Sony HT-A7000 Soundbar Review & Comments

Thanks for the review Steve.

I would have thought the idiotic, reflective glossy top rules it out for a large proportion of consumers who are into home cinema enough to spend >£1000 on a soundbar.
 
Thanks Steve but it has several issues according to you but still gets a recommended review.
Its bass as a single unit is lacking, the depth of its soundstage is narrow, it has this highly reflective gloss black top section and its expensive.
Doesn't make sense. Surely with the concerns above inc its price it should only have received a mid score?
 
Thanks Steve but it has several issues according to you but still gets a recommended review.
Its bass as a single unit is lacking, the depth of its soundstage is narrow, it has this highly reflective gloss black top section and its expensive.
Doesn't make sense. Surely with the concerns above inc its price it should only have received a mid score?

9/10 means average here.
 
9/10 after that review is ridiculous and lacks credibility. How are people supposed to take that score seriously, and it turn other 9/10 reviews? This isn't What HiFi I've wandered into is it...?

Edit. As always a well written, seemingly honest and reasonably thorough review, but that score leaves a "WTF" taste in the mouth unfortunately.
 
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It takes a lot for a product from a major manufacturer to get a low rating these days. Thank goodness at least the reviews themselves still remain honest.
 
9/10 after that review is ridiculous and lacks credibility. How are people supposed to take that score seriously, and it turn other 9/10 reviews? This isn't What HiFi I've wandered into is it...?

Edit. As always a well written, seemingly honest and reasonably thorough review, but that score leaves a "WTF" taste in the mouth unfortunately.
I'm sure Steve will explain his thinking further if he reads the thread. The reviews and scores are entirely the opinions of the reviewer and there is no influence from anyone else inside or outside of AVForums. Steve does explain his thinking within the review, but I'm sure he will add some comments if he sees this.
 
Thanks for the review Steve. Is the overall score for the soundbar on its own or with the sub and rear speakers added?
 
Reviews can be a step or two away from the every day reality alright.
I bought this Sony HT-G700 Soundbar Review when it was on offer but seems many people, myself included, returned it as its performance in terms of usability(constant drop outs) and sound quality didn't match with the review, it was the worse I've owned anyway.
 
is a HT-A9 review forthcoming? Be interesting to see how it compares to the HT-A7000.

It's priced about the same as the HT-A7000 plus the rear speakers, and again a sub is an optional extra.
 
Would have been better to have reviewed with the sub and rears as a package and compared to the Q950A.
Lost opportunity me thinks.
 
The score makes no sense when you actually read the review.... 9/10 what the..
 
Had this soundbar since September, and it is a big upgrade from my previous soundbar - Yamaha YSP-4300. The internal subs are good, but 100% recommend getting one of the additional Subs, I went all out for the SW5, and boy does it rumble the low end.

The additional rears that are available don't have upfiring speakers, but fear not as Sony have announced new additional rears which will have upfiring speakers, to be released this spring.

The main issue I hope Sony fix with a firmware update is the lack of ALLM and VRR, which is a must for today's consoles, though if your TV has these functions and eARC that simply connect console to TV and pass sound via eARC.

Overall am really impressed with this soundbar, great sound with a good sound field.
 
Cheers for the review , gonna go off topic a lil here as many a room does not support a soundbar due to its positioning in relation to display position for full effect. Also room to small to support full separate system and AVR for 3d audio . As such @Steve Withers and the review team will you be reviewing the Sony HT-A9 speakers and Sub as seems to fill a gap . Do apologise as really off topic but would love a review of this system .
 
Reviews can be a step or two away from the every day reality alright.
I bought this Sony HT-G700 Soundbar Review when it was on offer but seems many people, myself included, returned it as its performance in terms of usability(constant drop outs) and sound quality didn't match with the review, it was the worse I've owned anyway.
Agree on the Sony HT-G700...bought it to replace an all-in-one Panasonic 5.1/Blu Ray system as the sound side of things stopped working (still use it for Blu-Ray's), and found it lacking in comparison. Luckily/unluckily it stopped working 2 months after purchase and after a woeful service from Sony and Currys I eventually got a refund a month after that. Need a new soundbar for the living room and the HT-A7000 sounds interesting but expensive vs rivals so will likely look elsewhere...
 
In terms of performance it deserves a 9/10, but I dropped the badge down from Highly Recommended to Recommended due to the price and reflective top.
 
is a HT-A9 review forthcoming? Be interesting to see how it compares to the HT-A7000.

It's priced about the same as the HT-A7000 plus the rear speakers, and again a sub is an optional extra.

Will you be reviewing the Sony HT-A9 speakers and Sub as seems to fill a gap . Do apologise as really off topic but would love a review of this system .
I have requested an HT-A9 for review, but I'm still waiting for Sony to actually send one out to me.
 
In terms of performance it deserves a 9/10, but I dropped the badge down from Highly Recommended to Recommended due to the price and reflective top.
For me that’s the most important thing. Audio Performance Quality. There are so many Soundbars feature rich, but use poor drivers and amplification.

I returned my Sennheiser Ambeo Bar due to a fault and lost confidence in the issue being fixed. Been hoping for a flagship Soundbar which can compete on Sound Quality. This might be it with addition of the Sony Base module.

Thank you for excellent review
 
@Steve Withers, will you be updating your review later in the year when Sony releases the rear upfiring speakers? And add a sub to give a more complete package review and performance
 
Well that's up to Sony, but probably not.
How about Atmos(Height) effect compare to other soundbar*? HT-A7000&A5000 got really bad score in RTings review(4.8/10), I'm really worried about I won't get any Atmos(Height) experience on this one.

*other soundbar such as Samsung Q950A, Sonos Arc, Bose 900, Vizio Elevate, etc.
 
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How about Atmos(Height) effect compare to other soundbar*? HT-A7000&A5000 got really bad score in RTings review(4.8/10), I'm really worried about I won't get any Atmos(Height) experience on this one.

*other soundbar such as Samsung Q950A, Sonos Arc, Bose 900, Vizio Elevate, etc.
Height experience is overrated and only truly nuanced in a few movies that have invested as much resources in audio as they have in picture.
 

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