Sony WH-ULT900N Announced, Introduces new ULT Power Sound Branding

Sony has revealed their new WH-ULT900N noise cancelling headphones, part of their new ULT Power Sound Brand. I will not be covering the new wireless speakers, but you can find the press release here. I do not have a review unit unlike most major tech sites, so this will not be a review, but more of a comparison and analysis. Time to dive in.

Design

As this new model replaces the WH-XB910N, this what I will compare them to. In all of my comparison photos, I have made both headsets the same size, but I am not sure if this is the case in reality.

WH-XB910N (L) - WH-ULT900N (R)

The design is an evolution of the older model with various design elements from Sony's current and past lineup. The headband is much thicker and the earpad cushion material seems to be the same as the WH-1000XM5. The headband now blends into the support, like it was previously on the WH-XB900N. Comparing the gap between the cups and hinge, it is a lot smaller and more tighter. And looking at some real life review photos, this does appear to be the case.

WH-XB910N (L) - WH-ULT900N (R)

The headband in this shot looks to be not as wide when compared to the older model. Perhaps this is why the headband cushion is larger to compensate for a smaller width. The feedforward NC microphone is now covered by a mesh, similar to the WF-1000XM5 but larger. The shape of the cups is closer to the WH-1000XM5, as is the black colour. But I am not sure if the material is the same as the WH-1000XM5 or something else.

WH-XB910N (L) - WH-ULT900N (R)

The new model has a less curvier shape, when the cups are laying flat, with the arms more vertical in their design. Looking the NC mic mesh here, I am curious whether the mic is electret, like in WH-XB910N, or MEMS like in the WH-1000XM5.

WH-XB910N (L) - WH-ULT900N (R)

Like with the WH-XB910N, the new model can also fold up to a more compact shape. When folded up. the new model seems to be more compact, with both cups more or less on top of each other, where as the old model has them more offset. This should translate to a smaller carrying case.

WH-XB910N (L) - WH-ULT900N (R)

I am not sure the scale is a 100% correct here, but I used the zipper ends to scale them, so I hope it is close. The new case does seem a bit smaller in the photo, and when I compared the case length to width ratios and the new case is slightly less oval, so it is smaller.

Of course, if the new headsets are different heights, then the size comparisons for the rest of the photos will go out the window.

I wonder how well the new model will handle fingerprints. The material is not shinny nor matte so hopefully it will be fine. I like the design, but the large ULT button font is a bit too much. What do people think of the shinny colour changing logo? Definitely feels like Sony is targeting a younger audience with this headset.

Specifications

So is the new model an improvement over the old one? Are there any improvements which are worth the higher price of a new model? Should you wait or just buy the WH-XB910N? Let us compare.

Both headsets use a 40mm neodymium dynamic driver, whether they are the same part is unknown. The battery capacity is identical, 520mAh 3.85V, which could explain the unchanged battery life. Playback with NC on is up to 30 hours, and with NC off, up to 50 hours. Recharge time to full is the same as well, 3.5 hours. The only difference is the quick charge, the new model has a 3 minute quick charge providing up to 90 minutes of playback, where as the old model had a 10 minute quick charge providing up to 4.5 hours of playback. Not a direct comparison unfortunately. Edit, the Chinese SonyStyle site showed a 10 minute quick charge provides up to 5 hours of playback, which makes sense, since 1 min is about 30 minutes of playback.

Turning to the Bluetooth chip, the new model uses Sony's V1, which for anyone who reads the blog will know is just the Mediatek MT2822. The WH-ULT900N uses the MT2822M, where as the WH-XB910N uses the MT2822S, but no there is no mention of the V1 in the WH-XB910N specs. Strange. Perhaps something else is required for the chip to be called the V?. Maybe the FCC teardown will reveal something.

The Bluetooth version is 5.2, and codec support is the same, SBC, AAC, and LDAC. In the SoundGuys review, there is mention of a future LE Audio firmware update in the works which will add LC3 support to the WH-ULT900N. But there is no specific date when this will happen. Not even the WH-1000XM5 has received their LC3 update, so who knows when Sony will add LC3 to their WH headsets.

Comparing frequency response, there are differences, whether the average user will hear any difference is debatable.  

• WH-ULT900N - 5 Hz - 20,000 Hz (JEITA)
• WH-XB910N - 7 Hz - 25,000 Hz (JEITA)
  

I will not comment on impedance and sensitivity, as my knowledge of how these affect the headsets is beyond my expertise, so I will just post the numbers. If anyone wishes to comment on them, please do so in the comments.

Impedance

• WH-ULT900N
• 314 Ω (when connecting via the headphone cable with the unit turned on)
• 32 Ω  (when connecting via the headphone cable with the unit turned off)
• WH-XB910N
• 48 Ω(when connecting via the headphone cable with the unit turned on)
• 16 Ω(when connecting via the headphone cable with the unit turned off)

Sensitivity

• WH-ULT900N
• 110 dB/mW (when connecting via the headphone cable with the unit turned on)
• 100 dB/mW (when connecting via the headphone cable with the unit turned off)
• WH-XB910N 
• 96dB / mW (when connecting via the headphone cable with the unit turned on)
• 96dB / mW (when connecting via the headphone cable with the unit turned off)

The weight difference is minimal, the new model is 3 grams heavier. I do not think this is a noticeable difference. 

Both models have DSEE, but the WH-ULT900N has the new ULT function which offers the 2 different modes:

• ULT1 for deep, low-frequency bass
• ULT2 to experience powerful and groovy bass

As previously, there is support for Sony's 360 Reality Audio, with the new WH-ULT900N adding head tracking capability like the WH-1000XM5, WF-1000XM5, Linkbuds and LinkBuds S.

WH-ULT900N wear detection

 

Just like the more expensive WH-1000XM5, the WH-ULT900N uses a capacitive sensor for wear detection. I hope the FCC teardown shows this, otherwise we will need to wait for a 52Audio teardown to see if is the same design/idea.

Multipoint is supported along with the various personal assistants. Playback and volume control is via the touch panel like in the old model. And now for some additional photos.

And with that, this concludes my comparison. The new model seems like it is a slight improvement over the older model but the WH-XB910N is still a worthy headset, and should be available with some discounts.

I was doing to wait for the FCC internal documents before posting this, but decided that I might as well publish this now, and depending how much of a teardown the filing will show, will either add it to this post, or make a new one.