The name of the company Extra Bass is replaced by ULT Power Sound.

Sony’s Extra Bass line of headphones has been giving listeners an extra dose of low-end sound for years and was generally inexpensive than the high-end 1000X cans. The company is still interested in offering a brain-shaking bass to those who want it, but the Extra Bass moniker and its confusing alphanumeric product names have disappeared (more on this change). Today, Sony unveils ULT Power Sound, a feature that it describes as “the ultimate step in the evolution” of its portable audio devices.

ULT Power Sound will also be available for Bluetooth speakers of various sizes, but the first headphones with the new audio direction are the ULT Wear (200). A direct replacement for the WH-B910, the ULT Wear includes 40mm drivers specifically designed for deeper bass, according to Sony. If the stock setting is not enough, there is an ULT catch for two more low-end boost levels. In addition, the company has integrated some of its best features from more expensive headphones: the V1 audio chip, a 30-hour battery life, a quick attention mode, 360 Reality Audio with head tracking, and more.

Sony ULT Wear

Sony’s ULT Wear headphones are a superior implementation of bass amplification than previous models, as well as significant updates to the ANC, functionality and overall design.

The first thing I noticed about the ULT Wear is its Design. These headphones don’t immediately strike me as substandard boxes. The matte white finish of my exam unit masks the largely plastic construction that looked inexpensive on previous products like the WH-CH720N. This is definitely a more refined aesthetic than the WH-XB910 that is being replaced. In some regions, there are certainly nods to the Premium 1000X range, such as the curves of the ear cups and the headband.

Sony has opted for a mix of body and touch controls for the ULT Wear in order to bridge the gap in the middle the inexpensiveness and the most expensive headphones. On the edge of the left earcup there is a power catch and a control for switching in the middle active noise cancellation (ANC) and ambient noise modes. Further up at the bottom is a third catch for ult Bass Boost. This point switches in the middle off, ULT 1 (deep bass) and ULT 2 (louder sound with deep bass). On the right side there is a touch screen on the outside of the headset that you can press and slide to control playback, adjust the volume and make calls.

Since the ULT Wear sits in the middle of Sony’s headphone lineup, it has some of the practical features of the 1000X line that the company’s inexpensive options don’t use. For example, placing your open hand on the right earcup activates the quick attention mode, which reduces the volume so that you can answer a colleague or type in your Cortado without pausing your music. Adaptive Sound Control is also here: Sony’s long-standing tool that automatically adjusts the headset settings based on your activity or location. General subtleties such as Multipoint Bluetooth and wear detection are also present. However, the practical conversation function of the new 1000X headphones is not available, which represents a significant gap in terms of overall usefulness.

Bass reigns supreme in the tuning of the ULT Wear, and you will definitely get a big dose of it. These new specially tuned drivers bring a lot of low-end punch even before you start exploring the ult Boosts. The out-of-the-box level was good enough for me for most Genres, although the overall sound can get muddy with more chaotic styles like metal and some synth-heavy electronic tracks. For the most part, however, the original basses offer depth and range that complement the full mids and sharp highs.

There is a thundering bass drum on Bayside’s There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive that feeds the Indie Rock punk tunes, but the texture of the twisted guitars stands out and the vocals stand out clearly. In addition, you can add Sony’s DSEE scaling through its application, a software trick that can recover lost sound elements through compression. And if you have access to 360-degree reality audio content, the ULT Wear supports head tracking so that sounds are preserved as you move. This provides a more realistic experience, as the immersive Audio in this format would otherwise move with your head.