The audio market nowadays is so saturated with high-price and low-performance gear that sometimes it feels like a compromise has to be made one way or another. A shining beacon through the dozens of mediocre plastic clones is Sony, whose products offer no compromises.
While others overcharge on supposed “style”, Sony’s core WH-1000XM5 and LinkBuds lines of audio devices have always stood above the rest in terms of quality, sound, and price. Now, Sony aims to unleash something for bass lovers especially— the all-new ULT POWER SOUND line of products.
These include three tiers of speakers, the ULT Field 1, the ULT Field 7, and the ULT Tower 10, as well as the ULT WEAR Noise-Cancelling Headphones. These headphones have all the amazing features of the XM5 line: comfortable design, superior audio quality, active noise cancellation, and competitive price. However, they come with a nifty new button that instantly boosts the bass of the current track and makes you feel like you just joined the stage at a concert of the artist themselves.
Fortunately for me, I could actually attend the concert of a globally-acclaimed artist, thanks to Sony.
The dinner was excellent
To promote their new line of ULT products, they partnered with Música Mexicana artist Peso Pluma to show off exactly what the capabilities are. Before the concert however, I had the opportunity to attend a dinner at Haven Rooftop to sit down and talk to several of the employees at Sony, along with other media and invitees of the concert, and discuss music, technology, and life in general over some killer spicy margaritas. As the drinks flowed, waiters brought out delectable dishes such as penne a la vodka and truffle fries. I conversed with a PR from Sony and made plans to review several of their products. It was a chill, relaxed evening that was an excellent set up for what was to follow the next day.
I headed to Sony Hall in Times Square, where the event was taking place. Inside, I was astonished to find the whole venue completely transformed into a swirling museum of flashing and pulsating lights and booming sound.
The DJ got me falling in love—with the music
There were several interactive displays, each dedicated to one of the new products: there was a booth where I could immerse myself into the gut-busting bass of the ULT Field 7, with the option to increase the bass twice over, and another booth where I could close the door and put on some ULT WEAR headphones and get completely lost in the music, as the walls were one-way mirrors and I could not see out even though everyone on the outside could see me. For a brief moment, it was just me and the music.
Casa Azul
I walked around and participated in several of the themed activities, such as taking a picture in the Photo Booth that converted a digital animated GIF of me rockin’ out to some tunes into a physical lenticular, and getting a Peso Pluma temporary tattoo on my neck. In the back of the venue I saw a display of a dozen or so ULT Field 10 speakers, all connected through the app, and all participating in a synchronized light show that was totally customizable. The Sony rep there explained to me that it was possible to connect up to 100 of these ULT Field 10 speakers (which I have no idea the need for, as each was half my height and could produce ear-shattering sound).
ULT WEAR booth
He also explained that all the music I was hearing at the venue, which I originally mistook as coming from a state-of-the-art audio system built into the hall, was in fact completely from the ULT Field 10s meticulously arranged around the room, perfectly synced up. I was flabbergasted.
As I grabbed a cocktail from the bar (made from the excellent Casa Azul), the concert began. With deeply thumping bass and energizing sound, Peso Pluma erupted on stage and delivered a show-stopping performance, playing favorites like ‘Ella Baila Sola‘ along with several new tracks from his upcoming album, Éxodo. I couldn’t help but feel amazed that all of the music I was hearing was being played through some portable speakers and not a premium audio rig. It was impossible to tell the difference, and with that, I truly understood what Sony was reaching for with their new UTL line.
Peso Pluma!
It was about giving users high-quality sound, but not making it expensive and out-of-reach like several other companies do. This was about the listener, the sound, and the music, and that was immediately clear. I am so happy that I got a chance to try items out of the ULT line of products, and I’m sure that anyone who gives it a chance will find themselves surprised and convinced immediately.
After all, it was always only for the music.
