The Sony HT-S700RF soundbar is not your typical home theater system. The system consists of a soundbar instead of the usual front speakers, with a pair of tweeters and a subwoofer. Sony claims this system has a whopping 1000W RMS power.
The soundbar has a variety of inputs, supports HMDI-ARC, and even has Bluetooth and USB ports for multimedia playback. The sound system at the time of publication has a price of just over 40 thousand dollars. Whether this soundbar deserves to become a “home theater system” – let’s figure it out in the Sony HT-S700RF review.
Sony HT-S700RF – overview
The soundbar has a pair of speakers at either end of the center panel and a pair of tweeter blocks. A separate 20cm subwoofer takes care of the bass. In addition, the set includes a pair of remote speakers, which should be located at the back of the room.
Design
The soundbar design is not ostentatious. The system located near the TV does not draw attention to itself. The soundbar features an embossed diamond-shaped front metal grille for a sleek and stylish look. The rear speakers and subwoofer are finished in matt black.
They look simple and elegant. The quality of the materials used is excellent. Feels brand chic. The soundbar itself is devoid of any buttons. All controls are located at the top of the subwoofer. There are five buttons for control: one to turn on the power, one to change the source, two to control the volume, and one to pair with Bluetooth.
The front panel of the subwoofer has a USB connector through which you can play music and video from a USB storage device. Files are navigated using the Sony Music Center app. The subwoofer power supply is built-in. There is a power supply for the soundbar itself. A dedicated Bluetooth button is available on the remote in addition to the one on the subwoofer.
When you press any of these buttons, the system automatically tries to connect to previously paired devices and then enters pairing mode if there are no “past connections”. The soundbar and rear speakers are wired to the subwoofer. Of course, modern soundbars “prefer” wireless installation for the same price. So get ready to hide the wires.
Capabilities
The remote is weighty and well built. The buttons are made of rubber, not soft. In addition to the usual power, Bluetooth, input and volume buttons, there is a menu button, an input button, playback controls, and buttons to control the intensity of the subwoofer. There are five presets of sound modes.
Each mode has a separate button on the remote control: Voice, Night, Music, Cinema and Standard. While Bluetooth 4.2 is a relevant feature, the system does not support LDAC, aptX or aptX HD (high quality audio streaming codecs), which is a shame for Sony. There is support for the AAC format, but it is not a hit of the season. NFC is absent, for this price range this is a minus.
Sound
Three front and two rear speakers deliver 150W each. The subwoofer is rated for 240 watts. Sony Stable speakers conceived with strong bass-oriented directivity. But you will be pleasantly surprised by the clarity of sound provided by the HT-S700RF soundbar. No one frequency range dominates the others. The bass is clear and pronounced and without overabundance in the sound space.
The soundstage is excellent. The two rear speakers deliver great sound throughout the room. Crisp and expressive mids are one of the highlights of this soundbar. The dialogues in the films are intense. They don’t get lost in the usual sea of explosions or background music. If you prefer quality dialogue in movies or TV shows, then the Sony HT-S700RF is a good choice.
Xbox games often have amazing soundtracks and the rear speakers and a subwoofer complement the ‘heavy soundstages’ perfectly. The Sony HT-S700RF soundbar plays great music tracks, although the lack of support for a “high definition” audio codec is a major problem (even with a Bluetooth connection).
The sound signature is quite balanced and the soundbar handles almost all musical genres with ease. The crisp treble is well suited for rock and metal, while the expressive midrange for blues listening is a distinct pleasure. For those who prefer room-shaking bass, consider the JBL Cinema SB450.
Interfaces
There is one HDMI port with ARC (Audio Return Channel) support, so pairing with your TV is easy. The soundbar has an additional 3.5mm jack, optical S / PDIF input and the aforementioned USB port. At least the manufacturer could add one additional HDMI port and an optical input – that would be great.
Conclusion
Sony HT-S700RF “Home Cinema Soundbar” is a very good home theater system that will do its job. It is thoughtfully built, looks stylish and offers crisp and balanced sound. Music and films are played very well. The remote control is reliable and easy to use.
For convenience, the manufacturer could provide the system with a large number of inputs. A home theater system at this price should not have wires to external radiators. However, these disadvantages cannot deprive the HT-S700RF of its attractiveness.