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.
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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 Sonos Arc is better than the Sony HT-S200F. The Sonos is a better-built 5.0.2 setup that supports Dolby Atmos content. It has better soundstage, center, and surround performances and built-in voice assistant capabilities. It even has a room correction feature, unlike the Sony. That said, the Sony comes with EQ presets, which some users may prefer for sound customization.
The Sony HT-X9000F is a slightly more versatile soundbar than the Sony HT-S200F. It has a bit better build quality, and its sound profile delivers more bass and treble. It has seven EQ presets, its surround performance is slightly better, and it even supports Atmos content by downmixing it, which is unique in a 2.1 channel setup. It also has a Full HDMI In port, and it can pass through high-quality signals. However, even though the HT-S200F can't get as loud, it has fewer thumping and compression artifacts at max volume. It also has a slightly better-performing phantom center channel.
The Sony HT-S200F and the Yamaha ATS-1090 are both simple standalone soundbars. The Sony is smaller but can reproduce more low-bass, and it gets a little louder. It doesn't have a Full HDMI In port for video passthrough like the Yamaha. The Yamaha has built-in voice assistant support, too.
Test Results
