Since Sony has launched its official ULT Power Sound audio line-up in Malaysia back in June, I’ve recently had the chance to delicately test out the ULT Field 1 Bluetooth wireless speaker as well as observe exactly the kind of sound and quality it produces.
Aside from the other launches like the ULT Field 7 and the ULT Field 10, one thing I’ve loved about the ULT Field 1, during first impressions, is the sleek and simple build of it that has a user-friendly characteristic. And before I forget to mention, the speaker also has accessibility to its own sound equaliser through Sony’s Music Center app, as well as comfort in portability with its shoelace-like rope as a handle to be easily carried around.
What Am I Looking At?
To start off: out of the box, you get the wireless speaker, a USB-C charging cable, and a Sony instruction manual on how to use it for the first time. The manual is mainly distributed within Asia, so it’s essentially instructed in multiple languages such as English, Korean, Mandarin, Malay, Thai, and Arabic.
The speaker itself has a very smooth and cylindrical look with an IP67-rated outer shell, and it comes in a light, linen bag concealing over it. I should also mention that once you open the box, there’s a display under the top cover showing a 3-step instruction on how to download Sony’s Music Center App using a QR code.
Additionally, the speaker also supports wireless Bluetooth and Call modules, as well as the brand’s ULT holographic logo. The handle is, I would say, innovative yet simple, as it’s not really the conventional, built-in kind you’d normally see on portable speakers. That said, it also has the traditional volume buttons that respond to a device’s volume module pretty accurately, even when switching between different apps.
What’s Good About It?
Overall, sound staging, at least when it comes to playing certain songs, has an emphasis on two ends of the spectrum: huge bass or a high treble. Also, you can really hear instrumentals almost perfectly without having to increase the volume – even though I didn’t notice this at first, the ULT logo on the speaker itself is a feature that lets you switch between two sound modes, providing either a deep low-frequency bass or a powerful, yet high, treble bass.
The ULT Field 1 speaker has two drums on each side of its body, so when it’s at full volume and placed horizontally, you get a much fuller, more booming sound with strong, dominant lows that can overshadow the mids and highs. This is mostly noticeable when I am playing my favourite 90’s tracks such as The Stone Roses’ I Wanna Be Adored, My Bloody Valentine’s When You Sleep, and The Smashing Pumpkins’ 1979.
Stand it up, decent mids and high. Lie it down, and the lows come forward.
When the speaker is positioned vertically, the emphasis on its “powerful bass” shifts to a more balanced sound, with higher trebles and vocals sounding more autonomous than the bass itself. But even in its upright position, you can still enjoy some monotoned yet high-pitched vocals from artists such as Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon or even Oasis’ Liam Gallagher with his raspy and petulant Mancunian singing. Overall, anyway it’s positioned, you can still hear the joyous highs, mids, and lows, without being overpowered by the song’s deep bass instrumentation or the drums being too robust.
It’s also worth mentioning the durability of the Field 1. Sony has advertised it to be waterproof, as well as dust proof with a IP67 rating, and honestly, it does meet that accordingly since I splashed a bit of my water bottle on it and it didn’t affect the music being played or the button modules.
What’s The Catch?
I’ve tried using the phone-call modules and its functions somewhat met the expectations, as you can hear the person’s voice on the other end quite clearly. However, even though it’s advertised to have echo cancellation for clear calling, talking back using your phone’s microphone is not quite smooth as the feedback will affect a degree of your voice on the other end. Although every other module seems to work accordingly. It’s also specified that it has a 12-hour battery life, but based on my experience, the battery lasts between nine and 10 hours in total.
One thing that I should also mention is Sony’s Music Center equaliser. The app itself is not entirely as smooth in terms of innovation and user-friendliness. If there’s one thing I could suggest to Sony, it’s that it should update the app so that I navigate the modules I’m currently on or anything else that’s enabled without me noticing.
Should I Buy It?
At the end of the day, I think this is one of those speakers that offers a more personal touch to how music quality sounds, especially in widely-opened spaces. It’s definitely a speaker to enjoy with your friends but not to use for sound stages or formal event, for that matter, that require those big rugged speakers, rather than something you bring to the playground.
The Field 1 is currently available for online purchase with a price tag of RM629 including retail. It offers four different colour options which include Orange, Off-White, Forest Gray, and Black.
Photography by Haikal Nazri.
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