Sony ULT Wear Noise Canceling Wireless Headphones Review 2024

Sony just released their Sony ULT Wear headphones. But are these really a WH-1000XM5 at half the price? With the Sony ULT Wear, I feel that this is a preview of what to expect from Sony’s future ANC headphones. The Sony ULT Wears are the successors to the Sony XB910Ns. Today, we are going to break down Sony’s ANC headphone lineup for mid-2024, which now consists of the Sony WH-CH720N, the Sony ULT Wear, the Sony WH-1000XM4, and the Sony WH-1000XM5. So, if you’re in the market for a pair of ANC headphones, let’s see which one is right for you.

We start with pricing: the entry-level Sony WH-CH720Ns have a retail price of $97. Then, there are the mid-tier Sony ULT Wears, which have a retail price of $170. Next, the Sony WH-1000XM4 retails for $350, but it often goes on sale for $250. Finally, there are the Sony WH-1000XM5s, which retail for $400 but can be found on sale for $298. If you’re interested in picking up any of these headphones, they’ll be linked down below.

If You’re in a Hurry, Here’s a Quick Overview

When comparing the Sony WH-1000XM5, WH-1000XM4, and Sony ULT Wear headphones, each model has strengths tailored to different user preferences. The WH-1000XM5 stands out with its sleek design, lighter build, and improved comfort, although it lacks the foldability of the WH-1000XM4, making it slightly less portable. The WH-1000XM4, on the other hand, maintains a balance between comfort and portability with its foldable design, making it a great choice for travelers. The Sony ULT Wear headphones, while stylish and lightweight, focus more on casual wear, making them less suitable for extended use or for users who prioritize comfort during long listening sessions.

In terms of noise-canceling performance, the WH-1000XM5 leads the pack with advanced dual processors, offering superior noise cancellation in various environments, from busy streets to quiet offices. The WH-1000XM4 also excels in noise cancellation, though slightly less advanced than the XM5, and remains a favorite among frequent travelers. Meanwhile, the Sony ULT Wear headphones are more lifestyle-focused and do not prioritize noise cancellation, offering only passive noise isolation, which is not as effective as the dedicated technology found in the WH-1000XM series.

When it comes to sound quality, the WH-1000XM5 offers the most refined audio experience, with enhanced clarity in vocals and bass, making it ideal for audiophiles. The WH-1000XM4 also delivers excellent sound quality with a well-balanced audio profile, suitable for various music genres. In contrast, the Sony ULT Wear headphones cater to casual listeners, providing decent audio performance but lacking the high-fidelity experience of the WH-1000XM series. Additionally, both the WH-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM4 offer impressive battery life—up to 30 hours with noise-canceling on—ensuring long-lasting performance, whereas the ULT Wear headphones may offer less battery life, focusing more on style and casual use.

Comparison Table Sony ULT Wear vs Sony WH-1000XM5 vs Sony WH-1000XM4

Feature	Sony WH-1000XM5	Sony WH-1000XM4	Sony ULT Wear
Design	Sleek, modern, lightweight, non-foldable	Classic, foldable, comfortable	Fashion-forward, lightweight, casual
Comfort	Improved comfort, lighter build	Comfortable for long use, portable	Comfortable for short, casual use
Noise-Canceling	Advanced dual processors, top-tier	Excellent, slightly less advanced	Passive noise isolation, not prioritized
Sound Quality	Refined, clear vocals, rich bass	Well-balanced, deep bass, clear mids	Decent, casual listening
Battery Life	Up to 30 hours with NC on, 40 hours off	Up to 30 hours with NC on	Likely less than WH series, casual use
Portability	Less portable due to non-foldable design	Highly portable, foldable	Portable, lightweight
Target Audience	Audiophiles, frequent travelers	Travelers, general users	Casual listeners, fashion-focused

Sony ULT Wear Headphones | Controls

The Sony ULT Wear headphones feature 40 mm drivers and familiar-looking controls on the back of the ear cups. The ear pads are a little wider and slightly deeper, which is great if you have a larger head—just like on most of Sony’s other wireless options. The touch controls on the back follow a familiar scheme: swiping up increases the volume, swiping forward skips the track, double tapping pauses, and cupping the ear cup enables pass-through.

Sony ULT Wear Headphones | Connection Options

You’ll appreciate that these headphones offer a variety of connection options. For example, Bluetooth 5.2 with multipoint allows you to connect to several different source devices. For the audio purists out there, you’ll be glad to know that the Sony ULT Wear headphones support SBC and AAC. You can also use the 3.5 mm port on the bottom for a wired connection.

Unfortunately, these headphones don’t support USB-C audio, which is a bit of a drawback. As more and more headphones move in that direction, and with many smartphones lacking a headphone jack, this feature will become increasingly important.

Sony ULT Wear Headphones | Battery Life

The battery life is actually pretty decent. We subjected these headphones to our torture test, and they lasted 32 hours and 35 minutes—not too shabby. That’s a couple of weeks’ worth of commutes or about a full week’s worth of listening at your desk, give or take a few hours.

Sony ULT Wear Headphones | Microphone Quality

The microphone is okay. We found no faults with the mic samples we collected in the lab. However, when you take these out of the lab, things start to get messy. They don’t reject noise very well, particularly wind noise, even though they have a lot of wind screens—a tech borrowed from the Sony WH-1000XM5s. For whatever reason, they just don’t perform as well. But then again, these are Bluetooth headphones; they’re only going to work so well.

Active Noise Cancellation Performance

As far as noise cancellation goes, Sony ULT Wear Headphones are pretty decent. They can effectively attenuate almost 26 dB or greater, depending on what frequency you’re listening to. It’s really only below 80 hertz where you run into problems, but there’s not a lot of music in that range. These are going to be really good for a commute or an airplane ride, especially the longer you listen. And owing to the deep ear cups and the amount of material between you and the outside world, these headphones isolate exceptionally well on their own.

Sony ULT Wear Headphones | Sound Quality

Unfortunately, this brings us to the Achilles’ heel of these headphones—the sound quality. We just weren’t able to get these to sound the way they probably should have. Sony’s ULT Wear line is known for its ULT button, highlighted by foil holographic letters. What this button does is essentially boost the bass. Pressing it once activates the ULT Wear setting, which boosts the bass by about 20 dB.

As a result, most of your listening will be dominated by kicks, toms, and a lot of echo effects—probably not something you want to hear all the time. Now, you could use the Sony Headphones Connect app to equalize this quite a bit, but even when we tried, we found ourselves using the “Bright” preset and then making it even brighter to match our taste. This is a set of headphones that requires a lot of tinkering if you want to get the most out of it.

Price and Alternatives

Aside from the sound quality, these headphones perform right about where they should for their price point, putting them up against competitors like the Sennheiser Accentum and the Sennheiser Accentum Plus—not too shabby.

Should You Buy the Sony ULT Wear?

So, should you rush out and buy the Sony ULT Wear? No. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep an eye on them. Definitely watch for a firmware update that might improve the sound quality or at least make the bass boost a little less overwhelming. If Sony releases an update that improves the sound quality, the worst aspects of these headphones will be fixed, which would definitely pit them against other competitors in the market.