The Sony HT-A7000 is a premium 7.1.2 setup released in 2021. It's advertised to support S-Force Pro Front Surround and Vertical Surround Engine technologies for a more immersive listening experience. Its default sound profile is pretty neutral with a touch of extra punch in the bass, making it suitable for listening to most types of audio content. However, it doesn't get very loud. Also, in our subjective listening tests, we found that it's best to adjust the EQ preset based on the content you're listening to, which could be annoying for some users.
Note: You can upgrade this soundbar with a subwoofer and satellites, sold separately. These results represent the standalone bar, but we also tested the full Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + Bass Module.
The Sony HT-A7000 soundbar is satisfactory for mixed usage. Thanks to its balanced, neutral sound profile, it's suitable for most types of audio content, and there's even a little extra punch in the bass. However, it struggles to reproduce the deep thump in the low-bass. Also, its surround and Atmos performances are disappointing. That said, you can always upgrade this setup with a dedicated sub and satellites.
The Sony HT-A7000 soundbar is good for dialogue-centric content like TV shows. Its discrete center channel can more accurately localize voices to a pinpoint location within the sound image, and its balanced frequency response reproduces dialogue clearly and accurately. There's even a dialogue enhancement feature to make voices more clear and crisp. However, it doesn't get very loud, which can be disappointing.
The Sony HT-A7000 is decent for music. It has a room correction feature called Sound Field Optimization that automatically optimizes audio reproduction based on the acoustic characteristics of your room. Its frequency response is neutral, with a bit of extra boom in the bass, making it suitable for most music genres. However, it struggles to reproduce low-bass, so you don't feel the deep rumble in genres like EDM and hip-hop. There also aren't a lot of sound customization options.
The Sony HT-A7000 is decent for movies. Its neutral sound profile helps reproduce dialogue clearly and accurately, but it lacks low-bass, so you don't feel the deep rumble in action-packed scenes. It supports surround and Atmos content, though its performances are disappointing overall. Also, it doesn't get very loud.
This soundbar is available in Black, and you can see the label for the model we tested here.
These results aren't valid for the full setup with the subwoofer and satellites, sold separately. You can also see the results for the full Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + Bass Module.
If you come across another version of this soundbar, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
The Sony HT-A7000 is a 7.1.2 setup with a premium design. Thanks to its S-Front Pro Front Surround and Vertical Surround Engine technologies, it offers a wide soundstage for an immersive listening experience. Compared to other soundbars in its price range, it doesn't get very loud, and it lacks some low-bass.
See also our recommendations for the best soundbars, the best Dolby Atmos soundbars, and the best Sony soundbars.
The standalone Sonos Arc is better than the standalone Sony HT-A7000. The Sonos is a 5.0.2 setup with better soundstage, center, surround, and Atmos performances. It also reproduces a slightly more extended low-bass. However, the Sony is better built. Unlike the Sonos, it has a Full HDMI In port for high-quality passthrough.
The Sony HT-A7000 is a bit better than the Sony HT-A5000. The HT-A7000 is a better built 7.1.2 setup with a better soundstage performance. It also comes with an additional HDMI input. However, the 5.1.2 HT-A5000 gets a little louder with less compression at max volume.
The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 is a bit better for mixed usage than the Sony HT-A7000. The Bose has better soundstage, surround, and Atmos performances. It also gets louder, albeit with more compression at max volume. However, only the Sony soundbar supports DTS content and has a Full HDMI In port.
The Sony HT-A7000 and the Sony HT-A9 are both premium soundbars. These setups have very different designs, as the HT-A7000 is a long standalone bar while the HT-A9 is a small box with four satellites. The HT-A7000 is better built with a discrete center channel. However, the HT-A9 has better soundstage and Atmos performances.
The Sony HT-ST5000 is better than the standalone Sony HT-A7000. The HT-ST5000 comes with a dedicated sub, so it's able to reproduce a more extended low-bass. It also has better Atmos and surround performances. However, the HT-A7000 has more sound enhancement features, such as room correction and Acoustic Center Sync for users with Sony BRAVIA TVs. You can also upgrade this setup with a sub and satellites for better performance.
The Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar MAX is better than the standalone Sony HT-A7000. The Sennheiser is a 5.1.4 setup with better center, surround, and Atmos performances. It gets louder than the Sony, and it reproduces a more extended low-bass. It also has a graphic EQ, which some users may prefer for sound customization. However, the Sony is better-built, and it has a better stereo soundstage.
The JBL Bar 9.1 is better than the standalone Sony HT-A7000. The JBL is a 5.1.4 setup that comes with a dedicated sub and satellites included. It has better soundstage, surround, and Atmos performances. It also gets louder, and it reproduces a more extended low-bass. That said, the Sony is better built. You can also upgrade it with a sub and satellites for a better performance.
The Sony HT-A7000 and the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 are similarly performing bars with a couple of differences to help set them apart. The BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 is intended to be paired with compatible BRAVIA TVs so that you can take advantage of Acoustic Center Sync, which lets you use your TV as a center channel alongside the bar. Additionally, there's also Voice Zoom 3, which is a feature designed to improve dialogue reproduction by amplifying their sound. That said, when it comes to performance, the HT-A7000 has a more premium build, and its stereo soundstage feels more spacious and wide. Some users will also appreciate the Optical connection.
The Sony HT-A7000 and the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) are both premium standalone setups. The Sonos has a smaller, more compact design, which some users may prefer. It also offers better soundstage, surround, and Atmos performances. However,, the 7.1.2 Sony has more wireless playback options and a Full HDMI In port for high-quality passthrough. You can upgrade both setups with a sub and satellites if you prefer.
The Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + Bass Module is better than the standalone Sony HT-A7000. Thanks to its dedicated subwoofer, the full setup can reproduce a more extended low-bass than the bar on its own. Also, its discrete satellites help to more clearly and accurately represent surround objects, so the full setup has a better surrounds performance.
The Sony HT-A7000 is better than the Sony HT-A3000. The A7000 is a premium 7.1.2 bar that's better for surround and Atmos content since it doesn't have to downmix these formats into stereo to play them like the 3.1 A3000. It's more versatile, too, with more sound enhancement features, including room correction as well as HDMI In for video passthrough.
The standalone Sony HT-A7000 is marginally better for mixed usage than the Sony HT-G700. The HT-A7000 is a premium 7.1.2 setup that's better built. It also has better soundstage and surround performances and supports more wireless playback options. There's also a room correction feature. However, only the 3.1 HT-G700 has a dedicated sub included. It can reproduce a slightly more extended low-bass. That said, you can always buy a sub for the HT-A7000 separately.
The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 with Speakers + Bass Module is better than the standalone Sony HT-A7000. The Bose comes with a dedicated sub and satellites, and it can reproduce a more extended low-bass. It gets louder, and its soundstage, surround, and Atmos performances are better. However, it doesn't come with a Full HDMI In port for high-quality passthrough like the Sony. You can also upgrade the Sony with the sub and satellites if you prefer.
The Sonos Arc with Sub + One SL Speakers is better than the standalone Sony HT-A7000. The Sonos is a 5.1.2 setup with a sub and satellites. It reproduces a more extended low-bass, and it has better soundstage, surround, and Atmos performances. It also gets louder, albeit with a bit more compression at max volume. However, only the Sony has a Full HDMI In port for high-quality passthrough. Also, you can upgrade it with a sub and satellites sold separately.
The Sonos Beam and the Sony HT-A7000 are two very different setups. The Sonos is a very compact 3.0 setup with a better stereo soundstage. It's a suitable upgrade over your TV speakers, but if you like to watch a lot of movies, you may prefer the Sony. The Sony is better built with a better surround performance, and unlike the Sonos, it supports Atmos content. It also has a Full HDMI In port for high-quality passthrough.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Sony HT-Z9F or the Sony HT-A7000. The HT-Z9F is a 3.1 setup with a dedicated subwoofer included. It gets louder than the HT-A7000. However, the HT-A7000 is better built with a better soundstage. It also has more sound enhancement features, like room correction, and you can even upgrade it with a sub and satellites sold separately.
The Samsung HW-Q900A is better than the standalone Sony HT-A7000. The Samsung comes with a dedicated sub, and it can reproduce a more extended low-bass. It also gets louder, and it has better surround and Atmos performances. It even has some more sound enhancement features, like a graphic EQ. That said, the Sony is better built. You can also upgrade it with a sub and satellites for better performance.
The Samsung HW-Q700A is a bit better for mixed usage than the Sony HT-A7000. The Samsung is a 3.1.2 setup that comes with a dedicated subwoofer. It can reproduce a more extended low-bass, and it has a better Atmos performance. If you want a graphic EQ for sound customization, check out the Samsung, while the Sony is a good choice for users who want a bar with room correction. The Sony is also better built with a better surround performance. You can also upgrade it with a sub and satellites for a better performance.
The Samsung HW-Q90R is better than the standalone Sony HT-A7000. The Samsung comes with a dedicated sub and satellites included. It can reproduce a more extended low-bass, and it gets louder. It also has better surround and Atmos performances. However, the Sony is better built with more wireless playback options. You can also upgrade it with a sub and satellites for a better performance.
The Samsung HW-Q950T is better than the standalone Sony HT-A7000. The Samsung is a 9.1.4 setup with a dedicated sub and satellites included. It has better surround and Atmos performances, and it gets louder. It can also reproduce a more extended low-bass. When it comes to sound enhancement features, your personal preferences may play a role in which bar you prefer. The Samsung has a graphic EQ, whereas the Sony has room correction and auto-volume features. The Sony is also better built, and you can upgrade it down the line.
The LG SP9YA is better than the standalone Sony HT-A7000. The LG is a 5.1.2 setup with a dedicated subwoofer that can reproduce a more extended low-bass. It gets louder, and it has a better Atmos performance. Also, it comes with bass and treble adjustments, unlike the Sony soundbar. The 7.1.2 Sony is better built with a better surrounds performance. You can also upgrade it with a sub and satellites if you prefer.
The Samsung HW-Q950A is better than the standalone Sony HT-A7000. The Samsung is an 11.1.4 setup that comes with a sub and satellites. It gets louder, and it has better surround and Atmos performances. There are even more sound enhancement features, such as a graphic EQ. It also reproduces a more extended low-bass. However, the Sony is better built. You can also upgrade it with a sub and satellites for better performance.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Samsung HW-Q800A or the Sony HT-A7000. The Samsung is a 3.1.2 setup with a dedicated subwoofer that can reproduce a more extended low-bass. It has a better Atmos performance, and it can get louder, albeit with a bit more compression at max volume. Unlike the Sony, it has a graphic EQ as well as bass and treble adjustments for sound customization. However, the standalone 7.1.2 Sony is better built, and it has a better surrounds performance. There's even a room correction feature, and you can upgrade it with a sub and satellites down the line.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Samsung HW-Q600A or the standalone Sony HT-A7000. The Samsung is a 3.1.2 setup with a dedicated subwoofer that can reproduce a more extended low-bass. It has a better Atmos performance, and it gets louder with less compression at max volume. However, the 7.1.2 Sony is better built with better soundstage and surround performances. You can also upgrade it with a sub and satellites if you want.
The LG SN10YG is better than the standalone Sony HT-A7000. The LG is a 5.1.2 setup with a dedicated sub included. It can reproduce a more extended low-bass, and it gets louder. Also, its Atmos performance is better. That said, the 7.1.2 Sony is better built. You can also upgrade it with a dedicated sub and satellites that are sold separately.
The Sony HT-A7000 is a sleek soundbar with a high-end design. It's mostly made of high-quality plastic with a metal grille on the front. However, unlike the Sony HT-ST5000, you can't remove the front grille to expose the speakers. That said, the grille is transparent enough that you can see the speakers behind it. There's also a glass top and fabric covering the up-firing drivers on top.
The Sony HT-A7000 has two subwoofers integrated into the bar. They're located to the left and the right of the center speaker. You can also purchase a dedicated subwoofer, sold separately.
You can purchase satellites from the manufacturer separately.
The Sony HT-A7000 is a very wide soundbar, meaning it won't fit between the legs of a 55" TV stand. It's a bit taller than some of the other bars we've tested, but it shouldn't block your TV screen unless your TV sits flush on the table.
The Sony HT-A7000 has an impressive build quality. It's mostly plastic, which feels solid and durable, and the metal grille in front helps protect the drivers inside. On top, there's a glass plate that gives it a more premium feel. The fabric covering the up-firing drivers on top is a bit loose, but it seems to be of good quality overall. It's large and heavy, but it feels premium.
Update 10/20/2021: Added additional information about the room correction feature.
The Sony HT-A7000 has a decent stereo frequency response. Its frequency response is pretty neutral, with some extra punch in the bass range. It should be suitable for listening to most types of audio content, though it struggles to reproduce the thumpy, rumbling low-bass found in bass-heavy music and action-packed movies.
We also tested the Sony HT-A7000 using its Sound Field Optimization room correction feature, which automatically optimizes audio reproduction based on the acoustic characteristics of your room. It also comes with a room calibration feature that asks you to manually enter your room's dimensions before calibrating the bar. We found that the bar was slightly louder with its Auto Calibration feature than with the Manual Calibration feature, but the frequency response curves were identical. While these results may be unique to our testing room, we feel that the Auto Calibration will be sufficient for most users.
Note: We performed all of our sound tests with the bar set to 'Standard Surround' mode. During our subjective listening tests, we found that the 'Music' preset was better suited to listening to music, as sound seemed less diffused. If you're interested, you can see our sound test results for the 'Music' preset here and here. Its surround performance isn't as impressive as the 'Standard Surround' mode.
The Sony HT-A7000 has a subwoofer level adjustment feature that lets you choose between 'MIN', 'MID' (default), and 'MAX'. If you prefer a more neutral sound, we recommend using its default settings.
The Sony HT-A7000 has a good stereo soundstage performance. Its soundstage is perceived to be quite wide thanks to its S-Front Pro Front Surround technology, which uses front-firing speakers to reproduce the sound field. However, its focus is just average, and sound objects seem to come from a more general area rather than an accurate, pinpoint location. If you want a setup with a better soundstage, see the Sony HT-A9.
The Sony HT-A7000 has a decent stereo dynamics performance. It doesn't get very loud, so it isn't suitable for filling up large rooms or crowded parties. There's also a bit of compression present when you push it to max volume.
The Sony HT-A7000 has a good stereo THD performance. At a normal listening volume, the amount of distortion is within good limits, resulting in clean and pure audio reproduction. However, there's a jump in THD when you push the bar to max volume. It may not be too noticeable with real-life content, though.
Update 11/25/2021: We conducted a subjective listening test using Acoustic Center Sync and added our results to the text.
The Sony HT-A7000 has a great center channel performance. Its discrete center channel helps to more accurately localize voices to a pinpoint location within the sound image. Its frequency response is neutral, especially in the mid-range, so voices are reproduced with clarity and detail.
You can also connect this soundbar to a compatible BRAVIA TV to activate Acoustic Center Sync. This feature uses the TV's speakers as a discrete center channel. We found that this feature seems to anchor dialogue more vertically, so it seems closer to the characters on the screen. However, it also seems to decrease the overall sound quality, resulting in a less immersive sound. There also appeared to be a difference in volume between the TV and the soundbar with Acoustic Center Sync activated. As a result, some users may prefer not to use this feature.
The Sony HT-A7000 has a disappointing surround performance. It uses front-firing speakers in the bar to represent surround objects, but this doesn't sound as clear or real as a discrete setup. Its frequency response is also bass-heavy, which may be overwhelming for some users.
You can also use the 'Immersive AE' button to activate the up-firing drivers alongside the side-firing drivers when listening to surround content. However, we performed this test with this feature turned off. You can't adjust this feature when listening to Atmos content.
The Sony HT-A7000 has a disappointing Atmos performance. Like that of the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9, the up-firing drivers in the bar bounce sound off the ceiling and back down towards you to simulate height. However, these channels don't get very loud, and their frequency response is a bit bright.
We performed our sound tests with the bar set to 'Standard Surround' mode. During our subjective listening tests, we found that the 'Cinema' mode adds more height when listening to Atmos content. That said, the bar's performance isn't as impressive as some of the other bars we've tested, as there's some detail missing in scenes. In 'Standard Surround' mode, you can't adjust the Immersive AE option when listening to Atmos content.
The Sony A7000 has an impressive set of sound enhancement features. There are some EQ presets to help you customize its sound, including 'Standard Surround', 'Music', 'Cinema', and 'Auto Sound'. Based on our subjective listening tests, we recommend adjusting the preset to match the content you're listening to.
When you connect the bar to your TV via HDMI, you get access to a separate menu that lets you turn on the Sound Field Optimization room correction feature, which you can see here. It automatically optimizes audio reproduction based on the acoustic characteristics of your room. You can also turn the up-firing drivers on and off using the 'Immersive AE' feature, and the manufacturer says that it supports Acoustic Center Sync when paired with a BRAVIA TV.
Update 12/03/2021: We previously reported that this soundbar comes with an ethernet port, but it does not. We've updated our results accordingly.
The Sony A7000 comes with lots of physical inputs. There are two Full HDMI In ports, meaning you can use the bar as a hub between different devices. You can also play files directly via USB or an older device.
The Sony A7000 soundbar has incredible audio format support via ARC. It supports standard surround sound formats like Dolby Digital and object-based and lossless formats like Dolby Atmos.
The Sony HT-A7000 also has fantastic audio format support via Full HDMI In. It supports all audio formats we test for, including object-based and lossless formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.
The Sony HT-A7000 supports Dolby Digital and DTS content via Optical. These common surround sound formats are often found on Blu-rays and streaming platforms.
The Sony HT-A7000 has a great latency performance. It has fairly low latency, so the audio you hear is mostly in sync with the video you see. As a result, it's suitable for watching videos and movies over these connections. However, some apps and TVs compensate for latency differently, so your real-world experience may vary.
You can use this soundbar as a hub between devices like a PC and a TV for video passthrough. It supports most common resolutions and refresh rates properly, which is great for gaming. Updating the bar to firmware version 1.779 adds support for ALLM and HDMI Forum VRR. With the update, the bar can passthrough 4k @ 120Hz @ 10-bit @ 4:4:4 with certain gaming consoles and PC gaming.
The Sony HT-A7000 lets you wirelessly stream audio from your mobile devices to the bar over all the wireless playback formats we test for. The manufacturer also says that it supports Spotify Connect.
The Sony HT-A7000 doesn't have built-in voice assistant support. Instead, you need to pair a third-party device with voice assistant capabilities to the bar to control it with your voice. The manufacturer says that it supports Alexa and Google Assistant devices.