The Sony ULT Wear is one of the latest headphone product from Sony that is much targeted towards the mid range buyers seeking for a decent quality full size headphone, while at the same time still retains some of the new features and updates, and a groovy bass to boot. In this review we will look at on some of the features, offerings, and of course our verdict during the testing.
As a start the ULT is part of the new Sony range which also introduced the ULT Field 7, ULT 10 Party Speakers and ULT Field 1 Bluetooth speakers, carrying the same objective of delivering good quality audio ecosystem within the midrange users and series.
Unboxing
The SONY WH-ULT900N/WC came with the following
- SONY WH-ULT900N Headphone
- USB A to C Cable (For Charging)
- 3.5mm headphone jack connector
- Carrying Case
- User Manual/User Guide
Design & Comfort
The SONY ULT Wear from the design perspective, it can be termed as compact and minimalistic at the same time, it can be just flip and kept in the included carrying case easily, or if you prefer, putting it in your bag or hanging it on your bag straps seems to be ideal too since the joint between the headphones are flexible and the material used is a mixture of cushion headbands and high quality outer plastic that is real tough, yet again, still flexible during adjustments and keeping the headphone, justifying from the design aspects alone, SONY did focus this part real well since it was meant and targeted towards users that is using this headphone practically everywhere.
It comes in three colors, Off White, Black and Forest Gray. Which ever color that you choose, the aesthetics will match with the same color tones on the headphone body. We are reviewing the Off White color and to me, although the color is still white, any dirt or smudges can still be easily wiped off with a soft cloth including the nylon earpads.
Other than that, you get some buttons, namely the ULT button that toggles for different bass types, a power button for turning it on and selecting either Bluetooth or Wired mode and a Noise Cancellation button. The headphone is rechargeable via USB C and all of the mentioned above buttons and connections are all located on the left of the headphone. The total weight of the SONY WH-ULT900N is at 255 grams.
Performance – Battery and Connectivity
Based on my experience, the SONY WH-ULT900N will last around 28 hours with ANC ON for a single charge, and recharging via any standard USB charger will take approximately three hours time for it to reach full capacity. In most typical cases, this allows for continuous music listening, streaming, and gaming, at least for a few episodes and a few sessions of gaming.
The SONY WH-ULT900N is connected via Bluetooth 5.x with backwards compatibility within the Bluetooth 5.x specifications; just turn on the Bluetooth on your phone and scan and place them to your ears, and it will be connected via a notification on your phone (Android 10 or iOS 11). That easy. The headphone will recognize each other automatically at the same time, and you may further tune the earbuds settings and functions using the Sony Connect App. If you wish to use it wired, the cable is included as well which does not require any additional app or connection.
You can also connect up to 2 device at the same time with a combination of two phones/tablet and PC/Laptop, as long it is logged in with the same account credential where it will also populate all companion Android devices that you owned, allowing seamless connection across devices that you are carrying along with ease.
Performance & Features – Sound and User/App experience
The SONY WH-ULT900N offers some of premium features commonly found in most headphones we’ve come across so far. In terms of performance, it allows for instant selection and a connection is established almost instantly, with day-to-day use with the headphones near to no latency when streaming via YouTube and Spotify. It features a dedicated ANC button that toggles NC modes while the ULT button provides two different kind of bass modes, one which is deeper while the second one is moderate bass mode, suitable for most types of music. The ANC mode is good in delivering effective, voice-transmitted noise cancellation when you’re outdoors while still being able to respond to reception be aware of the surroundings, especially useful when someone is there. crossing or driving by, or when you need to quickly handle an actual conversation, and removing the headphone will also pauses the audio activities. There is an equalizer preset and priority setting in the sound settings of the Sony Connect app if you need more bass or treble to your music, analyze your ear shape and enable DSEE Extreme. Also, among the settings, you get Dynamic Delay and Activity Tracking with location, while 360° Reality Audio only offers a limited number of music apps like Tidal or the experience for full surround live music. Certainly HiRes Audio with LDAC is fully supported and compatible with all audio formats like AAC, FLAC and MQA.
During conventional conversations and video calling using Zoom, the call quality is good with no distortion. Keeping it at the default settings is sufficient for any kind of music, but using the ULT mode adds a lot of flavor to heavier bass combo type genres. Other features include AAC sound compatibility, adaptive sound management, and a manual switch audio route with other compatible devices such Smartphones, Tablets, and Laptops. During our testing, we discovered that the earbuds manage to attain a robust, loud average of 89 decibels, which is undoubtedly one of the clear and groovy sounds we experienced owing to the 40mm driver unit.
Specifications
| Bluetooth Version | Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Bluetooth Range | 10m |
| Play Time | Max. 30 hrs (NC ON) , Max. 50 hrs (NC OFF) |
| Splash, Water, and Dust Resistant | N/A |
| Charging Port/Connectivity | USB C + 3.5mm Audio |
| Profile + Format Support | A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP, SBC, AAC, LDAC |
| Sensor | Button + Wearing Detection + Touch tap |
| Compatibility | Devices running Android 10, iOS 10 or higher |
Conclusion and Rating
The SONY WH-ULT900N is a mid tier rightly priced, classic yet pleasing set of headphone that delivers within the price that is retailing, which includes few features that is meant to be simple to use with just tapping the buttons available and for those who is pleased to hear a variety of music genre while the quality remains great within it’s mid tier range level along with active noise cancellation. Purchasing it may just cost you RM899, but with all of its bells and whistles, this is one set of headphone that you can give it a shot and enjoy for a long time with all the audio quality it has to offer.
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