Sony HT-ST7 7.1 Soundbar Review

Pros
  • Built-in Bluetooth and NFC
  • Wireless Subwoofer
  • HDMI pass-through with HD audio decoding
  • IR pass-through
  • Wide soundstage in Movie mode

Cons

  • Treble can sound too bright
  • Lackluster subwoofer build quality and performance
  • Dialing in sound to personal preference can be difficult  

Sony HT-ST7 Review Introduction

The “high-end” soundbar market has matured over the past few years, with companies like Yamaha and B&W leading the way. But this product segment, ripe for the taking, hasn’t gone unnoticed by others. Audio-centric brands like, Definitive Technology, MartinLogan, and Bose have also jumped on board.

Earlier this year, a brand outside the typical audio circles, Samsung, announced and we reviewed the $949 HW-F750 soundbar. Now, Sony has also knuckled down with the HT-ST7 Soundbar for $1299. Given the fact that Sony already has a presence in the high-end audio community with their ES and AR lineups, we were excited to see what they would do with a $1300 budget for a soundbar. Would they fall victim to the feature rich/sound quality poor models that so many other mainstream AV manufacturers use, or would they pull from their audiophile roots to design an exceptionality fine sounding unit. To answer those questions, you’ll have to keep reading the review.

Features and Overview

The HT-ST7’s design isn’t revolutionary, but it does have enough unique features to stand out. On the more run of the mill side of things, it sports a wireless subwoofer for low end response. The subwoofer enclosure is made of .5” MDF with a 100w (unspecified THD or voltage) class D amplifier. Sony does not give a rating for frequency response. It sports an active 7” driver and an 8”x12” passive radiator and weighs 24lbs 11oz. While 24lbs isn’t heavy by any means for a subwoofer, it’s still about 10lbs more than the sub included with the Bose CineMate 1 SR, which retails for $1499. I know, I know, heavier doesn’t equal better, but it can be an indicator of build quality, like more internal bracing or a bigger motor structure on the driver. But rather than guess, I took apart the subwoofer..

 ST7 sub back panel         ST7 Sub Amp
       Sony HT-ST7 Sub Rear                         Sony HT-ST7 Sub Amplifier

A 2” deep cavity on the rear of the unit houses the amplifier and has padding to prevent the amp from rattling during use. The main cavity houses the 7” active driver and 8”x12” passive radiator. Both are stamped basket. I wasn’t able to remove the active driver, but I could feel that it has a vented pole piece for improved heat dissipation. It also has a bucking magnetic to reduce the magnetic field for CRT displays. I’m not sure why these are still used on products like this as the subwoofer likely won’t sit by a CRT display. The cord from the amplifier was wrapped to prevent it from slapping around the cabinet. The bracing in the cabinet was minimal, really, pretty much nonexistent except for some extra MDF glued to the inside of the cabinet. You’ll note the round piece of MDF glued to the inside of the cabinet, which is the cutout from the driver. Although not visible in the pictures below, there was one piece batting glued to the back panel. Finally, the sub measures up at 9 ½” W× 15 ½” H × 16 ¼” D, making it pretty compact, especially considering that 2” of the height doesn’t add to the internal volume because it’s from a base that the subwoofer sets on. That’s in addition to the 2” deep amplifier enclosure. Obviously, most consumers looking for a soundbar don’t want a giant sub, so I thought the size was fine considering the application. However, the build quality leaves something to be desired.

ST7 Passive Radiator          ST7 Internal Front
Sony HT-ST7 Sub Passive Radiator           Sony HT-ST7 Sub Internal     

As for the soundbar itself, it sports an impressive array of 9 drivers in a T-M---M-M-M-M-M---M-T arrangement. The tweeters are.8” (20mm) domes and the midrange drivers are 2.56” (65mm). I was unable to find out the driver material used, but the midrange drivers look like woven fiberglass. The two tweeters and woofers flanking the outside of the soundbar are in separate enclosures from the five midrange woofers in the middle. At first glance, it looks like the pair of drivers on the outside of the unit are in ported enclosures, each with a small front firing port. Only when I was moving the soundbar around during measurements did I notice that the port is not actually a port. It just looks like one but is actually completely closed (There is a close up picture of this further into the review).

Seven independent 50w amplifiers power the 9 drivers, presumably with the two outside pairs of drivers each powered by a single amplifier. Sony touts the use of a high quality aluminum enclosure, which I do think looks nice, but most of the unit is actually constructed from plastic, including the sides, rear, and bottom.

ST7 Grill On
Sony HT-ST7 Grill On

Mirroring the impressive array of drivers on the front of the unit is an impressive array of inputs on the rear. Three HDMI, two digital optical, one digital coax, and one analog audio provide enough varied connections for most anyone. The HDMI inputs not only support 3D, 4K, HDMI-CEC and standby pass-through, but can also decode DTS HD and DolbyTrueHD. HD audio decoding is something that very few soundbars support, including some more expensive models, and is a nice addition to the HT-ST7.

USB is noticeably lacking, but is made up for with built-in Bluetooth and NFC. You’ll also find a 3.5mm jack on the rear for use with the included IR blaster. Combined with the IR on the front, the HT-ST7 provides IR pass-through so feel free to cover the IR sensor on your TV with the soundbar. Like with the HD audio decoding, the inclusion of IR pass-through is an uncommon but very welcome feature that helps set the HT-ST7 apart from the competition.
 Sony HT-ST7 Inputs


http://www.audioholics.com  

By Cliff Heyne