Sony’s New ULT Tower Max Wireless Party Speaker Delivered Massive Sound I Felt in My Chest

Last year, Sony introduced new wireless Bluetooth speakers and an ULT Wear headphone as part of its new ULT Power Sound series of audio products. The floor-standing ULT Tower 9 speaker was part of the launch, but now Sony has expanded its party speaker offerings with three new ULT Tower models: the ULT Tower Max ($1,500), ULT Tower 7 ($650) and ULT Tower 5 ($650), with the two larger models featuring integrated wheels. Ahead of the speakers’ launch, I had a chance to listen to all three speakers and came away impressed. They play loud and really pound out the bass while still offering good clarity and detail. Needless to say, the Tower Max, which weighs in at a massive 121 pounds, offers the most visceral listening experience, with bass that will shake you. That new flagship model has three woofers (two front-facing and one rear-facing) and four tweeters, along with midrange drivers. The drivers across the new speakers have been redesigned to take advantage of the new, larger speaker cabinets to push more air and sound, so the speakers live up to their ULT Power Sound billing. Read more: Best Portable Wireless Party Speakers All three new speakers have built-in handles (ULT Tower 5 shown here), though only the larger Tower ULT Max and Tower ULT 7 have wheels.David Carnoy/CNET Amateur or professional DJs can mix and match the speakers, linking them together using a Party Chain mode to augment the sound, or create a stereo pair with two of the same model. They can also be used for karaoke or as a PA system (Sony’s ULT MIC two-pack is available for $118), and have XLR, RCA and USB-C connectivity. Sadly, the new models aren’t backward compatible with the ULT Tower 9 and ULT Tower 10 via Party Connect, which seems a little weird. Sony has gone with a more industrial design that’s somewhat reminiscent of professional DJ speakers (but with rounded corners). The company says the lighting element has been improved with new lighting modes that make it “easier to switch the mood for different settings.” I also liked how when you raise or lower the volume, the lighting trail around the edge of the speaker retracts or extends to reflect the volume level as you adjust it. The speakers have four sound modes that can be toggled on using the ULT button on the front of the speaker or the Sony Sound Connect app for iOS or Android. The modes include ULT1 (enhances deep bass), ULT2 (greater power boost), Flat (a neutral “true-to-source” setting) and Live (“spacious feel” of a live performance while preserving vocal clarity). Additionally, there are EQ settings to fiddle around with. The speakers can be stood up vertically or laid down horizontally and have a sound calibration mode that automatically adjusts the sound to the room or environment the speaker is in. And in a first for Sony party speakers, the smaller ULT Tower 7 (50 pounds) and ULT Tower 5 (29 pounds) are IPX4 splash-proof (when stood up vertically). All three speakers have built-in handles. The speakers have strong connectivity options.David Carnoy/CNET While the ULT Tower Max is portable, it has to be plugged in and doesn’t have a built-in rechargeable battery. However, the ULT Tower 7 and ULT Tower 5 can be used untethered, with up to 30 hours of battery life for the Tower 7 and 20 hours for the Tower 5 at moderate volume levels. If you really crank the sound, the battery life ratings drop considerably. After hearing all three speakers in action, I’d say the ULT Tower 7 will hit the sweet spot for a lot of folks looking for a party speaker that can deliver big, powerful sound while not breaking the bank with its $650 list price. That said, if you can afford two ULT Tower 7 speakers, they produce impressive sound as a stereo pair. The ULT Tower Max is certainly more powerful and is a beast of a speaker, but it may be overkill unless you’re trying to power a pretty big party. Meanwhile, the more compact Tower ULT 5 would be a good speaker for a high school sports team looking to belt out music during its pregame warmups. It plays pretty loud but is more manageable to carry around at just under 30 pounds. The built-in wheels for the ULT Tower Max and ULT Tower 7 have wider treads than the Tower ULT 9’s wheels. David Carnoy/CNET