HDTV manufacturers seem to have realised over the last few years that not everyone has the space or inclination to set up a full 7.1 surround system in their small suburban living room and so to address this issue many companies have started to produce alternatives one of the currently popular systems is the Sony HT-CT150 3D Sound Bar System. Now I will say that I’m used to a full surround system and that a sound bar is never going to be able to repicate that kind of feel in terms of sound stage or immersion so I didnt review the Sony HT-CT150 as such. Instead I’m looking at it in terms of overall sound quality compared to the loaner Sony Bravia KDL32BX300 I used it with. Be aware that the Sony HT-CT150 works best with tvs that have sonys proprietary BRAVIA® Sync, so your results with another manufacturers TV may not be as good.

So out of the box the Sony HT-CT150 sound bar itself is actually quite compact if a little long (31-1/2″) it will however clip to the top of a lot of larger Bravia models without much trouble (it looked a little large on our 32″ model though). The sub woofer unit is a bit more substantial in size but nothing monstrous and it will sit happily next to most tv stands without looking like a huge toolbox somebody left lying around. Appearance and build wise the HT-CT150 is nothing amazing, it has a simple and functional design that will not have people asking “What the frak is that?” like some subwoofers I could name. The HT-CT150 system is built to match the current batch of Bravia TVs in terms of appearance and so if you have a sony setup it will fit in nicely. Build quality seemed quite good during our testing but I would probably avoid dropping the sound bar if possible as its thin build could make it a little fragile.

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I found setup was very simple, pretty much plug and play with the BRAVIA® Sync system. Though I have read others saying it was not so simple with non Sony products hence my earlier warning. Get the Right tool for the right job and all that. Unusually, the Subwoofer unit is where all the connections & I/O for the HT-CT150 system are this means that the subwoofer unit must remain out in the open unlike most soundbar systems which have the connections mounted on the bar itself. In terms of connections the system has a very decent array of HDMI I/O. 3 switchable 1.4 (3D compatible) inputs, a single HDMI 1.4 output and a number of analog and optical inputs to connect older gear. To some degree this unit acts as a receiver that isn’t a receiver, for this price I wasn’t really expecting this level of control or I/O options.

Once the sound bar was mounted atop the tv and both units were plugged in and powered I found the sound to actually be extremely good. Its decently loud and manages to produces a very reasonable soundstage for a system that is pretty much set up “Front and centre”. ok so you’re not getting full surround and you wont be looking behind yourself to hear where that noise is coming from, but for this price and with setup this compact and simple I was more impressed than I thought I would be. So In summary if you want more than the stereo speakers of your TV currently offer but you dont want to splash out on a $1,000+ reciever & speker package setup then the Sony HT-CT150 system is likely to be a great match for you, especially if you have a BRAVIA® Sync compatible TV.

Manufacturers Specifications

Audio Power Output: RMS: 75W x3 +75W Subwoofer (180-20kHz, 4 Ohm, 1% THD)
Coaxial Audio Digital Input(s): 1
DIGITAL MEDIA PORT: 1
HDMI Video Input(s): 3
HDMI Video Output(s): 1
Optical Audio Input(s): 2
RCA Audio Input(s): 2
Bass/Treble control: Bass/Treble
Night mode: Yes
Preset EQ: Standard/ Movie/ Drama/ News/ Sports/ Game/ Music/ 2ch Stereo/ Portable Audio
Dimensions (Approx.): Subwoofer: 7-3/4″ x 17-3/4″ x 16-1/4″ (196 x 450 x 410 mm); Sound Bar: 31-1/2″ x 2-9/16″ x 2-5/16″ (800 x 66 x 60 mm)
Weight (Approx.): Subwoofer: 23 lb 3 oz (10.5 kg); Sound Bar: 2 Lb 13 oz (1.3 kg)
RRP: $265 (Check Amazon for Current Pricing)