The portable Bluetooth speaker market in recent years has become a battlefield. Every tech company from JBL to Sonos to Anker is vying for a slice of the pie, promising bigger sound, longer battery life, and more rugged designs. So when Sony, a brand synonymous with quality audio, steps into the ring with a new line, you have to pay attention.
The ULT Field 3 is a part of their new “ULT POWER SOUND” family, and it’s meant to be the ultimate “party-in-a-box” that you can take anywhere. But does it deliver on that promise, or is it just another speaker in a very crowded room?
First, the design. In a world of flashy RGB lights and futuristic curves, the ULT Field 3 is refreshingly restrained. It’s a chunky, rectangular block wrapped in a tight, durable fabric with rubberised end caps. It’s got a no-nonsense vibe that feels immediately trustworthy. The IP6/7 rating is a big deal here, meaning it’s not just water-resistant but waterproof and dustproof. You can drop this thing in the pool (accidently of course) or kick sand on it at the beach, and it’ll keep on keeping on.
Plus, with shockproof, Sony means it can handle a clumsy drop from a picnic table. This isn’t a speaker you have to baby; it’s a speaker you take on adventures. Part of the clever design is the integrated, recessed loops for the included shoulder strap, which sit flush with the body when not in use, keeping the aesthetic clean. It’s not the most compact speaker out there, but the strap makes it genuinely easy to carry and it delivers on the promise of sound.
Out of the box, with no settings changed, the ULT Field 3 has a decent, clean and spacious sound quality, but it feels like it’s holding something back and that’s where the big “ULT” button comes in.
This button is the speaker’s entire reason for existence. Press it, and the sound profile transforms completely. The bass gets a massive, almost nuclear boost. Drums hit with a satisfying thump, and basslines rumble with an intensity that you wouldn’t expect from a speaker this size. For genres like hip-hop, electronic music, and anything with a heavy beat, this is a game-changer. The kids and I were listening to the K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack on repeat and Golden sounds.. Well… GOLDEN. When they finally let me have a go, my Yacht Rock Classics were all in glorious meaningful sound with extremely clear vocals and a bass to die for.
Use this iHeart Radio to really get the feels.
What the ULT mode does from what I can tell is thicken up the mids and boosts the low end without completely destroying the clarity of the vocals. It’s impressive, and it genuinely makes the music more exciting.
However there is a trade-off: with the ULT mode on, some of the nuance and texture in the bass can get a bit lost, and at high volumes, there’s slight compression. This is a common issue with bass-heavy portable speakers, but still a super impressive sound for something so small and portable. The speaker does have a 7-band custom EQ in Sony’s app which is a good way of finding a happy medium in the sound that you really like, it’s always down to a personal preference.
Beyond the sound, the ULT Field 3 is loaded with useful features. The battery life is a massive selling point, with Sony claiming up to 24 hours of playtime, in fact the review unit I used came fully charged and I didn’t need to charge it at all after fairly frequent outdoor use over a couple of weeks. So it’s more than enough to last through a weekend camping trip or a couple of all-day festivals.
The handy USB-C port hidden behind a sealed plug on the back can also be used to charge your phone, effectively turning the speaker into a power bank, which is a fantastic bonus. It has multi-point connectivity so you can connect two devices at once, and they say it can be paired with a second ULT Field 3 for true stereo sound which would be amazing, unfortunately I didn’t hear this in action.
So, who is the Sony ULT Field 3 for? It’s for the person who values bass and a rugged build above all else. It’s for the person who wants a speaker they can throw in a backpack, take to a bonfire, or use at the beach without a second thought.
It’s a speaker designed for fun, for parties, and for getting loud. It’s funny but with the strap and the design it made me feel like this could be the modern version of a “Boom Box”. To take your music where you go and share with like-minded people without compromising on quality of sound. Loud bass will forever be just so much fun, and you can’t convince me otherwise.
When I saw the Sony logo on the device I instantly had expectations on how much it would cost. I was really pleased to see that it was actually very reasonable considering the mark of quality on the product. The speaker comes in 3 different colours, black, grey and white, nothing out there and a perfect fit for any situation and the cost is only $279 Aussie dollars.
The Sony ULT Field 3 is a bold entry into the market and is certainly the ultimate speaker for those who want to turn things up to 11.
