Sony HT-S2000 soundbar: two-minute evaluate
The HT-S2000 is Sony’s entry-level 3.1-channel soundbar. Initially priced at $499 / £449 / AU$695, it’s a compact, all-in-one mannequin with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X help, with the peak results in each immersive soundtrack codecs delivered utilizing digital processing.
Sony’s design for the HT-S2000 makes use of 5 audio system: three for the left, proper and heart channels in addition to two devoted woofers for the bass. Connections embody HDMI (with eARC/ARC) and optical digital audio inputs. There’s additionally a USB type-A port to play music on related USB drives. Not like among the finest soundbars, the HT-S2000 doesn’t help music streaming utilizing Wi-Fi or AirPlay, although its Bluetooth 5.2 help will allow you to play music wirelessly from a cellphone. For these seeking to develop their soundbar’s capabilities sooner or later, the HT-S2000 may also be paired with Sony’s elective wi-fi encompass audio system and subwoofers.
Sony’s soundbar has stable construct high quality and a glossy, no-nonsense look. It’s simple to arrange, and Sony gives its personal House Leisure app to assist with that job – it additionally permits you to tweak the sound in your particular set up. There are a selection of Sound EQ modes, together with automated quantity levelling, that may be accessed utilizing both the app of Sony’s bundled distant management. The HT-S2000 additionally options Sony’s proprietary Vertical Encompass Engine and S-Drive Professional Entrance Encompass processing, each of which work to reinforce the extent of audio immersion coming from the soundbar’s fundamental 3.1-channel speaker array.
The HT-S2000’s total efficiency is nice for the value. It delivers dialogue that sounds persistently clear even when pushed to a excessive stage, and bass output is better-than common for an all-in-one soundbar. Sony’s proprietary processing permits for the peak results in Dolby Atmos soundtracks to increase past and above the display boundaries of a TV the soundbar is related to and there’s additionally a notably good encompass sound ‘wrap-around’ impact when the S-Drive Professional Entrance Encompass characteristic is lively.
When it was first launched, the HT-S2000 wasn’t the strongest worth because it lacked options present in among the finest Dolby Atmos soundbars promoting for a similar value, resembling up-firing audio system and built-in Wi-Fi for lossless music streaming. However the HT-S2000 has since broadly dropped in value to $349 / £299, making it a way more compelling worth, particularly given its efficiency.
Sony HT-S2000 soundbar evaluate: value and launch date
- Launched in March 2023
- $499 / £449 / AU$695
Sony’s HT-S2000 soundbar was launched in March 2023 at an preliminary value of $499 / £449 / AU$695. Its value has since dropped to $349 within the US and £299 within the UK, although it’s nonetheless promoting for AU$695 in Australia.
Within the Sony 2023 soundbar lineup, the HT-S2000 sits beneath the HT-A2000, one other 3.1-channel mannequin that provides Wi-Fi streaming together with Spotify Join and AirPlay 2 help.
Sony HT-S2000 soundbar evaluate: options
- Dolby Atmos and DTS: X help
- HDMI and optical digital connections
- Vertical Encompass Engine and S-Drive Professional Entrance Encompass processing
The HT-S2000 is a 3.1-channel soundbar with help for the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive audio codecs, which it delivers utilizing digital processing. It doesn’t have built-in Wi-Fi for streaming, although you’ll be able to stream music to it over a Bluetooth wi-fi connection.
Two Sony audio processing options discovered on the HT-S2000 are Vertical Encompass Engine and S-Drive Professional Entrance Encompass. The primary helps to raise sound results, music and dialogue to display stage and even above the place they are going to sound extra pure. The second gives a digital ‘wrap-around’ in order that encompass results sound like they’re coming from the edges of the room.
Connection choices on the HT-S2000 are fundamental. It has an HDMI-eARC port for connecting to a TV, an optical digital audio enter, and a USB type-A port that can be utilized to play music information saved on a USB drive. Like different soundbars from manufacturers together with Sonos, Bose, Samsung, and LG, the HT-S2000 might be expanded by including Sony’s wi-fi encompass sound audio system and subwoofers.
Sony HT-S2000 soundbar evaluate: sound high quality
- Superb dialogue readability
- Spacious digital encompass
- Sounds good with music
A key good thing about the Sony soundbar is its dealing with of dialogue in motion pictures and TV exhibits. Watching just a few dialogue-heavy scenes from Prime Gun: Maverickvoices sounded clear, and I may push the amount to comparatively excessive ranges with out it sounding edgy. For comparability’s sake, I swapped out the Sony with a 2.1-channel mannequin and located dialogue in the identical Prime Gun: Maverick scene to be considerably much less clean-sounding. The comparability demonstrated the benefit to utilizing a soundbar just like the HT-S2000 with a devoted center-channel speaker, which is a characteristic that 2.1-channel soundbars lack.
Skipping forward to the aerial dogfight scene in Prime Gun: MaverickSony’s soundbar sorted the dialogue, music (The Who’s Gained’t Get Fooled Once more) and sound results in an impressively clear method. There was additionally a good quantity of bass, which enhanced the sound of drums within the music and added definition to the trajectory of the fighter jets. The soundbar’s digital processing made top results in Dolby Atmos soundtracks like Prime Gun exceed the peak of my TV’s display. And whereas the presentation wasn’t as expansive as what I’ve skilled with soundbars that includes devoted Atmos audio system, it nonetheless had a satisfying stage of immersion.
Music additionally sounded surprisingly good on the HT-S2000, particularly given its low value. It’s doable to take heed to plain stereo with the soundbar’s digital processing disabled, however urgent the Sound Subject button on the distant management provides a stage of spaciousness that enhances the stereo separation with out making voices and devices sound unnatural. Equally vital, it elevates the presentation within the vertical dimension in order that the sound doesn’t seem like coming from a horizontal bar positioned beneath your TV’s display.
Sony HT-S2000 soundbar evaluate: design
- Compact design
- Above-average construct high quality
- Alphanumeric front-panel show
The HT-S2000 has a compact, all-in-one soundbar, measuring 31.5 inches extensive by 2.5 inches excessive and 5.25 inches deep. Construct high quality is a minimize above most finances soundbars, with the Sony’s sturdy black plastic cupboard fronted by a metallic mesh grille. Ports positioned on the soundbar’s left and proper sides enable for enhanced bass output, whereas its X-Balanced Speaker Unit design bodily aligns the three.25 x 1.8-inch drivers and three.75 x 1.8 woofers to scale back distortion.
Capacitive controls on the HT-S2000’s prime floor allow you to regulate quantity and join with Bluetooth units, and there’s additionally a small distant with extra controls to change inputs, choose sound EQ modes, and regulate the bass stage. Sony’s soundbar conveniently gives visible suggestions to distant management instructions through its alphameric entrance panel show. That characteristic is one you don’t usually discover on lower-cost soundbars, and it’s a superior choice to fundamental LED lights.
Sony HT-S2000 soundbar evaluate: usability and setup
- HDMI eARC/ARC connection to TV
- App-based setup
- No voice assistant help
The HT-S2000’s single HDMI enter makes the setup course of easy. Simply join it to a TV’s HDMI eARC (or ARC) port, choose that enter on the soundbar, and also you’re able to roll. Another choice is to make use of the soundbar’s optical digital enter, however that connection sort doesn’t help Dolby Atmos or the HDMI-CEC management that allows you to regulate the soundbar’s quantity stage utilizing the TV’s distant management.
Sony’s House Leisure management app duplicates all of the features of the soundbar’s {hardware} distant and likewise gives a variety of setup choices for preliminary set up and efficiency. The latter consists of an A/V sync adjustment, automated quantity stage adjustment, and DTS Digital:X to reinforce fundamental stereo or mono soundtracks.
The soundbar’s alphanumeric entrance panel show makes utilizing it super-easy as you don’t must depend on a sequence of flashing LEDs to let you realize what enter or sound mode is chosen. There’s no voice assistant help as on another soundbars within the HT-S2000’s value vary such because the Bose Good Soundbar, however that’s not a characteristic I think about most customers will depend on, particularly when utilizing their TV’s distant management for quantity adjustment.
- Usability and setup rating: 4.5/5
Sony HT-S2000 soundbar evaluate: worth
- Inexpensive value
- Superb efficiency for the cash
- Lacks Wi-Fi and AirPlay streaming choices
At its preliminary $499 / £449 / AU$695 value, the Sony HT-S2000’s total worth proposition was simply common. It confronted very sturdy competitors from the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), one other all-in-one soundbar with digital Dolby Atmos processing, and one with a built-in Wi-Fi for app-based management and audio streaming. One other competitor was the Bose Good Soundbar 600, which gives upfiring drivers to ship top results in Atmos soundtracks and likewise options built-in Wi-Fi for streaming.
On the time of writing, nonetheless, the HT-S2000’s value has broadly dropped to $349 within the US and £299 within the UK, making it a a lot better worth given its total efficiency and options. Having the ability to stream uncompressed music on to the Sonos or Bose from a cellphone utilizing Wi-Fi or utilizing AirPlay does increase the worth of each, however many individuals primarily use their soundbar for TV audio and are okay with a lesser high quality Bluetooth choice for his or her occasional music streaming. For these people, the HT-S2000 would be the excellent entry-level soundbar.
Ought to I purchase the Sony HT-S2000 soundbar?
| Attributes | Notes | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Options | Digital processing for each Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks however no built-in Wi-Fi | 4/5 |
| Sound high quality | Spectacular dialogue readability and spacious presentation of Atmos soundtracks and music | 4/5 |
| Design | A compact, sturdy design with an alphanumeric entrance panel show | 4.5/5 |
| Usability and setup | Straightforward set-up and app-based management | 4.5/5 |
| Worth | Superb worth with current reductions | 4.5/5 |
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
Sony HT-S2000 soundbar evaluate: Additionally think about
How I examined the Sony HT-S2000 soundbar
- Evaluated utilizing each 4K Blu-ray discs and streamed sources
- Break-in time allowed earlier than crucial listening
- Examined utilizing reference film scenes and music tracks
I examined the Sony HT-S2000 soundbar in a 12 x 16 x 9-foot room utilizing a 4K Blu-ray participant, Apple TV 4K, and music streamed from my iPhone through Bluetooth and the Tidal app on the Apple TV 4K. I allowed it to interrupt in by watching motion pictures and TV exhibits earlier than settling in for extra crucial listening utilizing reference film clips and music tracks.
The important thing issues I listened for with motion pictures have been dialogue readability, bass definition, and a way of spaciousness with the soundbar’s encompass mode engaged. For music, I paid consideration to the naturalness of the sound with acoustic devices and voices, in addition to the dynamics in louder tracks.
Having reviewed many soundbars in the identical room over time, I’ve a reference sound commonplace that the Sony HT-S2000 was in comparison with. For additional comparability, I additionally used an Amazon Fireplace TV Soundbar, switching between the 2 compact fashions on equivalent film clips and music tracks.
Learn extra about how we check
- First reviewed: November 12, 2023
