Note: This feature was first published on 16 October 2023 and updated again with pricing and promotional information.
Sony’s new HT-AX7 speaker system is out to prove you don’t need a soundbar to have “Cinematic sound anywhere”. Whether used in the living room or the bedroom, the main speaker and two circular satellite speakers are here to deliver a new way to enjoy mobile entertainment with room-filling sound.
Lin Jiahui, Senior Executive, Home Entertainment & Sound Marketing Department, Sony Electronics (Singapore) Pte Ltd.
We were lucky enough to get a hands-on session with it during a HT-AX7 experiential session at The Reserve Residences Sales Gallery. Here, a show flat was used to simulate different environments where the HT-AX7 could be used and enjoyed.
Always been a fan of Marvel movies. And the HT-AX7 makes watching movies an immersive experience.
The first was in the living room with the main speaker connected to a tablet streaming “Spiderman: No Way Home” on the coffee table and the two satellite speakers placed on the rear sofa cushions behind us.
Now the HT-AX7 doesn’t come with Dolby Atmos, instead relying on Sony’s proprietary 360 Spatial Sound Mapping to give a surround sound illusion by creating multiple phantom speakers at the front, rear, and overhead while you sit inside a 360 audio-filled, spherical space.
On the top of the main speaker is a “Sound Field” button. This button is there to enable the different sound modes that Sony offers. With the ‘Sound field effect ON’, it creates a sound field with 360 Spatial Sound Mapping and a unique up-mixer. Sony says its up-mixer turns stereo sound into three-dimensional surround sound by separating individual sound objects and redistributing them. Simply place the three speakers around you, and you'll feel completely immersed in sound. With the ‘Sound field effect OFF’, it produces stereo sound from the front speaker and mono sound from the rear speakers.
And it delivers.
As you can tell from the TikTok, the sound is richer, deeper, and from all around us when compared to only sound from a tablet. This was despite the tablet being an iPad Pro with quad speakers. It certainly made the movie and instrument playback sound true to life. For the instrument playback, you could tell the difference the 360 Spatial Sound Mapping had in creating an all-around sound effect. Individual instruments sounded clear, sharp, and distinct from each other. For the movie, the special effects had an oomph that I didn’t feel from the tablet speakers alone.
We placed one satellite speaker in the kitchen.
Next, we tried listening to the audio through the satellite speakers by moving to the dining room and placing one set close to us with the other inside the kitchen. Connected by Bluetooth 5.2, there was no distortion or crackling when listening to the playback of some soft jazz. Music with deep bass also wasn’t a problem and sounded rich and deep.
Finally, we tried playing games in the master bedroom. Here the playback filled the room with the speakers placed in a triangle and the listeners sitting in the middle of the 360-degree sound pyramid. While it adds to the gaming atmosphere, I did feel it was a tad overkill using the speakers. However, with the HT-AX7 lacking Dolby Atmos, I can’t say that connecting the HT-AX7 to a TV would be a better use of it.
The speakers come in grey with a textured feel and are relatively light, so positioning where you want shouldn’t be an issue.
The USB-C charging port.
The HT-AX7 packs up to 30 hours of battery life for the main speaker, with the satellite speakers having up to six hours of battery life and is charged by USB-C. A ten-minute quick charge will give up to 150 minutes of playback, so that's quite convenient to last you a full-length movie if you forgot to charge them. The satellite speakers are charged when connected to the main speaker via magnets.
As mentioned earlier, it comes with wireless connectivity via Bluetooth, but not Wi-Fi. Do note that the HT-AX7 doesn’t come with a remote control, but you do get app access to control the speakers and music.
To recap, the Sony HT-AX7 isn't designed as a TV soundbar replacement but is a powerful, compact and portable in-house audio 'theatre' system to accompany your handheld devices, plus enabling an enveloping 360 sound field by utilizing the detachable speakers. There's nothing wrong to consider pairing it with a TV, but we would highly advise against it as the centre speaker is nearly 100mm tall, which is considerably taller than most soundbars that are designed to be slim enough not to be a hindrance to your TV viewing and usage.
**Update on 27 October 2023**
The portable theatre system is available at the Sony Online Store, all Sony Stores and authorised dealers at a retail price of S$759. However, for the year-end sale, you can get it at a promotional price of S$699.
If you're wondering where to try it out, perhaps at Sony's latest new retail store in Holland Village is a good option.
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