{"id":128821,"date":"2021-04-19T05:36:22","date_gmt":"2021-04-19T04:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techweekmag.com\/?p=128821"},"modified":"2024-04-08T16:49:56","modified_gmt":"2024-04-08T16:49:56","slug":"sony-ht-sf150-review-still-better-than-your-tvs-built-in-speakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/speakers\/sony-ht-sf150-review-still-better-than-your-tvs-built-in-speakers\/","title":{"rendered":"Sony HT-SF150 : Still better than your TV’s built-in speakers"},"content":{"rendered":"

A good soundbar has two important features.\u00a0This is not only good sound but also ease of use.\u00a0Since not everyone is convinced of the soundbar idea, manufacturers should try both ways.\u00a0So what about the Sony HT-SF150?\u00a0The TV sound is often insufficient for the content being displayed.<\/p>\n

Whatever you say, there is always room for improvement.\u00a0This is why there are various receivers, speakers, and soundbars.\u00a0The question is always how much you can spend on such an \u201cextra\u201d product, and how realistic its price is.\u00a0Can you hear really good sound from a budget model?\u00a0In this review of Sony HT-SF150, we will take a closer look at the functionality of this panel and try to answer this question.<\/p>\n

Sony HT-SF150 review<\/h2>\n

Design and installation<\/h3>\n

The Sony HT-SF150 is a fairly wide soundbar.\u00a0It’s not just better for sound.\u00a0It’s also better for larger TVs.\u00a0Of course, if your TV is wider than ninety centimeters, then you should think about a different soundbar.\u00a0The cabinet contains two speakers, which are rated at 120 watts.<\/p>\n

The USB port can play music directly, but not in any format.\u00a0The soundbar offers support for WAV, MP3 and WMA.\u00a0In addition, there is support for Dolby Digital, and you can also count on Bluetooth version 4.2.<\/p>\n

Thus, the sound is reproduced in different ways, but not over Wi-Fi or the Internet.\u00a0And besides, there is no additional HDMI connection, just one standard port (with CEC and ARC support).\u00a0There is a single LED on the front of the soundbar.<\/p>\n

\"Sony<\/a><\/p>\n

This indicator lights up when you are using the remote control and when the Sony HT-SF150 Soundbar is activated.\u00a0There are several buttons at the top for the most basic operations of the device.\u00a0Super convenient when you are in front of the soundbar and without a remote control.\u00a0You adjust the sound, turn the soundbar on and off, and change sources.\u00a0You can also activate Bluetooth mode immediately.<\/p>\n

Installation<\/h3>\n

Installing the Sony HT-SF150 soundbar is very easy.\u00a0The package contains an optical cable that allows you to connect the soundbar to your TV.\u00a0But perhaps a modern TV does not have an appropriate outlet for this.\u00a0This is why it is recommended to use an HDMI cable.<\/p>\n

Either way: plug the cable into both devices, tell the TV that there is now a soundbar and you can start listening immediately.\u00a0You can also connect Bluetooth devices: now this is a well-known process.<\/p>\n

Using<\/h3>\n

Since the SF150 soundbar supports hdmi-cec, it can be controlled with the TV remote control.\u00a0For example, adjust the volume or turn on \/ off Sony HT-SF150.\u00a0The panel comes with its own remote control, which Sony distributes with several soundbars.<\/p>\n

As a consequence, the remote has buttons for functions that this soundbar does not have.\u00a0A bit tricky at first, but you will quickly get used to which buttons can and cannot be used.\u00a0You will not be able to completely abandon the remote control, because it is needed to change audio modes.\u00a0And the TV remote does not have these buttons.\u00a0The remote control itself is comfortable in the hand, all buttons are easily accessible.<\/p>\n

Sound quality<\/h3>\n

On the field, the Sony HT-SF150 audio panel looks very convincing, which is not a surprise at the low price.\u00a0But first of all, you need to understand one thing: the sound produced by the soundbar is actually clearer and more powerful than the standard TV sound, but in many cases it is also sharper.<\/p>\n

Especially when you activate the cinematic sound mode.\u00a0In a scene where, for example, the broken glass of a window falls to the floor after something is thrown at it, the sound is harsh and unpleasant, almost cacophonic.\u00a0Especially if the music is playing.\u00a0Simply put, producing precision sound seems too ambitious for the HT-SF150.<\/p>\n

To counteract this a little, you can activate the normal mode, but then there is an option to skip some dynamic scene – the sound effect will be ignored.\u00a0Conversation clarity seems good at first, but it ends up in the trash when music plays in the background in the background.\u00a0It is unexpectedly well heard, and its volume interferes with dialogues.<\/p>\n

The musical plan is also a little disappointing.\u00a0Although the sound is decent and warm, the lack of good bass sound is distinctly audible.\u00a0Low tones are practically absent or sound boring, which makes a large number of songs less dynamic.\u00a0In this sense, the\u00a0Sony HT-S350 soundbar\u00a0with a wireless subwoofer is\u00a0much more interesting\u00a0.<\/p>\n

However, if you don’t bother and just watch TV programs, the Sony 150 soundbar will work well.\u00a0Dialogue is easy to understand and sounds don’t turn into mince.\u00a0The soundbar is clearly intended for TV shows.<\/p>\n

However, sound can fill a room and does not sound localized.\u00a0When you watch movies or TV shows, or even listen to music, you don’t feel like the sound is coming from a compact box in front of the TV.<\/p>\n

Other soundbars in this segment are often inferior (and mostly inferior).\u00a0Therefore, their sound seems to be directional.\u00a0Sony HT-SF150 suffers from this to a much lesser extent.\u00a0While it may be a little disappointing to play certain audio content, the audio has spatial richness.<\/p>\n

\"Sony<\/a><\/p>\n

Connections<\/h3>\n

As mentioned above, the rear panel houses an optical input, an HDMI connector (with CEC and ARC support) and a USB port.\u00a0Among the wireless connections are Bluetooth version 4.2.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n

The Sony HT-SF150 is an inexpensive soundbar that is generally easy to use.\u00a0The “plug and play” principle is implemented here 100%. The remote is also convenient. However, at this price, you don’t have to expect much from the sound.\u00a0However, it’s still better than your TV’s built-in speakers.<\/p>\n

It is important in which room this soundbar will be used.\u00a0The Sony HT-SF150 soundbar has wide directional speakers and may sound slightly better in a small room.\u00a0And yet the device does not bring you closer to the cinema, no matter how much you wish it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A good soundbar has two important features.\u00a0This is not only good sound but also ease of use.\u00a0Since not everyone is convinced of the soundbar idea, manufacturers should try both ways.\u00a0So what about the Sony HT-SF150?\u00a0The TV sound is often insufficient for the content being displayed. Whatever you say, there is always room for improvement.\u00a0This is […] More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10404,"featured_media":128838,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[646],"tags":[778],"class_list":["post-128821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-speakers","tag-reviews"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10404"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128821\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/128838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}