Sony BRAVIA Theatre Bar 7+S

The Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 is a real winner for anyone who wants to enjoy movies, series, and sports to the fullest at home. I purchased it specifically with the upcoming World Cup in mind, and what a difference it makes! Even standard TV broadcasts of football matches are effortlessly converted into rich, full surround sound. It now feels just like you are standing right in the stadium among the supporters, either alone or with friends! The soundbar is equipped with high-quality audio technologies straight from the cinema, now available right in your own living room. You experience beautiful 360° spatial sound where physical and virtual speakers work together harmoniously to create a much wider sound field. This draws you even deeper into every scene or sports match.

With its 100W of deep bass and passive radiator, the subwoofer is an indispensable addition that takes the intensity of the stadium atmosphere or an exciting action movie to a higher level. Fortunately, the system is ready for use immediately; installation is very simple with just one HDMI cable, and the subwoofer connects completely wirelessly. So, no hassle with wires! The handy BRAVIA Connect app makes daily operation very easy.

Unboxing was surprisingly easy: open the box, scan the QR code, install the app, and ready to pair. Or so I thought. The Bluetooth connection was established quickly, but the mandatory firmware update arrived immediately. That proved to be a bit of a struggle: four attempts before it finally didn't freeze.

Pairing the subwoofer seemed simple, but only if you press that little button on the back. After that, everything worked, but it all felt more cumbersome than necessary.

The soundbar itself is nice and compact, connections neatly tucked away, but it's a shame there isn't a wired UTP connection. The subwoofer is also compact and can easily be tucked behind a plant; only a power cable is needed, otherwise it's wireless.

Then there's the sound. With movies, such as The Gladiator via Prime Video, it sounds really good: wide, powerful, beautiful surround. But music via Spotify is disappointing. It lacks spaciousness and doesn't fill the room as you would expect.

The app offers few settings; you can barely fine-tune the sound. However, the integration with the phone works well: the microphone quickly determines your listening position. The LEDs behind the canvas are okay, but I would have preferred a display. Because of that, I hardly ever use the remote control.

We have had the Sony Theatre Bar 7 + Sub in our home for a few weeks now. The installation went effortlessly! The Bravia app is very easy to install, and you go through all the steps very simply with it. The sound from the Theatre Bar is very clear and produces a beautiful sound. The Sub is also of excellent quality and can be adjusted to your liking from 1-8. Unfortunately, there is one small point that prevents it from getting a 10: you unfortunately cannot play music via Bluetooth without an internet connection... and we unfortunately had an internet outage for 3 days, which caused us to run into this problem. On the other hand, it is incredibly nice that you can play sound on the Theatre Bar remotely, even when you are not at home, via the Bravia app. The Bar itself looks chic and blends in perfectly with our interior, and the sub is also slim and sleek. In short, a very nice, clear, and good soundbar that has given our living room a significant upgrade!