides superior endurance and features, albeit with a heavier frame and slight audio compression at max volume. Ultimately, the choice hinges on trading the FIELD 1's superior portability for the FIELD 3's better battery and feature set.

The RTINGS comparison highlights that the JBL Flip 7 offers superior IP68 protection, faster charging, and a rugged, drop-resistant design, whereas the Sony ULT FIELD 1 features a built-in microphone, the ability to float, and lower latency for video sync. While the JBL excels in durability and longevity, the Sony provides better functionality for hands-free calls and multimedia use.

The Sony ULT FIELD 1 offers a warmer sound and a customizable graphic EQ app, though it suffers from higher audio compression at maximum volume compared to the Bose SoundLink Flex. Conversely, the Bose SoundLink Flex boasts superior battery life, minimal compression, and better microphone performance, but it lacks the sound customization options found in the Sony app. For the full comparison, visit RTINGS.com.