Sony HT-A7000 soundbar review: All-in-one immersion

(Pocket-lint) - There are soundbars and determination are soundbars. The Sony HT-A7000 firmly falls into the second category, arsenic an all-in-one solution with 7.1.2 channels of output - there's a built-in woofer for bass, hence the '1', 2 upfiring channels, positive 7 main speakers - for existent immersion. It's large for emboldening a ample TV's output, oregon conscionable for playing euphony with other pomp.

But it doesn't travel cheap, there's nary abstracted subwoofer included successful the bundle - thing adjacent galore overmuch cheaper soundbars connection - and there's a batch of contention retired determination successful this premium space. So conscionable however good does the A7000 - which supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X object-based situation dependable formats - present the goods?

Design & Features

• Dimensions: 1300 x 142 x 80mm / Weight: 8.7kgs
• Plastic shell, metallic beforehand grille
• Always-on beforehand display
• Finish: Black only

The HT-A7000 is simply a large soundbar, which is astir apt nary astonishment considering the fig of speakers wrong its shell. At 1.3 metres agelong it's apt arsenic agelong arsenic oregon longer than your TV's width - we've been investigating it with a 65-inch 4K OLED acceptable and this 'bar is lone somewhat shorter than that. So if you've got a smaller TV setup, oregon deficiency an AV furniture apical that tin enactment this monster - wall-mounting is besides possible, though, with brackets included successful the container - past bash see whether the carnal size volition beryllium to excess oregon not.

In presumption of finish, the A7000 has a mostly integrative shell, but it's fronted with a metallic grille with reasonably wide circular openings successful the mesh truthful you tin somewhat spot the talker cones down it. That integrative apical - which doesn't screen the outermost areas wherever the upward-firing speakers are covered with a cloth topping astatine each extremity of the 'bar - is reflective, though, which is simply a plan contented we've leveraged against the likes of the Bose 900. Why would you privation to spot a reflection of what you're watching beneath the TV screen? You wouldn't. The Sony isn't arsenic atrocious arsenic the Bose successful this regard, though, arsenic it doesn't usage a solid finish.

The somewhat wider-than-typical openings successful the Sony's metallic grille are besides determination to uncover the always-on display, positioned to the beforehand conscionable disconnected to the centre right. Sure, it's bully to spot which transmission you person selected - 'HDMI 1', 'Bluetooth', and truthful connected - but you can't crook it disconnected truthful it's yet different distraction that, fixed that screen-based interfracing is possible, conscionable seems unnecessary.

There's nary doubting this is 1 coagulated portion though; it feels robust, is weighty connected relationship of each those speakers within, and contempt those plan niggles we've pointed retired it looks similar a ascendant high-end soundbar erstwhile it's sat successful beforehand of your telly. Just marque definite you person capable abstraction for it - its 8cm tallness is besides worthy considering to guarantee it won't artifact immoderate of your TV's screen. Few travel bigger than this, really, unless you've ever seen the Sennheiser Ambeo...

Connections & Controls

• Ports: 1x HDMI retired (eARC), 2x HDMI inputs (4K/HDR passthrough, not VRR/ALLM), 1x Ethernet, 1x optical, 1x 3.5mm
• Wireless connectivity: Built-in Chromecast, Apple Airplay 2, Spotify Connect, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi (ac)
• Included distant power (not cosmopolitan remote, unless utilizing Sony TV with Bravia Sync)

Unlike lesser soundbars, the A7000 has a full big of connections that are truly useful. There's an HDMI eARC (enhanced audio instrumentality channel) output, truthful astatine a minimum it's a portion of barroom for your TV to pass with the 'bar without needing to truly bash thing than plug successful via that HDMI port.

But there's overmuch more, arsenic determination are 2 HDMI inputs, enabling you to straight root devices to the soundbar itself. It supports 4K120fps HDR passthrough (including Dolby Vision), truthful if you've got a 4K set-top container and/or dedicated subordinate past you tin plug into these ports and fto everything beryllium handled by the barroom - freeing up HDMI ports connected your telly, but besides ensuring the due handshake is made betwixt root worldly and soundbar for champion lawsuit output.

The lone objection to this passthrough is that there's nary VRR (variable refresh rate) oregon ALLM (auto low-latency mode) support, truthful plug successful your Xbox Series X oregon PlayStation 5 and you'll suffer retired connected said features. Still, there's thing stopping you conscionable utilizing a 4K HDMI larboard connected your TV arsenic the soundbar tin pick-up via the eARC transportation anyway, truthful nary large loss.

In summation to the HDMI goodness, determination are a big of different connectivity types, from Bluetooth to Wi-Fi, including Apple Airplay 2, built-in Google Chromecast, and Spotify Connect. So beyond TV and audio-visual material, it's truly casual to usage this soundbar arsenic a euphony hub with minimal fuss. More and much tracks are being mixed successful Dolby Atmos, too, truthful there's added payment to having a soundbar that tin play shot with specified output.

Sony includes a distant control, which contempt its practicalities, is alternatively busy. As we've not reviewed this soundbar with a Sony TV it doesn't relation arsenic a cosmopolitan distant - lone Bravia Sync connected applicable Sony tellies volition let that - truthful it's yet different distant power that we'd alternatively not have. It is useful, though, particularly erstwhile it comes to adjusting the immersive dependable technologies and bass levels successful particular.

Sound Quality & Surround

• Dolby Atmos and DTS:X object-based decoding
• Sound modes: Auto, Cinema, Music, Standard
• 7.1.2 transmission output, 500W total
• Woofer levels: Min, Mid, Max
• Optional sub and surrounds

From the 2nd the Sony HT-A7000 receives a awesome there's nary doubting this is 1 superior soundbar with large audio chops. It's loud, its soundstage is not conscionable wide but besides tall, and with 500W full output there's a batch of measurement and driving force.

That said, there's not the contiguous eloquence present that immoderate different soundbars offer. For illustration there's nary country calibration tools - thing adjacent the cheaper Bose 900 offers - truthful each those channels firing into adjacent surfaces and disconnected walls and ceilings aren't needfully tempered arsenic finely arsenic could beryllium possible.

That's not to accidental Sony doesn't execute immoderate clever acoustic adjustments, though, with its Immersive AE technology. There's a fastener for this connected the included distant - and you'll request it to manus arsenic you won't ever privation it active. Immersive AE activates Sony's virtual situation technology, deciphering a awesome and efficaciously upmixing it into a situation format to marque the astir of each those transmission outputs.

Immersive AE tin beryllium instantly heard erstwhile active, creating greater separation and depth, which tin springiness sounds overmuch greater paths of flight. The high-end, successful particular, makes overmuch greater usage of the side-firing output for a wider reach. For immoderate contented it's truly great.

But not for all. Immersive AE tin dependable downright weird with immoderate music. And it can't ever grip dynamic accommodation well: erstwhile playing a 4K Blu-ray of Tenet, the jumps betwixt quiescent dialog and abrupt swells (no surprise, fixed Nolan's overly large philharmonic premix successful that movie) caused immoderate disorder successful output that was a spot jarring - truthful we turned the mounting off.

Then there's bass delivery. Sony bigs-up the A7000's usage of dual woofers to grip bass, but with nary abstracted subwoofer included successful the bundle - though you can, astatine further expense, adhd 1 nary problems (the SA-SW5). The 'bar intelligibly tin output bass with pomp, but its not to subwoofer levels, truthful sometimes there's a 'thumpyness' to it that's much trying to springiness cognition of the low-end's beingness alternatively than a genuinely low-frequency output. This isn't helped by the woofer's min/mid/max lone accommodation levels - a much dynamic and stepped accommodation would beryllium a overmuch amended instrumentality successful our view, allowing for greater crafting of however bass sits successful the mix.

Don't get america incorrect though: there's intelligibly bass present successful and astir the 60Hz band, truthful you'll get bully bass guitar levels, for example, conscionable not synthetic lower-end output. And for a soundbar truthful big, portion the bass is present, it's not going to scope levels that'll stroke your socks off. Really you privation the further sub, by which constituent the bundle outgo is accrued truthful overmuch that determination are amended much thorough options retired determination - specified arsenic the Samsung Q950A.

All said, however, the A7000's wide scope and immersive prime delivers a beardown and wide-reaching soundstage that lesser soundbars volition conflict to ever reach. It's the awesome tallness and placement prime that justifies its lofty terms tag, generating location cinema dependable that'll outshine adjacent the champion built-in TV setup (it sounds amended than our Panasonic JZ2000's built-in Atmos array for example).

Writing by Mike Lowe. Originally published connected 26 October 2021.