Sony ULT Tower Max

The Sony ULT Tower Max is an enormously powerful speaker with bass tones that you feel throughout your body. With the ULT settings, I create an energetic atmosphere. Unfortunately, the sound in the LIVE setting is not full and even sounds a bit tinny.

Bass-rich, full, and powerful sound The speaker delivers an enormously powerful and full sound with strong bass tones. If I turn the volume down to a third, it is already powerful enough for your sports club's canteen. In the standard FLAT setting, the sound is balanced with a slight emphasis on the bass tones. As a result, I can hear the beat in the music clearly, but it doesn't overpower it. With the ULT button, I choose from 2 settings. In the ULT1 setting, the sound is more powerful. This creates an energetic atmosphere and is perfect for parties in large venues. The bass tones sound a lot sturdier than in the FLAT setting. With house music, the bass comes through clearly, but less so with pop songs. I actually like that, because with pop music, I also want to hear the instruments and vocals clearly. The ULT2 setting delivers even more powerful bass tones and louder sound. I can feel the bass vibrations through my body. This is perfect for when I connect a DJ set to the speaker and play in a large hall. Techno and house music really come into their own. In the app, I also select the LIVE setting. With this, the emphasis is on the vocals, and I hear a slight echo in the sound. As a result, the sound is less full and even a bit tinny, which I find a shame.

Robust and large size The speaker is huge and sturdy. It is really too heavy to lift, but fortunately, it has wheels. This allows me to tilt it a little and easily roll it to the destination. The wheels roll smoothly, making it easy to navigate turns. The built-in lights create atmosphere but are not bright enough to illuminate a large room. There are rubber feet on the sides, allowing me to place the speaker on its side as well. I find this handy because it allows for flexible positioning. Thanks to the wheels, I can easily tilt it onto its side by myself. Comprehensive app In the app, I choose from many different settings. In addition to selecting from various sound modes, I can fully customize the sound to my liking with the 10-band equalizer. I turn on sound field optimization so that the speaker adjusts the sound based on the amount of noise it scans. This ensures the best sound. I also connect a second speaker via the app and configure what I want to do with the ULT button on the speaker. With the Party Pad, I choose from various sound effects. For instance, I add a horn sound or play only the high tones with the Isolator. I adjust the color of the lights with Party Light. If I connect microphones to the speaker, I control the sound per microphone in the Karaoke menu. Here, too, I add effects such as a yell like ‘Come On!’.

A really good speaker

When you receive the box, it is immediately apparent that this is a substantial speaker. A manual is included, but you can actually put it aside right away. The operation is quite simple, and the buttons are self-explanatory.

The Bluetooth button, play/pause button, and power button are located on the top. The latter, in particular, is not placed very conveniently. Imagine this: you are playing music and someone accidentally presses the button once. The speaker turns off immediately. As far as I am concerned, that could have been done differently. A spot on the back would have been a safer choice.

The connections are also located on the back. You will find inputs for 2 microphones, USB-A, USB-C, and a line input there. You use the rotary knob to determine which input to use.

Then there is the sound, because that is unprecedented. You adjust the bass via the ULT button on the front. You can choose between deep bass, heavy bass, or a neutral sound. The operation is simple, although the button protrudes. As a result, you can easily accidentally touch it when someone walks past the speaker. The knob also serves as a volume control. Nice detail: the lighting shows how loud the volume is. It is not necessary, but it does add something extra. Additionally, the light effects move along with the music. You can adjust the pattern and type of lighting, or turn the lighting off completely with a button on the back. Because the speaker is quite heavy, the wheels and handles are a nice addition. This way, you can still move it around easily.