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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

JBL Charge 5 vs Sony ULT FIELD 1

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

JBL Charge 5
Sony ULT FIELD 1

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Apr 14, 2025 08:40 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Jan 22, 2025 06:15 PM

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BestBuy.com
JBL Charge 5 Picture
Sony ULT FIELD 1 Picture
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. JBL

Variants

  • JBL Charge 5 (Black)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Blue)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Camo)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Gray)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Green)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Pink)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Red)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Teal)
  • JBL Charge 5 (White)
  • ULT FIELD 1 (Black)
  • ULT FIELD 1 (Forest Gray)
  • ULT FIELD 1 (Off White)
  • ULT FIELD 1 (Orange)

Our Verdict

JBL Charge 5

Sony ULT FIELD 1

The JBL Charge 5 and the Sony ULT FIELD 1 are speakers with similar cylindrical designs. They're both very portable and can easily be carried around with you on your day-to-day. Some key differences between the two can help you make a buying decision, though. The Sony is better built and has a more accurate frequency response across the whole range, so it's a better choice for music lovers and can withstand the elements better. However, the JBL has much less compression at max volume, so the audio remains clear even when you crank it. The JBL also has a much longer continuous battery life, making it a solid choice for weekend trips.

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Black
JBL Charge 5
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Black
ULT FIELD 1
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Blue
JBL Charge 5
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Forest Gray
ULT FIELD 1
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Camo
JBL Charge 5
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Off White
ULT FIELD 1
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Gray
JBL Charge 5
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Orange
ULT FIELD 1
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Green
JBL Charge 5
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Pink
JBL Charge 5
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Red
JBL Charge 5
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Teal
JBL Charge 5
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White
JBL Charge 5
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Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.5
6.5

Dynamics 
 

6.5
5.5

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.7
6.9

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

JBL Charge 5 Style Photo
Sony ULT FIELD 1 Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

9.1
9.2

Dimensions Photo  

JBL Charge 5 Dimensions Photo
Sony ULT FIELD 1 Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

121 in³ (1,982 cm³)
70 in³ (1,142 cm³)

Weight 
 

2.0 lbs (0.9 kg)
1.4 lbs (0.6 kg)

Power Source 
 

Battery & USB
Battery & USB

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.3
8.7

Build Quality Photo  

JBL Charge 5 Build Quality Photo
Sony ULT FIELD 1 Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Great
Good

Water Resistance 
 

Submersible (IPx7)
Submersible (IPx7)

Dust Resistance 
 

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

Impact Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Yes (IK rating unspecified)

Floats In Water 
 

Unspecified
Yes
Show Text 

Controls 
 

6.6
7.9

Controls Photo  

JBL Charge 5 Controls Photo
Sony ULT FIELD 1 Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

JBL Charge 5 Controls Photo 2
Sony ULT FIELD 1 Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Good

Feedback 
 

Good
Great

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Call Answer/End 
 

No
Yes (Physical)

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Forward Only (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
No

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

JBL Charge 5 In The Box Photo
Sony ULT FIELD 1 In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.7
6.9

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

0.29
0.63

Std. Err. 
 

3.90 dB
2.73 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

58.2 Hz
55.8 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

18.5 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 
 

5.8
6.1

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

4.27 dB
3.53 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
No (mono)
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

6.5
5.5

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

88.9 dB SPL
87.3 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.16 dB
4.89 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

8.7
5.7

Battery Life 
 

14.5 hrs
6.4 hrs

Charge Time 
 

3.8 hrs
5.4 hrs

Power Saving 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port 
 

USB-C
USB-C

Battery Powered 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Voice Assistant 
 

0.0
1.7

Alexa 
 

No
No

Google Assistant 
 

No
Yes (Requires Smartphone)

Speakerphone 
 

No
Yes

Siri 
 

No
Yes (Requires Smartphone)

Voice Assistant 
 

No
Yes

Voice Activation 
 

No
No

Microphone Mute 
 

No
No

Far-Field Performance 
 

No Microphone
Bad

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

No Microphone
Bad
Show Text 

App 
 

7.9
6.3

App Picture  

JBL Charge 5 App Picture
Sony ULT FIELD 1 App Picture

App Name 
 

JBL Portable
Sony Music Center

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

Graphic
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 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

8.5
8.9

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.1
5.3

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

125 ms
44 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

102 ms
117 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

328.1 ft (100.0 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
JBL Charge 5
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Black
ULT FIELD 1
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Blue
JBL Charge 5
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Forest Gray
ULT FIELD 1
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Camo
JBL Charge 5
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Off White
ULT FIELD 1
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Gray
JBL Charge 5
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Orange
ULT FIELD 1
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Green
JBL Charge 5
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Pink
JBL Charge 5
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Red
JBL Charge 5
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Teal
JBL Charge 5
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White
JBL Charge 5
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JBL Charge 5

Sony ULT FIELD 1

Comments

  1. Comparison

JBL Charge 5 vs Sony ULT FIELD 1: Main Discussion

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