Sony Ult Field 1 ZDNET's key takeaways The Sony Ult Field 1 is a portable speaker available for $130 (but it's currently $88 on Amazon)
The speaker prioritizes crystal-clear sound and pronounced bass, with vibrant audio that sounds like it's coming from a much more expensive device
It doesn't boast as long a battery life as its predecessor, but what it lacks in battery, it makes up for in stellar sound. $89.99 at Target
Amazon is discounting this Sony Ult Field 1 speaker by $40 right now.
My roommates and I are chronic party throwers; weeknight dinner parties, birthdays, anniversaries -- heck, we even once threw Jimmy Carter a birthday party (he didn't come). We have everything needed for a successful party, except a good speaker -- and that's not without trying.
It's a familiar scene: my roommate pulls out her years-old Bose speaker, which requires a cord connection. Unsurprisingly, it gets no mileage. We ask friends to bring their speakers, but rarely do theirs win the battle against a crowded apartment of 20 to 30 people.
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So, when I tested out Sony's brand new Ult Field 1 speaker at our 15-person dinner party, I was half expecting the bustle of guests to overpower this portable speaker's sound. Boy, was I wrong.
This speaker filled the room with rich audio that sounded like it was coming from a far more expensive device. In fact, this speaker exceeded my expectations in a few key ways. It's easily become my summer party and beach day companion because I am impressed with the sound, build, and battery.
Sony is known for naming its devices like airplanes: The Ult Field 1's predecessor, which shares the same price tag, is the SRS-XE200. That doesn't quite roll off the tongue, does it?
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