SonyULT Field 1 Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker, Enhanced Bass, 12h Battery, IP67 Rated Dustproof Shockproof Rustproof, Detachable Strap SRSULT10H, Forest Gray

We were on the market for a bluetooth portable speaker for our 18 year old daughter as a birthday present. We normally gravitate to the JBL brand - which ARE, and still remain to be, great speakers. But, being the baby of the family and living with hand-me-down [you name it]s all her life, I knew she'd appreciate a speaker in a style that was totally her own -- not another one of mom and dad's (or big brother's) speakers. Fun and easy as that sounds, this meant stepping out of my comfort zone. (You know how it is: you like what you like!) So I REALLY did my homework by researching many different brands/styles/specs (Bose, Beats, etc.) of speakers in the (about $100-150) price range.The number one thing our daughter was asking for was portability - hesitantly saying nothing bigger than her brother's JBL Charge 4, but I could tell smaller would be better. Bigger speakers may give better sound, but she wanted a "water bottle speaker" as they're called because they fit nicely in cup holders. So I began my search by comparing models to JBL's Flip 6 - the one I was originally going to purchase.I came across this Sony ULT Field 1, which is a new model that Sony released just a few months ago. I was impressed by it's veratility. Built the same way as the Flip 6 (outward facing woofer and tweeter, side bass) it has many of the same features as the Flip 6 like an app with an equalizer so you can fine tune your music and 12 hours of battery life. But the Field 1 came with a few extra features that raised my eyebrow... A ULT bassboost button giving you an extra, little option: go with a deeper bass if you're dancin' the night away - or turn it off if you're, say, talking with friends around a campfire and save on battery life. (By the way, it sounds GREAT even with it off!) It also comes with a phyical pause button and voice feature - where you can answer the phone through the speaker, (like in your car). Although it IS bigger than the Flip 6 it is smaller than the JBL Charge 5 - the newer version of her brother's speaker.As far as sound quality, several reviewers (YouTube) stated that the Field 1's sound quality falls BETWEEN JBL's Flip 6 and Charge 5 models. (I used my headphones to listen while they demonstrated the different speakers' sounds and, yes... uh-huh... I agree.) Again, ALL 3 speakers have very, VERY good sound quality - you really can't go wrong with any of them. We were looking at Sony's ULT Field 1 simply because we wanted to give our daughter something unique to our household - that fit her description of "bottle speaker" but measured up to my (ha!) standards of sound quality.I also want to point out (on a petty note) that we DO LIKE the carrying cord - a feature I thought at first glance might be awkward. It can be removed if desired but lemme tell ya, it's QUITE handy! :DSo I added it to my cart, did that lil' 'hold-your-breath' pause thing we all do ...then tapped the 'ORDER' button.It arrived today (very next day) and, wanting to surprise her [a month] early, went ahead and handed her the package. (Sigh...gone are the days of my elegant gift wrapping sessions.) The surprise alone tickled her - but when she opened it, her eyes grew WIDE! She genuinely LOVED it!! (May I be clear here: I couldve given her a cleaned up, secondhand, garage sale speaker and she, in her sweet-nature, would have "LOVED" that. Ha! Ha! It was a sweet treat to do this for her.) 😄🥲I asked if the size was too big and she said it was very much OK!Now, my picky ears are truly impressed by it's CLEAR sound - even turned ALL the way up, there's no "fuzziness" here! I had chosen the white color and it's very nice. It's not a sporty, bright white - just kind of a classy, muted off-white.One thing I DO like over the JBL brand is that the buttons have little, lights by each one so they'll be more easily seen in the evenings. (Cool!😎) Connectivity was easy - or so I assume. She had it out if the box and connected to her iPhone faster than I could say "Wait; there's an app...". She was already downloading the app and was playing music as I sat at down at the table to look it all over. So I'm feeling pretty confident to say it's easy to set up.As far as fitting in the cup holder, it does fit...kind of. It sits about 2½ inches down - snuggly enough to keep it securely upright while driving, but not all the way seated down inside it. Our car's cupholders (Ford Escape) have these little spring loaded, retractable, grabber things that prevent it from being seated all the way down inside. Bump it with your elbow and it'll go flying. That said, it still may fit in YOUR cupholders.It definitely will fit the (Ford) truck's cupholders. Lol!She loved the speaker so much though, it wasn't a deal breaker!After all that - go figure! (RME) But, hey!...that just tells you how good this speaker is!!)Overall, it is very much a sweet little speaker for its size and price point! (Way to go, Sony!) As they say in other Amazon reviews: "If you're on the fence give it a try - you will be pleasantly surprised."(🤔Hmmm...Let's see...MY birthday is in March...) 😄

I was in need of a new versatile portable speaker to fit my summer adventures; one that was portable enough to fit in a beach bag and left in my car or to play out in my pool area that packed a punch in sound. After a week of owning this speaker, all in all it has checked every box.TLDR: This speaker, while a tiny bit smaller than what I was expecting, packs amazing sound quality from a trusted brand to easily liven up any outdoor occasion. Their app is great for EQ settings, however the physical ULT button provided great boost to your music by itself to hype up any outdoor event. Waterproofing is great and holds a good charge while being extremely portable with its carrying strap.Packaging:- The speaker arrived in a regular cardboard box. While it was nice to see Sony turn to the newer trend of making packaging as recyclable as possible, I did notice that the pieces holding the speaker were flimsy and could possibly be a concern during delivery. However, mine thankfully arrived in perfect condition. Included inside the box was the speaker itself with the carrying band already attached, a USB A to USB C charging cable, and a very small paper pamphlet. Instructions for the speaker are found through a scanned QR code within this pamphlet which allowed for more information about the speaker to be addressed.Sound Quality:- As to no surprise from this being from Sony, this speaker sounds amazing. It doesn’t get tinny at higher volumes, the dual drivers create amazing bass, and overall it covers all genres with no issue presenting truly enjoyable melodies for all music. At max volume, while the speaker does not get deafening loud if you are outdoors (indoors it possibly will depending on what you define as deafening lol), it certain gets loud enough to entertain a large area. In my 40 foot by 120 foot patio, this speaker shined and was the center piece of great sound quality and entertainment. While it certain suits my needs for loudness, you can always take it a notch up by either using the ULT button or pairing it with a second ULT Field 1 and working them in stereo (both discussed in features).Features:- This speaker is packed with all of the expected features of a modern Bluetooth speaker. It quickly connects to remembered devices when powered on (one nice little note: to power on/off this device, only a single press of the power button is needed for each. While a small detail, it truly is something that is appreciated for ease of use) and has a great battery life. While I cannot speak for the full I’ve gone 6 hours of using the speaker which left it at 50%, so I believe their claim of 12 hours of battery life to be true. This speaker also has a quick charger feature of 10 mins of charging for 3 hours of playback. I haven’t tested that myself as of yet, but I have other newer Song products with similar fast charging features and their claims for those products have not fallen short, so I believe these ones as well.- There is also a Bluetooth pairing button, a multiple use button that can play/pause tracks, skip/reverse tracks, and answer/hang up phone calls depending on need. Functionality was clearly a forethought of this speaker, since this button’s commands—while certainly vast—are greatly designed. Play/pause is a single press, skip is a double press, reverse is a triple press, and it converts to a call answer/hang up button with a single press functionality when you receive a call. There are also independent volume up/down buttons which increase the volume by a decent percentage in each press.- Then there is the ULT button, which is a built in EQ adjustment presented as a physical button on the speaker. It comes with default settings when pressed that noticeably enhance the all around sound quality of any melody, with an emphasis on bass and treble. The EQ for the ULT button can be adjusted in the Sony Music Center app. It’s a great feature to use when you want to give that extra boost to your music.- While I have not tried it myself, this speaker also has the ability to be set in stereo with a second ULT speaker, and I’m sure the dual speaker combination could easily work as a stereo set up for any venue needs.- The waterproofing of this speaker is on par with expectations. I’ve taken it to many water-based areas and have gotten it splashed with water and it’s been completely fine. The USB C charging port is covered with a water tight seal that you can open and close easily.- This speaker works with Sony’s music center app, and while it’s a bit rougher than their headphone app, it still works wonderfully to optimize the speaker’s functionality and performance. Full EQ settings are available, along with specific battery percentage, updates, and settings for the speaker.- The included carrying strap is a nice touch that, I will admit I did not initially think I was going to like, however it very quickly grew on me and I find myself carrying the speaker solely by the strap anywhere I take it. It is tied onto the speaker and can be removed, however you will have to re-tie it yourself if you want to reattach it.Build Quality:- Once again, as expected from this price point and the Song brand, this is truly a high quality speaker. It feels great to hold, with the fabric being sturdy and made of soft material. The buttons are covered in strong rubber that give a satisfying response when pushed. The carrying strap is thick and made of a high quality and very slightly elastic material. You are certainly getting your money’s worth on quality alone, which is what I expect from the Song brand.Final Thoughts:- While it is certainly understandable to hesitant when looking at a $120 Bluetooth speaker, this one truly is worth its value. I have very little complaints with this speaker, and think that it’s a great edition to anyone’s outdoor entertainment experience. The ULT button is a feature I find myself using more than expected (in a good way) to help boost my music during gatherings to help the entertainment. With its waterproofing, I feel comfortable using it as a travel speaker to any destination I plan on visiting. This feature packed speaker is truly one of a kind, and I’m certainly satisfied with my purchase.

Super speaker. Purchased Sony ULT Field 1, JBL Flip 6, Bose SoundLink Flex and SoundLink Revolve +II for comparison (give away Bluetooth speaker at end of annual international trips, so I go through a few of them). Have also had several UE Boom 1-3 (unbeatable speakers, but no longer available), and a few cheaper Bluetooth speakers. My criteria include: battery life, weatherproof, sound quality (realism rather than bass-heavy, although good base is required for projection, especially outside or when on boats or with much noise), size, portability, volume without distortion, affordability (~$100). All are comparable in most aspects. Full volume level is very similar, none distort, bass is a little more distinct in JBL. Soundstage is absent with all, but mid- to high-volume compensates for this, and projection is good with all. Running two UE Booms was a good way around this, but I want to carry only one speaker (traveling, in the garden, fishing, etc) and not deal with proprietary apps required to run two in stereo. The JBL beats all for portability (size, shape, hanger), with the Sony right behind (just a bit larger). SoundLink Flex doesn’t project quite as well, but is still a great speaker (when on sale and cheaper than the other two). The Revolve +II sound quality, projection, soundstage and volume beats them all, but is too large and expensive to carry on trips, so was just used as a comparison to what a Bluetooth speaker could do (nothing even touches the sound quality of the Sonos Move, that I borrowed from a friend - out of curiosity only - doesn’t fit my criteria of portability or affordability). In short - you’ll be happy with any of these three, but I’ll stick with the JBL and Sony until no longer available.