Sony HT-SF200 2.1 Channel Compact Sound Bar with Built-In Subwoofer Black | HTSF200.CEL

Product Information

And I see the sound split is 25W L, 25W R, and 30W Sub, so make sure the Sub is pulling its weight. The key question is can you make the soundbar go loud enough? if you can get it uncomfortably loud, without distortion, and actually run it a little below that number, whatever it is, then all is well.

Overall, the Sony HT-SF150 gets much more right than it gets wrong, offering an undoubted improvement on the built-in speakers of the vast majority of TVs, particularly in terms of weight and scale.

Often compared with

There are also settings to enhance dialogue, a night mode to reduce dynamic range and bass, and lastly Dolby Dynamic Range Control, which compresses audio to make the difference between the quietest and loudest sounds less apparent. We are immediately impressed by the improvement from the lifeless sound of our test TV’s built-in speakers. Streaming the opening scene of Unbroken from Netflix with the soundbar in Cinema mode, there's a tangible breadth to the soundstage as the planes fly past and dramatic contrast as we switch between locations within the aircraft. Alongside HDMI ARC, the SF150 has an optical input (cable included) supporting Dolby Digital, Dolby Dual mono and LPCM 2ch. Also, try disconnecting the cables that are connected between the TV and the system, then connect them firmly again, you can also try to dsconnect the AC power cords of the TV and the system from the AC outlets, then connect them again. Inputs are all recessed on the rear left with just enough clearance for the bar to sit flush if wall mounted (the SF-150 has hooks for wall mounting, but fixings aren’t included in the box). The power connection is similarly recessed but on the right side – so, depending on your set-up, you may end up with two visible cable runs instead of one.

If you have your heart set on a particular brand or even a selection of brands then we’d suggest you spend a bit of time writing up a list of the brands that you would happily buy. This can really help you in narrowing down the selection when it comes to choosing a product. For example, over at Currys PC World you can filter products by brand, so you could filter just to show the brands on your list. This is especially useful knowing that there are 65 Home cinema systems and sound bars to choose from at Currys PC World. Consider the brand. We’ll go into more detail in a moment about brand and whether Sony is your best option for Home cinema systems and sound bars. But the point here is just to make sure you’re factoring in brand when considering the quality of a product. Some brands will be better known for quality than others, and no doubt some of the much higher quality brands will attract a higher price for their products.

Specifications

Next up after looking at the category and the average prices, we thought it would be good to take a look at the brand, Sony. A minimal remote control is included, with several buttons doubling up on their functions depending on how long you press them. This can get a bit fiddly, especially when the only confirmation you get that a status change has happened is a series of binary flashes from the three LED indicators in the centre of the bar. For all essential functions – power, input, source, Bluetooth and volume – there are also discreet touch buttons that sit on the top of the unit. Consider the price. We’ll dive into a lot more detail on the price of SONY HT-SF200 2.1 Sound Bar, Silver shortly, but in terms of quality, the obvious advice here is ‘you get what you pay for’. It’s really just being aware that if you’re buying the cheapest of the Home cinema systems and sound bars from Currys PC World you might not expect the same level of quality as you’d get from a decent quality product like SONY HT-SF200 2.1 Sound Bar, Silver.