Sony ULT Wear

Sony breaks from its winning wireless formula... with very mixed results

Sony’s promotional materials for the ULT Wear headphones (officially called the WH-ULT900N) are crammed with bold, enticing imagery and punchy marketing speak. Words such as “power”, “vibes” and “style” accompany images of trendy youngsters raving the night away, all with a pair of Sony’s latest bass-centric cans clamped over their ears or slung casually around their youthful necks.

None of this is by accident. Sony’s latest wireless over-ear headphones are designed to cater specifically to a younger audience. Harnessing Sony’s Integrated Processor V1 alongside a pair of 40mm driver units, the ULT Wear are, in the company’s own words, “designed for power”, particularly when it comes to the handling of bass reproduction.

Visually, the ULT Wear share a good deal of DNA with their handsome (but pricier) WH-1000XM5 stablemates, sporting smooth, slightly cut-off earcups alongside a well-appointed adjustable headband. They may be chunky, but they are well made, well padded, comfortable and sit securely on your head.

One of the key design features of Sony’s mid-range contenders is the on-ear ‘ULT’ bass button which allows you to toggle between the provided presets on the fly, offering up a standard profile, ‘Attack Bass’ for more punch and ‘Deep Bass’ for a rounded, resonant lower-end signature.