Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to share my HONEST Sony ULT Wear review for those who are wondering whether they are WORTH IT in 2026. I’ll also be comparing the Sony ULT Wear vs Sony WH-1000XM4, Sony WH-1000XM5, Sony WH-CH720N, Beats Studio Pro, Bose QuietComfort, Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2, JBL Live 770NC, Sennheiser Accentum Plus, Soundcore Space One Pro, and more!
I’m going to do my best to share whether these headphones are worth it, and ideally who these headphones are for. I bought these headphones with my own money, and was NOT sponsored, paid, or received a free copy for review. All thoughts are my own.
I’ll be sharing my critical opinion with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, audio engineer, and tech journalist. I also run the RecordingNow YouTube channel with over 25,000+ subscribers and over 5 million views.
Let’s dive right in!
Sony ULT Wear Headphones Review in Short
The Sony ULT Wear is a relative hidden gem in the Sony ANC headphone lineup, that I see as an improved version of the Sony WH-1000XM4, for less money. Very good sound quality without any EQ required, which is rare for Sony headphones. Also, very good noise cancelling performance and comfort which is on par with the XM4. Competes with Sony WH-1000XM5, JBL Live 770NC, Anker Soundcore Space 2, Sennheiser Accentum Plus, Anker Soundcore Space One Pro, Anker Soundcore Space Q45, Nothing Headphone (a), and Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2.
Sony ULT Wear Pros and Cons
- Great stock sound quality
- Very good noise cancelling performance
- Great comfort
- Great value under $150
- Cheaper build quality
- Blocky design is rather ugly
Order HERE for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Save money with RENEWED!
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
Sony ULT Wear Sound Quality
First impressions on the stock sound
Wow, along with the Sony XM4, these may have the most pleasing sound profile and stock tuning of the Sony ANC headphone lineup, and that’s including the flagship XM5.
These have a sound signature that I’d describe as darker, warmer, and smoother than most consumer headphones.
The bass is the main focus and although it is a bit boomy and slightly unfocused, it’s got very good slam and deep sub-bass extension, perfect for the modern genres.
I’ll say the emphasis on bass does get fatiguing over time, and will likely need to be EQ’d for longer listening sessions.
Sound Quality Comparisons
vs Sony WH-1000XM4
The ULT Wear and XM4 are the closest in stock sound profile, with the XM4 being a bit brighter and more detailed.
One caveat to the XM4 is that it has quite a bit of sibilance and harshness in the treble from my testing, so it needs more EQ than the ULT Wear to be agreeable, in my opinion.
The ULT Wear is darker and more bass-heavy than the XM4, so it’s less balanced in that sense, but it depends on your listening preference.
Personally, I actually prefer the ULT Wear over the XM4 due to the XM4’s peaky treble issue being not as smooth as the ULT Wear.
vs Sony WH-1000XM5
Stock for stock, I actually prefer listening to the ULT Wear due to the XM5’s strangely underwhelming and muddy stock sound profile.
After EQ is dialed in, the XM5 does open up a bit and does come across as the slightly more audiophile headphone versus the ULT Wear. XM5 has better resolution, separation, and clarity than the smoother but less-detailed ULT Wear.
But still, considering the price difference, the ULT Wear sounds a little too good compared to the flagship XM5.
vs Sony WH-CH720N
I do have a personal preference for more “neutral bright” detailed headphones like the budget Sony WH-CH720N, but I have to admit that the ULT Wear probably has the more agreeable and balanced tonality overall, with the WH-CH720N being livelier but pushing forward a lot of treble energy with less sub-bass.
The ULT Wear doesn’t have the airiness or magic effect on vocals like the 720N, but it’s much smoother and never sibilant or harsh.
Overall thoughts
Overall, I’m quite pleased with even the stock sound of the ULT Wear.
I’ve grown accustomed to EQ’ing every Sony ANC headphone to date, getting good gains each time, but the ULT Wear is pleasing enough to listen to completely stock, if you’re okay with less detail and the bass being a bit fatiguing.
I’d say the ULT Wear makes a case for the best-sound Sony ANC headphone without EQ.
If I develop a custom EQ for the ULT Wear to improve it further, I’ll surely add it to this article in the future.
Sound Quality Score: 8.2 out of 10
Comfort
The Sony ULT Wear is about average in weight for over-ear, wireless, ANC headphones as weighed on my scale:
- Sony WH-CH520 – 144.0 grams
- JBL Tune 520BT – 158.6 grams
- Sony WH-CH720N – 186.4 grams
- Beats Solo 4 – 217.6 grams
- Sennheiser Accentum – 223.0 grams
- JBL Tune 720BT – 223.2 grams
- Sennheiser Accentum Plus – 225.8 grams
- JBL Tune 770NC – 227.1 grams
- Skullcandy Hesh ANC – 229.6 grams
- Bose QuietComfort – 236.1 grams
- Sony WH 1000XM5 – 245.9 grams
- Anker Soundcore Q20i – 249.3 grams
- Sony WH 1000XM4 – 251.6 grams
- Sony ULT Wear 253.8 grams
- JBL Live 770NC – 254.5 grams
- Anker Soundcore Space One – 260.6 grams
- Anker Soundcore Space 2 – 262.8 grams
- Anker Soundcore Life Q30 – 264.6 grams
- Beats Studio Pro – 268.6 grams
- CMF Headphone Pro – 280.8 grams
- Anker Soundcore Space One Pro – 286.3 grams
- Anker Soundcore Space Q45 – 297.5 grams
- Nothing Headphone (a) – 311.4 grams
- Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 – 332.3 grams
I find the Sony ULT Wear to be very comfortable and essentially the same level as the more premium XM4 and XM5.
It’s just a tad bit heavier, but the clamping force and top-of-head pressure is minimal.
Also, the interior earcup space seems to be a bit bigger than the XM5, as my ears aren’t as pressed against the fabric inside.
The cushioning could be more plush and supportive, but for its price point, it’s hard to complain.
Comfort Score: 9.0 out of 10
Features / Battery Life / Build Quality / Practicality
Features
The Sony ULT Wear was originally released in April 2024, so they’re a fairly modern headphone with most of the modern features:
- Multiple “beamforming” microphones for taking calls
- Active Noise Cancelling Mode
- Transparency Mode
- Smartphone app with customizable EQ (same one as the XM4 and XM5)
- Multi-point connection between 2 devices at once
- DSEE for sound quality
These actually do include a compact hardshell case, which is a bit unique for this price range.
The ULT Wear does fold and collapse into this case, somewhat similar to the XM4 and Bose QuietComfort series.
Sony ULT Wear Battery Life
The Sony ULT Wear is rated at 30 hours of battery life on a single charge with ANC on, and up to 50 hours with ANC set to OFF.
- Nothing Headphone (a) – 75 hours (ANC on), 135 hours (ANC off)
- Marshall Monitor III – 70 hours (ANC on), 100 hours (ANC off)
- Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 SE – 60 hours (ANC on), 100 hours (ANC off)
- Sennheiser HDB 630 – 60 hours
- Sennheiser Momentum 4 – 60 hours
- Sennheiser Momentum 5 – 57 hours
- Anker Soundcore Space 2 – 50 hours (ANC on), 70 hours (ANC off)
- Anker Soundcore Space Q45 – 50 hours (ANC on), 65 hours (ANC off)
- JBL Live 770NC – 50 hours (ANC on), 65 hours (ANC off)
- JBL Tune 520BT – 57 hours (no ANC included)
- Sennheiser Accentum Plus – 50 hours (ANC on)
- Sennheiser Accentum – 50 hours (ANC on)
- Beats Solo 4 – 50 hours (no ANC included)
- Sony WH-CH520 – 50 hours (no ANC included)
- JBL Tune 770NC – 44 hours (ANC on), 70 hours (ANC off)
- Anker Soundcore Space One Pro – 40 hours (ANC on), 60 hours (ANC off)
- Anker Soundcore Q20i – 40 hours (ANC on), 60 hours (ANC off)
- Anker Soundcore Space One – 40 hours (ANC on), 55 hours (ANC off)
- Nothing Headphone (1) – 35 hours (ANC on), 80 hours (ANC off)
- Sony ULT Wear – 30 hours (ANC on), 50 hours (ANC off)
- Sony WH-1000XM6 – 30 hours (ANC on), 40 hours (ANC off)
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) – 30 hours
- Sony WH-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM4 – 30 hours
- Sonos Ace – 30 hours
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra (1st Gen) – 24 hours
- Apple AirPods Max 1 and 2 – 20 hours
In my testing, I found these figures to be accurate.
30 hours with ANC on is now about the class average, tied with the Sony XM4, XM5, and XM6.
There is also a “Fast Charging” feature that provides 1.5 hours of listening time with 3 minutes of charging.
Build Quality
The build quality of the Sony ULT Wear is decent for the price, perhaps slightly less premium-feeling than the XM4.
The exterior is mostly plastic and feels a bit cheap, but the “budget” category of under $200 headphones can feel much cheaper than this.
Plus, these include a hardshell case for extra protection, which is unique for this price range that typically doesn’t include any case at all.
Practicality
The Sony ULT Wear makes for a great daily driver due to its comfort, noise cancelling performance, foldable design, and included hardshell case.
Most budget headphones in this price range do not include a hardshell case, which helps the ULT Wear’s value.
The one downside to the ULT Wear is that the plasticky materials and build quality are pretty average for its pricepoint.
Features / Battery Life / Build Quality / Practicality Score: 8.0 out of 10
Sony ULT Wear Noise Cancelling Performance
I went in expecting the Sony ULT Wear’s noise cancelling performance to be slightly below the XM4 due to the lineup, but to my surprise, it was about on par with the XM4.
I guess this partly makes sense as the XM4 is a previous-generation model, and the ULT Wear is newer.
Now I see the ULT Wear as sort of a “replacement” for the XM4.
The ANC is still slightly below the XM5 which is still a top ANC performer in the market currently.
Noise Cancelling Performance Score: 8.5 out of 5
Value
At the time of this writing, the ULT Wear retails at $249.99, but is currently on sale under $150.
For that price, I do think you’re getting basically a slightly “upgraded” and more modern version of the XM4.
The cheaper $99 Sony WH-CH720N surprised me the most, and I find it to be a relative bargain at that price, but the ULT Wear is objectively a better headphone for sound quality, build quality, and noise cancelling performance.
I think the ULT Wear competes nicely with headphones costing between $200-$300, and find it to be a pretty good value overall.
Value Score: 9.0 out of 10
Overall Scoring Breakdown
Sound Quality (50% of score): 8.2 / 10
Comfort (10% of score): 9.0 / 10
Features / Battery Life / Build Quality / Practicality (10% of score): 8.0 / 10
Noise Cancelling (20% of score): 8.5 / 10
Value (10% of score): 9.5 / 10
Overall: 8.45 / 10
Is the Sony ULT Wear Worth it?
At first, I was a little confused at the ULT Wear’s ~$200-ish pricetag and where it stands in the Sony headphone lineup.
But after thoroughly testing them, I’m walking away quite impressed and see them as an “improved” version of the XM4 for less money than the XM4 costs today.
Perhaps even a “baby XM5” is a fair description as well, although the stock sound profile is much closer to the XM4’s warmer sound signature.
Either way, I think the ULT Wear is a great value pick, and second only to the Sony WH-CH720N for $99, but admittedly, the ULT Wear is an objectively better headphone everywhere else except comfort.
After testing the ULT Wear, I’d probably skip the XM4 entirely and either go for the XM5 if I wanted better ANC and slightly more audiophile sound quality, or the WH-CH720N for its delicious vocals and lightweight comfort.
Some very strong alternatives in this class of noise cancelling headphones are:
- Sony WH-1000XM6
- Sony WH-1000XM4
- Sony WH-1000XM5
- JBL Live 770NC
- Anker Soundcore Space 2
- Anker Soundcore Space One Pro
- Bose QuietComfort (2023 model)
- Beats Studio Pro
- Sennheiser Accentum Plus
- Sennheiser Accentum
- Sony WH-CH720N
- JBL Tune 770NC
- Anker Soundcore Space Q45
- Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2
- Nothing Headphone (a)
- Skullcandy Crusher Evo
- Anker Soundcore Space One
- Bose QuietComfort 45
Some Relevant Comparisons in this class of noise cancelling headphones are:
- Sony WH-1000XM4 vs Sony WH-1000XM5
- Bose QuietComfort 45 vs Sony WH-1000XM4
- Beats Studio Pro vs Sony WH-1000XM4
- Beats Studio Pro vs Sony WH-1000XM5
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra vs Sony WH-1000XM5
Order HERE for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Save money with RENEWED!
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sony ULT Wear better than XM5?
In most cases, the Sony XM5 is a superior headphone to the ULT Wear, but is also quite a bit more expensive. The XM5 has superior noise cancelling performance and sound quality (after EQ), but they’re fairly tied in comfort and build quality.
Are the Sony ULT Wear loud?
Yes, the ULT Wear is capable of pushing some pretty loud volumes, along with ULT Bass for those that like to feel the music.
Is the Sony ULT Wear sweat proof?
No, the Sony ULT Wear doesn’t carry a sweat-proof or water-proof rating, and are not recommended to get wet.
Does Sony ULT Wear support Dolby Atmos?
The Sony ULT Wear can only support Dolby Atmos using the Sony WLS-NS7 wireless transmitter along with certain Sony TVs. It doesn’t support Dolby Atmos right out of the box.
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.
Post Update History
- July 2026: Updated scores to “Version 2.0” of our Headphone Scoring System. Added long-term “1 Year Review” updates throughout post. Included new comparisons to previously unreviewed headphones like JBL Live 770NC, Soundcore Space One Pro, and Sennheiser Accentum Plus. Updated to 2026 current sale prices and adjusted Value score accordingly.
- May 2025: Original publication date.
Read Next
Best Noise Cancelling Headphones under $200
Anker Soundcore Space 2 Review
Anker Soundcore Space One Pro Review
Sennheiser Accentum Plus Review
Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 Review
Anker Soundcore Space One Review
Bose QuietComfort Review (2023 Model)
Bose QuietComfort 45 (QC45) Review
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Review
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Headphone Review
