Sony HT-CT150 3D Soundbar System Review

Product Specifications
Positive Aspects
Negative Aspects
Should You Buy?

The Sony HT-CT150 is a 3D soundbar system that is designed to bring an enhanced audio experience to your existing HDTV setup. Since it does not come with a Blu-Ray player, it is ideal for those who already own one and just want to save money buying a set of good speakers, or for those who are contemplating of upgrading their current player at a later date. All in all, this soundbar system looks like a great solution for the casual user who desires an enhanced movie-viewing experience. But is it the right sound system for you?

Product Specifications Of The Sony HT-CT150 3D Soundbar System

List Price: $240
Speaker Setup: Soundbar
Wireless Subwoofer: No
Total Power (Watts): 225
HDMI Inputs: 3
3D Passthrough: Yes

Positive Aspects Of The Sony HT-CT150 3D Soundbar System

Sound Quality
The Sony HT-CT150 does a good job compared to other soundbars in its price range, though isn't necessarily the very best. It has good sound across all frequencies but is lacking detail that most casual users won't notice. The simulated surround sound means that you get a good range of sound seemingly coming at you from all angles. It falls a little short in that you don't feel the sound coming directly from behind you. However, this is something that you can never really expect from a soundbar system, no matter how great the sound quality.

HDMI Inputs
There are three HDMI inputs on this device, which is excellent for a soundbar in this price range and one thing that helps it to stand out against the competition. It means that you can connect a number of HDMI devices at once and switch between them whenever you need to. Very useful if your HDTV doesn't have enough inputs for all your devices!

3D Pass Through
The HDMI inputs on the Sony HT-CT150 are also 3D compatible. This is useful, because it means you can connect a 3D video source to the soundbar, and pass it through to your 3D HDTV. This feature won't be necessary for many, but it'll be useful for those with a 3D system or who might be thinking of upgrading in the near future. Not all other soundbar systems will be compatible with such a setup.

Connectivity
Aside from the HDMI ports, the general connectivity on the Sony HT-CT150 soundbar is still very impressive in comparison to the competition. There are two optical inputs, 2 analog audio inputs and 1 coaxial input. With the setup, you can connect a maximum of six devices at any one time.

Design
The beauty of any soundbar is that it's so easy to place in your living room. You can either mount it above your HDTV screen, or just place it right in front of it as-is. Because it has a low profile, it doesn't come up high enough to get in the way of the picture on the TV screen, and the design itself is so simple that it won't look out of place with any standard flat screen TV.

Negative Aspects Of The Sony HT-CT150 3D Soundbar System

Wireless Setup
Unlike most other soundbars on the market, the subwoofer on the Sony HT-CT150 isn't wireless. Instead, the soundbar itself is wireless, and the subwoofer houses all of the inputs and outputs, including the receiver for the remote control. You can't just place the subwoofer anywhere in your lounge: you need to make sure there's a clear line of sight from your couch in order to properly control it. This means you have to think a little more about where you're going to fit this soundbar system into your living room than you would with alternative options.

Remote Control
Sony have included a lot of functions on the remote control for the Sony HT-CT150 soundbar. This is useful, as it means you can control various TVs, DVD players and so on. That said, it feels a little as though they have tried to cram too much into a tiny space. Using the remote can be confusing as many of the buttons have more than one function.

No Lossless Audio
The Sony HT-CT150 supports standard DTS and Dolby Digital sound formats, but does not support the newer lossless sound formats that newest Blu-Ray discs now come with. This isn't a big surprise given the price, but it means that those looking for the absolute best sound experience will not find it here.

Should You Buy The Sony HT-CT150 3D Soundbar System?

In conclusion, the Sony HT-CT150 soundbar is an excellent audio system given the price you pay. The sound is good enough for a normal size living rooms, though it can be quite far from perfect, and the fact that it provides 3 HDMI inputs immediately puts this soundbar above much of its rivals. The real negative aspects, as explained above, is the fact that the subwoofer can't be placed just anywhere in the room. All in all, however, an affordable and good sound system. The Sony HT-CT150 3D Soundbar System can be purchased from Amazon.com at a special price.

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