Summary
- The Sony ULT 3 delivers clear sound and impressive bass despite its small size.
- The speaker is portable and lightweight, ideal for traveling and moving around the house.
- The bass boost feature enhances low-end frequency, suitable for small gatherings and outdoor use.
If you like the idea of pumping more bass into your music but don’t want to sacrifice any portability, then Sony has you covered with its ULT Field 3 Bluetooth speaker. It’s a minimal choice, without a ton of features, but it sounds great.
Sony ULT Field 3
Whether indoors or outdoors, enjoy exceptional sound pressure and power from this compact speaker.
- Weather proof
- Clear, crisp sound
- Excellent bass response for its size
- Shoulder strap is ugly
- No aux input
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Price and Availability
The Sony ULT Field 3 Bluetooth speaker is available to purchase now for $199.99. It comes in three colors: black, off-white, and forest gray.
It comes with a USB-C cable and shoulder strap in the box.
Portability Is the Name of the Game
While Sony’s other new speaker, the ULT 5, is portable, its increased price and size make it more about its big bass and bumping sound. The ULT 3, on the other hand, still has a bass (ULT) button but is smaller and better suited for travel.
Beyond the physically smaller size, the ULT 3 is 2.6 pounds, compared to the 7-plus pounds of the ULT 5. You can grab the ULT 3 with one hand to move it around the house or take it to the park without second-guessing yourself.
After spending time with the ULT 3, I do question the style and possibly the inclusion of the shoulder strap. Proportionally, the strap takes up a lot of space on the minimal speaker. The strap also gets in the way when you set the speaker down.
Whereas the ULT 5 is heavy enough to justify slinging it over your shoulder, the ULT 3 just isn’t that heavy. Beyond the utility, I kind of hate that the strap says “ULT POWER SOUND” on it. It looks tacky to me.
The good news is that you don’t have to use the strap. The hooks hide inside the speaker and only pull out when you want them so they aren’t constantly in the way.
The Sound Is Bigger Than Its Body
For a speaker roughly 10 inches wide, 4.5 inches tall, and 3 inches deep, it can produce a loud volume. Even better, that sound is rich and relatively deep—again, for its size.
When pushing the volume towards its peak, it does seem a little bit strained. I never found myself needing to push it to that level, however. The speaker is best suited for a living room, bathroom, outdoor patio, or small gathering of a couple of people at a park. When used in those spaces, the sound can really thump at a 50% volume level. It’s impressive.
The Sony Field ULT 3 sitting in front of the ULT 5 for a size comparison.
The ULT bass button only has one setting, compared to the ULT 5, which toggles between two different ULT modes.
The bass boost that comes from the ULT button is a necessity. It fills out the low-end frequency beautifully. Unless you need a quiet sound for nighttime use, you’re going to want to keep the ULT setting on constantly. The sound is a little hollow without the bass boost.
Should You Buy the Sony ULT Field 3?
If you’re searching for a robust Bluetooth speaker to be your constant companion without sacrificing respectable audio quality, the Sony ULT Field 3 is a great choice.
This isn’t a speaker that will be able to cover a 20-person pool party. For that, you’ll want to look at the ULT 5. But the ULT 3 is a speaker that you can take to a lot more places.
Sony ULT Field 3
Whether indoors or outdoors, enjoy exceptional sound pressure and power from this compact speaker.
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