Looming in an event space of Chelsea’s Kimpton Eventi Hotel, the Sony ULT TOWER MAX introduced itself as something between a party speaker and a PA, packing more LEDs and dBs than the cabinets that came before it. In Manhattan in mid-August for a preview of three new speakers in Sony’s ULT POWER SOUND Series, I first met the MAX at a pre-briefing party as a DJ loosened up the new circular woofers, and maybe my travel-tightened spine, with some main-stage EDM at meeting-room distance.

The next day, in an even more compact conference room, I was given a disclaimer: we hadn’t heard the MAX anywhere near its max, but we could today, if we’re not sensitive to sound pressure. Before we dropped the bass, however, it was time to drop some specs.

[Disclosure: Sony provided travel accommodations during the creation of this story.]

Sony ULT TOWER MAX $1,499.99

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At the core of the Sony TOWER MAX are three large-diameter circular woofers (including a rear-firing one) plus an “ULT DUCT,” which replace the X-Balanced (rectangular) drivers of the previous generation. This 280mm geometry and more cabinet volume move air more efficiently, delivering lower-frequency extension of 45 Hz alongside 110dB/112dB SPL, depending on ULT mode selected. ULT1 emphasizes low end, ULT2 emphasizes overall output (the app also offers LIVE mode for a reverb/widening effect, a 10-band EQ you can overlay on either ULT mode, or FLAT for true-to-source playback). Pushing more air = pumping more bass. There are also dual midrange drivers and tweeters on the front, plus two rear-facing tweeters. This 360 Party Sound makes the TOWER MAX the best choice for bigger rooms and sub-heavy genres (after all, Grammy-nominated producers responsible for tracks by Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna, among others, helped tune it). It should be noted that each speaker is mono. However, you can create a stereo pair/Party Chain through either the physical connectivity panel (featuring XLR cables [In-Out] for mixer input and connecting multiple speakers, plus RCA, USB-A, USB-C, and a Mic input as sources) or using consumer-friendly Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC/AAC/Auracast. It’s just a click in the app or the push of a button on the back panel. (We believe the Sony speakers will, in theory, pair with other brands implementing open Auracast, but haven’t tested this yet.)

The Sony Sound Connect app helps you navigate these options, along with sonic and visual feedback from the speaker. Pushing the ULT mode button on the front (which is also a volume button) triggers a single (ULT1) or double (ULT2) turntable scratch sound. And the newly increased LED lights (100 on the TOWER MAX) can indicate Power On/Off, Volume Level/Up/Down, Sound mode, BT Pairing, Low battery (10%), Stereo Pairing, and Horizontal/Vertical switching of the device. And you can switch between three customizable lighting modes, putting the fun in functional. As for how to get the 20- x 41- x 18-inch, 121-pound speaker into place, four integrated corner handles and wider redesigned wheels help with transport and positioning.

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Sony ULT TOWER 7 $649.99

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The sweet spot for throwing a rager without throwing out your back, the Sony TOWER 7 cuts the price in half, woofers down to one, LEDs to 72, and weight to 50 pounds. But it produces more than enough rumble for the average backyard blast, hitting 51 Hz and 103.5dB/105dB. Everything else from the TOWER MAX is included. And you’re no longer tethered to an outlet; a rechargeable battery can last up to 30 hours with lighting off, 15 hours with lighting on (and a 10-minute quick charge offers 180 minutes of playback time). This is the one we’re testing, and its dynamic bass boost already scored highly on the “Daaaaaaamn” scale.

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Sony ULT TOWER 5 $449.99

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As for the Sony TOWER 5, it’s got one 230mm woofer and no ULT DUCT, plus no rear tweeters, resulting in bass reach of 51 Hz but overall SPL of only 98dB/99dB. It has only 56 LEDs and no wheels, but it’s also only 29 pounds and has a 20H/12H battery life (lights off/on). Plus it’s IPX4, so it can handle a light splash/rain shower. With the same I/O as its bigger brothers, including karaoke inputs (1/4-inch/XLR) and controls (Echo/key control) that I maybe should have mentioned earlier for the entire line, this is the most it’s going down anywhere you go choice. And Sound Connect lets you trigger an airhorn, so what more do you need?

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Back to those first impressions. Structural changes led to physical sensations. Sony set out to make a more well-rounded speaker, in both design language and bass reinforcement. And, based on my memory of the previous TOWER 9/10, they succeeded, whether you’re playing hip-hop, R&B, reggaeton, or EDM. In a city where there’s 1 DJ to every 10 people, anyone just getting started who doesn’t want to deal with separate subwoofers and flying lights may have a new entry point to consider for a tailgate or block party. As for that MAX bass test, I was definitely going to tap out before the speaker was.

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The Sony ULT POWER SOUND TOWER Series is available to order now.

The post Sony’s new ULT TOWER speakers want to headline your next rave appeared first on Popular Science.

In a NoHo loft in late August, JBL revealed its new Cove whole-home audio system. In this fully staged Manhattan apartment, three Wi-Fi speakers—the M1, P1, and X1—occupied kitchen counters, credenzas, bookshelves, and bedside tables. From Bad Bunny at the sink and Tiësto on the couch to Marvin Gaye by the fireplace and Al Green in some armchairs, Jesse Coyer, Sr. Manager, National Account Sales & Training, HARMAN Consumer Audio, demoed speaker setup and scale. The walkthrough’s throughline was clear: Cove offers expandable multiroom audio without the need for a custom installer or control system.

[Disclosure: JBL provided travel accommodations during the creation of this story.]

According to Coyer, the Cove series is being introduced to JBL’s lineup more as a progression than a pivot. It’s not meant to replace a multi-thousand-dollar separates system, though it could complement one. JBL sees the real competition as setup friction. For someone familiar with a PartyBox (or BandBox), who maybe has some JBL headphones, Cove speakers can be up and running almost as easily as a standard Bluetooth speaker, all through the JBL One app. But that’s where the walls crumble.

After three steps and a couple of minutes on a smartphone to connect the speaker(s) to your home Wi-Fi, you can stream lossless/hi-res audio to them directly with Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Qobuz Connect, Roon, AirPlay 2, and/or Google Cast. The JBL One can mirror native app controls, but you don’t have to live in it; it’s there primarily to group speakers into stereo pairs and/or rooms. When it comes to optimized tuning and distortion-free performance, the speakers use JBL’s proprietary room calibration, Constant Sound Field, and AI Sound Boost platforms, with preset/custom EQ available to overlay on grouped speakers in the app.

First up is the M1, a compact 4.9- x 7.2- x 4.9-inch powered speaker (shown below). Inside, 3 × 0.75-inch soft dome tweeters and 1 × 105 mm 4-inch woofer with rear passive radiator deliver 55 Hz-20 kHz (-6 dB) with punchy JBL Signature sound and solid off-axis dispersion. The speaker can also group with a JBL Bar 300/500/700/1000/1300MK2 Series soundbar to act as a surround channel (furthermore, any signal sent to an MKII soundbar on the network can be broadcast to any Cove speaker).

Stepping up to the P1 (shown below) brings portability and dimensionality. Ditching the cord, an internal battery provides up to 14 hours of power, and an integrated handle makes the 5.8- x 9.2- x 5.8-inch 7-pound speaker easy to carry (and easy to put back on its charging cradle). Plus, the IP56 rating means the speaker can handle poolside splashes, sudden rain showers, or time on a beach towel. Like the M1, the P1 can be used as rear channels with JBL Bar Series MK2 soundbars, or two can be paired for true channel separation. But the P1 features an additional 0.75-inch upfiring tweeter alongside 3 x 1.25-inch tweeters and 1 x 4-inch woofer with passive radiators, so Atmos content gets added clarity within the 50 Hz – 20 kHz (-6 dB) frequency response. Just make sure your ceiling is low enough for proper reflections in order to get the optimal effect.

Back on the mains, the X1 (shown below) delivers the most expressive performance with 4 x 1.25-inch tweeters, one upfiring, plus dual 3.5 x 4.7-inch woofers with passive radiators, for a 10.2- x 7- x 6.8-inch 3.0.1-channel system and a frequency response of 45 Hz – 20 kHz (-6 dB). Biggest box, biggest impression. The X1 doesn’t pair with soundbars out of the box, but JBL is open to exploring the possibility if customer feedback suggests it’s desired. The X1 is imagined more as its own room-filling entity, with the widest dispersion and deepest bass proven. Still demure in footprint, not presence. And two can be paired for an even more immersive soundstage.

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This isn’t JBL’s first entry in connected Atmos speakers (that was the more heritage-styled Authentics line, which is phasing out), but it has a more deliberately neutral aesthetic and shares the “power line” design language of the brand’s soundbar series. The endgame is one app, one ecosystem. For instance, the speakers share a feature called Music Follows Me through a Moment button, which can be long-pressed to extend the stream from an active speaker anywhere on the network to the new location, no phone required (you can also assign it an ambient soundscape or Spotify Tap to the button). And, over time, additional features (like independent surround channel levels) may be deployed and more hardware folded in, like a Cove subwoofer and allowing speakers to hand off sound to the Tour M3 headphones late at night.

For those folks who still have some digital files they’d like to play, each Cove speaker supports MP3 via USB-A. In addition, the speakers’ Bluetooth 5.3 protocol supports SBC, AAC, and, most importantly, Auracast, so the Cove speakers can still play music even if the network is down. And if someone has a compatible wireless speaker without Wi-Fi capabilities, it can still connect and play music from your phone simultaneously with Cove speakers, albeit at a lower resolution than Wi-Fi allows.

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The JBL Cove M1 ($229.95), JBL Cove P1 ($399.95), and JBL Cove X1 ($449.95) will be available in white and black at JBL.com starting September 13, 2026.

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Finishing up in our secluded cove, we wandered a few blocks south to the JBL SoHo flagship store, where we looked at various soundbars and Bluetooth speakers that can serve as introductions to, or extensions of, a JBL speaker system. Included in the overview is a look at the logo, with its distinctive exclamation point. While this most certainly represents the energy and excitement of sound, the tapered wedge and dot can also symbolize a horn-loaded speaker backed by a circular magnet structure—the type of intelligibility-focused compression driver that established James Bullough Lansing’s initial business and continues to help define JBL’s direction.

The day concluded with a nightcap at All Blues, a Tokyo-style listening bar centered on a rare JBL Paragon loudspeaker. At 9 feet wide and 850 pounds, it’s a far cry dimensions-wise from the Cove X1. But, at launch in 1957, it was a groundbreaking way to achieve a stable stereo image throughout a room. And it shows how JBL, now in its 80th year, has always innovated to bring directionality and dynamic ease, designed for scale, to home listening.

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