STEREO GUIDE verdict
The Sony ULT Tower 10 impressed in the review with undistorted music reproduction at 110 decibels, relatively natural sound tuning for party speakers and deep, substantial bass.
The 360-degree concept with rear-mounted tweeters proved itself in practice.
An integrated rechargeable battery would be desirable.
Pros
- Extremely level-resistant, easily reaches 110 decibels
- Very powerful, deep bass
- Bluetooth microphone with holder
- Lightshow and 360-degree sound
Cons
- No battery operation possible
- Very high weight
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Sound: tonal balance / transparency8.9
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Sound: Bass / Dynamics10
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Practice / Connectivity9.4
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Price/Performance9.2
The Sony ULT Tower 10 takes the top position within the recently introduced ULT Power series . The Japanese party speaker is over 1 meter ten high and weighs an impressive 30 kilos. The 3-way Bluetooth loudspeaker is correspondingly far ahead in terms of price, which regularly amounts to 1,200 euros. For that you can buy two handfuls of ULT Field 1, the smallest speaker in the new series. But you also get a whole host of technology. Sony promises 360-degree sound, which is very useful at parties, as there is no sweet spot that favors those standing in front of the speaker.
To achieve all-round sound, Sony uses a total of seven speaker chassis in the ULT Tower 10. Specifically, these are a woofer with a square cone for optimum use of space in the baffle. There are also two front-facing 8 cm mid-range drivers and two front-facing tweeters, all of which have horn attachments for greater efficiency. The developers attached two further tweeter horns to the side of a bead at the rear. The Japanese have dispensed with the power specifications that are appreciated at the regulars’ table. Unfortunately, we can only answer the question “how many watts does the Sony ULT Tower 10 have” in the sense of a classic Rolls-Royce: it obviously has enough power to more than live up to its party claim.
Power-Tower
The Sony ULT Tower 10 is not only capable of producing extremely powerful sound. In a measurement, it achieved a maximum level of 109.9 decibels with music that did not sound overdriven. The party tower also produces an impressive light show. However, this is where Sony sets itself apart from the top dog JBL. The American company’s strobe lights are located behind the baffle and the LED elements form rings around the drivers. The Sony ULT Tower 10, on the other hand, has indirect all-round lighting above and below the baffle. There is an illuminated touch panel on the top of the Bluetooth speaker to control playback and lighting effects.
Apps for all possible functions
However, you can also use the Sony Music Center app or Sony Fiestable app, which are available to download from the Apple App Store and Google play. The Music Center app also includes a 7-band equalizer, which can be used to adjust the sound individually. Sony has also prepared two sound presets, ULT 1 and ULT 2, which cater to different requirements. If you use ULT 1, after a somewhat annoying switching pause, you get an even more powerful low bass on your ears, which can also be felt impressively on your diaphragm. However, you can also set the transition between the sound presets in the Sony Music app so that it continues without any fuss.
With ULT 2, the punch in the upper bass range is emphasized. This works well with dance music with electronic beats. You don’t necessarily have to use the app to change the sound modes. There is also a large button labeled “ULT” on the control panel to switch through the modes.
If you can already see the next night-time beach party in your mind’s eye, you should start looking for a power generator. In contrast to its smaller brothers ULT Field 1 and ULT Field 7, Sony has only designed its ULT Tower 10 for operation from a power socket and has integrated a power supply unit, but no battery. Due to this limitation, the developers did not focus on water and dust resistance. The largest party box in the range therefore only has splash protection.
Totally suitable for TV
At least Sony thought about it: if the heavyweight has to stay in the house, then you should at least be able to connect it to the TV. There is an optical S/PDIF digital input for this purpose. Accordingly, when used with the ULT Tower 10, some useful functions have been added that are reserved exclusively for the flagship of the new series. In addition to the “TV Sound Booster” mode, there is also a Lipsync function familiar from soundbars to compensate for time delays between picture and sound.
Under a protective flap on the back, there is a digital input as well as an analog mini-jack input. There is also a USB-A port, which can be used to play music from a smart device or USB stick and charge smartphones. However, there is also a relatively well-hidden flap on the right above the control panel. This conceals a 6.35 mm jack input for microphones or musical instruments with a level control. For karaoke parties, however, the supplied Bluetooth microphone is even more useful. The ULT Tower 10 has a holder on the side that can be folded in if required so that it is always to hand. In the Sony Fiestable app, you can not only create playlists, but also use DJ effects and control the light show.
Sony ULT Tower 10 sound test
The sound of the Sony ULT Tower 10 immediately gets you moving. This doesn’t just apply to rhythmic movements on the dance floor. After just a few of the beats that hit the pit of my stomach, I ran to the speaker to move it a little further away from the wall. Because even without the ULT bass boost, even large rooms can quickly become a droning problem. This is especially true for room corners, where a drastic distance rule must be observed. The handles on the top and the castors in the base of the XXL speaker do a good job here.
Once you’ve got the setup under control, the Bluetooth party speaker produces a pretty fat bass, but retains a sufficient degree of precision, at least for party conditions. After pressing the ULT-1 button once, however, it becomes too much of a good thing, depending on your hearing. This sound setting may at best work outdoors (provided a 230-volt power supply is available), where the bass is not reflected by walls. With most recordings from different music areas, the bass then seems overly thick and downright clumsy, even in large rooms. We like ULT 2 much better in this respect. Repeatedly pressing the sound button provides a kick for beats and drums and leads to fewer booming problems indoors.
Keeps the balance right
Sony has not chosen an overly aggressive tonal balance in the mid and treble range, proving that even the largest speaker in the group has a happy hand. Sensitive hi-fi ears might only be bothered by a slight hiss at high volumes. However, this side effect is at a level that would have done credit to many an expensive stereo system at the end of the nineties. Speaking of which: you can also link two of these mighty speaker towers to form a stereo speaker pair and you can also use the Party Connect function to form a speaker chain.
Solo entertainer
However, we only had one of these heavy specimens at our disposal and it played so loudly that you had to cover your ears before distortion occurred. If you overdo it with the volume, activate the ULT bass boost and use extremely annoying recordings, you will of course manage to overload the speaker before the volume control reaches its limit. But you don’t really need to say that, turning it up all the way would drive any stereo system into clipping, not to mention the bilateral damage in the form of hearing loss to be expected with the powerful Sony.
The ULT Tower 10 offers a thoroughly successful combination of enormously lively impulses across the entire frequency range, a pleasingly natural sound tuning by party standards and substantial bass that offers a good deal of depth. This is where many party speakers sacrifice bass in favor of high maximum levels. They usually try to compensate for this by emphasizing the upper bass to suggest drive. The 360-degree concept with its rear-facing tweeters is convincing in practice. As basses spread omnidirectionally, this also creates a broadband, full sound experience at the rear of the speaker – so there are no cheap seats at a party with this fun device blinking to the beat of the music.
Sony ULT Tower 10: Conclusion and alternatives
If you want to be as popular with your neighbors as you are with your party-loving friends, then this is the speaker for you. It can play music at the level of a jet taking off and offers bass galore. However, its impressive dimensions, very high weight and lack of battery operation severely restrict its mobility. And in closed rooms, there may be problems with booming bass. We love the HDMI connection and other features that make the ULT Tower 10 perfect for playing TV sound in front of a large audience, for example in restaurants or at public viewing events. However, the more mobile and affordable Sony SRS-XV800 is likely to be the more flexible solution for most occasions.
Technical specifications: Sony ULT Tower 10
- Manufacturer’s recommended retail price: 1,200 euros
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 41.8 x 110.6 x 42.8 cm
- Weight: 29 kg
- Special features: Bluetooth 5.2, analog inputs (line, microphone / instrument), stereo pairing, party mode, app control.
LED light organ
