A touch of the high-end 1000XM5 model resonates in the new Sony ULT Wear over-ear headphones. And that doesn’t just apply to the design. As part of the new ULT POWER SOUND series, the headphones, like the ULT Field 7 Bluetooth speaker (our test), focus primarily on bass. But the headphones offer more than just a lot of boom in the low tones. Our test.
Technical data
| The product | ULT Wear |
| Headphone type | Over-ear (closed) |
| Bluetooth version | 5.2 |
| Bluetooth codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC |
| Maximum operating range | 12m (without obstacle) |
| Battery life | Up to 50 hours (without ANC); Up to 30 hours (with ANC) |
| Driver | 40 mm (dome) |
| Frequency response (headphones) | 5 Hz to 20,000 Hz |
| Headphone weight | 255 grams (without cable) |
| Connections | USB Type-C, 3.5 mm jack |
| Color variants | Off-white, forest grey, goji black |
| Special features | Multipoint; ULT POWER SOUND mode, wearer detection, DSEE, head tracking, |
| Price | € 147.99 * |
Sony ULT Wear test: A touch of high-end
- high-quality, elegant design
- good workmanship
- excellent wearing comfort
The design of the Sony ULT Wear is obviously based on Sony’s own top model WH-1000XM5. With the difference that the new bass headphones appear a little more bulky and chunky.
However, the significantly lower price is reflected in the choice of materials, with plastic setting the tone. However, there is not much else to complain about in terms of workmanship; the ULT Wear also has a high-quality and robust feel.
Yes, everything is a little more wobbly, the turning and folding mechanisms a little looser – a difference is really only noticeable in direct comparison to the premium model. And not because the XM5 can’t be folded. Practical when traveling, especially as a hard case is included.
This makes the over-ear headphones suitable for all those who want the look of the much more expensive models but don’t want to invest quite as much money. But don’t get the wrong idea: The Sony ULT Wear is truly no dazzler, but also offers a whole lot from a technical point of view.
The most important unique selling point is of course the reflective ULT button on the left ear cup, which activates the bass boost. On the other hand, the Sony ULT Wear also scores with excellent wearing comfort, which is due to the generously sized ear pads and headband.
At 6.6 cm x 4.2 cm, the former also offer space for larger ears, are pleasantly flexible and around 2.4 cm thick. They are made of soft imitation leather, which ensures a high level of comfort. At the same time, they fit snugly against the skin, while the headband distributes the weight perfectly.
The only thing to criticize is the heat development, as it gets quite warm around the ears after a short time.
Features and battery life
- Bluetooth 5.2 with Multipoint
- LDAC
- 30 hours runtime with ANC
The features of the Sony ULT Wear leave little to be desired. The headphones use the Bluetooth 5.2 standard and support Multipoint for pairing with two audio sources simultaneously.
Active noise cancellation (ANC) is also included, as is the appropriate transparency mode. They also support Sony’s high-resolution LDAC audio codec. There is also a wear detection function that pauses the music when the headphones are taken off.
Sony has also given the ULT Wear the familiar Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE), which expands compressed music to make the sound fuller and restore lost details. Head tracking and 360° reality audio are also included.
There is also the familiar “Quick Attention” mode: if you hold your hand on the right ear cup, the headphones activate transparency mode until you take your hand down again.
The headphones also have a long battery life. Up to 30 hours are possible with active noise canceling, without ANC it even lasts for 50 hours. Three minutes on the power supply provide energy for a further one and a half hours of use. A good, but by no means outstanding value. Still good enough for longer journeys and trips.
Operation of the Sony ULT Wear
- Operation via buttons and touch
- Concept seems well thought out
The Sony ULT Wear is operated via buttons and the touch-sensitive outer side of the right ear cup. The problem is that the touch controls are unfortunately only explained in the instructions, which can be found in the accompanying app.
Switching on and off, switching between ANC and transparency mode as well as the various ULT modes can be activated using the corresponding buttons. The touch sensor surface is used for everything else.
After reading up and a little practice, the operation is quite easy. A double tap starts or pauses playback, a swipe to the left or right jumps to the next or previous song, the volume is adjusted up and down.
The operating concept appears logical and well thought out, but with the exception of the NC/AMB button, it is not customizable. A Quick Access function can be activated here with a double or triple tap. Endel or Spotify Tap are available to choose from.
Audio quality, ANC and microphone
- quite detailed sound, but…
- … Trebles are noticeably in the background
- good ULT1 mode; ULT2 usually too much of a good thing
With its 40 mm drivers and a frequency response of 5 Hz to 20,000 Hz, the Sony ULT Wear promises a powerful sound. Fortunately, the sound signature is very similar to the WH-1000XM5, albeit – in standard mode – with a more pronounced but quite detailed bass segment.
Sony does not focus too much on the bass that it would completely overpower the mids or highs. However, the ULT Wear is somewhat narrower and less present in the treble range than the WH model series from Sony.
This results in a somewhat flatter sound image, which unfortunately cannot fully unfold. The difference to more expensive headphones is particularly noticeable in metal, rock and classical music.
But the ULT Wear still sound good. Just not as light and airy as you would expect from a Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 4 (our test), for example. However, the mids are nicely detailed and well-balanced, which is a real pleasure. However, the headphones are not suitable for all genres.
They feel particularly at home in the dance and hip-hop segment, as the bass range can also be boosted using the ULT button. At the touch of a button, you first activate the first preset, which boosts the bass range.
Although this no longer has much in common with the original sound, it is a lot of fun (at least if you’re not an audiophile). The bass has so much oomph that your ears vibrate under your ear cups.
Another press of the button activates ULT2 mode. According to Sony, this is intended to give “the feeling of more power compared to ULT1” and also switches on the maximum possible clear bass.
However, I don’t like the sound here at all. The bass is boomy, unpleasantly oppressive and the mids and highs are pushed into the background, while the low frequencies overpower everything.
If you like, you can also use a 5-band equalizer to tweak the sound yourself, but unfortunately you can’t make any really detailed adjustments.
Very good active noise suppression
- good noise canceling
- good transparency mode,…
- … with slight background noise
We know that Sony know their stuff when it comes to active noise canceling. After all, the Japanese company’s headphones are regarded as pioneers in this field. Fortunately, the Sony ULT Wear is not much inferior and delivers a powerful and effective ANC that not only reduces or blocks out monotonous frequencies, but also voices and higher tones very well.
Here, too, the performance does not come close to that of the WH-1000 series, but the active noise cancellation is still absolutely worth listening to. The same applies to the transparency mode, which can be adjusted in 20 levels within the app. There is also a choice of voice focus, which can be optionally… well… Amplifies voices even further.
The ambient noise mode, as Sony calls it, scores with a realistic sound, although a slight background noise is always audible.
Decent microphone quality
Of course, the Sony ULT Wear also has built-in microphones so that you can make phone calls without having to take off the headphones. The microphone quality is okay, but does not come close to higher-quality or more expensive over-ear headphones. However, they are good enough for the odd phone call.
App connection: Headphone Connect
As with all Sony headphones, the Sony ULT Wear also uses the Headphone Connect app. This comes with the obligatory range of functions and allows you to adjust the equalizer or regulate the transparency mode, for example.
The voice assistant can also be set here (Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa are available, while you can deactivate the touch sensor if you wish.
The app offers a clear layout and a decent range of functions, but it is not really necessary. Many headphones offer significantly more settings here, especially as the equalizer is also rather simple.
Sony ULT Wear test: Conclusion
With the Sony ULT Wear, the Japanese company has created an extremely exciting pair of headphones that should be of particular interest to those who feel at home in the dance and hip-hop genre.
Not only do they get a classy-looking and high-quality pair of headphones with excellent wearing comfort and a long battery life, but also an extra portion of bass, which fortunately (with the exception of the unusable ULT2 mode) does not overpower the other frequencies.
Considering the price, the ULT Wear delivers a really good sound and strong active noise suppression. However, if you don’t like bass-heavy sound, you are undoubtedly in the wrong place here. The headphones can only cope with other genres to a limited extent – there are better alternatives here.
Sony ULT Wear
Wormanship
Wearing Comfort
Sound Quality
Noise Cancelling
Features
Value For Money
88/100
Very classy over-ear headphones with strong ANC, very good battery life and good sound with a focus on the bass, which is really fun with the right genres.
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