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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Pictures
    2. Style
    3. Portability
    4. Build Quality
    5. Controls
    6. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Frequency Response Accuracy
    2. Raw Frequency Response
    3. Soundstage
    4. Dynamics
  6. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. Voice Assistant
    3. App
  7. Connectivity
    1. Wired
    2. Bluetooth
    3. Wi-Fi
  8. Comments

Bose SoundLink Flex vs Sony ULT FIELD 1

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Bose SoundLink Flex
Sony ULT FIELD 1

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Oct 31, 2024 02:49 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Jan 22, 2025 06:15 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Bose SoundLink Flex Picture
Sony ULT FIELD 1 Picture

Variants

  • SoundLink Flex (Black)
  • SoundLink Flex (Carmine Red)
  • SoundLink Flex (Chilled Lilac)
  • SoundLink Flex (Cypress Green)
  • SoundLink Flex (Stone Blue)
  • SoundLink Flex (White Smoke)
  • ULT FIELD 1 (Black)
  • ULT FIELD 1 (Forest Gray)
  • ULT FIELD 1 (Off White)
  • ULT FIELD 1 (Orange)

Our Verdict

Bose SoundLink Flex

Sony ULT FIELD 1

The Bose SoundLink Flex and the Sony ULT FIELD 1 are comparable speakers with different strengths. They have very similar sound profiles, with the Sony offering a bit more warmth out of the box. You can also tweak the Sony's sound using the graphic EQ in its companion app. On the other hand, the Bose doesn't compress your audio as much when you blast your tunes. Both speakers will work with your device's Google Assistant or Siri voice assistant, but the Bose does a much better job picking up your voice from afar or in a noisy room. The Bose also lasts a little longer, but battery life varies with usage. 

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Black
SoundLink Flex
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Black
ULT FIELD 1
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Carmine Red
SoundLink Flex
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Forest Gray
ULT FIELD 1
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Chilled Lilac
SoundLink Flex
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Off White
ULT FIELD 1
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Cypress Green
SoundLink Flex
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Orange
ULT FIELD 1
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Stone Blue
SoundLink Flex
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White Smoke
SoundLink Flex
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Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.3
6.5

EQ 
 

No
Graphic + Presets

Dynamics 
 

6.4
5.5

Soundstage 
 

5.5
6.1

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

Bose SoundLink Flex Style Photo
Sony ULT FIELD 1 Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No

Show text

Portability 
 

9.2
9.2

Dimensions Photo  

Bose SoundLink Flex Dimensions Photo
Sony ULT FIELD 1 Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

57 in³ (942 cm³)
70 in³ (1,142 cm³)

Weight 
 

1.3 lbs (0.6 kg)
1.4 lbs (0.6 kg)

Power Source 
 

Battery & USB
Battery & USB

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Build Quality 
 

8.7
8.7

Build Quality Photo  

Bose SoundLink Flex Build Quality Photo
Sony ULT FIELD 1 Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Good
Good

Water Resistance 
 

Submersible (IPx7)
Submersible (IPx7)

Dust Resistance 
 

Dust-Proof (IP6x)
Dust-Proof (IP6x)

Impact Resistance 
 

Yes (IK rating unspecified)
Yes (IK rating unspecified)

Floats In Water 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Controls 
 

8.4
7.9

Controls Photo  

Bose SoundLink Flex Controls Photo
Sony ULT FIELD 1 Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

Bose SoundLink Flex Controls Photo 2
Sony ULT FIELD 1 Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Okay
Good

Feedback 
 

Decent
Great

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Call Answer/End 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Microphone On/Off 
 

Yes (Physical)
No

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Bose SoundLink Flex In The Box Photo
Sony ULT FIELD 1 In The Box Photo

Show text

Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.9
6.9

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

0.22
0.63

Std. Err. 
 

2.85 dB
2.73 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

60.8 Hz
55.8 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

15.6 kHz
14.1 kHz

Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

5.5
6.1

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

4.59 dB
3.53 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
No (mono)

Show text

Dynamics 
 

6.4
5.5

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

87.5 dB SPL
87.3 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.02 dB
4.89 dB

Show text

Active Features

Battery 
 

6.7
5.7

Battery Life 
 

7.2 hrs
6.4 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.7 hrs
5.4 hrs

Power Saving 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port 
 

USB-C
USB-C

Battery Powered 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Voice Assistant 
 

5.7
1.7

Alexa 
 

No
No

Google Assistant 
 

Yes (Requires Smartphone)
Yes (Requires Smartphone)

Speakerphone 
 

Yes
Yes

Siri 
 

Yes (Requires Smartphone)
Yes (Requires Smartphone)

Voice Assistant 
 

Yes
Yes

Voice Activation 
 

No
No

Microphone Mute 
 

No
No

Far-Field Performance 
 

Excellent
Bad

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

Excellent
Bad

Show text

App 
 

6.6
6.3

App Picture  

Bose SoundLink Flex App Picture
Sony ULT FIELD 1 App Picture

App Name 
 

Bose Connect
Sony Music Center

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

No
Graphic + Presets

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
No

Multi-Room 
 

No
No

Show text

Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

No
No

Show text

Bluetooth 
 

8.0
8.9

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

4.2
5.3

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

236 ms
44 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

109 ms
117 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

255.9 ft (78.0 m)
334.6 ft (102.0 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
2 Devices

Show text

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

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Black
SoundLink Flex
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Black
ULT FIELD 1
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Carmine Red
SoundLink Flex
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Forest Gray
ULT FIELD 1
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Chilled Lilac
SoundLink Flex
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Off White
ULT FIELD 1
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Cypress Green
SoundLink Flex
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Orange
ULT FIELD 1
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Stone Blue
SoundLink Flex
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White Smoke
SoundLink Flex
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Bose SoundLink Flex

Sony ULT FIELD 1

Comments

  1. Comparison

Bose SoundLink Flex vs Sony ULT FIELD 1: Main Discussion

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