Sony HT-G700 Soundbar Review

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.

The subwoofer is made of mostly melamine and plastic. The port has a glossy black finish while the woofer itself is covered by a nice metal grille. The subwoofer's back has a plastic plate.

This soundbar setup doesn't have any satellites.

The Sony HT-G700 is a fairly wide soundbar and most likely won't fit between the legs of most 55" or smaller TVs. It's not too tall, though, so it shouldn't block part of your screen unless your TV sits flush on the table.

The Sony HT-G700's subwoofer is about the size of an average desktop PC. It isn't too large and it should fit beside your TV or couch.

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 back of the subwoofer is pretty plain. There's a power cable on the bottom and that's about it.

This setup doesn't have any satellite speakers.

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.

• HDMI cable
• Power cables
• Remote
• 2x AAA batteries for the remote
• Manuals

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.

The Sony HT-G700's stereo soundstage is just satisfactory. It feels about as wide as the bar but the bar itself doesn't do anything to make it sound any wider. Objects also sound like they're coming from general moving areas rather than accurate pinpoint locations.

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.

This sub connects wirelessly to your soundbar and it only needs its power cable.

This soundbar doesn't have any satellites.

The Sony HT-G700 has a small screen behind its grille that displays the inputs as well as settings you change. It can also tell you what kind of audio format you're playing.

This bar has five simple buttons on its top. From here, you can turn it on/off, change inputs, switch to a Bluetooth connection, and raise/lower the volume.

The Sony HT-G700 has a somewhat slim remote with a lot of controls so that you can easily change settings. However, you won't be able to use it as a universal remote to control your TV.

The Sony HT-G700 doesn't come with a companion app.

The Sony HT-G700 goes into standby mode after being idle for some time. As it also supports HDMI CEC, you can use your TV remote to control some of the soundbar's features like volume and input control.