Products
Sony ULT FIELD 1
JBL Flip 7
Tested using Methodology v0.8
Updated Jun 13, 2025 04:03 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Tested using Methodology v0.8
Updated Oct 01, 2025 01:06 PM
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Amazon.com
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Speakerphone
Yes
Voice Assistant
Yes
Battery Powered
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Speakerphone
No
Voice Assistant
No
Battery Powered
Yes
Our Verdict
Sony ULT FIELD 1
JBL Flip 7
Choosing between the Sony ULT FIELD 1 and JBL Flip 7 partly depends on whether you plan to add a second speaker or not. Of the two, only the JBL can connect to a second compatible speaker for stereo, or a few for Party mode. The JBL also has a higher IP68 rating and is advertised to be drop-resistant up to a meter. It even recharges faster than the Sony, though the battery is a little shorter. The Sony has a slightly more excited sound with more boom and treble. The Sony boasts a slightly lesser IP67 rating, but we found it floats. It also has a microphone for voice assistance, which the JBL doesn't. That said, for video streaming, the Sony has much lower latency for a tighter A/V sync.
Variants
- ULT FIELD 1 (Black)
- ULT FIELD 1 (Forest Gray)
- ULT FIELD 1 (Off White)
- ULT FIELD 1 (Orange)
- Flip 7 (Black)
- Flip 7 (Black/Orange)
- Flip 7 (Blue)
- Flip 7 (Pink)
- Flip 7 (Purple)
- Flip 7 (Red)
- Flip 7 (Sand)
- Flip 7 (Squad)
- Flip 7 (White)
Check Price
Black
ULT FIELD 1
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Flip 7
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Forest Gray
ULT FIELD 1
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black/Orange
Flip 7
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Off White
ULT FIELD 1
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Blue
Flip 7
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Orange
ULT FIELD 1
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Pink
Flip 7
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Purple
Flip 7
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Red
Flip 7
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Sand
Flip 7
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Squad
Flip 7
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
White
Flip 7
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Main Differences for
Music
Music
Threshold
Music
6.5
6.3
Frequency Response Accuracy
6.9
6.3
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
RGB Lights
No
No
Portability
9.2
9.3
Dimensions Photo
Volume
70 in³ (1,142 cm³)
51 in³ (834 cm³)
Weight
1.4 lbs (0.6 kg)
1.2 lbs (0.6 kg)
Power Source
Battery & USB
Battery & USB
One-Hand Carry
Yes
Yes
Build Quality
8.7
9.0
Build Quality Photo
Material Quality
Good
Great
Water Resistance
Submersible (IPx7)
Submersible (IPx8)
Dust Resistance
Dust-Proof (IP6x)
Dust-Proof (IP6x)
Impact Resistance
Yes (IK rating unspecified)
Yes (IK rating unspecified)
Floats In Water
Yes
No
Controls
7.9
6.9
Controls Photo
Controls Photo 2
Ease Of Use
Good
Great
Feedback
Great
Good
Music Play/Pause
Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)
Call Answer/End
Yes (Physical)
No
Volume Up/Down
Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)
Track Next/Previous
Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)
Microphone On/Off
No
No
Additional Controls
Yes
Yes
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Sound
Frequency Response Accuracy
6.9
6.3
Frequency Response Graph
Slope
0.63
0.27
Std. Err.
2.73 dB
3.58 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
55.8 Hz
73.4 Hz
High-Frequency Extension
14.1 kHz
14.1 kHz
Raw Frequency Response
Raw Frequency Response Graph
Binaural Recording @ 1m
Binaural Recording @ 2m
Soundstage
6.1
6.4
Directivity Graph
Directivity Index
3.53 dB
3.13 dB
Stereo
No (mono)
No (mono)
Dynamics
5.5
5.7
Dynamic Range Compression
SPL @ Max Volume
87.3 dB SPL
88.3 dB SPL
DRC @ Max Volume
4.89 dB
4.56 dB
Active Features
Battery
5.7
5.7
Battery Life
6.4 hrs
5.6 hrs
Charge Time
5.4 hrs
2.8 hrs
Power Saving
Yes
Yes
Charging Port
USB-C
USB-C
Battery Powered
Yes
Yes
Voice Assistant
1.7
0.0
Alexa
No
No
Google Assistant
Yes (Requires Smartphone)
No
Speakerphone
Yes
No
Siri
Yes (Requires Smartphone)
No
Voice Assistant
Yes
No
Voice Activation
No
No
Microphone Mute
No
No Microphone
Far-Field Performance
Bad
No Microphone
Ambient Noise Performance
Bad
No Microphone
App
6.3
7.9
App Picture
App Name
Sony Music Center
JBL Portable
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
Yes
Yes
EQ
Graphic + Presets
Graphic + Presets
Stereo Pair Mode
Yes
Yes
Party Mode
No
Yes
Multi-Room
No
No
Connectivity
Wired
Aux Input
No
No
USB Audio
No
Yes
Other Ports
No
No
Bluetooth
8.9
7.8
Bluetooth
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth Version
5.3
5.4
Bluetooth iOS Latency
44 ms
215 ms
Bluetooth Android Latency
117 ms
198 ms
Bluetooth Range
334.6 ft (102.0 m)
328.1 ft (100.0 m)
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
2 Devices
Wi-Fi
0.0
0.0
Wi-Fi Version
No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi Frequency Band
No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
No
No
Apple AirPlay
No
No
AirPlay Latency
N/A
N/A
Google Chromecast
No
No
Chromecast Latency
N/A
N/A
Check Price
Black
ULT FIELD 1
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Flip 7
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Forest Gray
ULT FIELD 1
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black/Orange
Flip 7
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Off White
ULT FIELD 1
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Blue
Flip 7
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Orange
ULT FIELD 1
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Pink
Flip 7
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Purple
Flip 7
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Red
Flip 7
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Sand
Flip 7
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Squad
Flip 7
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
White
Flip 7
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
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Sony ULT FIELD 1
JBL Flip 7
Comments
Sony ULT FIELD 1 vs JBL Flip 7: Main Discussion
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Hi there, Thank you for your questions, I did a quick check on our Flip 7 from inventory and it looks like the new FW update is for setting up ‘stereo group’, and not optimizing latency. Regarding comparing to Ult 7, we currently only measure EQ presets and not custom EQ for speakers, however I will bring this up to our test designer and hopefully we will address this in the future. And for latency testing, we have specialized software to measure the latency. But you can also check it by playing an ‘audio video sync test’ from Youtube on your device, and see if the click is late or not. Cheers
Have you been able to retest the JBL’s latency with updated firmware? I currently have the Sony and while it’s great, I would appreciate the ability to fine tune the sound signature a bit. That’s why the JBL interests me. Also, with the JBL’s low freq raised to max, how does it compare with Sony’s Ult mode?
Thanks for the article!
Edit: Is there a way for me to test latency easily using my MacBook or android phone?