Sony ULT Wear review: solid mid-range headphones that are heavy on bass
Sony ULT Wear review: Two-minute review
The Sony ULT Wear (WH-ULT900N) is the latest in the brand’s lineup of wireless headphones, fitting between the premium Sony WH-1000XM5 and the budget Sony WH-720N. Priced at $199 / ￡179 / AU$289, the ULT Wear competes with the likes of the Sennheiser Accentum Plus and the Beats Solo 4, although the ULT Wear should be more worried about the former.
Packed with features you would expect on the best wireless headphones, the ULT Wear supports Bluetooth 5.2 and Sony’s LDAC codec, carries a solid 30-hour battery life (with Noise Canceling on) and offers plenty of sound customization options through the Sony Headphones app, which has an adjustable EQ that will be mandatory for many users (more on that below).
Sound quality overall is good on the ULT Wear, but some adjustment is required. Out of the box, the ULT Wear has a perfectly decent sound. Activating the ULT 1 setting (moderate bass boost) gives songs from most genres an extra layer, and pairing this with a brighter EQ unlocks a neutral sound profile that sits well amongst most tracks. Unfortunately, the ULT 2 function (the highest bass boost) often overpowers the sound, drowning out other instruments within the mix. It’s a setting best kept for bass-lovers. Couple this with inconsistent call quality, and the ULT Wear is held back from true mid-range greatness.
The ULT Wear is comfortable, with cushioned earcups and a snug and secure headband. Some may find the thinner neckband digs into their skull, but for most these headphones will be suitable for everyday usage, including longer commutes. Physically, the ULT Wear’s design takes cues from the WH-1000XM5 with sleek earcups and a lightweight yet sturdy build, but the matte, plastic finish overall feels a little uninspired.
At around $200 / ￡200 / AU$300, the ULT Wear’s useful features and good sound quality justify its price, though it suffers from some inconsistencies. It does fill a once-glaring gap in Sony’s headphones lineup, however, and will surely sit amongst the best Sony headphones.
Sony ULT Wear review: Price & release date
Release date: April 2024
Price: $199 / ￡179 / AU$289
Available in black, gray and white
The Sony ULT Wear (ULT-9000N) wireless headphones are part of Sony’s latest ULT range, which includes the ULT Field 7 and ULT Field 1 Bluetooth speakers and the ULT Tower 10 party speaker.
Priced at $199 / ￡179 / AU$289, the Sony ULT Wear slots into a vacant space in Sony’s headphone range between the premium WH-1000XM5, which retails now for roughly $329 / ￡319 / AU$549 and the budget WH-720Ns, now priced at $149 / ￡99 / AU$259.
The ULT wear faces competition from the likes of Beats with the Solo 4, priced at $199 / ￡199 / AU$329 and the Sennheiser Accentum Plus, priced at $229 / ￡199 / AU$399.
Sony ULT Wear review: Specs
Sony ULT Wear review: Features
Bluetooth 5.2 and LDAC codec support
50-hour battery life (with NC off)
360 Reality Audio for spatial sound
The Sony ULT Wear has support for Bluetooth 5.2 and Sony’s own LDAC codec, which enables streaming of up to 990kbps 32-bit/96kHz. It also features a Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE) that aims to restore compressed audio to the ‘original’ recording quality.
Sony uses 40mm dome-type drivers in the cups, and there are touch controls including play/pause, previous/next track and volume adjust, all carried out using gestures on the cups themselves. Also found on the earcup are buttons for ANC/Ambient sound and the ULT button that controls the bass function across three levels: Off, ULT 1 and ULT 2.
Battery life clocks in at 30 and 50 hours with ANC turned on and off respectively. Those are respectable numbers that closely match the rival Beats Solo 4 and Sennheiser Accentum Plus. During testing, I rarely worried about battery life and it’s possible the ULT can surpass these numbers. A full charge takes roughly 3.5 hours, but a quick charge option is also available that promises 90 minutes of playtime from a 3-minute charge.
The ULT Wear also features Sony’s 360 Reality Audio, which analyzes your ear shape through the Sony Headphones app to help create an immersive, all-encompassing sound. When I activated this feature, a noticeable level of depth was added to the sound.
When paired with select Bravia XR TVs (using the Sony WLA-NS7 wireless transmitter), the ULT Wear also supports Dolby Atmos, with phantom speakers created within the headphones – although I was unable to test that feature.
Call quality on the ULT Wear is good – for the most part. When receiving calls, voices were loud and clear and largely immune from outside interference, though some sounds and voices did creep through. When speaking, I was told by the person I was calling that some outside noise was being picked up in the built-in mics, meaning some words were missed. That’s an issue I didn’t encounter with more premium headphones like the Sony WH-1000XM5 and Sennheiser Momentum 4.
The ULT Wear is compatible with Sony’s Headphones app, which allows for EQ customization, app optimization on streaming services such as Spotify and Tidal, Ambient sound control and more. The app is plain, but easy enough to navigate and responsive when selecting actions.
A smart sensitivity feature is designed to play or pause tracks as it detects if the headphones are on or off. I found this feature fairly useful, but sometimes frustrating as the headphones would continue playing despite being placed around my neck.
Features score: 4.5 / 5
Sony ULT Wear review: Sound quality
Crisp, clear sound
Solid balance
Tweaking required for optimum performance
The Sony ULT Wear can be a mixed bag when it comes to sound quality, and that’s mainly due to the ULT feature itself.
I found the optimum sound profile to be the Bright EQ preset in the Headphones app with ULT set to 1 (or moderate). Whether playing lossy compressed music through Spotify or higher-quality lossless tracks through Tidal, the ULT Wear sounded good with these settings.
Listening to Holiday by Confidence Man, the bass was punchy and the synths suitably clean, with vocals coming across as crystal-clear. This soaring, bouncing dance track was conveyed perfectly by the ULT Wear.
Moving on to Rinkaku by Dir en Grey, a powerful, thunderous metal track, the soaring falsetto vocals flew above the driving bass and pounding drums as expected.
Japanese Folk Song by Thelonious Monk was well-presented well by the ULT Wear, with the bass, drums and piano coming across as smooth and warm as expected. Even the horns and saxophone had vibrancy without sounding shrill.
Most music genres I threw at the ULT Wear were well-handled, with rock and electro-pop being the most successful. Even classical-type music from various Final Fantasy soundtracks was conveyed in a manner I expected, with delicate strings balanced nicely against blaring horns.
These results, of course, came with the ULT button set to 1. When set to 2, the sound completely changed. Simply put, this setting is reserved for the most ardent bass fans. Listening to both the previous tracks and other dance/electronic numbers from groups such as Above & Beyond and Daft Punk, I found the ULT 2 setting muddied and even distorted bass. Even after experimenting with treble-boosted EQ settings within the app, the ULT 2 setting was still too powerful.
When tested in busy streets, packed trains and planes, and also in quieter office environments, the ULT Wear's Noise Canceling feature was strong enough across the board. It’s not going to beat the likes of the more premium Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra, Sennheiser Momentum 4 or Sony WH-1000XM5 anytime soon, but it will be fine for most people.
There is an option to turn off Noise Canceling but be warned that external noise will soak through, higher-pitched voices and traffic sounds in particular. There is also an Ambient Sound option that can be altered on a scale of 1-20 depending on how much outside sound you want to pass through (20 allowing maximum sound and 1 close to Noise Canceling). When it's set to higher levels, however, music in busy environments can be almost difficult to hear.
As mentioned above, the Sony Headphones app offers plenty of customization, and it’s needed. Out of the box, the ULT Wear was commendable, but finding the settings combo that suited me required much experimentation, so be prepared.
Sound quality score: 4 / 5
Sony ULT Wear review: Design
Solid build quality
Comfortable fit
Foldable hinge design
The ULT Wear’s look could be described as minimal and functional if not a little safe, though the Sony logo and ULT button have a ‘rainbow-esque’ appearance in the light.
Available in black, white and grey, the ULT Wear is light, weighing in at 225g. Despite this, the headphones feel solid when being carried around. At first,the plasticky appearance makes it seem a little on the cheap side, but on closer inspection, it shares similarities with the more premium Sony WH-1000XM5 – especially in the earcups themselves.
The ULT Wear headphones have an adjustable, cushioned headband and the earcups sit comfortably and don’t feel restrictive even after long use. And with a hinged design for the earcups, the headphones can be easily stowed away in their fabric carry case.
There was the odd occasion when I noticed that the top headband would create downward pressure on the top of my head, especially when adjusted after longer use. But a short break rectified this, and the ULT Wear usually felt secure on my head even when rushing through crowded streets at a brisk pace.
Design score: 4 / 5
Sony ULT Wear review: Value
Often overlooked price range
Plenty of features
Some inconsistencies hold the ULT Wear back
The ULT Wear’s $200 / ￡200 / AU$299 price range is one that’s often overlooked. At that price it’s not facing as much competition as headphones in the more packed $349 premium price range , but it does have a strong rival in the Sennheiser Accentum Plus.
While the Sony ULT Wear is strong in many areas, the need to painstakingly adjust settings to get a good sound profile, an over-baked ULT bass option and sometimes inconsistent call quality hold it back from perfection. But at this price, you could certainly do worse.
Value score: 4 / 5
Should you buy the Sony ULT Wear?
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Sony ULT Wear review: Also consider
How I tested the Sony ULT Wear
Tested at home and in busy environments
Tested on both Spotify and Tidal
Tested with Google Pixel 6a
To test the Sony ULT Wear, I listened both at home in a quieter environment and whilst walking through cities and taking public transport and flights to test noise canceling effectiveness, call quality and music playback.
I tested the ULT Wear with my Google Pixel 6a phone using both Spotify for lossy music and Tidal for higher quality audio. I listened to a variety of music genres and to podcasts and audiobooks to test clarity of speech. I also used reference tracks I am accustomed to and have previously listened to on different headphones and audio systems.
To test for comfort, I wore the ULT Wear for short periods whilst working in the office and on longer commutes. All-in-all, the ULT Wear were tested over a period of 3 weeks.
First reviewed in May 2024
