Sony’s Huge New Party Speaker is Downright Bone-Rattling

Sony’s ULT line is back with new party speakers that are big enough to rattle your rib cage. In total, there are three new speakers, all part of Sony’s ULT Power Sound series, including the ULT Tower 5, the ULT Tower 7, and the ULT Tower Max. The ULT Tower 5 is the smallest speaker in the new lineup, but by “small” I mean it still weighs 29 pounds and has two midrange speakers, two tweeters, and a 230mm woofer. That’s not a small speaker by any means, but compared to the ULT Tower 7 and ULT Tower Max, it looks downright puny. On the larger end of the spectrum, the ULT Tower 7 weighs 50 pounds and has two midrange speakers, four tweeters, and a 280mm woofer. Finally, there’s the big boss: the ULT Tower Max, which is as big and loud as it sounds. This speaker weighs an absurd 121 pounds and has three 280mm woofers, two midrange speakers, and four tweeters. I got a chance to listen to all of these, by the way, and believe me when I say the ULT Tower Max can really knock your socks off. Unlike the ULT Tower 5, the ULT Tower 7 and ULT Tower Max come with 360-degree sound that projects from all sides. Each speaker has a few different sound modes as well, including a mode to emphasize bass, a mode for “power” that maximizes loudness, a flat mode that leaves EQ as is, and a live mode that’s meant to encapsulate the feel of, well, live music. Each speaker can connect via Bluetooth, as well as XLR, RCA, and USB-C, and all three have built-in lighting. While the ULT Tower Max doesn’t come with a battery (you have to plug it in), the ULT Tower 7 and ULT Tower 5 get 25 hours and 20 hours of battery, respectively. While these speakers are obviously on the hefty side, Sony says it’s redesigned the handles to have more comfortable grips, and it also gave the ULT Tower Max new wheels with wider treads that it says should make it easier to drag across different types of terrain. As you might imagine, the bigger the ULT speaker, the bigger the price tag is. While the ULT Tower 5 starts at $449, the ULT Tower 7 climbs to $649, and the ULT Tower Max blows them both away with a $1,499 price tag. All of these speakers are available this month, though Sony hasn’t announced an exact release date just yet.