IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BASS

Unless you're a basshead you probably won't like that.

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Sony ULT Wear

Sony has launched a series of audio products under the new "ULT" brand, which include a speaker tower with a wireless microphone, a portable speaker, and these foldable over-ear headphones, which sit just under the flagship Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones in terms of quality and price.

You have the option to listen to audio via a 3.5 mm cable or Bluetooth. Although there is a USB Type-C port the headphones don't support audio listening via a USB cable.

Which is irritating considering how many modern phones are now tossing the headphone jack.

The Build

These are some of the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn. The plastic cups, which are padded with synthetic leather, are slightly oversized and they didn't press against my ears the way so many other products do. The band is also plastic, rather than synthetic leather, but still comfortable. The cups keep your ears pleasantly warm, although some people may find it's too hot for them.

The left cup features three buttons.

The first is power, which, when switched on, automatically tries to pair with nearby devices via Bluetooth. You can also press it to be played a readout of the estimated remaining battery life (in 10 per cent increments so it's not very precise).

The NC/AMB button offers noise-cancelling and ambient-sound modes, both of which work well, although there is some leakage in the noise-cancelling mode at a few frequencies.

The third button is ULT, which offers some presets. When you're listening using the audio cable it switches on only one bass boost mode, which is likely ULT 1 or close to that. When you're paired via Bluetooth you have access to ULT 1 ("deep bass") and ULT 2 ("powerful bass"), or ULT switched off.