I listened to Sony’s new ULT TOWER MAX, and it made my leg hairs move

Sony has gone big with its latest ULT POWER SOUND lineup. Really big.

I recently got my hands on the new Sony ULT TOWER MAX and ULT TOWER 7. The ULT TOWER MAX is an absolute unit that looks more at home beside a DJ booth or an outdoor pool rather than sitting in my living room. The TOWER 7 is a little harder to figure out. It’s more manageable and battery-powered, but after hauling it around the office and tossing it in the back of my truck, I really wish Sony had thought a little harder about that whole “portable” part.

But size is only half the story. I cranked up the ULT TOWER MAX with Daft Punk’s “Lose Yourself to Dance,” switched on ULT 2, and quickly discovered just how much air this thing can move.

I was wearing shorts. My leg hairs moved.

Just how big is the Sony ULT TOWER MAX?

At roughly 3.5 feet tall, 21 inches wide, and 124 pounds, the ULT TOWER MAX is, well, exactly that. It’s less of a speaker you carry around and more of a speaker you decide where to put for a while. Thankfully, Sony gives it wheels, because trying to move this thing by hand isn’t something I’d recommend.

And I’m used to moving big audio gear. I’ve spent plenty of time loading 4×12 guitar cabs and 8×10 bass rigs, but the MAX is still a handful. The wheels make moving it across the floor manageable, but lifting it onto a table or stage is a two-person job. No question. Getting it into position can still involve a bit of pulling, dragging, and shimmying, especially in tighter spaces.

The good news is that you can use it vertically or horizontally, which gives you some flexibility once you’ve wrestled it into place. Just remember that unlike the battery-powered TOWER 7, the MAX is AC-only. It also uses a rectangular two-prong power cable rather than the common figure-8 style, so you’ll want to make sure it’s packed before heading to a gig. Forget it at home, and you’d better hope it isn’t a long drive back.

Still, the more time I spent with the MAX, the more its ridiculous size started to make sense. At $1500, this is a serious investment, but it’s also clearly aimed at people doing more than throwing a few tunes on in the living room. Want big sound? Get a big speaker. The MAX certainly checks that box. For DJs, sizable outdoor events, and people who take their parties very, very seriously? Hell yeah, I get it.

Sony also puts that enormous cabinet to work. The MAX packs a pair of 280mm woofers up front, along with two 120mm midrange drivers and two 25mm tweeters. Then you walk around back and find another 280mm woofer, along with a pair of 40mm rear-facing tweeters. That’s nine drivers in total.

It’s an unusual arrangement, but it makes sense for a party speaker, where people will be standing all around it. It’s not the same experience as standing in front of the speaker, but it does help spread your tunes around a little more when you’re headed to the fridge for that next cold beverage.

Sony rates the ULT TOWER MAX for up to 2,150W of power output, and my time with it certainly gave me a sense of that scale. I tested it in our treated testing room, where we normally test things like ANC earbuds. When I walked out afterward, everyone in the office was laughing because they could hear so much of what I’d been playing through the walls. If you have neighbors nearby, trust me, they’re going to hear it too. This thing is no joke.

For your average Saturday night party, I’d probably just hit ULT 1 and call it a day. On Anri’s “Windy Summer,” Flat mode strips away most of the bass strength, so if, for whatever reason, you bought this enormous party speaker and don’t want much bass, you can do that. ULT 1 is where things come alive, adding substantially more bass strength and punch, while the vocals maintain good clarity and the drummer’s cymbal work remains easy to distinguish. The bass guitar also becomes much more prominent without sacrificing vocal clarity. Now we’re into party territory with a solid low-end pulse.

ULT 2 is fun for a while, but all that extra bass strength can really start to dominate the rest of the mix on more bass-heavy tracks. Then again, this is a party speaker. If you want ridiculous amounts of bass strength for a few songs, ULT 2 has you covered without judgment.

Of course, I wasn’t going to stick to dance music. I threw on Lamb of God’s “Laid to Rest” with ULT 2 engaged. The extra bass strength pushed the guitars further back in the mix, but the punishing double kick had me air drumming in no time.

The Sony ULT TOWER 7 is more manageable… sort of

Next to the MAX, the ULT TOWER 7 looks downright reasonable. At just under 28 inches tall and about 50 pounds, it’s actually lighter than it looks. Sony rates it for 420W of maximum power output, compared with the 2150W for the TOWER MAX. But 50 pounds is still 50 pounds, and when it comes in the form of a big rectangle, you still have to figure out how to move it. I’d call it luggable rather than portable.

Sony gives the TOWER 7 wheels, but strangely, no telescopic handle. Sure, there are a few handles built into the enclosure, but if I actually want to use those wheels, I have to hunch over and pull the speaker at a fairly awkward angle, and I’m not exactly a tall person.

In fact, while rolling it around, I managed to knock one of the rubber feet off the bottom, presumably because of the angle the speaker sits at while you’re pulling it. Carrying it is fine for shorter distances, but it’s just heavy enough to become a pain. There’s no speaker-mount option either. For a battery-powered speaker that’s clearly meant to move around, I think Sony missed an obvious opportunity here.

Once you get it where you’re going, though, the TOWER 7 makes a lot more sense for the casual parties. The built-in battery is rated for up to 30 hours, and an IPX4 rating means a little rain shouldn’t immediately end the party. Just keep it standing vertically, as that’s the only orientation for which Sony claims the water-resistance rating.

The TOWER 7 still packs a 280mm woofer, two 120mm midrange drivers, and front and rear tweeters, although it drops the additional rear woofer found on the MAX. In my listening, it also needed a little more attention from the EQ.

The Weeknd’s “The Hills” feels right at home on a speaker like this. ULT 1 delivers plenty of bass strength, and the bass drops hit with a solid punch, while the vocals remain clear. The rapid hi-hats could use a little more attack, though. ULT 2 adds even more bass strength, but again, for me, it starts to dominate the mix too much.

Foo Fighters’ “The Pretender” tells a similar story with rock. ULT 1 is still my sweet spot, with Dave Grohl’s vocals and the clean guitars in the intro maintaining good clarity. Once the heavier sections kick in, the bass drums maintain solid attack, while the guitars lose some presence. ULT 2 pushes the guitars even further back in the mix. The cymbals maintain good clarity, but if your music calls for more midrange strength, you’ll probably want to head into the EQ and make a few adjustments.

Thankfully, Sony now gives me the tools to make those adjustments without giving up ULT mode, which brings me to one of my favorite improvements across these new speakers.

Sony finally fixed my biggest problem with ULT mode

One of my biggest complaints about previous Sony ULT speakers was that I couldn’t customize the EQ while ULT mode was engaged. I could pick ULT 1 or ULT 2, or use the custom EQ, but I couldn’t combine the two. Worse, the custom EQ couldn’t give me the same bass strength as the ULT modes, so it always felt like an either-or decision.

I’m happy to say Sony fixed that. The Sound Connect app now gives you a 10-band EQ that works with ULT mode, so I can keep ULT 1 engaged and make smaller adjustments to suit whatever I’m listening to. My time with “The Hills” and “The Pretender” is a perfect example of why this matters: I could keep the bass strength I liked from ULT 1 while making smaller adjustments elsewhere.

There’s plenty more to play with in the app. You can customize the party lighting, mess around with various sound effects, and dig into the karaoke features. I’m not going to pretend I tested every karaoke setting for this hands-on, but if handing your friends a microphone after a few drinks sounds like a good idea, Sony has you covered.

I did try linking the TOWER MAX and TOWER 7 together using Sony’s new Auracast-based Party Chain, and it worked instantly. I especially appreciate the physical button for linking them, so there’s no digging through the app just to get the party started. Once connected, the lighting synced across both speakers, too.

Just don’t mistake Auracast for universal party-speaker compatibility. Sony’s Party Chain currently only works between compatible ULT TOWER speakers: the TOWER MAX, TOWER 7, and TOWER 5. You can’t mix and match them with an Auracast-equipped JBL PartyBox, and the same goes the other way around. Party Chain also isn’t compatible with Sony’s older Party Connect or Wireless Party Chain systems, so something like an ULT FIELD 7 can’t join in either.

I do have one other complaint. I really wish Sony had used an XLR/TRS combo jack instead of a standard XLR input. These speakers are clearly aimed at DJs and serious party setups, and accepting both XLR and 1/4-inch connections would make an already excellent selection of inputs even more flexible.

What about the Sony ULT TOWER 5?

There is one more speaker in Sony’s new lineup: the ULT TOWER 5. On paper, it looks like the more manageable option for anyone who likes the idea of these new ULT speakers but doesn’t want something as serious as the MAX or as luggable as the TOWER 7.

There’s just one problem: I don’t have one yet.

So I’m going to hold off on saying much more until I actually get my hands on it. For now, the ULT TOWER MAX is easily the one that made the biggest impression on me. It’s ridiculous for casual listening in my living room, but for DJs, big events, and listeners who want to really shake some windows, that’s the point. ULT 1 was my sweet spot on both speakers, but neither offers much midrange strength out of the box. If your music needs more presence from things like guitars, you’ll want to spend some time with the EQ.

The TOWER 7 is the one I can more realistically see rolling into a backyard party, even if I still really wish Sony had given me a telescopic handle to get it there.

As for the TOWER 5? I’ll have to get back to you on that one.