When I review a product, I’m usually disappointed when my experience doesn’t match the marketing material. But the Sony ULT Wear headphones are different. I’m bothered by the fact that they are too accurate with the marketing pages. Sony aims to deliver a “front row seat at the concert” experience with its new ULT Wear headphones. And it does so, sometimes excessively.
The Sony ULT Wear headphones are feature-rich, designed for those who enjoy bass-heavy music. However, the ULT mode might be overwhelming, even for bass heads.
Comfortable To Wear, Easy To Control
At first glance, the Sony ULT Wear headphones seem like a hybrid of Sony’s WH-XB910s (past models focused on bass) and the WH-1000HX5. The headband feels sturdier now, with a tighter clamping force. The earcups are comfortable, but prolonged use can lead to sweating.
Weighing 255 grams, the ULT Wear headphones are slightly heavier than Sony’s flagship XM5s. Unlike the more expensive Sony headphones, these fold, adding to their portability factor with the included hard case. In line with the price, the ULT Wear feel cheaper than the XM5s but more premium than the CH720n headphones.
The Sony ULT Wear feature a control setup similar to the XM5s, with the right earcup supporting touch controls. Swipe up or down to adjust volume, swipe forward or backward to change tracks, and double-tap to play or pause. The three physical buttons for power, noise cancellation/transparency mode, and ULT mode are located on the left earcup. Both the touch controls and buttons are responsive.
Sony ULT Wear Headphones: Features
The Sony ULT Wear headphones are equipped with 40mm drivers and powered by Sony’s V1 chip for noise cancellation. This is the same processor that’s used on the flagship WH-1000XM5 and Sony’s most affordable noise-canceling headphones, the CH720N (which I often recommend for its value).
The ULT Wear headphones feature SBC, AAC and LDAC (enables streaming of up to 990kbps 32-bit/96kHz) codecs. They also include wear detection, pausing the music when you take them off and resuming playback when you put them back on.
One of my favorite features of Sony headphones, Quick Attention, is supported as well. It allows you to lower the volume and trigger the transparency mode by placing your palm on the right earcup when you need to hear someone speaking.
The ULT Wear headphones also support Sony’s 360 Reality Audio, which analyzes your ear shape through the Sony Headphones app to create a more immersive listening experience with enhanced depth. You can customize the EQ settings, ambient sound control, and more through the app as well.
The new Sony headphones are rated to last up to 30 hours with noise cancellation on and up to 50 hours with noise cancellation off, which are solid numbers. During my testing, I didn’t feel restricted by the battery life. Plus, they feature quick charging: a 3-minute charge provides 90 minutes of music playback, while a 10-minute charge offers up to 5 hours of music streaming.
The ULT Wear headphones feature new beam-forming microphones with wind noise reduction. The call quality is good, though the XM5s provide clearer voice calls. In a direct comparison, the call recipient mentioned hearing some background noise, on the ULT Wear which wasn’t noticeable with the XM5s in the same scenario.
Performance And The ULT Experience
You know that heart-pounding feeling when you’re close to a big speaker at a concert? The ULT mode on the new Sony headphones is the same, but for the head. You can press once the ULT Mode button once to activate it at level 1 and press again to further enhance the bass at level 2. Press once more to turn off ULT mode.
I’m not a fan of the sound quality of the Sony ULT Wear headphones.I prefer a more balanced sound profile. I also like Sony’s tuning with the XM5s, despite it leaning towards more bass compared to the Sennheiser Momentum 4 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones.
Even with the ULT mode turned off, the bass dominates at the expense of clarity and finesse. Moreover, the bass is lose and sounds muddy with the vocals being occasionally muted. Overall, the sound is dull to me.
However, switch to metal tracks featuring bass, drums, and piano, and you’ll find that this is the only music that does justice to the Sony ULT Wear headphones.
Pressing the ULT mode once boosts the bass energy, but a second press results in uncomfortably intense thumping bass. At the second level, the ULT mode’s sound becomes more muddled.
Noise cancellation is on par with the Sony XM4s. The ULT Wear headphones reduce ambient noise on airplanes to an extent, but not as effectively as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra or Sony XM5. The headphones also offer an Ambient Sound option adjustable via the app on a scale from 1 to 20, with 10 providing the optimal balance in my testing.
Sony ULT Wear Headphones Review: Verdict
Priced at $180 / 16,999 Indian Rupees, the Sony ULT Wear Headphones may not be for you if you like a balanced sound or even a slightly bass-focused profile. The similarly-priced Sennheiser Accentum Plus sound better in that regard.
I would also recommend considering the Sony WH-CH720N headphones, which offer excellent sound and noise cancellation in a lightweight and comfortable design at a lower price point.
However, the Sony ULT Wear headphones might be an appealing option for the bass enthusiasts. If you enjoy head-banging music, these headphones could be worth considering.
