Sony ULT Field 1 review: a new contender on durability

It's easy to see why the likes of Sony might look at JBL and Ultimate Ears' lineup of extremely rugged portable Bluetooth speakers and want in on the game. Many of the best Bluetooth speakers can now be relied upon in bad conditions as well as the home, after all – people are almost starting to expect it.

So, it's fleshed out its growing ULT range with the ULT Field 1, an impressively powerful little speaker that I've been using for a couple of weeks for this review. But can it act as a serious rival to more established options in the rugged market?

Sony ULT Field 1 review: Price & Availability

The Sony ULT Field 1 comes in with a full price of £119, $130 or AU$229 – but having been on the market for a few months it seems to rarely still hit those heights. You can expect to find it widely for anywhere from £85/$90 if you keep an eye out for a deal.

That makes this speaker a direct competitor with more globe-shaped Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4, which we rated five stars. So, Sony has its work cut out.

Sony ULT Field 1 review: Design & Features

The Sony ULT Field 1 looks extremely inoffensive, taking a tried-and-tested approach to portable speaker design. It's oblong in shape, with some nicely curved edges and rubberised grips on either end of its span to anchor it when placed down.

The whole middle of the speaker is basically a fabric-covered tube that changes according to which colour you pick – there are black, grey, green and orange options to choose from, varying wildly in terms of how subtle they are. The black version I've been testing has the sort of vague anonymity that I actually really value in this sort of speaker – it's utilitarian, which is ideal for taking out and about.

The top of the speaker houses some control buttons, letting you power it on and off, initiate Bluetooth pairing, and control your audio. There's also a slightly iridescent ULT logo that initiated the audio boost mode that gives Sony's ULT range its name (more on that later). On the back of the speaker, there's a flap behind which you'll find its USB-C charging port.

Opening that flap, you'll be struck by how deeply recessed it is, and that underlines the speaker's rugged capabilities. It's IP67 water and dust-resistant. If you don't know your IP ratings by heart, that means it's pretty much impervious to dust, and can take a dunking in up to a metre of water without any trouble – so don't worry about rain or any other conditions harming it.

Sony also says the unit is drop-tested and can hold up to proper bashing, although it doesn't provide much detail to back that up. So, you should be fine if it falls off a table or takes some other sort of ding.

For those who like a carrying strap, Sony includes a refreshingly simple option – the speaker has some large toggle holes on each end of it, in that rubbery section. An included length of colour-matched slightly elastic string can be, well, strung through these to give you a handle of sorts.

Sony ULT Field 1 review: Sound quality

Sony's case for the ULT lineup is all about bassy power – and it's continuing that trend with the ULT Field 1, which has the aforementioned ULT button as a temptation at all times. Without it activated, you get perfectly solid sound from the speaker by default, with very solid levels of power and a totally acceptable amount of detail, too.

Turning ULT (or Power Sound as it's officially called) mode on, though, grants you a palpable boost to bass. In the context of a smaller speaker like this, especially one that you're likely to want to use outdoors, it's actually really handy. After all, open-air sound can so often lose the low-end if it's not from a huge speaker array, and the ULT Field 1 benefits from this tuning to maintain fuller sound in those sorts of conditions.

Comparing the same tracks with the feature turned on and off can be a bit of a rabbit hole though. In decent listening conditions, then turning it off does bring more to the highs and mids, but the fullness that you get from using it means I ultimately recommend the setting.

Whatever your preference, you should find the ULT Field 1 capable across a range of genres. I checked out some old Beirut material for a check on its quieter, more folksy range and it held up very capably. Still, this is a speaker that probably gets closest to its best when it's given harder, louder material – like some old-school Rush, which sounded terrific.

Quite a few customisation features are unlocked by using Sony's Music Centre app, which you'll want to download. This lets you tweak your EQ settings, in particular, which many users find an essential option.

The speaker's set of features is rounded out by a battery life of 12 hours, which held up in my testing. That's about what I've come to expect from most speakers of this ilk, but I can't deny that I'm a little disappointed it doesn't stretch close to the 20-hour mark – which would make it more impressive.

Sony ULT Field 1 review: Verdict

The Sony ULT Field 1 presents a fairly compelling case for competition in the speaker market – it immediately marks itself out as a proper contender if you're on the hunt for a new rugged speaker. It's small enough to be genuinely portable, has proper durability, and sounds very solid indeed.

It doesn't quite match the value and simplicity of the best options from JBL and Ultimate Ears, for now, but with revisions doubtless planned down the line, it'll be fascinating to see where Sony takes things from here.

Also consider

The JBL Flip 6 is a really obvious comparison point for the Sony ULT Field 1 – they're both of very similar sizes and shapes, and are both impressively built. The Flip 6 might be available slightly cheaper if you search, though, since it's a good whack older.

Alternatively, if you want something a little smaller and even easier to pack, I think the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 is well worth the money. This little ball of sound is perfect for holidays, roadtrips and more, and it's also slightly cheaper than Sony's speaker.