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Sony ULT Tower 10 review: This big party speaker delivers the goods
Summary
The Sony ULT Tower 10 party speaker offers easy setup and great connectivity options, without compromising on high-quality soundAre you the sort who often hosts large groups in big spaces, outdoors on rooftop terraces or by the poolside? Or perhaps a big-screen projector viewing of the ongoing Euros?
If so, you must have realized that portable Bluetooth speakers don’t cut it anymore. That’s where party speakers like the new Sony ULT Tower 10 come in, a massive tower speaker that takes the party with it where it goes, as long as you can lug it (or wheel it) there.
Design
As you may have guessed already, ULT is short for ultimate. Sony’s not holding back when it comes to delivering sound that’s big in every sense.
Unboxing it is a two-person affair and Sony has included instructions on how to safely get the speaker out of the box. This is not one for folks with limited apartment space. The Tower 10 retails for ₹109,990 with a best buy price of ₹89,990 on Sony’s website.
Also read: Xiaomi 14 Civi review: A new flagship killer enters the Android arena
Lugging it around isn’t easy either, even though Sony has included a handle in the frame and two casters on the rear edge. While it can be moved, it isn’t entirely portable. The tall 43-inch frame and 29kg weight makes it altogether too easy to tip over when you angle it for transport.
Otherwise, the Tower 10 sports a rather functional, utilitarian design, clad entirely in black plastic with only the hidden LEDs providing visual relief when it’s switched on. On top is a flat, squircle-shaped control panel with all the controls you’ll need—pairing with your Bluetooth device, playback and volume, input selection and dedicated buttons to set the LEDs to one of five colours (and a multicolour setting), along with settings for karaoke nights that come handy with the wireless microphone.
The panel is splash proof for when you mistake it for a bar counter and set down your chilled beverage. There’s also a large niche to slot in a phone or a tablet.
Connectivity
Aside from Bluetooth 5.2 with support for SBC, AAC and LDAC streaming codecs, the Tower 10 is replete with connectivity options—a USB-A port for plugging in a flash drive or charging a device, an optical port to connect to a TV, a 3.5mm stereo jack along with a quarter-inch guitar input and the wireless microphone.
Sony offers just two apps to control the speaker: the Music Center app (for managing the speaker settings, custom equalizer profiles, selecting DJ options for the microphone) and the Fiestable app for party light effects, party playlists etc. You can also pair a second ULT Tower 10 for a much larger setup, though the omission of Wi-Fi for streaming is odd.
Sound quality
The only cut-outs in what is otherwise a monolithic design serve to highlight the Tower 10’s speakers—two small 40mm tweeters angled outwards below, below which lie two 80mm mid-range drivers and a massive 320mm woofer towards the base (plus two tweeters on the rear), all of which come together to cover a 20Hz to 20KHz frequency range and drive up to 1000W of power.
I don’t think I was prepared for how loud this thing could get. Inside even large living spaces within the home and in our community clubhouse, anything above moderate volume can get overwhelming.
Wheeled outdoors, the speaker pushed sound clear across my five-acre residential community with the volume pushed a shade past the 60 percent mark. This will certainly push respectable levels of sound for any outdoor setting.
Going beyond volume, the Tower 10 does an equally good job with its sonic signature – full, well round and clearly bass-focused sound that still manages a modicum of clarity even when you crank up the volume dial.
The bass is tight and punchy, with detailed mids and highs. The few times when I felt the bass overpower the vocals, you could turn off the bass boost via the dedicated ULT button on the top panel or tweak the seven-band equalizer via the companion app to suit your tastes.
For the most part, I kept the ULT mode activated, and didn’t regret it. It’s not the most balanced or audiophile-pleasing of audio profiles, but it’s a lot of fun.
Verdict
Once the sun sets, the LED lights add to the party vibe, pulsing in time with the music, and you can create custom patterns using Sony’s companion apps. With the Tower 10, Sony delivers an ‘ULT’imate party speaker experience. It’s easy to setup, has a funky light show built-in, multiple wired/wireless connectivity options, guitar/external mic support, all without compromising its high-quality sound coupled with the sort of intensity you’d likely only ever have seen at a concert or a club. Whether it’s a party for one or a party for everyone, this is a great pick.
Tushar Kanwar, a tech columnist and commentator, posts @2shar.
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