Customer Ratings & Reviews

My observations on this unit are based on using cable TV/cable box and internet streaming as a source. I haven't had the opportunity to assess it using Blu-Ray yet. I initially set up the HTXT 1 as recommended in the "Startup Guide". I connected the cable box to one of the HDMI inputs on the HTXT and used the default settings of the numerous options. The HTXT was then connected to the TV's HDMI(ARC) input, (a Sony W800 series Bravia). The result was inconsistent. The biggest issue was that volume would jump up and down even within the same program. As an example if a talk show guest wanted to show a clip from a recent film, the dialogue from the clip would be so soft as to be unheard. Sporting events that would have off-screen commentary and calls from officials on the field would also drop off dramatically. Music performances mixes and streaming movie dialogue and sound effects would also jump up and down. I would also occasionally get audio syncing issues. When I bypassed the unit and just utilized the on board TV sound everything normalized. I suspected that something in the units processing was not compatible with the source. First thing I did was to reconnect the cable box directly to an HDMI input of the TV and keep the TV connected to the HTXT via the ARC channel of the TV. Next was to go into the cable box menu and disable all its sound processing (surround sound, stereo matrix, etc) and leave it in simple stereo. This helped quite a bit but did not solve everything. I then turned off all the advanced processing in the HTXT itself starting with the DRC,(dynamic range control) which sets compression according to Dolby encryption in the signal. What seemed to help the most was turning off Effect,(sound effect). This turns off the Sound Field which allows you to select presets for various programming,(Clearaudio+, Standard, Movie, Sports, etc). Doing this mixed the input source down to just 2 channels. This seemed to prevent the HTXT from trying to interpolate source material in an incompatible manner,(such as surround/ 5.1). The result was a straightforward stereo signal and amplification. Depending on your set up and system you may not have to do all this, but for watching cable TV and streaming content these adjustments worked best for me. Again I did not try with Blu-Ray source yet. The Bluetooth connection feature worked very well with a smart phone streaming Pandora. Having done all this the actual resulting sound is quite good. My Sony TV has down firing speakers, just having the forward facing speakers of the HTXT is an improvement in clarity. Dialogue is improved and can be tweaked with the Voice setting. The on-board sub-woofers supply a decent amount of clear bass response. It won't replicate the tooth rattling, duodenum destroying bass of a huge theater set up or NYC dance club, but for a simple, compact audio system it works well. I had limited space and this fits the bill. Music sounds full and sound effect explosions have real thump. Attention to placement will improve performance. The unit has rear firing ports for the subs. Having a wall or sound reflective surface about a foot from the rear of the unit will improve bass response. There is a separate volume control for the sub-woofers in addition to bass and treble controls that can help you dial things in. Being a Sony product it syncs with the Sony TV remote for powering on and volume adjustment so the supplied HTXT remote is only needed for tweaking the audio for specific programming preferences. For the price I paid, despite the extensive adjusting needed, I am happy with the HTXT. I would recommend this with the caveat that you might need to be a little tech savvy to get what's best for you from this unit.

I like the 3 hdmi ports. Price is good and the sound is also. I have a small living room and definitely makes a huge difference!

Great to be able to put tv on top of sound bar. Awesome bass and crystal clear sound. Bluetooth capability is a major plus.

This speaker looks very elegant under my 36" bedroom LCD and provides for a very nice sound compared to the built-in TV speakers. My main issue is that I connect the two via HDMI and while they are both Sony branded, I still experience some sort of disconnect where the speaker will mute itself and the TV will inform me that it is switching the audio back to the built-in speakers. The only solution appears to be the optical digital connection instead of using the HDMI connection.

Overall, great product when paired with a Sony TV. Together they work flawlessly and the design of the unit is really nice, but it would have been nice if it was slightly louder. Especially during the summer with an AC unit running in the living room, I find myself quickly hitting max volume when streaming Netflix. It's still a great unit for the price, though.

I bought my first HTXT1 for our 40" Sony and truly enjoyed the improved sound from this device. The built-in sub woofers are superb and we use the Bluetooth to link our iPhones to play music from the HTXT1. Very easy to setup, connect devices and use. Bought a second HTXT1 for our main TV and scrapped the old multi speaker sound system. Cleaner appearance & excellent sound, too! Very pleased with this purchase & Best Buy, too.

Exceptional sound for television, movies and music. Wonderful for placing a tv on top. Sleek and modern design and sturdy build quality. Feels and looks very high quality. Sound reproduction greatly enhances tv and movies. Sony Songpal app. is a great feature for your phone or devices. Sound range and power is very good. Unit has good bass reproduction but no subwoofer, so somewhat limited on deep rumbling. Otherwise, very high quality unit.

This speaker has very good sound ,takes up very little space ,great price and is easy to hook up.

Added to my 5th wheel TV and this thing works beautifully. My only beef is that it is way too easy to accidentally shut the unit down due to the location and sensitivity of the on/off button. Other than that small issue, I like it a lot. It's easy to setup and use and sounds much richer than you would expect for a system at this price.

I originally had in mind to get the Bose Solo for a 1-box upgrade to the built-in TV speakers, but then I found this gem, and I have enjoyed it tremendously. The sound is really good, and I love the Bluetooth connectivity. The top is polished glass, so it shows dust and fingerprints very well, so keep your duster and glass cleaner handy; just the price to pay for this smart-looking and great-sounding little unit.

I love my Sony HTXT1 I bought it recently. Its the only soundstand on the market that has 3 HMDI inputs. It sounds amazing and is great for a 42 inch TV or smaller. It was very easy to set up and the remote is very easy to use. The build in bluetooth is a great addition as well. There is no distortion with this soundstand and action scenes and movies sound like you are right in the theater.

I'm really happy I chose this Sony sound bar. Quick & easy set up. Good looking, low profile appearance without all the wires all over the room. Choice of sound profiles for whatever you happen to be watching. The bass booms & the voices are clear without having to increase or decrease the volume. Even the commercials sound better and are less annoying!. I usually buy Bose products, but I'd definitely recommend this Sony for the quality and the price.

This is an ideal choice for space-challenged owners as you can set the TV on top of the unit! Great sound, excellent sub-woofer effect! Definite upgrade from the TV or cheaper speaker bar units. Additionally, has multiple HDMI inputs and can be used as a hub to control everything. Highly recommended!

Wow! What an amazing sounding system for the size. I purchased it as a gift and the recipients have loved it. Very user friendly -- and the light display on front is a plus. The Bluetooth is also a nice added feature for running music from phone/tablet. The design is really nice because even a heavy plasma will fit on top and this saves a lot of space. Will not regret this purchase.

It was easy to setup and get working. Their was a surprising amount of bass coming from this thing. I guess I just thought it would be louder. I was able to max the volume and it was loud just not melt my face loud... but i probably was expecting too much from this thing. Bluetooth connectivity is a nice feature. I like being able to listen to music from my phone w/o turning on the tv.

I like that it fits under the TV, and I like the overall sound quality. It's nice to have some bass rumble in movies and games again. The only negative is that for a while, when I quit a videogame, it would switch back to the cable box if the TV had been on before starting. I don't know what changed, but now I have to manually switch back.

For the money it's a good system. I got the price match using Amazon prices so it was 170. Multiple hdmi ports and decent amount of adjustment settings. Decent sound for what you are getting and it looks nice. No connections for an additional sub but the bass is good and try to find setup with multiple HDMI ports.

Sound of TV was greatly improved when this Sony 2.1 speaker was installed. Voice was clearer, bass was better. We chose this unit because my wife did not want a woofer sitting in the room. Obviously not a substitute for a multi speaker sound system with 5 or 6 channels, but definite plus for TV sound.

We just came from the Bose store and we're looking around. Found this sound bar and it had some great sounds coming from it. The Bose system was junk. For the price this was great. Comes with blue tooth . The Bose system did not

Needed a portable speaker to use with a projector for watching movies in the backyard, and this speaker was perfect. Easy to use and move, and sound was better than any of the sound bars I looked at in a comparable price range. Also use in a bedroom in the house, and it rocks with plenty of base.