Sony
Sony ULT Wear
This is Sony's bass-cannon spin on its 1000X formula: the same V1 processor and genuinely good ANC trickled down from the flagship line, bolted to a dedicated ULT button that cycles two levels of bass boost. Owners are consistent on the split verdict — the default tuning is solid and warm, ULT1 is fun for EDM and hip-hop, and ULT2 is a caricature that buries everything above the bass line, so most people try it twice and leave it off. Noise cancellation is the real draw at this price; it's a clear step below the WH-1000XM5 but beats almost everything else under $200, and you get LDAC, multipoint, wear detection, and Sony's excellent app EQ — a feature list mid-rangers rarely match. Battery runs a rated 30 hours with ANC (50 with it off), and a 3-minute charge buys 90 minutes. Comfort gets high marks for the light 255g build and low clamp, though a few long-term owners report the plastic around the earcup joints cracking after a year-plus. Mic quality on calls is the other recurring complaint — fine indoors, inconsistent in wind and street noise. At its usual $128-150 street price it's one of the best-rounded mid-range ANC headphones; just know you're buying it for features and fun, not fidelity.
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Specifications
Highlights
Pros
- ✓ANC inherited from the 1000X line — best-in-class under $200
- ✓ULT button gives instant bass boost without touching the app
- ✓LDAC hi-res codec support, rare at this price
- ✓Multipoint pairs two devices with reliable switching
- ✓Light 255g build with low clamp force — owners wear them all day
- ✓3-minute quick charge yields 90 minutes; 30 hr with ANC on, 50 off
- ✓Sony Sound Connect app has a full custom EQ and 360 Reality Audio support
- ✓Wear detection auto-pauses when you take them off
Cons
- ✗ULT2 bass mode is comically overblown and swamps mids and vocals
- ✗Sound lacks the refinement of similarly priced Sennheiser and Bose rivals
- ✗Call/mic quality is inconsistent outdoors
- ✗Some long-term owners report earcup-joint plastic cracking after a year or more
- ✗No IP rating or wireless charging
- ✗ANC, while strong for the class, still trails the XM5/XM6 noticeably
Owner Insights(1,200 discussions)
The ULT Wear is Sony's bass-forward middle child, and owner sentiment centers on one point: it delivers the closest thing to flagship 1000X-series noise cancellation you can get for around $150. The V1 processor trickled down from the XM5 does real work — owners who commute or fly consistently say the ANC embarrasses everything else in the price bracket. The ULT bass button is the marketing hook, but the owner consensus is the opposite of the marketing: the headphone is at its best with ULT off or on its first level, where the warm default tuning plus Sony's excellent app EQ make it a legitimately good listen.
Day to day, owners praise the light build, folding case, LDAC, multipoint, and wear detection — a feature list that midrange headphones rarely match. The recurring complaints are physical: a thin headband that digs on some skulls, warm ears under the sealing pads, plasticky build, and most seriously, cracking at the rotating hinge joints — common enough that Sony issued an advisory and repairs them free. Software is mostly solid but not spotless; some owners hit random ANC dropouts to ambient mode or channel imbalance that firmware updates chase, and the app's rebrand from Headphones Connect to Sound Connect caused a round of confusion.
Buy the ULT Wear if you want serious ANC and fun bass without flagship spend — it's the best all-rounder under $200 for commuters. If physical bass sensation is the whole point, the Skullcandy Crusher Evo's haptic drivers go further for less; if you want more refinement, owners consistently point to a discounted WH-1000XM4 at around $200 as the strongest alternative, trading a bit of ANC-price value for better build maturity and a more balanced sound.
Pros
- +ANC is the standout at the price — owners coming from budget sets are startled by how much bus rumble and airplane drone disappears, and it clearly beats JBL and Soundcore rivals under $200
- +Default tuning (ULT off) is warm and genuinely good, and Sony's app EQ is deep enough to dial it anywhere you want
- +ULT1 bass boost is real fun for EDM and hip-hop without wrecking the mix — a more sensible take on boosted bass than most rivals
- +Full flagship feature stack at midrange money: LDAC, multipoint, wear detection, transparency, and a 3-minute charge that buys 90 minutes
- +Light 255g build with plush pads keeps multi-hour sessions comfortable for most owners, glasses included
- +Folds into an included compact case — something the flagship XM5 famously gave up
- +Sony has acknowledged the hinge-crack issue and repairs affected units free, which owners confirm actually works
Cons
- −The rotating hinge joints are the known weak point — cracks at the headband-to-earcup pivot show up often enough that Sony published an official repair advisory
- −ULT2 is a caricature — it buries mids and vocals under bass, and nearly every owner tries it twice and never touches it again
- −Build feels plasticky and lightweight for the price; owners handling an XM4 or XM5 notice the step down immediately
- −Thinner headband digs into the top of the skull for some owners on long sessions
- −Ears run warm under the tight-sealing pads — a recurring complaint in summer and at the gym
- −Occasional firmware gremlins: ANC randomly flipping to ambient mode, volume dips, and left-right imbalance that a firmware update usually — but not always — fixes
- −Sony's app transition (Headphones Connect to Sound Connect) confused owners mid-lifecycle, and iPhone connections via the app can be unstable until re-paired
- −No wireless charging and the 30-hour ANC battery is midpack — the JBL Live 770NC runs much longer
Common Questions
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