I just tested Sony's ULT Tower 5 — and it's the best party speaker of the year

Sony is back on top of the party speakers game with the ULT Tower 5 — and the audio giant hit a home run with this one. Compact and portable thanks to four handles, the Tower 5 is an excellent speaker for on-the-go musicians, karaoke enthusiasts, and everyone in between. The speaker features an array of ports for hooking up instruments and mics, as well as Bluetooth connectivity that also enables you to sync up 100 speakers together.

Sound quality is where the Tower 5 comes into its own. Room-filling and ground-shaking bass, airy and refined treble, and an expansive soundstage make it a standout choice. For just under $450, the Tower 5 is one of the best Bluetooth speakers you can buy today, and Sony takes the fight to Marshall and JBL and emerges victorious.

For the complete breakdown, read my full Sony ULT Tower 5 review.

Sony ULT Tower 5 review: Specs

Sony ULT Tower 5 review: Price & availability

Announced in September 2026, the Sony ULT Tower 5 is part of the brand’s second generation of party speakers which also includes the Tower 7 ($648) and the Tower Max ($1,499). The Tower 5 is the cheapest of the three, retailing for $448 / £349 at Amazon. It’s actually only a smidge pricier than the JBL Xtreme 5 ($399)!

The Tower 5 is priced similarly to the JBL PartyBox 130 ($449), and is cheaper than the Soundboks Mix ($799) and the Marshall Bromley 450 ($799). Frankly speaking, the Tower 5 is ridiculously good value for money given its compact form factor, mahoosive 300W power output, great design, and wide range of connectivity.

Sony ULT Tower 5 review: Design

Sony has redesigned its Tower lineup and the second gen speakers, including the Tower 5, look more sophisticated with classier reactive lighting, cleaner top panels, and easily understandable controls. The Tower 5 features a large front grille that houses a circular ULT button in the top-left corner, and the speaker has a lovely matte black finish.

An LED strip frames the front grille, producing cyan, blue and purple gradients, and it looks fantastic. This is what gives the speaker its distinctly neon, party aesthetic. Though I still prefer the Marshall Bromley 450’s integrated stage lights, the Tower 5’s lighting is tasteful and doesn’t look as garish as on the JBL PartyBox 130.

The Tower 5 is the smallest and most portable of Sony’s ULT speakers, measuring 21 x 14.1 x 11 inches. It’s still quite heavy, though, weighing 28lbs. Sony has happily installed four carry handles so you can pick it up and carry it around. I’ve found these handles useful when moving the Tower 5 up and down the stairs. In comparison, both the JBL PartyBox 130 and the Marshall Bromley 450 feature single handles.

Weatherproofing

The Tower 5 is IPX4-rated (in the vertical orientation only), which means it’s splash-proof, but the ‘X’ in that rating means it doesn’t have an official rating for dust protection. This is the same level of waterproofing as the JBL PartyBox 130, but it’s worse than the Marshall Bromley 450’s IP55 and the Soundboks Mix’s IP65 ratings. Both the Bromley 450 and the Mix are, then, better for outdoor use.

Controls

The Tower 5 features a stripped-back, minimal control scheme. On the top, you’ll find buttons for turning the speaker on and off, Bluetooth, and playback. The circular ULT button on the front grille is customizable via the companion app and can be used to swap between EQ presets, and it can be rotated to adjust the volume.

More buttons are located on the speaker’s rear, and they give you control over features like Party Chain (for multi-speaker pairing), Key Control (for swapping between flat and sharp keys), and Stamina (to reduce power consumption). There are a few other buttons but they’re all easy to understand and get a hang of.

The buttons and dials on the Tower 5 give you ample control over the speaker’s settings, and you don’t really need the companion app, which is excellent. The controls give good tactile feedback, and I found them responsive in my testing.

Connectivity

There’s no dearth of ports or connectivity options on the Tower 5. If you want wireless playback, the Tower 5 utilizes Bluetooth 5.3 with support for SBC, AAC and LDAC codecs. It features multipoint connectivity, too, so you can pair it with two devices simultaneously, and the speaker will automatically switch between them when you start playback on either device.

All three speakers in the ULT Tower range — the Tower 5, Tower 7 and Tower Max — feature Party Chain, which essentially utilizes an Auracast broadcast to connect the speakers with compatible Sony speakers. Pressing the Party Chain button on the Tower 5 pairs it with… wait for it… up to 100 speakers. One hundred! I don’t know who might own 100 of the Towers, but I’ve listened to 10 of them together, so I know this feature works well at scale.

Then there’s wired connectivity. On the Tower 5’s rear panel, you’ll find a USB-C port for playing music directly from your smartphone or phone, and a USB-A port for playing from a USB stick. There’s also a 6.3mm mic/instrument jack, RCA line input, and a balanced XLR input and an XLR output for a second device or PA system. That’s a lot! There are more than enough ports for hooking up your instruments, mics for karaoke, and other devices. This is a similar level of wired connectivity you’ll find on the Marshall Bromley 450.

Sony ULT Tower 5 review: Sound quality

Let’s talk details first. Though the Sony ULT Tower 5 is small-ish, it packs a lot of power. It’s got a total power output of 300W, powered by one 9-inch woofer, two mid-range drivers, and dual 2.3-inch tweeters. The ULT Tower speakers have been tuned to deliver ground-shaking bass, and that’s exactly what the Tower 5 does.

As this is a bass-first speaker, I listened to a few hip-hop, electronic and heavy rock tracks on Qobuz, the best music streaming service for audiophiles — starting with ‘Come Around’ by 070 Shake. Through the Tower 5, the rumbling synths hit me with force as soon as the song started, and the low-end was deep, heavy and physical. The sub-bass felt weighty, and the Tower 5 ensured that each note felt punchy and room-filling. I could feel the ground rumbling under me, even when the speaker was playing at just 50% volume. Even with the volume pushed close to 100%, the bass felt tactile and controlled, never muddy.

This was with the ULT 1 sound profile enabled, which delivers deep bass that you can feel, and it maintains clarity at even high volumes. You can swap to ULT 2 by pressing the ULT button on the front grille if you want extra energy and drive. I listened to ‘Von Dutch’ by Charli xcx, and ULT 2 made the electronic beat feel bold and aggressive, and the Tower 5 laid the bass on thick. The club-like reproduction felt immersive, vibrating through the room without overwhelming the vocals. I couldn’t help but bob my head along!

Heavy rock tracks, like ‘Two Faced’ by Linkin Park, are handled with precision by the Tower 5, too. The Flat sound profile (also toggled via the ULT button) makes songs sound neutral and close to the original production, but it still packs plenty of punch. ‘Two Faced’ highlighted the speaker’s wide, energetic soundstage, as the guitars spread across the room with strong separation, while the drums sat firmly in the centre with impressive weight. Vocals sounded expansive and expressive, and Emily Armstrong’s screams didn’t overwhelm the speaker either, and they didn't pierce through the soundscape.

Finally, treble. ‘Life Itself’ by Glass Animals is driven by layered snappy percussion, including crisp hi-hats and tambourines. The Tower 5 reproduced these textures brilliantly, and the treble sounded airy and lively. The speaker kept up with the song’s energetic beat, and the overall sound didn’t feel thin or pushed back.

I’ve been extremely impressed with the Tower 5’s performance. Don’t let its tiny stature fool you: this thing is an absolute beast when it comes to raw performance.

Listen along to my review with the Sony ULT Tower 5 testing playlist:

Sony ULT Tower 5 review: App

Sony Sound Connect is your one-stop shop for customizing your headphones, earbuds and the ULT Tower speakers, too, including the Tower 5. Available for free on iOS and Android, the app sports a clean interface, and gives you extensive control over the Tower 5’s settings. You can customize the 10-band equalizer as well as the LED lighting’s colors.

You also get access to Party Pad which lets you trigger live audio effects, like a flanger or sampler, while playing music. Live musicians and even karaoke enthusiasts will surely appreciate this feature as it lets you add DJ-style effects, and I had a lot of fun playing around with it. There are effects for almost everything — drums, rhythm, robot, you name it.

Compared to the Marshall Bromley 450 and the Soundboks Mix whose companion apps don’t give you a lot of control over the speakers’ settings, the Tower 5 (and the Tower lineup) sets a new standard for what a party speaker can really do.

Sony ULT Tower 5 review: Battery life

The Sony ULT Tower 5 is capable of running on either a power supply from an AC outlet, or on its built-in rechargeable battery. On a single charge, the Tower 5 can last up to 20 hours, according to Sony. It upstages the JBL PartyBox 130’s 15-hour battery life, though it pales in comparison to the Marshall Bromley 450’s massive 40-hour playback time — but the Bromley 450 is also pricier than the Tower 5.

Your mileage will naturally depend on the LED lighting, EQ presets, volume level, and other speaker settings. I listened at varying volume levels with different presets toggled, and after five hours of playback, I had 70% battery remaining. If you want to extend the battery life, you can toggle Stamina mode via the dedicated button on the back. This turns off energy-hungry features like the LED lighting. Bass naturally loses its power, but it’s handy if you’re in a pinch.

Similar to the Marshall Bromley 450 and the Soundboks Mix, you can use the Tower 5’s USB-C or USB-A ports to charge your smartphone, laptop or other devices.

Sony ULT Tower 5 review: Verdict

There isn’t a lot wrong with the Sony ULT Tower 5. In fact, the only drawback I can think of is that it’s IPX4 waterproof only, but that’s about it. The Tower 5 nails every aspect, and it’s a well-rounded party speaker that delivers where it matters most: meaty bass that you feel in your soul; crisp, airy treble that doesn’t become fatiguing; and an expansive soundstage that makes every genre sing.

The Tower 5 sports a visually pleasing design, too, utilizing tasteful LED lighting and an all-black matte finish. It’s portable, and can be carried easily thanks to the integrated handles. There’s a plethora of ports and connectivity options. What more could you ask for? Pound for pound, the Tower 5 is the best portable party speaker of 2026.