Sony ULT WEAR Review: bass-heavy ANC cans that hit hard but cut a few corners

I’ve been using the Sony ULT WEAR for a bit now as my daily headphones – working at my desk, commuting, and a couple of long flights. I went in expecting a cheaper spin-off of the WH-1000X series with extra bass, and that’s more or less what you get. They’re clearly tuned for people who like their music to hit hard, especially hip-hop and EDM, and Sony leans into that with the ULT bass button and all the marketing around “massive bass”.

Out of the box, they feel like a mid-to-high range pair: not super premium, but not cheap either. The first thing that hit me was the low-end. Even without touching the ULT button, they’re already quite bassy. Press that button and it’s like someone turned on a subwoofer strapped to your head. Depending on what you listen to, that’s either fun or just too much.

I used them mostly with an iPhone and a laptop, jumping between work calls, YouTube, and Spotify. Multipoint works, but I had a couple of random disconnections here and there where I had to toggle Bluetooth or restart the headphones. Not a deal-breaker, but a bit annoying when you’re in the middle of something. On the more positive side, the battery really does last a long time, and the quick charge is handy when you forget to plug them in.

Overall, these feel like headphones built for bass lovers who want solid noise canceling without paying the full WH-1000XM5 price. They’re not perfect – especially in terms of materials and a few quirks – but if you mostly care about strong low-end, decent ANC, and comfort for long sessions, they get the job done pretty well.

On the value for money side, I’d say these are solid as long as you don’t pay full MSRP. A lot of people, including one reviewer, mentioned they’re “not worth full price” but a good deal around 50% off. I’m in the same camp. At a discount, you’re getting strong bass, good ANC, long battery life, and decent comfort for what feels like mid-range money. At full price, you’re bumping into territory where you can sometimes find previous-gen WH-1000XM4 on sale, which have better ANC and a more balanced sound.

What you’re mainly paying for here is: big bass, Sony’s ANC tech, and a comfortable, travel-friendly design. If those three things line up with what you want, the value is there. If you’re more into balanced audio, studio-type sound, or you care a lot about long-term build quality, there are better options in the same price range or slightly above. The recycled plastic is cool from an eco angle, but it doesn’t feel premium in the hand, which drags the perceived value down a bit.

Compared to cheaper brands like Cowin or random Amazon specials, the ULT WEAR are a clear step up in noise canceling, app support, and overall sound quality. Compared to Skullcandy Crushers, you trade a bit of insane bass for cleaner sound and better ANC. Compared to Sony’s own XM series, you’re saving money but also giving up some refinement and build quality. So it really depends where you’re coming from and what you care about most.

If you can catch them on sale and you actually like heavy bass, then they’re good value. If you don’t care much about bass and just want top ANC and comfort, I’d look for deals on the WH-1000X line instead. Paying full price for the ULT WEAR only makes sense if you really want that bass-focused profile and like the look and weight of this model.

Design-wise, the ULT WEAR look like a simplified cousin of the 1000X series. The off-white color I tried looks clean and a bit more “techy” than classy. The cups are fairly compact for over-ears and the headband has a smooth curve with minimal branding. On your head, they don’t scream “huge gamer headset”, which I appreciated when using them in public or on flights. Still, they’re not exactly stylish – more functional than anything.

The big thing to know is that they are very plastic. Sony says they’re using recycled plastic, which is nice in theory, but it also means you feel and hear that plastic when you handle them. The yokes and the folding hinges especially feel like the weak points. There’s already at least one user reporting that the plastic binding broke after about two years, and honestly, I can see how that could happen if you’re rough with them or constantly twisting the cups. It doesn’t feel like they’ll snap in your hands, but they also don’t give that “built like a tank” vibe.

The controls are a mix of touch gestures on the right earcup and a few physical buttons. Swipes handle volume and track skipping, and there are buttons for power/Bluetooth and noise canceling/ambient + ULT. The touch surface works fairly well; I only had a few accidental touches when adjusting them on my head. The wearing detection is handy: they pause when you take them off and resume when you put them back on. That actually works pretty reliably, which is not always the case with this feature on other brands.

The cups swivel and fold inward, which makes them easy to store in the included case. For travel, that’s a big plus. The overall design is practical: they fold small, they’re light, and the case isn’t massive. But if you’re the type who throws headphones into a backpack without the case, I’d be a bit careful – the plastic structure doesn’t give me a lot of confidence for long-term abuse.

Battery life is one of the clear strengths here. Sony claims up to 30 hours with ANC on, and in real life it’s in that ballpark. With ANC on most of the time, moderate volume, and mixed usage (music, YouTube, some calls), I was getting around 3–4 days of normal use before I even thought about charging. A couple of Amazon reviewers even mentioned battery lasting “weeks”, which makes sense if you only listen a couple of hours a day.

The quick charge is also legit: about 3 minutes on the charger gives you roughly 60–90 minutes of playback. I tested this when I forgot to charge them before going out. Plugged them into a USB-C charger while getting ready, and by the time I left, they had enough juice for a full commute and some extra. Full charge from low takes around a couple of hours, which is fine considering how long they last once topped up.

If you turn off ANC, the battery stretches even further. One user said they barely use ANC because passive isolation is already decent and they want to save battery. I tried a full workday with ANC off and only dropped a small chunk of the battery, so if you’re not on planes all the time, you can probably go a full week without plugging in. They also support wired listening with the 3.5 mm cable, which is useful if you ever forget to charge them completely – though keep in mind some features drop off in passive mode.

There’s no wireless charging or anything fancy like that, but honestly, with this kind of battery life, I didn’t miss it. The only thing to watch is that heavy bass + high volume + ANC will eat through the battery a bit faster, but even then, they hold up well. In day-to-day use, battery anxiety is basically gone with these, which is more than I can say for a lot of true wireless earbuds and cheaper ANC headphones.

Comfort is one of the areas where these do pretty well. The ear pads are soft and thermo-foamed, and they mold around the ears in a way that feels natural after a short break-in. The clamping force out of the box is moderate: enough to keep them stable when walking, but not so tight that you get a headache after an hour. I wore them for multiple 2–3 hour work blocks and a 12+ hour flight with short breaks, and I didn’t feel the need to rip them off at any point.

Compared to something like Skullcandy Crushers, I’d say the ULT WEAR are slightly less plush but lighter, so over time they’re easier to forget on your head. One Amazon user said they’re not as comfortable as the Skullcandy ANC Crushers, and I agree with that, but they’re still in a good spot overall. The headband padding is fine, not crazy thick, but enough that I didn’t get a sore spot on the top of my head unless I had them on for half a day straight. Weight-wise, they’re around 255 grams, which is pretty reasonable for over-ears with ANC.

Heat build-up is acceptable. My ears did get warm after a couple of hours, but that’s normal for closed-back over-ear headphones. The pads seal well for noise canceling, but they don’t feel like rubbery suction cups. Glasses wearers might feel a small pressure line where the arms of the glasses sit, but with my thin-framed glasses, I could keep them on for a full movie without much discomfort. If you have thicker frames, you might need to adjust the angle a bit.

In day-to-day use – working at a desk, walking around the house, commuting – I barely thought about them once I had them on, which is usually a good sign. The only time comfort dipped was when I cranked the ULT bass and pushed volume high for more than 30–40 minutes; the physical vibration and pressure from the bass can get tiring. So for long sessions, I usually kept ULT off or on the milder setting and just used a custom EQ in the app.

Durability is where I’m a bit more cautious with the ULT WEAR. They’re light and comfortable, but that comes with a trade-off: lots of thin plastic parts, especially around the hinges and headband. When you fold and unfold them, you can hear some creaking. It doesn’t mean they’ll break immediately, but it doesn’t inspire a lot of long-term confidence either. One Amazon review mentioned the plastic binding cracking after about two years, and from handling them, I can totally see that being a realistic failure point.

The ear pads feel soft and decent quality, but they’re still synthetic leather. Over time, like with most pads, sweat and body oils will probably wear them down. For now, they feel nice, but I’d be curious how they look after a year of daily use. Sony doesn’t heavily advertise easy pad replacement on this model like they do on some of their higher-end ones, so that’s something to keep in mind if you plan to keep them long term. There’s also no water resistance rating, so I’d avoid using them in rain or during workouts that make you sweat heavily.

The included case is actually pretty good. It’s compact, semi-rigid, and does a solid job of protecting them in a backpack or suitcase. If you use the case regularly, you’ll probably extend their life by a lot. Without the case, if you’re just tossing them into bags, twisting the cups a lot, or sitting on them by accident, I don’t see them handling abuse as well as some chunkier, more rugged models.

So in practice: if you’re careful, fold them gently, use the case when traveling, and don’t expose them to rain, they’ll probably last you a few years. If you want something you can just beat up and throw around, these aren’t that. They feel more like “take care of me and I’ll be fine” headphones rather than “do whatever you want, I’ll survive”.

Let’s talk sound, because that’s clearly what these are built around. Out of the box, the ULT WEAR have a strong V-shaped tuning: boosted bass, slightly lifted treble, and a bit scooped mids. For hip-hop, trap, EDM, and pop, it’s fun. Kick drums hit hard, sub-bass has real weight, and you can feel low notes rather than just hearing them. When you hit the ULT button, the bass goes from “strong” to “borderline ridiculous” depending on the track. If you’re a basshead, you’ll probably grin. If you’re used to more neutral headphones, it might feel overdone.

Several users compared these to Skullcandy Crushers. I’d agree with the general sentiment: the Crushers still win on sheer “skull-rattling” bass, but the Sony ULT WEAR sound cleaner and less muddy. The bass is deep and powerful but more controlled, so vocals and instruments don’t completely drown. Highs are decent – not razor sharp, but clear enough for everyday listening and movies. Mids are a bit recessed, so if you listen to a lot of acoustic, jazz, or vocal-heavy tracks, you might find voices pushed slightly back in the mix. You can fix some of that with EQ in the app, but there’s a limit.

On the volume side, they’re generally loud enough, but a couple of people (and me sometimes) noticed inconsistency. Some tracks felt super loud at 80% volume, others felt like they had more to give even at max. That’s more about how songs are mastered and how phones limit volume, but worth mentioning. There’s a built-in protection against sudden volume jumps, so when you slam the volume button to max, it ramps up over a fraction of a second instead of instantly blasting your ears. That’s actually a nice touch and saved me a few times.

For noise canceling, they’re pretty solid. On a plane and on public transport, they cut engine and road noise by a good margin, enough that you can listen at moderate volume and still feel quite isolated. They’re not quite at the same level as the top Sony XM series or Bose QC45/QC Ultra, but they’re in the same ballpark. Voices and keyboard clatter still peek through a bit, but are reduced. Wind handling is better than older models thanks to some mesh around the mics; you still get some whooshing in strong wind, but it’s not terrible. Overall, the performance is clearly tuned for bass lovers who still want decent clarity and ANC, not for hardcore audiophiles chasing a perfectly balanced sound.

On paper, the Sony ULT WEAR are wireless over-ear headphones with active noise cancelation, 30-hour battery life, and a focus on heavy bass. They connect via Bluetooth 5.2, support multipoint (two devices at once), and also have a 3.5 mm jack if you want to go wired. The model number is WHULT900N, so they sit below the WH-1000X lineup but borrow some of the same tech like the V1 processor for noise canceling.

The standout feature is the ULT button, which basically has two bass modes depending on how you set it in the app. Standard profile is already warm and bassy, then ULT mode kicks the low-end up a notch. Sony also pushes the Sony Headphones Connect app, where you can tweak EQ, change ANC behavior, and set up wearing detection and touch controls. The app is actually useful here, especially if you find the default sound too boomy and want to dial things back.

In terms of use cases, I tried them in three main scenarios: at home (PC and phone), commuting on public transport, and on a long-haul flight. The ANC is clearly aimed at that travel / office crowd, and it does a solid job with low, constant noise like engines and air conditioners. It’s not at the level of the WH-1000XM5, but it’s definitely in the same family. For calls, they’ve got beamforming mics and some wind noise reduction; call quality is decent, but I wouldn’t buy them just for that.

If you’re coming from cheap Amazon no-name headphones or older budget models like Cowin E7, these are a clear step up in sound and ANC. If you already own something like Skullcandy Crushers or a previous Sony XM model, this is more of a sidegrade targeted at people who want lots of bass plus good ANC rather than audiophile-level detail or super premium build quality.