Two years ago, Sony launched its ULT POWER SOUND line of Bluetooth party speakers. They offered powerful high quality sound and a feature set that was hard to match. Today the company unveiled three new models in its floor-standing ULT POWER TOWER line, the ULT Tower 5, ULT Tower 7 and the new flagship ULT Tower Max. While all three offer dynamic punchy sound, the ULT Tower Max brings things to the next level with the kind of gut-wrenching power we normally only hear from multi-thousand dollar speakers or banks of PA speakers at a live concert.
Based on demos we heard in New York City last month, we wouldn’t be surprised if the ULT Tower Max could reproduce the sound of a Boeing 787 taking off at realistic SPL levels. According to the specs, the MAX can hit a max SPL of 112 dB, and that’s just for one speaker. Link a few together and you’re going to rival the sheer volume level of a classic concert by “The Who.” We’d suggest keeping some earplugs on hand in case things get crazy.
We listened to several tracks: rock, jazz, pop and EDM, and all were reproduced with clarity and power. On the EDM track “Alive,” from KX5/deadmau5, the bass drop brought a level of deep bass impact and precision I’ve literally never heard before from a “Party Speaker.” Watch out, JBL Party Box Ultimate, the Sony ULT Tower Max has got you in its sights.
The new models also feature a revamped industrial design that looks more “pro” than “party.” All of the new models feature a new tactile illuminated ULT volume knob on the front for simplified volume and sound field control. The light show has been enhanced over previous models with more lighting elements, more lighting modes and more color options as well as a feature that uses the integrated lights to reflect changes to the volume level in real time.
The speaker drivers and amplifiers have also been revised for improved efficiency and dynamic impact. The ULT Tower Max features three 11-inch (280mm) circular woofers (2 front, 1 rear), two midrange units (front only) and four tweeters (2 front and 2 rear) for 360 degree sound.
While the ULT Tower Max requires AC power, the ULT Tower 5 and ULT Tower 7 feature beefy built-in battery packs for off-grid entertainment. The ULT Tower 5 can last up to 20 hours and the ULT Tower 7 can last up to 30 hours on a single charge (at moderate volumes, with lighting disabled). If you activate the lighting features, battery life is cut approximately in half. In case you forget to charge your speakers in advance, a 10-minute quick charge gets you about 100 minutes of playback on the Tower 5 or 180 minutes of playback on the Tower 7.
Some controls which used to be on top with previous models have been moved to the back. This makes sense as a karaoke singer or DJ is likely to be behind the speaker, not on top of it. Rear controls include input selection, Party Chain, Stereo Pair and the lighting and Karaoke controls. A “Stamina” mode extends battery life by disabling the light show. Power, Bluetooth pairing and Play/Pause buttons remain on the top of the unit in the new design.
All three of the new speakers include four rubber feet on the bottom and four more rubber feet on the right side, so they can be placed vertically or horizontally depending on your needs or available space.
The new ULT Tower Speakers can be run solo, of course, or paired for true stereo in the Sony Sound Connect app or via a stereo pairing button on the back of each unit. You can also daisy chain multiple speakers together to fill larger indoor or outdoor spaces with sound. But the new speakers do this a bit differently from their predecessors.
Back on the Chain Gang
One welcome change from previous models is the new “Party Chain” feature. While synching multiple speakers together is something that most Bluetooth party speakers can do, sometimes actually using the feature gets complicated and most party speakers use proprietary systems that exclude working with other brands. Sony’s “Party Chain” offers true one-touch operation. Push the party chain button on one speaker to make it the host or master device, then hit the button on any compatible speaker within range and that speaker immediately becomes a slave – or maybe a “servant?” – to the master, playing the same content in perfect synchronization.
While each chained speaker maintains its own independent volume controls, the master device volume control operates all chained speakers. So if the police show up at your door, it’s quite easy to control the mayhem, with the turn of a single dial. “What noise, officer?”
The Party Chain feature uses Bluetooth Auracast to broadcast out to multiple devices. And because it’s an “open” Auracast protocol, it supports other brands of speakers as well. Sony doesn’t discriminate. A Sony rep told us that Party Chain has been tested with up to 100 speakers, up to 20 meters apart, but technically it should support much more than that.
Bluetooth Auracast effectively has an unlimited number of clients that can receive the broadcast from the main casting speaker. It’s similar to an FM radio station broadcasting out to an unlimited number of FM tuners. However, since one device acts as the “Caster,” all speakers normally need to be within a certain distance of that speaker in order to receive the broadcast. Auracast broadcasts can typically range up to 100 meters (330 feet) outdoors, or around 25 to 50 meters indoors (depending on obstructions like walls or furniture). It will be interesting to see if Sony provides more detailed specs in the future.
The main drawback to this switch to Auracast is that earlier Sony speakers, including earlier SRS models as well as ULT speakers released in 2024 and 2025, are not compatible with “Party Chain.” Similarly, the new models are not compatible with Sony’s previous “Party Connect” feature. We expect future models will maintain compatibility with these new speakers so the number of compatible speakers will grow over time.
Also new this year is an expanded set of inputs, including wireless Bluetooth, XLR, RCA, Quarter-Inch (6.3mm) analog, USB-A and USB-C. While the ULT Tower Max replaces the ULT Tower 10 in the line-up, the Max does not include dedicated Karaoke mics, which the ULT Tower 10 did include. If you want to add karaoke, you can get Sony’s ULT Mic wireless kit or plug a wired mic into the XLR or quarter inch mic jacks.
As we step down the line, the ULT Tower 7 and ULT Tower 5 offer a similar cosmetic design, including the lighting effects and controls. In our more extended listening tests with the ULT Tower 7, we found that it captured a fair amount of the impact of the Tower Max, but in a much smaller box and at a lower cost. The Tower 5 is even more diminutive (and much lighter) making it a good choice for the beach, camping or lake parties. But it is the only one of the new speakers that lacks wheels, so make sure you can handle the weight. The ULT Tower 5 weighs about 29 pounds (12.7 kg) while the ULT Tower 7 weighs in at 50 pounds (22.8 kg).
All three speakers feature Sony’s ULT Power Sound modes, which have been expanded to include new “Live” and “Flat” EQ modes to suit different situations. ULT1 sound mode provides a low bass boost that will rattle your guts, while ULT2 is like a loudness button on steroids, boosting the punchy mid bass and SPL level to provide a more impactful sound overall. “Live” mode adds reverb to make your music sound more like a live performance and “Flat” provides a neutral sound curve, for those who want to skip the theatrics. A 10-Band EQ is available in the Sony Connect app in case you want to customize the sound for your particular preferences. You can cycle through sound modes by pressing the ULT button on each speaker or in the mobile app.
All three of the new speakers feature four handles (two on the top and two on the bottom), and the Tower 7 and Tower Max feature large heavy duty wheels to make them easy to transport. This is particularly welcome on the ULT Tower MAX which weighs in at 121 pounds (56.3 kg).
The Bottom Line
While JBL dominates the party speaker space, Sony’s latest enhancements to its ULT Power Sound line-up might just challenge the party speaker king. The ULT Tower Max offers extreme bass and SPL output to fill the largest indoor or outdoor space. And the switch from a proprietary “Party Connect” feature to the more open Auracast-based “Party Chain” means Sony party speakers can play nicely with other brands, though at the expense of backward compatibility with the company’s own earlier models.
We like to see the inclusion of XLR inputs (and outputs) as it makes them more suited to pro or semi-pro use. While an HDMI port would also have been nice to connect one to a TV or a projector, you can use one of the analog inputs for that (1/4-inch or RCA). Analog RCA or headphone outputs are available on some TVs and on most lifestyle and portable projectors. Many modern TVs and projectors have Bluetooth outputs as well so you can create a wireless link from your TV to one of these new Towers.
The ULT Tower 5 offers a fairly compact footprint, while still offering punchy dynamic sound, and the ULT Tower 7 walks the line between ultimate performance and portability with a reasonably compact design, four handles and heavy duty wheels that make transportation a fairly simple matter. Check out our full review of the Ult Tower 7 for more details.
If you’re looking for a portable speaker that can fill a large space with dynamic, punchy sound, while providing seamless multi-speaker support and a flexible assortment of inputs, these new ULT Tower party speakers are definitely worth a look… and a listen.
Sony 2026 ULT Tower Speakers Pricing
The ULT Tower 5, ULT Tower 7 and ULT Tower Max will begin shipping today (September 1, 2026) from authorized Sony retailers.
- ULT Tower Max: $1,499.99 at Sony
- ULT Tower 7: $649.99 at Sony
- ULT Tower 5: $449.99 at Sony
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