With 4K displays stealing much of the attention on home theater these days, it's easier than ever to overlook sound — something most TVs don't do that well (with some exceptions). The easiest solution is to pair your TV with a soundbar, but if you want something special, you should have a listen to Sony's HT-ST7.
Sony's first foray into "premium" (read: $1,000+) soundbars, the $1,299 HT-ST7 has no less than nine independent drivers, powered by seven discrete amplifiers. Like similar products, the ST7 can decode surround sound soundtracks in Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD and creates virtual surround sound that Sony calls "immersive." It comes with a wireless (though not cordless) subwoofer.
I got a little ears-on time with the HT-ST7 at a demo where Sony pitted it against the $2,000 SoloCinema XTR from Definitive Technology, a well-reputed speaker brand. Sony said it set up both speakers "out of the box." It was a close match, but the sound from the Sony soundbar was noticeably more open. Details like drum impacts were sharper without being overpowering, and voices sounded a little more pure.
The ST7 has more connectors than you might expect, including 3 HDMI inputs and 1 output, three digital audio inputs (2 optical, 1 coaxial) as well as one pair of analog inputs. If you have a recent HDTV equipped with HDMI jacks that support an audio return channel (ARC), that'll simplify your setup since you'll only need on cable between the TV and soundbar. There's no headphone input or output, though.
As you'd expect with any modern audio product, the soundbar can pair with your phone via Bluetooth, and if that phone has NFC (like all of Sony's current phones), even better: just wave the phone over the NFC insignia on the side, and it'll instantly pair.
Overall, Sony's HT-ST7 sounds like a winner, although no soundbar can match the presence of real surround speakers. But many rooms can't accommodate those systems, and if you can afford it, Sony's engineers have created an impressive-sounding alternative.
Looking for a soundbar? How does Sony's offering sound to you? Let us know in the comments.
Image: Sony
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