Tech Next: Sony ULT Wear is the ultimate blend of comfort, performance, and value in over-ear headphones

CHENNAI: If you’ve lost a Bluetooth earbud in an airline cabin, you will appreciate the form factor of over the ear headphones. That’s not the only reason why a stylish pair of ‘ear cans’ deserve your attention. There’s sound quality and battery life. . Sony’s new ULT Wear is a great addition to it’s portfolio. For starters, there’s no confusing model number that we typically associate with many of Sony’s audio products. The ULT brand stands for ultimate sound and has just debuted in India with a trio of speakers and the ULT Wear that aims to deliver a flagship level headphone experience at almost half the price.

The ULT Wear is designed for those long listening sessions. You get cushioned earcups and a well-designed neckband. Sony has crafted these ear cans with smooth cushions that use a unique thermos-foaming process. It doesn’t just add to their comfort also offers better sound insulation. We like thoughtful additions like the carry case and the lightweight build even though the matte finish is a tad predictable. Sony’s touch controls are easy to find and equally easy to get used to. The Quick Attention feature allows you to place your hand on the right ear cup to lower the volume of your music and switch from ANC (Active Noise cancellation) to ambient mode.

Sony headphones have generally aced ANC, the ULT Wear is no exception. We checked this out on a long domestic flight with wailing infants in the background and it did a stellar job of shutting off external sounds. The companion Headphones App (We tried this on iOS and Android) allow you to tweak the ANC levels and equaliser settings. These headphones also leverage Sony’s legendary bass; the ULT 2 function allows you to push it to the highest bass boost. That might be a bit extreme for those who don’t like additional thump in their music.

Sound quality is a big win, these headphones offer one of the best sound experiences at their price point with terrific mids. They sound great even at 40-50% volume levels that is a great indication of the overall soundstage. The ULT Wear also scores with its battery life. You get 30 hours with ANC and 50 hours without ANC. We also like the convenience of the quick charge feature that gives you five hours with a 10-minute charge. Sony seems to have ticked most of the right boxes with the ULT Wear, the Sony bass adds to its appeal (Rs 16,990)