Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + Bass Module Soundbar Review

The Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + SW5 Bass Module has a sleek design. The bar is mostly made of high-quality plastic, and there's a metal grille in front to protect the drivers inside. The touch-capacitive glass top gives it a very high-end feel, though the fabric covering the up-firing drivers on top is pinchable. Unlike the Sony HT-ST5000, you can't remove the front grille to expose the drivers, but the grille is transparent enough that you can see the drivers behind it.

The SA-SW5 subwoofer is mostly made of hard plastic with a leather-like texture and has fabric covering the sides. There's a front-firing driver behind the front fabric and a down-firing driver at the bottom of the sub. There are also two additional subwoofers integrated into the bar.

The SA-RS3S speakers are designed to fit in seamlessly with the soundbar with what Sony calls their 'Omnidirectional Block Design' concept. The speakers are also made of hard plastic with a metal grille in the front, and they have a premium feel overall.

This soundbar is very wide. It likely won't fit between the legs of a 55" TV stand. It's also 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 SA-SW5 subwoofer is on the bulky side. It's a bit larger than a typical desktop PC.

The SA-RS3S speakers aren't very big. They connect to the bar wirelessly, so you have some flexibility when placing them in your room.

The Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + SW5 Bass Module has an excellent build quality. Overall, it has a very premium feel. The bar and the satellites have a similar build, with solid plastic and metal grilles to protect the drivers inside. The bar also has a glass top and some nice-quality fabric covering the up-firing drivers. The subwoofer feels very high-end, too, and it's mostly plastic with a fabric covering the sides.

• Operating Instructions (Bar, Sats and Sub)
• TV center speaker mode cable (6.5 ft / 2.0m)
• 4x AC power cord (2x 5.2 ft / 1.6m and 2x 6.5 ft / 2.0m)
• HDMI cable (5.2 ft / 1.6m)
• Remote
• 2x AAA batteries
• 2x screws for soundbar
• 2x Wall mounting brackets

The Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + SW5 Bass Module has a great stereo frequency response. Its frequency response is pretty neutral, though vocals and lead instruments may be slightly muddy and muffled at times. There's a dip between the mid-bass and the high-bass that represents the weak hand-off between the sub and the bar itself. With real-life content, you may notice this as a hole in the soundstage.

This setup comes with a Sound Field Optimization room correction feature that you can activate when the bar is connected to your TV. This feature works automatically, but you can also manually enter your room's dimensions to calibrate the bar. We tested using the automatic Sound Field Optimization feature. However, we also tried the manual configuration and found it was a bit less loud than the automatic calibration, but the frequency response curves were identical. While these results may be unique to our testing room, we feel that the automatic 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.

The Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + SW5 Bass Module has a subwoofer volume adjustment to help you customize its sound. We tested the bar's stereo frequency response at several different settings. However, if you prefer a more neutral sound, we recommend using its default subwoofer level of '6'.

The Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + SW5 Bass Module has a good stereo soundstage. The soundstage is perceived to be about as wide as the bar itself. However, at times, it seems like sound is coming from behind the bar. Also, its focus isn't very accurate, especially compared to other premium models like the Bose Smart Soundbar 900. Sound objects seem to come from a general area rather than an accurate, pinpoint location.

The Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + SW5 Bass Module has a mediocre stereo dynamics performance. The bar doesn't get very loud, so it's not really ideal to use in large rooms or at crowded parties. There's also some compression when you push it to max volume. For a bar that gets even louder, check out the Nakamichi Shockwafe Pro 7.1 SSE.

The Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + SW5 Bass Module 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, if you push the bar to max volume, there's a jump in THD. You may not notice this with real-life content, though.

Update 11/25/2021: We conducted a subjective listening test with the Acoustic Center Sync feature and added it to the text.

The Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + SW5 Bass Module has a good center performance. This 7.1.2 setup has a discrete center channel that helps to more accurately localize voices to a pinpoint location within the sound image.

You can also connect this soundbar with your compatible BRAVIA TV to activate Acoustic Center Sync, which uses the TV 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 with Speakers + SW5 Bass Module has a very good surrounds performance. The SA-RS3S satellites have a discrete localization, which helps to more accurately and clearly represent surround objects in the soundstage. Sound seems like it's coming from all around you, rather than just from speakers placed in front of you.

The Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + SW5 Bass Module has up-firing drivers in the bar, which bounce sound off the ceiling and back toward you to simulate height. However, there aren't any up-firing drivers in the satellites, so sound only comes from the bar itself. Also, the phantom localization doesn't sound as clear and real as the discrete localization provided by home theater setups.

In our subjective listening tests, we found that the 'Cinema' mode creates a more immersive experience when listening to Atmos content. However, the immersion wasn't as impressive as some of the other bars we've tested, such as the Sony HT-A9 with Bass Module and the Sonos Ultimate Immersive Set with Arc.

The Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + SW5 Bass Module has an impressive selection of sound enhancement features. There are some EQ presets to help you customize its sound, including 'Standard Surround', 'Music', 'Cinema', and 'Auto Sound'. You can also adjust the subwoofer volume. The 'Immersive AE' feature activates the up-firing channels to add height to your audio, and this feature is locked on when you watch Atmos content on 'Standard Surround' mode. However, it lacks some more common tools like bass and treble adjustments, which you can find with other 7.1 bars like the LG S90QY with SPQ8-S Speaker Kit.

This setup also has a Sound Field Optimization room correction feature. To access this feature, you need to connect the bar to your TV. You can see a clip of the setup process here.

Updating the bar to firmware version 1.278 adds support for Sony's 360 Spatial Mapping feature. It creates a slightly more immersive sound, adding more of a feeling of sound coming from above you. If you already have Sound Field Optimization turned on, the firmware update automatically turns this feature on - though you need the full setup with satellites for it to work. You can also turn it off in the bar's menu on your TV if you want.

The Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + SW5 Bass Module comes with many physical inputs. You can connect it to your TV using its HDMI or Optical ports. Also, there are Full HDMI In ports with HDMI 2.1 support, but keep in mind that this doesn't mean that it's capable of VRR passthrough.

Also, the bar has an S-Center Out port that lets you plug the bar into a compatible BRAVIA TV for Acoustic Center Sync. This feature syncs your TV speakers with the bar, so the sound matches what you see on the screen more accurately.

The Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + SW5 Bass Module has fantastic audio format support via ARC. It supports standard surround formats like Dolby Digital as well as object-based and lossless audio formats.

Via Full HDMI In, the Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + SW5 Bass Module supports standard surround sound formats like Dolby Digital. You can also playback object-based and lossless formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

Via Optical, the Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + SW5 Bass Module supports Dolby Digital and DTS content. You can often find these surround sound formats on Blu-rays and streaming platforms.

The Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + SW5 Bass Module has a great latency performance. It has fairly low latency, so you shouldn't notice a delay between the audio you hear and the video you see. As a result, it's suitable for watching videos and movies over these connections. The manufacturer also says that the AV SYNC feature can help reduce latency regardless of whether or not your bar is paired to a BRAVIA TV. Some apps and TVs may compensate for latency differently, though, so your real-world experience can vary.

The bar supports video passthrough when connected as a hub between devices like a PC and a TV. It supports most common resolutions and refresh rates, which is great for gaming. Updating the bar to firmware version 1.779 adds support for HDMI Forum VRR and ALLM passthrough. Plus, the update allows you to passthrough 4K @ 120Hz @ 10-bit @ 4:4:4 for PC gaming and gaming with certain consoles.

The Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + SW5 Bass Module lets you wirelessly stream audio to the bar from your mobile devices over lots of different wireless playback formats. The manufacturer also says that it supports Spotify Connect.

The Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + SW5 Bass Module has a small interface that shows the inputs and settings you're on.

There are touch-capacitive buttons on top of the bar. You can power the bar on/off, change the input, activate Bluetooth, access music services like Spotify, and adjust the volume.

The remote is similar to others from the manufacturer. It's large, and there are lots of buttons. For example, you can use it to change the input, adjust the EQ preset, and play/pause your audio. You're also able to control the bar using the Sony Music Center app.

The Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + SW5 Bass Module doesn't have voice assistant support built into the bar. If you want to activate the bar with your voice, you need to pair it with a third-party voice assistant device like an Amazon Echo. The manufacturer says that it supports Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant-enabled devices.