Sony Speakers: Rated 12 to 30 Hours; Three List No Battery
Weights run from the 274 g XB100 to the 56.3 kg ULT Tower MAX. Towers 5, 7 and MAX link over Auracast; most others use Party Connect.
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Sony’s US store sells 15 wireless speakers: four ULT Field portables, six ULT Tower party speakers, three X-Series party speakers, and two small speakers, the LinkBuds Speaker and the XB100. Sony rates the 12 with a battery from about 12 to 30 hours; the ULT Tower 9AC (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab), ULT Tower 10 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) and ULT Tower MAX (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) list no battery and run on AC power.
Prices are what Sony’s US store showed on 4 November 2026. Its All Speakers listing has 24 items; the other nine are a microphone, a charger, a neckband speaker, a wearable TV speaker and five home theater speakers, which this page leaves out. Specs come from each speaker’s own page on electronics.sony.com.
The portables: ULT Field, LinkBuds Speaker and XB100
| XB100 | ULT Field 1 | LinkBuds Speaker | ULT Field 3 | ULT Field 5 | ULT Field 7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sony US price, 4 Nov 2026 | $64.99 | $139.99 | $179.99 (out of stock) | $209.99 | $349.99 | $499.99 |
| Battery, as Sony rates it | 16 h | 12 h | 25 h | 24 h | 25 h | 30 h |
| Water and dust rating | IP67 | IP67 | IPX4 | IP66/IP67 | IP66/IP67 | IP67 |
| Weight (kg) | 0.274 | 0.65 | 0.52 | 1.2 | 3.3 | 6.3 |
| Size, W × H × D (mm) | 76 dia. × 95 | 206 × 77 × 76 | 84 × 110 × 90 | 256 × 113 × 79 | 320 × 144 × 125 | 512 × 224 × 222 |
| ULT button | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Linking listed | None listed | Stereo Pair (Field 1 only) | Stereo Pair (LinkBuds only) | Party Connect, Stereo Pair | Party Connect, Stereo Pair | Party Connect |
| Mic or guitar input | None listed | None listed | None listed | None listed | None listed | Guitar/mic input |
From the ULT Field 3 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) to the Field 5 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab), the step is mostly size: about an hour more rated battery and 2.1 kg more weight. The two share an IP66/IP67 rating and the same Stereo Pair and Party Connect options.
The ULT Field 7 adds the most. It weighs 6.3 kg, lists a guitar/mic input and a 3.5 mm input, comes with an AC power cord, and lists the LDAC codec; a codec list says what a speaker accepts, not what a given phone connection delivers. Sony lists its battery at 30 hours with its ULT mode on, volume 16 and the lights off.
At the small end, the XB100 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) is the lightest and lowest-priced speaker on the list, at 274 g, rated IP67 and 16 hours, with a hands-free microphone for calls. The LinkBuds Speaker (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) is rated IPX4 and 25 hours and comes with a charging cradle; Sony says two can stereo-pair, but only with each other.
The party speakers: ULT Tower
| ULT Tower 5 | ULT Tower 7 | ULT Tower 9 | ULT Tower 9AC | ULT Tower 10 | ULT Tower MAX | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sony US price, 4 Nov 2026 | $449.99 | $649.99 | $899.99 | $749.99 (sale $649.99) | $1,199.99 | $1,499.99 |
| Battery, as Sony rates it | 20 h | 30 h | 25 h | None (AC only) | None listed (AC) | None listed (AC) |
| Water rating | IPX4 (upright) | IPX4 (upright) | Top panel splash-resistant | Not listed | Top surface splashproof | Top surface splash-resistant |
| Weight (kg) | 12.7 | 22.8 | 29.6 | 28.5 | 29 | 56.3 |
| Height (mm) | 534 | 710 | 910 | 910 | 1,106 | 1,062 |
| Wired inputs | XLR in/out, RCA, USB-A, USB-C | XLR in/out, RCA, USB-A, USB-C | 3.5 mm, optical, USB-A | 3.5 mm, optical, USB-A | 3.5 mm, optical, USB-A | XLR in/out, RCA, USB-A, USB-C |
| Linking | Party Chain via Auracast, Stereo Pair | Party Chain via Auracast, Stereo Pair | Party Connect, Stereo Pair | Party Connect, Stereo Pair | Party Connect, Stereo Pair | Party Chain via Auracast (MAX only) |
| Karaoke | Mic input | Mic input | Mic and guitar inputs | Mic and guitar inputs | Wireless mic in the box | XLR inputs |
The Towers split into two groups by their own spec data: one group has XLR and RCA inputs and links over Auracast; the other has an optical input and uses Party Connect. The ULT Tower 5 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab), 7 and MAX are the first group, the Tower 9 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab), 9AC and 10 the second.
Sony puts an optical cable in the box with the Tower 9, 9AC and 10, and the 9AC page suggests connecting a TV. If TV sound is the main job, our soundbar shortlist covers that separately.
ULT Tower 9 or 9AC: the battery. Sony lists the two at the same 410 × 910 × 456 mm and the same inputs. The Tower 9 is rated at about 25 hours; the 9AC, in Sony’s FAQ, “is mains-powered and must be plugged into AC power to operate”. Sony’s store showed the 9AC on sale on 4 November.
ULT Tower MAX: the heaviest. At 56.3 kg it is more than twice the weight of the Tower 7 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab), lists no battery, and Sony says its Party Chain link works only between ULT Tower MAX units.
The ULT button does different jobs across the range. On the ULT Field speakers and the Tower 9, 9AC and 10, Sony’s pages call it a button “to boost your bass”. On the Tower 5 it is a front-facing button for sound mode and volume, across ULT1, ULT2, Flat and Live; on the Tower 5, 7 and MAX, Sony says Live can be assigned to it in its app.
The X-Series party speakers
| XV500 | XP700 | XV800 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sony US price, 4 Nov 2026 | $399.99 | $549.99 | $649.99 |
| Battery, as Sony rates it | 25 h | 25 h | 25 h |
| Water rating | IPX4 | IPX4 | IPX4 upright, IPX2 on its side |
| Weight (kg) | 11.2 | 16.9 | 18.5 |
| Height (mm) | 564 | 693 | 720 |
| Linking | Party Connect | Party Connect | Party Connect |
| Karaoke | Mic and guitar inputs | Mic and guitar inputs | Karaoke support listed |
All three are rated at 25 hours and IPX4, and all three list Party Connect. The XP700 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) and XV800 list LDAC and Mega Bass; the XV800 adds an optical input and is the heaviest of the three.
Which ones link together
Sony uses two linking systems, and they do not always overlap. The ULT Field 7 page’s footnote lists the models its Party Connect works with: the SRS-XB43, XB33, XB23, XP700, XP500, XG500, XG300, XE300, XE200, LSPX-S3, XV800, XV900, XV500, ULT 70 (the Field 7) and ULT 1000 (the Tower 10). The ULT Tower 5, 7 and MAX use Party Chain via Auracast instead. Before buying a second speaker to link with one you own, check the footnote on the new speaker’s page.
Who each one suits, by the specs
- The smallest and lightest: the XB100, at 274 g and IP67.
- A shoulder-strap portable that stereo-pairs: the ULT Field 3, at 1.2 kg and 24 hours, or the larger Field 5.
- A portable with a guitar or mic input: the ULT Field 7, the one ULT Field model whose page lists one.
- A party speaker with XLR inputs on battery: the ULT Tower 5 or 7.
- A party speaker that stays plugged in: the ULT Tower 9AC, 10 or MAX, none of which lists a battery.
For other makers set out the same way, see which JBL speaker is which and Marshall’s portable and home range.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between the Sony ULT Field 1, 3, 5 and 7?
Size and battery. Sony lists the ULT Field 1 at 650 g and about 12 hours, the Field 3 at 1.2 kg and 24 hours, the Field 5 at 3.3 kg and 25 hours, and the Field 7 at 6.3 kg and 30 hours. The Field 7 is the one of the four whose page lists a guitar and mic input.
Do Sony ULT Tower speakers have a battery?
Three do and three list none. Sony rates the ULT Tower 5 at about 20 hours, the Tower 7 at 30 and the Tower 9 at 25. The ULT Tower 9AC, Tower 10 and Tower MAX list an AC power supply and no battery.
What is the difference between the Sony ULT Tower 9 and ULT Tower 9AC?
The battery. Sony lists both at the same dimensions with the same inputs, but the Tower 9 is rated at about 25 hours on battery, while Sony’s FAQ says the 9AC is mains-powered and does not run on a built-in battery. The 9AC is listed at 28.5 kg to the Tower 9’s 29.6 kg.
Which Sony speakers are waterproof?
The ULT Field 1, ULT Field 7 and XB100 are rated IP67, and the ULT Field 3 and Field 5 IP66/IP67. The ULT Tower 5 and 7, LinkBuds Speaker, XV500 and XP700 are IPX4, which resists splashes. The Tower 10 and MAX list only top-surface splash resistance.
Can I connect two Sony speakers together?
It depends on the pair. The ULT Tower 5, 7 and MAX use Party Chain via Auracast, and the MAX links only with other MAX units. Nine other models list Party Connect. The ULT Field 1 and LinkBuds Speaker stereo-pair only with another of the same model.
Which Sony speaker has a microphone input for karaoke?
The ULT Field 7, ULT Tower 5, 7, 9 and 9AC, XV500 and XP700 list a mic input, and the ULT Tower 10 comes with a wireless microphone. The MAX lists XLR inputs and the XV800 karaoke support. The ULT Field 1, 3 and 5, the LinkBuds Speaker and the XB100 list no mic input.
What does the ULT button do on Sony speakers?
On the ULT Field speakers and the ULT Tower 9, 9AC and 10, Sony’s pages describe it as a button to boost the bass. On the ULT Tower 5 it is a front-facing button for sound mode and volume, and on the Tower 5, 7 and MAX Sony says the Live mode can be assigned to it in its app.
How we researched this
No one at bitcritiq has handled this product. Everything here comes from published sources, listed below.
- What this cannot tell you
- We have not heard any of these speakers, and this page does not rank them. Prices are Sony US store prices on 4 November 2026 and may change; the LinkBuds Speaker was out of stock. Battery figures are Sony’s, measured at settings its footnotes describe (for the ULT Field 7, ULT1/2 on, volume 16 and lighting off). The ULT Field 3 and ULT Field 5 spec data give their codecs and wired inputs only as “Yes”, so we do not list them. The ULT Tower 9AC spec data list no water protection, and we did not find a rating elsewhere on its page. The Party Connect compatibility list we quote is the ULT Field 7 page’s footnote; other pages carry their own footnotes, which we did not compare line by line. The ULT Field 5 page says Sony’s app is needed for a Karaoke function but lists no microphone input, which we do not reconcile. The ULT Field 7 page lists no Stereo Pair, though one footnote reads “Only compatible between ULT FIELD 7 wireless speakers” without saying which feature it covers. Sony’s pages name two apps, Sony | Sound Connect and Sony Music Center/Fiestable, depending on the model; we did not check which features each app controls.
How we chose this, and what we did
- Why this subject
- The speaker lineup series (JBL, Bose, Marshall) draws search impressions, and Sony’s names (ULT Field, ULT Tower, XV, XP, XB, LinkBuds) say little about size, battery or which speakers link together. Sony’s US store lists 24 items under All Speakers, including a microphone, a charger and home theater speakers, which makes the wireless range hard to read. No bitcritiq page covers Sony’s wireless speakers.
- How we looked at it
- Read through a browser on 4 November 2026: electronics.sony.com’s All Speakers listing (both pages) for the range and prices, and the US product page of each of the 15 wireless speakers, from each page’s specification data, highlights, feature text, footnotes and FAQ (read from the page source, as the specs and FAQ are collapsed). Count: six rows in the first table, six in the second and three in the third, 15 in all, counted from the tables; the other nine listing items are a microphone, a charger, a neckband speaker, a wearable TV speaker and five home theater speakers. Prices are the one price each page showed, except the ULT Tower 9AC, which showed a sale price beside an original price; we give the original. Where we say a model lists no battery, the control is that the 12 battery models each carry a Battery Life field in their spec data; the ULT Tower 9AC FAQ also says it is mains-powered. Where we say a page lists no Stereo Pair or Party Connect, the control is that the same phrases appear on the ULT Field 3 and ULT Field 5 pages.
What this rests on
6 claims, all official. Nothing here was measured by bitcritiq — see how we test for why. Open a claim to read the source it came from.
Sony’s US store prices on 4 November 2026: ULT Field 1 $139.99, ULT Field 3 $209.99, ULT Field 5 $349.99, ULT Field 7 $499.99, ULT Tower 5 $449.99, ULT Tower 7 $649.99, ULT Tower 9 $899.99, ULT Tower 9AC $749.99 (on sale at $649.99), ULT Tower 10 $1,199.99, ULT Tower MAX $1,499.99, LinkBuds Speaker $179.99, XB100 $64.99, XV500 $399.99, XP700 $549.99, XV800 $649.99.Official
electronics.sony.com All Speakers listing and product pages, 4 November 2026: “ULT TOWER MAX Party Speaker Active price $1,499.99”; “ULT TOWER 9AC Party Speaker Sale Price $649.99 Original Price $749.99 Save $100.00”; ULT FIELD 1 “$139.99”; XB100 “$64.99”; XV800 “$649.99”.
Sony rates the ULT Field 1 at about 12 hours, the ULT Field 3 at 24, the ULT Field 5 at 25, the ULT Field 7 at 30, the ULT Tower 5 at 20, the ULT Tower 7 at 30, the ULT Tower 9 at 25, the LinkBuds Speaker at 25, the XB100 at 16, and the XV500, XP700 and XV800 at 25.Official
Spec data, Battery Life: ULT FIELD 1 “Approx. 12 H”; ULT FIELD 3 “Approx. 24 H”; ULT FIELD 5 “Approx. 25 H”; ULT FIELD 7 “Approx.30 H”; ULT TOWER 5 “Approx. 20 H”; ULT TOWER 7 “Approx. 30 H”; ULT TOWER 9 “Approx. 25 H”; LinkBuds Speaker “Approx. 25 H”; XB100 “Approx.16H”; XV500 “Approx. 25 H”; XP700 “25 HOURS”; XV800 “Approx.25H”.
The ULT Tower 9AC, ULT Tower 10 and ULT Tower MAX list no battery and an AC power supply.Official
ULT TOWER 9AC FAQ: “The ULT TOWER 9AC is mains-powered and must be plugged into AC power to operate; it does not run on a built-in battery.” ULT TOWER 10 and ULT TOWER MAX spec data: “Power Supply: AC”, with no Battery Life field.
The ULT Field 1, ULT Field 7 and XB100 are rated IP67 and the ULT Field 3 and ULT Field 5 IP66/IP67; the ULT Tower 5, ULT Tower 7, LinkBuds Speaker, XV500 and XP700 are IPX4.Official
Spec data, Water Protection: ULT FIELD 1 “IP67”; ULT FIELD 7 “IP67”; XB100 “IP67”; ULT FIELD 3 and ULT FIELD 5 “IP66/IP67”; ULT TOWER 5 and 7 “IPX4 (when placed vertically)”; LinkBuds Speaker “IPX4”; XV500 “IPX4”; XP700 “IPX4”; XV800 “IPX4 (when placed vertically) IPX2 (when placed horizontally)”.
The ULT Tower 5, ULT Tower 7 and ULT Tower MAX link through Party Chain via Auracast; Sony says the MAX links only with other ULT Tower MAX units.Official
ULT TOWER 7 FAQ: “the ULT TOWER 7 supports Party Chain via Auracast™ to link multiple compatible speakers.” ULT TOWER 5 FAQ: “the ULT TOWER 5 supports Party Chain via Auracast™ for linking speakers.” ULT TOWER MAX FAQ: “Party Chain via Auracast™ connects speakers … This feature is only compatible between ULT TOWER MAX wireless speakers.”
Sony lists the XB100 at about 274 g and the ULT Tower MAX at about 56.3 kg.Official
XB100 spec data: “Main Unit(with battery): Approx.274g”. ULT TOWER MAX spec data: “Approx. 124 lbs (56.3 kg)”.
Sources 16
- All Speakers — Sony Electronics (US)Officialaccessed Nov 4, 2026
- ULT FIELD 1 Wireless Portable Speaker — Sony Electronics (US)Officialaccessed Nov 4, 2026
- ULT FIELD 3 Wireless Portable Speaker — Sony Electronics (US)Officialaccessed Nov 4, 2026
- ULT FIELD 5 Wireless Portable Speaker — Sony Electronics (US)Officialaccessed Nov 4, 2026
Show 12 more · 12 official or standards
- ULT FIELD 7 Wireless Portable Speaker — Sony Electronics (US)Officialaccessed Nov 4, 2026
- ULT TOWER 5 Wireless Party Speaker — Sony Electronics (US)Officialaccessed Nov 4, 2026
- ULT TOWER 7 Wireless Party Speaker — Sony Electronics (US)Officialaccessed Nov 4, 2026
- ULT TOWER 9 Party Speaker — Sony Electronics (US)Officialaccessed Nov 4, 2026
- ULT TOWER 9AC Party Speaker — Sony Electronics (US)Officialaccessed Nov 4, 2026
- ULT TOWER 10 Party Speaker — Sony Electronics (US)Officialaccessed Nov 4, 2026
- ULT TOWER MAX Party Speaker — Sony Electronics (US)Officialaccessed Nov 4, 2026
- LinkBuds Portable Wireless Speaker — Sony Electronics (US)Officialaccessed Nov 4, 2026
- XB100 Compact Bluetooth Wireless Speaker — Sony Electronics (US)Officialaccessed Nov 4, 2026
- XP700 Portable Bluetooth Wireless Party Speaker — Sony Electronics (US)Officialaccessed Nov 4, 2026
- XV500 X-Series Wireless Party Speaker — Sony Electronics (US)Officialaccessed Nov 4, 2026
- XV800 X-series Wireless Party Speaker — Sony Electronics (US)Officialaccessed Nov 4, 2026
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