Sony HT-XT1 Review

Sony's HT-XT1 is easy to connect, and three HDMI inputs is enough for most people. It is easy to operate even when the remote is not very good. Small and delicious, but not very intuitive because it is too easy to confuse the volume up and down with the plus and minus buttons used to scroll the menus.

Sony HT-XT1

70%

Sound Quality - 70%
78%

Features - 78%
70%

Ease of Use - 70%
72%

Build Quality - 72%

72.5%

SUMMARY

Sony’s HT-XT1 has an open sound that particularly benefits movie dialogue.

PLUS
Besides clear dialogue and a quite powerful sound, Sony’s sound bar offers plenty of connectivity, including three HDMI inputs, and Bluetooth with NFC.

MINUS
Bass range sounds a bit monotonous, which messes up some of the music in stereo.

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There are a few different audio modes, although most of them sound quite similar. We end up with the "Music" for music, and "Movie" for movies, were the latter mostly tries to simulate surround sound.

The movie ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug‘ has surprisingly clear dialogue, and with the bass level set at 9, it has a pretty good roundness in the bass register. The sound is superior to a regular TV spaeker. The upper frequencies are a tad hard and cold, but this is still very good for being such a cheap sound bar speakers.

I was surprised several times by the size of the sound image, which sometimes almost sounds as if it creeps up from behind. The downside is a slightly monotonous bass, with a certain frequency range that stands out more than any other frequency.

Therefore, music doesn´t sound as good. It sounds pompous and nonlinear with the bass set on max, and sound too thin and weak when lowering it. Vocals are however clear, especially female voices and other 'lighter' singers.

Given the price the Sony HT-XT1 impresses with movies, but the bass is not linear enough for music.