HT-X2

I opted for this particular sound bar for a number of reasons, primarily because it was a Sony and designed to work with the Bravia televisions, of which I have one. The reviews were as always a mixed bag but generally positive, one of them says it won't play blurays, not true it does. The key is how you connect, My TV has an ARC hdmi connection so set up was extremely easy. I have a Panasonic blu-ray player and a YouView box connected to my TV and the sound from both was faithfully reproduced through the sound bar. I haven't tried the Googlecast or paring a blootooth device yet but I am more than happy with what I've heard so far. Music blurays sound completely different now with deep rich sound, how they should. Update 2018, have connected via Bluetooth, very easy, and the sound is really good, still haven’t tried streaming from the internet but have connected to my computer and can play music from there via the Wi-Fi network, again very easy to do and can select whichever tracks I want.

Update; 3 months later and the soundbase is causing no end of problems. It started with a huge lip sync issue and now it doesn't work at all. I wish I had just used an old Mission set of speakers from the 1970's, as they don't need software updates that end up breaking the system. Must find my warranty and send this back. After procrastinating for months I finally decided a soundbase would look better than a soundbar. This Sony soundbase had excellent reviews so I decided to invest my hard earned money and it was a great decision. I have a 49" LG TV and it sits perfectly on top of the base. The sound quality is awesome, I am fairly fussy about these things and was tempted to stick with Bose, but to be fair for the size of our front room this Sony is as good as you could want.

If you like to keep things looking neat and tidy then a soundbase may be a better option for you than a conventional soundbar and sub-woofer setup. This Sony soundbase is compact and sits inconspicuously under the TV out of the way but still packs a pretty powerful punch. I have both the Sony HT-XT2 and the earlier Sony HT-XT1 in use in different rooms and although some listings show the XT2 as an update to the XT1 they are really very different products as far as features are concerned. Although the XT1 and XT2 look very alike, and have a similar sound, the connectivity is very different for each model – the XT1 has plenty of physical inputs for external equipment whereas the XT2 is virtually all wireless. The XT1 has three HDMI inputs plus an HDMI output to connect to the TV and can also be connected to analogue sound sources too – the XT2 has a single HDMI output to connect to the TV and that is it; anything else has to connect to the XT2 wirelessly. Both speakers have built-in Bluetooth connectivity but the XT2 can also be connected to your router for additional wireless features that the XT1 does not have – Spotify Connect and Google Cast for example. The XT2 also comes with a much better remote control than the XT1 with had one of the silliest designs I've yet seen in a Sony product – the XT2 has a proper remote with good access to the many useful features such as being able to control the sub-woofer volume independently to suit the sound source. Although I am pleased with both the Sony XT1 and the XT2 they are not interchangeable where I have them in use and the lack of physical connectivity on the XT2 and the fact no HDMI cable is actually supplied with it makes it four stars rather than five. However, if the features of the XT2 suit your setup then you will not be disappointed by the sound quality and ease of use. If you are using an older TV without an ARC-enabled HDMI port then you will need to connect the supplied optical audio cable as well as an HDMI cable or you won't get any sound. If you have a designated ARC (Audio Return Channel) port on your TV then you must use that one to connect to the XT2 – and I would also recommend using a new HDMI cable meeting the latest specification as an old one may not be up to the job in hand. I always use AmazonBasics HDMI cables and they are as good as any costing many times as much. There is a lot to like about the Sony XT2 – Spotify Connect for one – but the lack of physical connectivity may be a limiting factor for many.

Great sound, although I do have to turn the TV speakers down/off as it gets a bit of an echo at louder volumes. Connects perfectly with my TV (connected with cable), iPhone, iPad, Echo Dot (all Bluetooth connections). Fills the entire flat with sound, which is great for under £200 and only 1 "speaker". I did (vaguely) notice a difference when you press the button to increase the dialogue sound, but no different when I increased again, so don't let this sway you, it's not worth it in my opinion. My only niggles are that its a bit slow to start up, despite me using the quick start, and the buttons can be a bit slow responding on the remote. We are talking seconds here though not minutes and I'm not exactly patient!

Initial review : Didn't want a room full of speakers, but wanted better quality sound from my Sony TV. It looks brilliant, was very easy to setup with TV and Bluetooth from iPhone and iPad and gives a much better sound quality over the TV speakers. Use it quite a lot with internet radio streaming over Bluetooth. Later : After less than 3 months the speaker stopped working, permanently scrolling “Please Wait”, lip-sync delays of 5+ seconds and the control interface was so slow bordering on unresponsive that it was unuseable, I reported this to Sony who suggested fixes and in the end said to take it to a Sony center. In the mean time I moved and didn’t think about it until it was out of warranty, but credit to Sony they honoured the warranty issue and fixed it (entire new circuit board) - I paid considerable shipping costs. The unit worked great again for 6 months and has again stopped working.. it’s now getting thrown in the bin.. £175 for less than a years worth of use age is a joke.

Excellent from Sony! Lovely piece of glass stuck on top - really solid for quiet a heavy LED 50" TV to sit on. As for the sound, not amazing but very good. Plenty loud enough and felt I didn't even need the full bass at maximum.