The Sony HT-G700 is a 3.1 channel soundbar from 2020. It can support all common audio formats via its HDMI ARC and Full HDMI In ports, and if you like to watch movies, it can also play Dolby Atmos content, but it has to downmix it into stereo. Although it has a fairly boomy sound profile, there are seven EQ presets available that can enhance your audio experience, depending on what kind of content you like to listen to. It can also get pretty loud, but there's a lot of thumping and compression at max volume, which is disappointing.
The Sony HT-G700 is alright for mixed use. Its boomy sound profile lacks a thumpy low-bass, which some listeners may find a tad bit disappointing, especially if you're a fan of EDM or action movies. However, if you prefer a different sound, it has a few EQ presets available, which is nice. This soundbar is also able to reproduce voices accurately and clearly, so you can catch every line of your favorite soap operas or podcasts. It can get loud enough to fill a large or crowded room, too. However, there's a lot of thumping and compression artifacts at max volume.
The Sony HT-G700 is good for dialogue and TV shows. Even though it has a boomy sound profile, it's still able to produce voices clearly and accurately. It can get loud enough to fill a large room or crowded environment, and there's also a 'News' EQ preset that can help the bar further enhance your dialogue experience. You can also use Bluetooth to stream your favorite podcasts or audiobooks to the bar.
The Sony HT-G700 is unremarkable for music. It has a boomy sound profile with a touch of brightness. While it also lacks low-bass, there's a dedicated 'Music' EQ preset that can help enhance your audio experience. There's also an 'Auto Sound' EQ preset that allows the soundbar to automatically adjust its sound profile to better suit your audio. This soundbar can also get loud, but unfortunately, there's a lot of thumping and compression artifacts at max volume.
The Sony HT-G700 is decent for movies. While it has a subwoofer, it lacks low-bass, which can impact the immersiveness of your favorite action flicks. Luckily, there's a 'Cinema' EQ preset which can help enhance your experience. There's also an 'Auto Sound' EQ preset that automatically adjusts the sound profile to better suit your audio. As it has a Full HDMI In port, it supports Dolby Atmos but it has to downmix surround content into stereo. It also supports DTS content, which is nice if you watch a lot of Blu-rays or stream movies.
The Sony HT-G700 is a soundbar from Sony's 2020 lineup. It's a 3.1 setup with a wireless subwoofer, and just like the Sony HT-X9000F, it can support Dolby Atmos content by downmixing it into stereo. However, it doesn't produce as immersive an experience as a 5.1.4 setup like the Vizio SB46514-F6, which uses satellites. Its main competitors are the Sony HT-Z9F, the Sonos Arc, and the Yamaha YAS-209.
The Sony HT-G700 is a sleek soundbar that's very similar in look to other Sony soundbars such as the Sony HT-Z9F. It's made from good quality plastic and it has a big metal grille to protect its speakers, which gives it an overall premium look and feel.
There are no satellites in this setup.
The back of this soundbar has two openings: one for its power cable and the other for its inputs. There are also mounting holes on either side of the bar, but this soundbar doesn't come with wall mounting brackets or screws, so you have to purchase them separately.
The Sony HT-G700 has a good build quality. Its body is made from dense plastic and its speakers are protected by a large metal grille. In contrast, the subwoofer is made from mostly melamine and plastic, which is a little disappointing. The port has a glossy black finish that's prone to fingerprints, but the woofer is protected by a metal grille too, which is nice.
The Sony HT-G700's frequency response is decent. On 'Standard' mode, its subwoofer struggles to produce a thumpy low-bass. However, the rest of the bass range is punchy and boomy, which some listeners may enjoy. Its treble is a bit underemphasized, but it may sound bright on some especially high-pitched tracks. If you're looking for a 3.1 soundbar with a better-balanced sound out-of-the-box, check out the Samsung HW-T650.
Update 09/22/2020: We've discovered a value input bug that would cause the Dynamics box results to be slightly off. All soundbars reviewed since January 30th 2020 have been updated.
The Sony HT-G700 has okay stereo dynamics. It can get very loud, which is well-suited for large rooms or crowded environments. However, at max volume, there's a lot of thumping and compression artifacts that are very audible across its range.
This soundbar has an okay THD performance. At a normal listening volume, the amount of THD falls within good limits, so you get pure and clean audio reproduction. However, the THD jumps at max volume, which is disappointing. That being said, it can be difficult to hear with real-life content, and not everyone will hear it.
The Sony HT-G700 is a 3.1 channel setup with a superb center channel performance. Since it has a dedicated center speaker, it can produce clear and accurate audio reproduction of dialogue from your favorite movies.
This soundbar has a poor surround performance. As it's a 3.1 setup, it uses its left and right speakers to downmix everything into stereo to play surround content. Unfortunately, this results in a less than accurate and clear representation of surround objects, which won't be very immersive as these objects are also perceived as coming from in front, rather than from the sides or behind you.
The Sony HT-G700 has a just unremarkable height performance. It uses Sony's Vertical Surround Engine to simulate an Atmos experience by using its left and right speakers to downmix this content into stereo. While its performance isn't bad, it won't be as immersive as a soundbar with up-firing or dedicated tower speakers.
The Sony HT-G700 has sub-par sound enhancement features. It lacks a room correction feature, so it may sound differently depending on your room. While you can adjust the subwoofer's level, there aren't bass or treble adjustments, which is a little disappointing. There are seven EQ presets to help you get a sound better suited for your audio. There's also a virtual surround sound feature called S-Force PRO that's always on, as well as its Vertical Surround Engine, and DTS Virtual:X.
The Sony HT-G700 has several inputs. Although its USB input is used for updates only, the Full HDMI In and HDMI ARC ports support all common audio formats, which is nice.
The Sony HT-G700 supports all common formats over its HDMI ARC connection. As it also supports eARC, it can play object-based surround signals and lossless formats as well.
Thanks to its Full HDMI In port, you can use this soundbar as a hub between an external device such as a gaming console and your TV. It also supports all common audio formats, including Dolby Atmos and DTS content.
This soundbar supports Dolby Digital and DTS content which are usually found on Blu-ray discs or streaming platforms via its Optical port.
The Sony HT-G700 can only play audio wirelessly using a Bluetooth connection, which is a little disappointing. If you're looking for a soundbar with a few more wireless playback options, check out the Vizio SB36312-G6 or the TCL Alto 9+.
The Sony HT-G700 can be used as a hub between your TV and another source like a gaming console to play 4k content at 60Hz. Text sent using this signal looks crisp.
The Sony HT-G700 is a 3.1 channel soundbar from Sony's 2020 lineup. Unlike most other 3.1 setups, it can simulate an Atmos experience by using Sony's Vertical Surround Engine to downmix this content into stereo. Just like the Sony HT-Z9F, it also supports DTS content using its HDMI ARC port, as well as HDR10 passthrough. However, it's also not compatible with the Sony Music Center app. If you're looking for more soundbars, check out our recommendations for the best Sony soundbars, the best Dolby Atmos soundbars, and the best soundbars with subwoofer.
The Sony HT-Z9F is a better performing soundbar overall than the Sony HT-G700. The HT-Z9F is slightly better built, its sound profile is a bit more balanced, and although it doesn't get as loud as the HT-G700, it can reach its max volume with a lot less thumping and compression artifacts. It has two Full HDMI In ports, and you can even stream music to it using Chromecast or Wi-Fi. Unlike the HT-G700, it also uses its front-firing speakers to produce a surround and height experience, but it doesn't perform as well as the HT-G700.
The Samsung HW-Q70T is a slightly better soundbar than the Sony HT-G700. The Sony struggles to produce a thumpy low-bass, which may be disappointing to fans of bass-heavy music like EDM and hip-hop. While both soundbars can get loud, the Sony has much more compression at max volume, so it won't sound as clear. While the Sony comes with seven EQ presets to help you customize your sound, the Q70T has more customization options like a 7-band graphic EQ. However, unlike the Q70T, the Sony comes with a night mode feature that helps keep the volume at the same level between different programs.
Yamaha YAS-209 has a more well-rounded performance than the Sony HT-G700. The Yamaha is a 2.1 channel with a better-balanced sound profile overall, and you can stream your favorite audio to it using Wi-Fi, which is pretty handy. Although it can't get as loud as the Sony, it has less thumping and compression artifacts at max volume too. The Sony, on the other hand, is a 3.1 setup with slightly better build quality, it can play Dolby Atmos content by downmixing it into stereo, and its center channel offers up a superb performance. It also supports DTS-HD MA and Dolby TrueHD content.
The Sony HT-G700 is a slightly better performing soundbar overall than the Sonos Arc. The Sony is a 3.1 channel can produce a more punchy, boomy bass thanks to its wireless subwoofer, it can get a tiny bit louder with less thumping and compression artifacts, and it has EQ presets available. It also has a Full HDMI In port that supports all common formats, and you can use Bluetooth to stream audio content directly to the bar. However, the Sonos is a 5.0.2 channel that feels slightly better built, and it has a room correction feature. It also uses side-firing speakers to reproduce surround content as well as up-firing speakers to reproduce Atmos objects, which is better than the Sony.
The Samsung HW-Q70R is better for music than the Sony HT-G700. The Samsung feels slightly better built, it has a more balanced and neutral sound profile right out-of-the-box, and even though it doesn't get as loud as the Sony, it can reach its max volume with less thumping and compression artifacts. It also has a graphic EQ plus bass and treble adjustments, and you can stream audio content to it using Wi-Fi or its companion app, which is nice. However, the Sony has better surround and height performances.
The LG GX Soundbar is a better soundbar for dialogue and TV shows than the Sony HT-G700. The LG is better balanced and has more sound enhancement features. Even though it has to downmix surround content into stereo just like the Sony, its surround performance is better. It also has a USB port so you can listen to audio from a flash drive and it has a companion app. However, the Sony feels better built, and it has a better height performance.
The Sony HT-G700 is a slightly better overall soundbar than the Samsung HW-T650. Unlike the Samsung, it supports Dolby Atmos content, although it won't provide the most immersive listening experience because it has to downmix it to stereo. The Sony also supports 4k passthrough so you can use the bar as a hub between your TV and your game console or PC. The Samsung actually has a better-balanced sound profile out-of-the-box, but you can adjust the Sony's slightly boomy sound to your liking thanks to its seven EQ presets. However, like other Sony soundbars, the HT-G700's S-Force Pro surround sound feature is always on, which may not be preferred by all users.
The Sony HT-G700 is a better soundbar than the TCL Alto 9+. The Sony is better-built, and it has a better-balanced sound profile. Its soundstage is wider and more focused, and it can get louder than the TCL. However, the TCL supports more wireless playback options.
The Samsung HW-R650 is a slightly better performing soundbar than the Sony HT-G700. Its treble range is a bit better balanced, it has a graphic EQ so you can tweak your audio experience, and there's a USB port so you can play your favorite music from a thumb drive. Although it doesn't get as loud as the Sony, the Samsung also has less thumping and compression artifacts at max volume. However, it can't support Atmos content. The Sony, on the other hand, supports all common Full HDMI In content and eARC.
The Sony HT-G700 is better for dialogue/TV shows than the Vizio SB36312-G6. The Sony has a slightly better build quality, its sound profile is more neutral, and it has a dialogue enhancement feature to further improve vocal quality. Its center, surround, and height performances are better, and it has eARC support. However, the Vizio has more physical inputs as well as more options for wireless playback. It also has an auto-off power-saving feature.
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