{"video_id":"INby0vxHLUY","title":"I'm the life of the party - Sony ULT TOWER 9","channel":"ShortCircuit","show":"ShortCircuit","published_at":"2025-08-07T14:58:16Z","duration_s":500,"segments":[{"start_s":0.64,"end_s":5.92,"text":"A little shorter, a little lighter, a little newer, and a little cheaper.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":4.24,"end_s":10.08,"text":"Today, we're setting our peepers on the Sony Alt Tower 9. And even if it is","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":8.4,"end_s":13.679,"text":"missing a little cake, hopefully it doesn't sound a little worse. Thanks to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":11.92,"end_s":17.44,"text":"Sony for sponsoring today's video, and to my co-workers for what's about to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":15.44,"end_s":24.4,"text":"happen. All right, let's crack into this Linus sized box. Now, we did look at the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":21.199,"end_s":27.76,"text":"Ulttower 10 last time, which is kind of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":24.4,"end_s":30.72,"text":"this guy's bigger brother. I guess this","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":27.76,"end_s":35.6,"text":"slightly newer model is ever so slightly shorter and ever so slightly lighter. I","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":33.28,"end_s":39.2,"text":"believe it's a pound less. And uh they brought the battery back, which is super","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":37.44,"end_s":44.48,"text":"exciting. Let's have a look and see what we've got in here. Got some manual","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":41.52,"end_s":49.039,"text":"things, which is always nice. Optical cable in the box. Not many people have","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":46.239,"end_s":54.96,"text":"these anymore. We have power cable. This one has battery in it. There are some","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":51.2,"end_s":57.199,"text":"variations that don't. Uh some opening","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":54.96,"end_s":63.199,"text":"instructions. I believe I'm supposed to now turf this over onto the floor.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":60.96,"end_s":71.24,"text":"It doesn't say gently. I'm trying my best here. And which way is the top up?","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":67.119,"end_s":71.24,"text":"Pull it out. Static.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":72.159,"end_s":75.159,"text":"Tada.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":76.159,"end_s":83.28,"text":"Tada. Okay. Well, it looks like I immediately","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":80.88,"end_s":87.92,"text":"pushed one of these out. We've got these rubber stops for transport. And it's got","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":86.24,"end_s":91.2,"text":"two microphone holders that just pop out. That's really nice. One of the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":89.6,"end_s":95.36,"text":"first things I noticed about this, which is kind of awesome, is they've ditched","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":93.04,"end_s":100.32,"text":"the piano black on top. And it's this nice matte surface","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":98.56,"end_s":103.6,"text":"and I accidentally turned it on, which is great. I don't mean to start off","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":102.24,"end_s":106.88,"text":"immediately with the lighting, but I mean, that is a really cool feature.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":105.36,"end_s":111.119,"text":"Looks like they've redone the lighting. There's a hell of a lot more on the top.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":108.96,"end_s":117.84,"text":"There's some at the bottom now, too. And I believe it's on the back maybe. No,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":114.64,"end_s":119.28,"text":"all the way around. So, 360°ree lighting","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":117.84,"end_s":124.159,"text":"maybe at least at the top. Oh, there's some on the sides, too. I'm also","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":121.52,"end_s":129.44,"text":"noticing that the wheels are a little bit better than last time. Yeah, things","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":126.56,"end_s":135.28,"text":"have kind of been modernized, maybe improved, tweaked a little bit. Stop it.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":133.76,"end_s":140.16,"text":"While we're checking out its backside, I'm noticing that it's also got the tweeters on the back, sort of like the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":138.48,"end_s":143.36,"text":"other one, which is kind of cool. it'll bounce sound or you could have it in the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":141.76,"end_s":149.2,"text":"middle of the room, that sort of thing. We'll flip it around and have a look at some of the other ones. It's got","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":147.36,"end_s":153.519,"text":"another two tweeters here. Another pair of mid drivers. And then the giant","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":151.04,"end_s":157.04,"text":"square woofer, which is always kind of cool. Really gives it some good bass. I","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":155.68,"end_s":162.4,"text":"remember the last one always had some really good bass response. So, we'll see if this one holds up. At the top here,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":160.48,"end_s":165.84,"text":"we have two mic inputs, and one of them can be switched to guitar, which is kind","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":163.92,"end_s":169.36,"text":"of cool, too. So, you can have this as your karaoke, or you can play Wonder","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":168.08,"end_s":172.959,"text":"Wall to your friends. I think I made that joke last time. I'm sorry. And then","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":171.28,"end_s":177.519,"text":"the rest are under this rubberized flap at the back. On the back here, we've got","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":174.8,"end_s":181.76,"text":"USB play charge out, optical in, as well as audio in with a 3 and 12 mil jack.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":180.08,"end_s":184.8,"text":"I'm itching to get this thing connected. So, let's pair a phone and see what it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":183.44,"end_s":188.239,"text":"sounds like. I've got it connected to the Sony Connect app, which allows you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":186.56,"end_s":192.0,"text":"to do lighting patterns and stuff like that. The whole lineup of the Alt series","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":190.319,"end_s":195.12,"text":"seems to be very, very similar. So, they all kind of interplay and connect to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":193.44,"end_s":199.76,"text":"each other. Let's play some Crab Rave. Unfortunately, first thing I've noticed","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":197.519,"end_s":203.599,"text":"is it it can be really quiet, which is kind of nice. Um, some of these are a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":202.159,"end_s":210.449,"text":"little bit too loud and it's right at minimum volume. So, sorry, Andrew.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":227.519,"end_s":234.56,"text":"It loud enough for you? We've got transport controls on the top. Thank god. Um, wow, that's really loud. I was","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":232.959,"end_s":238.319,"text":"pushing the alt button, which changes the different types of sound profile","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":236.159,"end_s":242.48,"text":"modes. Sorry, what was that, Riley? Huh? I just Are you ringing?","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":240.239,"end_s":246.48,"text":"I just see crabs everywhere. Got it connected to the app. Now, we","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":244.239,"end_s":251.519,"text":"have custom EQ. This one has 10 band EQ. I believe the 10 only had seven. I don't","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":249.76,"end_s":257.68,"text":"know why that would be a difference, but it's fine. Sound field optimization. So,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":255.519,"end_s":261.359,"text":"if people are having very loud party, I guess it'll adjust it. TV sound booster.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":259.84,"end_s":264.8,"text":"That's what the optical connections for. Maybe if you had karaoke that came from","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":262.88,"end_s":269.199,"text":"a TV with the lyrics on the screen, that sort of thing. Then we have our sound","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":266.56,"end_s":273.84,"text":"effects. So, this alt button changes between the different sound effects.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":270.4,"end_s":277.44,"text":"We've got off, classic, alt, enhancing","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":273.84,"end_s":279.44,"text":"deep bass, and alt two, increased power.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":277.44,"end_s":282.88,"text":"I I wonder what these mean. And then a custom, which I guess engages your EQ.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":281.44,"end_s":288.639,"text":"So, they're probably just different EQ settings. We've also got some settings","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":286.4,"end_s":294.56,"text":"for the lighting mode. So, we can switch that. Offbeat, wave, and mellow. This is","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":291.6,"end_s":300.16,"text":"wave. This one's mellow. Beat, I guess, works with the beats. I'm noticing a uh","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":297.68,"end_s":303.759,"text":"lack of microphone. The 10 does come with a microphone, but I think for this","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":302.32,"end_s":309.44,"text":"version, they've traded it for the battery. It's","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":307.52,"end_s":313.68,"text":"I don't know if that's too much of an issue, but if you're going to kind of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":311.759,"end_s":317.28,"text":"build this as a karaoke speaker, it was really nice to have the mic. I think if","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":315.52,"end_s":320.16,"text":"you're going to look for one specifically for karaoke, get the one","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":318.88,"end_s":324.56,"text":"with the mic, but you can always get that afterwards or use your own with the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":322.24,"end_s":328.16,"text":"the holes that come in its head. If you're using stamina mode, you get 25","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":326.479,"end_s":332.72,"text":"hours of battery life, but that's with like the lighting off and at a very","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":330.16,"end_s":338.24,"text":"reasonable volume. At volume level 18, with the lights on, you get 10 hours.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":335.44,"end_s":346.56,"text":"And then at maximum volume with the lights on, you get 2 and 1/2 hours. So","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":342.479,"end_s":347.919,"text":"that's enough, I guess. If you're going","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":346.56,"end_s":351.36,"text":"to annoy your neighbors, at least it's shortlived. 2 and 1/2 hours at max","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":349.84,"end_s":355.759,"text":"volume probably will cause hearing damage. I'm pretty sure this is loud","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":353.52,"end_s":361.199,"text":"enough for like at least 1 hour of hearing damage. It's certainly over 100","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":358.56,"end_s":365.28,"text":"dB. It also does have quick charging and about 10 minutes of charging will get","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":362.8,"end_s":369.759,"text":"you 180 minutes of playback. At what volume level? I'm not entirely sure, but","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":367.919,"end_s":374.56,"text":"uh that's that's pretty good. I love quick charging. Really helps get things","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":372.0,"end_s":379.36,"text":"back to where they need to be very very quick. Oh, that's what it means. Power","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":376.56,"end_s":382.319,"text":"consumption seems to be about 153 watts, which means the speakers are probably","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":380.88,"end_s":386.08,"text":"going to be a little bit less than that, but it's still pretty loud. I'm not","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":384.479,"end_s":391.6,"text":"entirely sure if it's going to sound quite as good as the 10, but I expect","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":389.28,"end_s":396.08,"text":"them to be very very similar. I'm not entirely sure what if this is going to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":394.16,"end_s":399.68,"text":"be a standalone or if it's a secondary, if it just fits a slightly different","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":397.44,"end_s":403.6,"text":"market, but they do seem to be quite the same.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":401.199,"end_s":411.0,"text":"However, I'm sure that'll come out when we give it a listen. So, let's test it.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":406.16,"end_s":411.0,"text":"Let's piss off Riley even more.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":422.08,"end_s":427.199,"text":"I was playing a lot more music than I was expecting. Maybe not going to be the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":425.36,"end_s":433.36,"text":"best if you want to play Leonard Cohen. Uh, it's a little MIDI, but all the club","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":429.759,"end_s":435.039,"text":"stuff, all your big bombastic tracks are","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":433.36,"end_s":439.36,"text":"great. It's going to be phenomenal for a party. You can get a bunch of them and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":437.44,"end_s":443.84,"text":"pair them all together and just destroy a person standing in between seven of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":441.28,"end_s":446.96,"text":"them. And you could pair up to a hundred of these together. Well, I mean, maybe","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":445.52,"end_s":450.479,"text":"not these. That would probably be a bad idea, but like a hundred of any of the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":448.56,"end_s":455.84,"text":"Sony speakers. Uh, that would be probably a little bit overkill. So, if","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":453.52,"end_s":459.84,"text":"you're an oligarch and you want to just like do that to someone, that sounds","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":457.919,"end_s":464.319,"text":"kind of fun. I do that. Maybe that's an LTT. Probably not. But if you're not a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":462.16,"end_s":468.72,"text":"Sony's doing these smaller ones here. This one here is the Altfield 3.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":466.56,"end_s":472.479,"text":"It's got a strap. And I've got these two paired together right now, actually. Uh,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":470.56,"end_s":475.599,"text":"and then they've also the Altfield 5, which is a little bit of a bigger boy.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":474.24,"end_s":479.919,"text":"All of them have these weird square drivers. I think that looks really cool.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":477.599,"end_s":484.72,"text":"Um, I remember really enjoying some of the Sony portable Bluetooth speakers in","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":482.8,"end_s":487.919,"text":"the past. Um, there's another video there somewhere. Thanks to Sony for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":486.4,"end_s":491.52,"text":"sponsoring today's video. If you want to check out my unboxing of the 10 or","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":490.16,"end_s":495.039,"text":"another one of their little blue spoo speakers that they've done, uh, those","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":493.44,"end_s":499.879,"text":"are great, too. I think this will work well in their lineup. Okay, I'm going to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":496.479,"end_s":499.879,"text":"have a nap. Goodbye.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0}],"full_text":"A little shorter, a little lighter, a little newer, and a little cheaper. Today, we're setting our peepers on the Sony Alt Tower 9. And even if it is missing a little cake, hopefully it doesn't sound a little worse. Thanks to Sony for sponsoring today's video, and to my co-workers for what's about to happen. All right, let's crack into this Linus sized box. Now, we did look at the Ulttower 10 last time, which is kind of this guy's bigger brother. I guess this slightly newer model is ever so slightly shorter and ever so slightly lighter. I believe it's a pound less. And uh they brought the battery back, which is super exciting. Let's have a look and see what we've got in here. Got some manual things, which is always nice. Optical cable in the box. Not many people have these anymore. We have power cable. This one has battery in it. There are some variations that don't. Uh some opening instructions. I believe I'm supposed to now turf this over onto the floor. It doesn't say gently. I'm trying my best here. And which way is the top up? Pull it out. Static. Tada. Tada. Okay. Well, it looks like I immediately pushed one of these out. We've got these rubber stops for transport. And it's got two microphone holders that just pop out. That's really nice. One of the first things I noticed about this, which is kind of awesome, is they've ditched the piano black on top. And it's this nice matte surface and I accidentally turned it on, which is great. I don't mean to start off immediately with the lighting, but I mean, that is a really cool feature. Looks like they've redone the lighting. There's a hell of a lot more on the top. There's some at the bottom now, too. And I believe it's on the back maybe. No, all the way around. So, 360°ree lighting maybe at least at the top. Oh, there's some on the sides, too. I'm also noticing that the wheels are a little bit better than last time. Yeah, things have kind of been modernized, maybe improved, tweaked a little bit. Stop it. While we're checking out its backside, I'm noticing that it's also got the tweeters on the back, sort of like the other one, which is kind of cool. it'll bounce sound or you could have it in the middle of the room, that sort of thing. We'll flip it around and have a look at some of the other ones. It's got another two tweeters here. Another pair of mid drivers. And then the giant square woofer, which is always kind of cool. Really gives it some good bass. I remember the last one always had some really good bass response. So, we'll see if this one holds up. At the top here, we have two mic inputs, and one of them can be switched to guitar, which is kind of cool, too. So, you can have this as your karaoke, or you can play Wonder Wall to your friends. I think I made that joke last time. I'm sorry. And then the rest are under this rubberized flap at the back. On the back here, we've got USB play charge out, optical in, as well as audio in with a 3 and 12 mil jack. I'm itching to get this thing connected. So, let's pair a phone and see what it sounds like. I've got it connected to the Sony Connect app, which allows you to do lighting patterns and stuff like that. The whole lineup of the Alt series seems to be very, very similar. So, they all kind of interplay and connect to each other. Let's play some Crab Rave. Unfortunately, first thing I've noticed is it it can be really quiet, which is kind of nice. Um, some of these are a little bit too loud and it's right at minimum volume. So, sorry, Andrew. It loud enough for you? We've got transport controls on the top. Thank god. Um, wow, that's really loud. I was pushing the alt button, which changes the different types of sound profile modes. Sorry, what was that, Riley? Huh? I just Are you ringing? I just see crabs everywhere. Got it connected to the app. Now, we have custom EQ. This one has 10 band EQ. I believe the 10 only had seven. I don't know why that would be a difference, but it's fine. Sound field optimization. So, if people are having very loud party, I guess it'll adjust it. TV sound booster. That's what the optical connections for. Maybe if you had karaoke that came from a TV with the lyrics on the screen, that sort of thing. Then we have our sound effects. So, this alt button changes between the different sound effects. We've got off, classic, alt, enhancing deep bass, and alt two, increased power. I I wonder what these mean. And then a custom, which I guess engages your EQ. So, they're probably just different EQ settings. We've also got some settings for the lighting mode. So, we can switch that. Offbeat, wave, and mellow. This is wave. This one's mellow. Beat, I guess, works with the beats. I'm noticing a uh lack of microphone. The 10 does come with a microphone, but I think for this version, they've traded it for the battery. It's I don't know if that's too much of an issue, but if you're going to kind of build this as a karaoke speaker, it was really nice to have the mic. I think if you're going to look for one specifically for karaoke, get the one with the mic, but you can always get that afterwards or use your own with the the holes that come in its head. If you're using stamina mode, you get 25 hours of battery life, but that's with like the lighting off and at a very reasonable volume. At volume level 18, with the lights on, you get 10 hours. And then at maximum volume with the lights on, you get 2 and 1/2 hours. So that's enough, I guess. If you're going to annoy your neighbors, at least it's shortlived. 2 and 1/2 hours at max volume probably will cause hearing damage. I'm pretty sure this is loud enough for like at least 1 hour of hearing damage. It's certainly over 100 dB. It also does have quick charging and about 10 minutes of charging will get you 180 minutes of playback. At what volume level? I'm not entirely sure, but uh that's that's pretty good. I love quick charging. Really helps get things back to where they need to be very very quick. Oh, that's what it means. Power consumption seems to be about 153 watts, which means the speakers are probably going to be a little bit less than that, but it's still pretty loud. I'm not entirely sure if it's going to sound quite as good as the 10, but I expect them to be very very similar. I'm not entirely sure what if this is going to be a standalone or if it's a secondary, if it just fits a slightly different market, but they do seem to be quite the same. However, I'm sure that'll come out when we give it a listen. So, let's test it. Let's piss off Riley even more. I was playing a lot more music than I was expecting. Maybe not going to be the best if you want to play Leonard Cohen. Uh, it's a little MIDI, but all the club stuff, all your big bombastic tracks are great. It's going to be phenomenal for a party. You can get a bunch of them and pair them all together and just destroy a person standing in between seven of them. And you could pair up to a hundred of these together. Well, I mean, maybe not these. That would probably be a bad idea, but like a hundred of any of the Sony speakers. Uh, that would be probably a little bit overkill. So, if you're an oligarch and you want to just like do that to someone, that sounds kind of fun. I do that. Maybe that's an LTT. Probably not. But if you're not a Sony's doing these smaller ones here. This one here is the Altfield 3. It's got a strap. And I've got these two paired together right now, actually. Uh, and then they've also the Altfield 5, which is a little bit of a bigger boy. All of them have these weird square drivers. I think that looks really cool. Um, I remember really enjoying some of the Sony portable Bluetooth speakers in the past. Um, there's another video there somewhere. Thanks to Sony for sponsoring today's video. If you want to check out my unboxing of the 10 or another one of their little blue spoo speakers that they've done, uh, those are great, too. I think this will work well in their lineup. Okay, I'm going to have a nap. Goodbye."}