We all know Sony is a brand that is enjoying a years-long fine vein of form in the wireless headphones category. Whether it’s in-ears or over-ears, budget or premium, chances are, if you’re looking for the best wireless headphones, we’re going to have a five-star Sony recommendation for you.
But one area of the audio market where we would struggle to point you in the direction of a class-leading, or even five-star Sony model is Bluetooth speakers. It’s a bit of a surprise and something that jumped out at me while testing the tech giant’s new ULT Field 3 wireless speaker.
We have reviewed a couple of speakers from the brand in recent months, in the shape of the diminutive LinkBuds Speaker and portable ULT Field 1, and both received largely complimentary four-star ratings. So, I was a little surprised with how my time with the Field 3 panned out. (Spoiler alert - it received three stars)
Obviously, because it’s a different price compared with the speakers mentioned above, the ULT Field 3 has different competition to contend with – you can’t just assume that because one model from a family of products gets one rating, the others will follow suit. That’s by no means always the case.
The Sony’s raison d’être is pretty straightforward: to be a portable box of fun, a convenient way of listening to your tunes whenever it takes your fancy.
But I wouldn’t say there was anything particularly fun about the way it looks, or performs. This was especially highlighted when I put it directly up against its main rival, the established JBL Charge 6.
From an aesthetic point of view, in my eyes at least, you simply can’t look past the JBL. It seems obvious to me that a serious amount of time and effort has gone into its design.
The materials used, the shape, the way the ruggedised elements are incorporated, the design of the carry handle, the quality and feel of the strap, and the way the logos are presented on each of the passive radiators at each end of the speaker.
The list goes on as you pick out all the cool, fun design elements from the JBL. Throw a few colourful finishes into the equation and you have quite a package before you even touch upon sound quality.
The Sony, on the other hand, just looks like a pretty plain, rectangular box. Its passive radiators are almost tucked away out of sight at each end. The carry strap looks and feels a little old-fashioned, and, ironically, the most eye-catching design element, in my eyes at least, are the metal buckles at either end of the strap with the Sony logo etched into them.
The finish options are disappointingly limited too: Black, Forest Grey or Off White. Sony’s website says, “choose the colour that matches your look”, but what about people who want a splash of colour or personality from their wireless speaker?
If you go higher up the ULT Field range, Sony does add in a 360 degree Party Light to its speakers, which will presumably add a splash of colour.
And there are a couple of different shapes – the cylindrical ULT Field 7, for example, and the brand’s more upright, larger than life party speakers such as the ULT Tower 9 and ULT Tower 10.
Those, though, are significantly more expensive – and we have yet to test any of the models higher up the line.
I would think both Sony and JBL are going after the same market and a similar demographic. But, to me at least, there is only one brand that has really elevated Bluetooth speaker design in recent years.
It seems to strike a chord with the younger members of the What Hi-Fi? review team, too, who also find themselves drawn more to JBL’s approach.
And then we get to sound quality. The ULT range’s selling point is the big, bold sound that comes out when you hit the shiny corresponding button on top of the speaker. If anyone remembers Sony Mega Bass from back in the day, this might all feel quite familiar.
On the Field 3, the ULT button does make low frequencies sound louder and more powerful, but it’s at the expense of balance and timing. Annoyingly, the sound of the speaker with it turned off also lacks balance, this time sounding too lightweight.
At the risk of going a little Goldilocks here, the JBL Charge, on the other hand, sounds just right, straight out of the box. There’s detail and dynamics there, but there’s also more than enough bass weight, without going over the top, to satisfy bassheads. And things remain controlled and composed if you decide to crank it up.
It’s not as though Sony hasn’t tried new things in the way of design – just look at the conversation-starting, HT-A7 portable theatre speaker system. Sure, it didn’t quite hit the mark during our time testing it, but it was an interesting concept that looked different to the norm. The LinkBuds Speaker is a relatively cute and dinky design too.
It’s obvious that a company such as Sony should have a range of Bluetooth speakers in its portfolio, but my experience with the Field 3 just left me wanting a lot more – especially from a brand with such a huge amount of audio heritage.
This isn’t me being all doom and gloom about Sony; far from it. The company has been in the wireless speaker space for as long as I can remember – but it’s never really been up there with the very best.
I have seen Sony carefully and deliberately hone its approach to wireless headphones over the years, focusing a huge amount of time and effort on becoming the best in the business. And I would like to see the same intent for its wireless speakers.
MORE:
Which JBL speaker should you buy in 2025? Charge 6, Flip 7 and more compared
Do portable Bluetooth speakers need a wired connection?
JBL Flip 6 vs Sony ULT Field 1: which Bluetooth speaker is better?
Our pick of the best Bluetooth speakers you can buy right now
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