Sound quality: In the Standard sound field mode Sony's HT-ST5000 delivers sound quality that falls in the fair range, meaning that it has sonic shortcomings that leave a lot to be desired when listening to music but don't rule it out for dialog and movie effects. The bass has good impact, but is a bit prominent and somewhat boomy, and the deepest bass is lacking. The midrange is somewhat muffled, nasal, and grainy. The treble is uneven; the lower treble is subdued and the upper treble is muted, and the mid-treble is smeared. This model doesn't do a good job of recovering room ambience (the sense of the acoustic space in which the music was recorded), sounds congested, and lacks detail. When playing back stereo program material in the Standard mode the sound field doesn't extend much above and doesn't reach the sides of the soundbar. The various surround modes make the sound field wider and taller, and to varying degrees also make the sound metallic, harsh, and echoey. When 5.1 channel program material is played back in the Standard mode the width and height of the sound stage expands, and depending on the program material can fill the entire front end of the room. The other sound modes had a slight to moderate effect on the sound and generally did not have the metallic, harsh, and echoey character that was heard with stereo program material. When playing Dolby Atmos and DTS:X program material the width and height of the sound stage expands, and depending on the program material, can fill the entire front end of the room; audio imaging can extend overhead to the front depending on the program material, but there was no direct overhead, side and rear surround effect, and sounds that should have been in the rear come from the front. There was no significant difference in sound quality between the HDMI, optical, analog, USB, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth inputs. The system can provide satisfying volume in a medium sized room.
TV setup and ease of use: Very good overall. Setup: HDMI CEC setup is quick and straight forward using the On-Screen-Display setup menu but you may need to refer to included manual. The soundbar comes with an HDMI digital audio/video cable for TV connection, optical digital audio and/or stereo analog audio cables must be purchased separately if needed for TV connection. Ease of Use: This model can be set to respond to the volume and mute remote control commands of HDMI CEC compatible TVs when connected via the HDMI ARC ports with and HDMI cable. Its own physical remote's controls are well labeled and generally well laid out. App remotes that operate via WiFi can also be downloaded onto Apple and Android mobile devices; we found these general use app remotes (used to control the soundbar for TV use like a physical remote) to be easy to use and glitch-free. The soundbar's console lacks a mute control, but if muted from the remote pressing one of the console volume buttons unmutes it. The power, source, and volume controls are well marked, but all control buttons are on the back of the soundbar where they are hard to see and access. The console has a power indicator and a large display that can be seen from the typical listening position to provide device status during use or used in conjunction with the app remote screens. The source and muting status displays are persistent while the volume and DSP displays are momentary; the DSP mode display can be recalled in most cases without changing the setting.
Features setup and ease of use: Very good overall. Setup: The console has inputs for HDMI ARC digital video/audio and optical digital audio connections. The optical input is provided as an alternate connection for TVs that lack HDMI ARC, not as a separate connection for another device. These two inputs are covered under one source and the soundbar uses one or the other depending on what's connected. If both are connected the HDMI ARC TV connection takes priority. Although connecting the soundbar to a WiFi network can be done with or without an app download to an Apple or Android mobile device, it is most easily done with a mobile device. Setup with an Apple mobile device is slightly easier then with an Android mobile device. Network setup with an Ethernet cable requires that the soundbar be first connected to a TV with an HDMI cable so the soundbar's On Screen Display menu can be used; while clear instructions are included with the soundbar and the installation steps are straight forward, no Ethernet cable is provided. Bluetooth pairing requires a press of a well marked button on the remote or console. Optional NFC pairing is available for use with Bluetooth devices that have that feature. Ease of Use: The Soundbar's physical remote's controls are well labeled and generally well laid out. App remotes that operate via WiFi can also be downloaded on to Apple and Android mobile devices; we found these general use app remotes (used to control the soundbar for TV use like a physical remote) to be easy to use and glitch-free. The soundbar relies on Chromecast audio player apps from Internet audio content providers downloaded to Apple or Android mobile devices for content streaming over WiFi. A Chromecast compatible app is also needed to stream content from a mobile device over WiFi - while Google Play and other apps are available for Android we don't know of any that are available for Apple. Multi-room streaming to other optional Chromecast audio devices is also done with Chromecast apps. The soundbar's console lacks a mute control, but if muted from the remote pressing one of the console volume buttons unmutes it. The power, source, and volume controls are well marked, but all control buttons are on the back of the soundbar where they are hard to see and access. The console has a power indicator and a large display that can be seen from the typical listening position to provide device status during use or used in conjunction with the app remote screens. The source and muting status displays are persistent while the volume and DSP displays are momentary; the DSP mode display can be recalled in most cases without changing the setting.
