Our Verdict
Okay for mixed usage. The Sony S200F has a fairly neutral, but slightly muddy sound profile that is better suited for dialogue-oriented content. It lacks bass even though it has an integrated subwoofer and has trouble reproducing the deep rumble and punch of bass and has a very narrow soundstage. On the upside, it can get pretty loud and most people should be satisfied with it. It also performs quite well at max volume and its overall build quality is decent. However, this bar won’t be great for an immersive movie listening experience, as it lacks height channel and support for Atmos content.
- Great for dialogue content.
- Performs well at max volume.
- Doesn't get very loud.
- Doesn’t support DTS.
- Always-on surround sound feature.
Good for dialogue. You can use this soundbar to listen to voice-oriented content like podcasts, audiobooks, or TV shows. The sound profile is slightly muddy, but the overall reproduction of voices is accurate. It can also get pretty loud and you can also use the Dialogue Enhancement feature to get an even better listening experience and make dialogue in movies even clearer. Additionally, you’ll be able to stream content from your phone wirelessly thanks to its Bluetooth compatibility.
Mediocre for music. Although the Sony HT-S200F has a fairly neutral sound profile, its bass is quite poor and doesn’t reproduce accurately the low punch and thump of bass-heavy music even though it has an integrated subwoofer. Its soundstage is also noticeably small and is even narrower than the bar itself, which is short to begin with. On the upside, it can get loud enough for most use cases and it performs well at max volume without compression. It's easy to stream music via a Bluetooth connection, and the bar offers four EQ presets including a dedicated 'Music' mode.
Sub-par for movies. The S200F doesn’t support height channels and Atmos, which means it won’t deliver a very immersive experience. However, just like the S100F and most Sony soundbars, the S200F has an always-on surround sound feature. On the other hand, even with an integrated subwoofer, this soundbar can’t really produce deep bass thump and punch, which will negatively affect its performance with movies. It also doesn’t support DTS, which is disappointing, especially if you watch a lot of Blu-ray movies. On the upside, you’ll be able to hear the dialogue in movies very clearly thanks to the Voice mode.
Changelog
- Updated Dec 04, 2023: Added market comparison with the Yamaha ATS-1090 in the Voice Assistants Support box.
- Updated Aug 11, 2022: Compared 'Sound Enhancement Features' to Roku Streambar Pro.
- Updated Mar 01, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Jul 22, 2020: We've updated the bass adjustment feature.
Check Price
Popular Soundbar Comparisons
The Sony HT-S200F sets itself apart with the built-in subwoofer which can be found under the soundbar. Although it technically has a sub channel, this soundbar's bass performance isn't on par with setups with a dedicated and wireless subwoofer. See our recommendations for the best soundbars, the best budget soundbars, and the best soundbars with a subwoofer.
The Sony HT-S200F is slightly better than the Sony HT-S100F model, especially thanks to its built-in subwoofer channel, which helps a bit with the bass. These are practically the same bar and perform very similarly otherwise. The HT-S200F will be an overall better choice thanks to the extra bass, especially for the marginal price difference.
The Bose TV Speaker is slightly better for mixed usage than the Sony HT-S200F. The Bose is better built and has a better soundstage. Its default sound profile is also a bit more neutral, which some users may prefer. However, the Sony has more sound enhancement features, including EQ presets.
The Sony HT-S200F is slightly better than the Bose Solo 5. The Sony bar has a built-in subwoofer, but it doesn't give you that much more bass, unfortunately. The Sony can also get a bit louder and performs well at max volume, while the Bose compresses a bit in the bass range. The Sony offers a few more sound enhancement features, too.
The Sony HT-S200F and the TCL Alto 6+ are both 2.1 setups with different strengths and you may prefer one over the other. The TCL is better-balanced and can get louder, although with a bit more compression artifacts. Its surround performance is better too. However, the Sony has a better center performance, and it offers more sound enhancement features. It also has a shared HDMI ARC and Out port.
Test Results
