Sony ULT TOWER 5 300W Portable Party Speaker - Black

What a magic box of tricks for any music buff

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Well, I am truly impressed with this UTL tower 5 Party speaker and found the sound quality impressive I thought Sony would have to go a long way to better my previous party speaker SRS-ULT70 but when I sat down and played UB40 through this new speaker with the volume at 60 percent my shirt was banging to the beat with the sound reverberations awesome. I found the speaker ran for over twenty hours before needing to recharge it and for portability it is a bit heavier than my SRS-ULT70 speaker, In the box there is the speaker manual power cords one Uk and a European cord which I think is great and we do travel to and from our French house very use full. Upon first inspection I was a little confused the charging port is at the back under a flap that seems to be water resistant along with other connection jacks and a MIC input. It has also blue tooth connection with the stereo Pair and the party chain. Which I hasten to add the party chain pairing was seamless with my other speaker SRS-ULT70 but the wife told me to turn it down practically immediately. I also connected it vie Phono cable to my portable record player and my Ion USB player with no hassle whatsoever. The light show around the speaker with the music blaring out makes for a great party atmosphere especially in a party chain, you can play around with the sound by pressing the ULT on the front of the speaker witch duals up as a volume control.

Bonzo 4207

Unbelievable sound

I was looking for a bluetooth speaker that had good volume a good look and good sound I read reviews of this speaker and ill be honest it costs more than I wanted to pay but so glad I did it looks great it makes my tv viewing so much better in mg van it's like being at the cinema but when im playing music the sound is just fantastic

Dino4321

The best speaker I have ever owned

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I have had this speaker for 2 weeks and every time I turn it on and play music i realise how good it is. I still have the previous ULT70 and I thought this was stunning but the new one makes it sound average. The first thing you notice when it arrives on your door step is the size of the box. Sometimes products come in a big box and what is in the box is half the size. Not in this case as it fills the box completely. Very easy to set up and the looks are stunning. As a former DJ this speaker easily looks top notch. It is a traditional speaker shape compared to the ULT70 cylindrical shape. I was surprised as I always loved the shape of the ULT70 but when you listen to music through Tower 5 you realise that functionality is more important than looks. One of the consellations of having a traditional speaker shape is that the effect lighting is now much more visible than in the ULT70 which was something that needed improving on. Connection to my smart phone, was as usual with any Sony product simple and quick using bluetooth. Having the 3 buttons for on/off, bluetooth and play/stop on top of the speaker makes them easily accesible. They have a reassuring soft touch operation . Also on top of the speaker are two built in carrying handles. Having two is a help as the speaker weighs in at 12 7kg. Size is 534mm×358mm×280mm which as you can see from the photographs makes it around 55% bigger in total than the ULT70. On the rear of the unit is a function dial selector woth USB-A, USA-B, Bluetooth, LINE 1 and LINE 2 OPTIONS. Also there is a party chain button, stereo pair button, a stamina button( which extends battery life) and a light button which chamges the light patterns. Also there is a echo button, and two Key control buttons ( flat and sharp option buttons), Under the drop down panel there are USB A and USB C inputs, a MIC jack, MIC level, Line 1 and Line 2 jack, Line out jack and AC input jack. A very clever piece of design is having feet on two edges so the speaker can be postioned either vertically or horizontally on the feet. The speaker contains a 230mm woofer and two 2 tweeters at 300w max output. On the front of the speaker is the ULT button which raises the deep bass in two stages from ' normal' to ' upsetting the neighbours' level!. I have a playlist to test all new speakers I have and it ranges from classical music to psychedelic rock to gentle ballads. This brilliant speaker deals with all genres of music superbly. The bass is deep and punding but does not over power vocals or more subtle sounds. When playing the theme music from Jurrasic Park it sounded like the while orchestra was in the room with me. But when playing Hallelujah By Jeff Buckley it was as if he was sitting in the chair next to me. Listening to Pink Floyd is a pure joy as the bass reproduction is like seeing them live which I was fortunate enought to do many years ago. If you want this speaker for your lounge, a garden party, or a large hall the volume will be abke to cope with each. I have not had the pleasure of putting two if them together in stereo but I would imagine it would sound stunning. There is no distortion of sound even at maximum volume which I tried when I knew my neighbours were away on holiday. I have recently connected the speaker to the Sony sound connect app which again was a simple process. This allows more tweaking of the sound quality using the graphic equaliser which only enhances the speakers sound quality. Battery life seems excellent as I have now been running it from full charge for 15 hours. All in all this is the most accomplished speaker I have ever owned, including many speakers from my days as a DJ. I cannot find any faults with it whatsoever.

Duncan, Birmingham West Midlands

Amazing sound, barely any latency, great for DJs

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Been using this speaker for about 3 weeks now in my living room, and I’ve been absolutely blown away by the sound of it. Very detailed in the low frequencies on the ULT 1 mode (default setting). The live setting sounds nice also, but just not as bassy as the ULT 1 setting. Although the other settings will come in handy if you have neighbours to worry about. This speaker especially on ULT 1 will make your house shake. I’ve had the volume on this up to about 3 quarters, which is really loud, and probably don’t really need to turn it up this loud in most scenarios. A surprising feature is the minimal latency you experience. I used this speaker connected up to my portable dj setup, and couldn’t detect any noticeable lag. This is with whatever mode you choose, and with the eq enabled. I was expecting to have to use the live mode, thinking that’s probably what it was made for, but no, just plug in your rca leads and start playing with your favourite sounding mode enabled. Battery life is very good, and holds charge very well when off. I’ve charged it once since I’ve had it, and have probably used it on and off on the battery for a good 4-5hrs playtime, and I still have 40% left. You can just have it plugged in whilst using, and not worry about the battery life at all, but if you don’t have access to a power supply, there is plenty of battery available. I think this speaker is amazing, especially for the price. You’ll be pushed to find something that sounds this good with all the connectivity features it has, and extremely low if any latency for this price. Can’t recommend it enough, and if I had to be a bit picky I’d say the ULT logo/volume control looks a bit tacky, but apart from that it’s amazing.

Just, Essex

The ultimate party speaker

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Where do I start the speaker is the usual high quality from Sony once out the box the weight of the speaker is great not to heavy and not to light,user instruction pack and a card with barcode if you prefer it that way on to the speaker size is perfect not massive just about right for garden parties, hitting the power button and it's starts looking for your Bluetooth devices once connected this is where the joy begins music heaven sound volume is controlled by the ult dial at the front and a quick push gives bass boost,clear audio and the bass has to be heard to believed honestly if or a speaker this size it's amazing connection wise it's got everything you need usb a and c you can also plug in a mic for karaoke.the lights on the front go all the way round and are a great addition and look great,had a few friends over and we tried it out they were all massively impressed and all wanted to connect to it try all sorts of music and overall everyone was amazed at how it handled every genre of music, so I would definitely recommend this if you are looking bat a fantastic speaker at a good price point,I think a few of my friends have now got on the Christmas list.

Gadget it 42, Glasgow

Fantastic piece of kit

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Easy to set up and control once you have downloaded the Sony Connect app. Connect to bluetooth and away you go. This is truly a cracking piece of kit, with its elegant design and inbuilt light show, numerous features, USB A and C ports, jacks for karaoke microphones to name a few. Sound is impressive given its size, the additional ULT features bringing in heavier bass upon selection, Volume control is easy by using the dial on the front of the Tower 5. And its portable with up to 20 hours play time. Nothing to dislike its great.

Cosmic, Berkshire

More impressed than I thought I would be

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] This product is the most powerful loudspeaker I’ve had for several years. While my memory may not be 100% accurate, I’m convinced that the sound reproduction, even a high volume, is significantly better than the high-end speakers I used to have some 10 years ago. Definitely better, and I judge substantially better, as there seems to be no distortion even when volume is high. Unboxing was easy. In fact, I had connected it to my mobile phone and working within 2 minutes of opening the box. I tried several music genres (not just the target of party music and hip-hop) and reproduction was faithful. It was particularly impressed with how it rendered solo voice artists. The speaker is heavy and as such isn’t all that easy to move. That is par for the course with something this powerful, but don’t expect to move it effortlessly from room to room or even venue to venue. The lighting is a nice touch – I don’t have anything like this at present – and that feature is aimed at consumers younger than me. The lighting effect is quite unobtrusive though, and I found that I enjoyed it more than expected. That said, this product is definitely for teenagers and young adults. All you need is a glitter ball and you would have a fully featured party. It would be an ideal present for young music lovers, more than ideal in fact. There are wired connections on the rear of the speaker, so Bluetooth isn’t the only source. However, I found streaming via Bluetooth to be fault-free and the sound quality rather impressive.

The Ancient Mariner, Edinburgh, Scotland

This Speaker Rocks!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] My ULT Tower 5 Party Speaker arrived last week, and I could not wait for the opportunity to put it to the test. Opening the box and unwrapping the speaker I was impressed with the design, and it looked even better in the flesh than in the photos I had seen online. It has two inbuilt carry handles for ease of movability without the fear or dropping. A very sleek design and an intriguing button on the top left! Having turned the speaker on it very quicky connected to my phone with ease and I was streaming my favourite playlist to the speaker in no time at all. First impressions were what an incredible sound presence I could feel from the speaker. Crisp and clear with no distortion even at higher volumes. When I say this speaker rocks the house is an understatement it is loud! I then discovered the ULT button which you can change to mode one for deeper lower bass levels and mode two for increased power and overall energy. The front of the speaker carries LEDs around the speaker’s circumference which change in time to the music and really set this speaker off as a true party speaker. On top there are three simple buttons. On/Off, a Bluetooth connect button and a play pause button. The before mentioned ULT button also doubles up as a volume button that you turn. The rear really shows the multiple connection options that this speaker truly has. From RCA phono connection and a XLR Connection as well as USB-C and USB-A. a simple function selection on the rear for easy switching between inputs. The USB's will also charge your input device too! I am yet to try it but there is a microphone connection with a level control which will be ideal for karaoke with tone controls and Echo enhancement. I will also in the future be able to pair this with my previous Sony party speaker via the Bluetooth link which is activated from the rear. If you are looking for a class leading party speaker which ticks all the boxes, the ULT Tower 5 is for you!

Jamie293, Dorset

A Pure Power Machine

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] After opening the box and unpacking the Sony ULT Tower 5 Wireless Speaker the first thing I noted was the weight of the speaker (around 13 kg). So I knew it was going to be a good solid built device. The Sony ULT Tower 5 can be mounted vertically or horizontally and has feet and handles to enable this to be done easily. It is quite compact and measures approx. 35 X 53 X 27 centimetres. It can be run from the built in rechargeable battery or mains power. The battery lasts about 20 hours between charges. This wireless speaker, once out of the box, needed no real ‘set up’ procedure and I was very pleased that I could have it up and running in a few minutes without even looking at the help guide. The first thing to do is to download the Sony Sound Connect app onto your mobile or other android/apple device depending on where your music is stored. This makes life a lot easier when using the speaker. There is also a good help guide that can be downloaded from the internet that’s easy to follow. I have my music on my pc and mobile phone, so I usually use these as the source to play through the speaker tower. I also use the speaker occasionally to play the music from my TV. When switching on there is a notification sound from the speaker that lets you know it’s switched on and the speaker lights up. When you press the light button you can change the lighting mode or stop the lighting completely. The pairing is easy because the speaker goes into pairing mode automatically when the unit is switched on. There is a Bluetooth button on the speaker top that flashes during pairing and becomes a steady blue light when paired. Once paired to a particular source the unit will automatically find that source next time it’s switched on provided the source is in pairing mode too. This Sony ULT Tower 5 Wireless Speaker is a real Sony Powerhouse with a powerful bass sound along with a crisp sharp treble that brings out the vocals and instruments without being overpowered by the bass. The powerful bass adds excitement and makes the speaker perfect for parties. In fact there is also the facility to connect a microphone if you like to have a karaoke session at your parties. On the back under the flap there is a USB-C and USB-A for a pc, phone and USB Drive along with a mic socket. There is a ULT button on front of the speaker that when turned controls the volume. If it’s pressed It also enables control of the bass, from a spine shattering deep bass on ULT 1, ULT 2 is for parties outdoors and the other position is OFF when you do not want a high bass sound. The speaker also lights up in time to music to liven up the atmosphere. For a reasonably small package the sound output from this ULT Tower 5 is superb and clear with the option to adjust the bass to suit your listening requirements. I also use the speaker outside in my garden and the sound carries well in all directions and with quality being maintained (No complaints from my neighbours.…yet). I plan to use it for garden parties when the weather improves. Another great product from Sony at a reasonable price.

Abtria, Knaresborough

Boombastic!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] This is quite the speaker. It is a large black monolithic box which weighs 12.7kg which would normally be difficult to move, but luckily includes 4 hefty built-in handles on its corners as part of its industrial design. Solid! I was initially disappointed that it only came with a 1.4m charge cable which I thought would limit its room placement but realised soon after, that the speaker has a large internal battery. So can be used untethered. The battery takes about 3.5 hours to charge but once it has, you have up to 20 hours of play. 10 mins of charge will give you 100 minutes of play which is excellent if you need an urgent play! It measures 53.4cm in height and about 36cm wide and 28cm deep. It has nice rubber feet on 2 of its sides as it can be placed vertically or horizontally. Amazingly this is the smallest in this range with a bigger model 7 and even bigger Max model, so Sony have covered big to massive rooms! The enclosure is capable of 300w of power, with a 230mm woofer for bass, and 2 x 60mm tweeters. On unpacking it, and pressing the big rubberised On/Off button on top, it immediately went in to pairing mode, accompanied by a nice deep tone and multicoloured lights around the speaker grill. My smartphone connected in seconds. You can then download the Sony “Sound Connect” app, if you haven’t already and that then gives you full control over the speaker and your linked music information. On playing music, this is the definitive party speaker. It goes very, very loud without distortion and has bundles of room shaking bass. On the front of the speaker is a large “ULT” disc, which illuminates and I thought was just a brand badge. But it works like a physical volume knob but more importantly changes the 4 main sound modes by pushing it. ULT-1 gives good bass, ideal for R&B/ hip hop. ULT-2 gives even more bass attack. Flat- tends to remove most of the bass for a more natural sound. Ideal for instrumentals or vocals and LIVE mode which gives a stadium/theatre feel. I preferred ULT-2 for most of my music and Flat for background music. My house extension is 9.5 x 4m and this speaker fills it and the rest of the house with ease with bass thumbing beats! The speaker unit has plenty of inputs/outputs on the back of the unit hidden behind a drop down rubberised flap. No HDMI but covers everything else.USB A and C sockets, analogue line ins, XLR in and outs for DJ desks. It also had a microphone input with volume control. We had a lot of fun with this and the Karaoke function. This enables you to sing along while the speaker/app functions can suppress the main vocals on the original track so you can be the main performer! The app is fully featured. It can add in sound effects like applause and cheering, sirens and funny noises and give your voice a funny sound via a microphone such as “Munchkin”. The colours emitted by the speaker can also be customised using preset colours or a track pad. What I find incredible is that you can then add another speaker at a later date to form a stereo pair or even many speakers (up to 100 speakers,apparently) to form a wall of sound. Perfect for a concert or proper stage show. When the battery runs low, you get an audible voice warning “low battery” at 20% state of charge, from the speaker. Would be better to have a notification on your phone. But you can keep a check on the battery level on your phone anyway as it is clearly shown on the main page of the control app. The speaker battery lasted 17 hours on its first charge but then I was putting it through its paces and features and using the Karaoke function a fair amount. This is an excellent speaker for the home or even bigger areas like a wedding reception or dance class as it really provides a huge sound with big bass. With its build quality, sound quality and well known Sony reliability, it is a no brainer purchase.

MarkyMark, Wales, UK