Sony’s new ULT Bluetooth speakers will bring back the ’90s bass boost button

Sony has just announced three new speakers in a new line of audio products called the ULT Power Series. This is the company’s attempt to reduce some of the confusion surrounding its naming conventions and its XE line of products. Both product lines are included under the ULT Power Series brand. To accommodate the new brand, each of the following speakers includes something called an ULT button, which provides bass boost.

The ULT Field 1 is your standard portable Bluetooth speaker. It’s compact and available in a variety of colors, including black, white, gray and orange. The battery lasts about 12 hours per charge, and the casing is IP67 waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof. Like many ultraportable Bluetooth speakers, the design allows users to stand it upright or lay it on its side to make the most of the space. There’s also a built-in microphone for hands-free calling. The speaker will cost $130 and will be available at major retail stores later this spring.

ULT Field 7 is basically an enhanced version of Field 1. It’s larger, but still portable, and includes two dedicated ULT buttons. One delivers deeper bass in the lower frequency range, the other delivers punchy bass. There’s also plenty of ambient LED lighting synced to the music.

The battery lasts for 30 hours, which is a great metric, and it has fast charging capabilities. It is also marketed as a karaoke machine due to the built-in microphone port. Finally, Sony says one could string up to 100 of these together to make a blaring noise that could really annoy the neighbors. However, these neighbors likely live in a gorgeous mansion, since a Field 7 sells for $500. They will be available later this spring.

As the name suggests, the ULT Tower 10 is a Bluetooth tower speaker for living spaces. The speaker connects wirelessly to stereo systems and TVs to enhance audio, and includes the same two ULT bass boost buttons as the Field 7. There’s also a sound optimization feature that detects local noise and adjusts settings to suit your surroundings.

The speaker features omnidirectional synchronized lighting, which Sony says “makes listeners feel like they’re at a music festival.” There are two microphone inputs for belting out karaoke duets, and the speaker actually comes with a wireless microphone. Listeners can also connect up to 100 compatible speakers simultaneously, including Field 7. This is an expensive tower speaker, though, so it’ll cost a whopping $1,200 when it’s released later this season.