I'm the life of the party - Sony ULT TOWER 9

Quick Overview

The Sony ULT TOWER 9 is a powerful party speaker, lighter and slightly shorter than its predecessor, the ULT TOWER 10, and features a matte finish, improved lighting, and a 10-band EQ. It offers versatile connectivity including mic/guitar inputs and optical in, with battery life up to 25 hours in stamina mode or 2.5 hours at maximum volume with lights on, and supports quick charging.

Key Points: The Sony ULT TOWER 9 is lighter and slightly shorter than the ULT TOWER 10, weighing 29.6kg (65lbs). It includes a built-in battery, offering up to 25 hours of life in stamina mode and 2.5 hours at max volume with lights on. The speaker features a new matte top surface and enhanced 360-degree lighting on the top, bottom, and sides. Connectivity includes two 1/4 inch inputs (one for guitar), USB-A, optical in, and 3.5mm audio in. The Sony Connect app provides a 10-band custom EQ, Sound Field Optimization, and various lighting modes. The speaker delivers powerful bass, making it ideal for club music and parties, and can reach extremely loud volumes. Quick charging allows for 180 minutes of playback from a 10-minute charge, and it can pair with up to 100 other Sony speakers.

Context: Sony has released the ULT TOWER 9, a new addition to their ULT Power Sound series, following up on previous models like the ULT TOWER 10. This series focuses on delivering massive bass and an immersive audio experience, often targeting party and event use cases. The ULT TOWER 9 aims to refine the formula with portability enhancements and updated features.

Detailed Analysis

The Sony ULT TOWER 9 is a new party speaker that is slightly shorter, lighter, and cheaper than the previous ULT TOWER 10, weighing 29.6kg (65lbs) and measuring approximately 320mm x 320mm. A significant improvement is the return of a built-in battery, offering up to 25 hours of playback in stamina mode (lights off, reasonable volume), 10 hours at volume level 18 with lights on, and 2.5 hours at maximum volume with lights on. It features a new matte top surface, replacing the piano black, and enhanced 360-degree lighting on the top, bottom, and sides. Connectivity options include two 1/4 inch inputs (one switchable to guitar), USB-A for playback and charging, optical in, and a 3.5mm audio in. The speaker can be controlled via the Sony Connect app, which provides a 10-band custom EQ (an upgrade from the Tower 10's 7-band), Sound Field Optimization, TV Sound Booster, and various lighting modes (Off, Beat, Wave, Mellow). While it doesn't include a microphone, it has pop-out microphone holders, and compatible wireless microphones can be purchased separately. The speaker delivers powerful bass and is ideal for club music and bombastic tracks, though less suited for nuanced genres. It supports quick charging, providing 180 minutes of playback from a 10-minute charge, and can be paired with up to 100 other compatible Sony speakers for a massive sound experience. Power consumption is approximately 153W.