Look, I get it. You’d love to have Sennheiser’s Ambeo soundbar, but you can’t bring yourself to drop $2,500 on one. That’s one of the main reasons we recommended several other options in our soundbar buyer’s guide in September. More specifically, there was an alternative that would save you some money while still offering the immersive sound of Dolby Atmos: Sony’s HT-ST500. The soundbar typically costs $1,500, but this week at Amazon, you can snag one for $1,198.
This model doesn’t pack everything into just a soundbar, and the included sub is big and heavy. However, so is the sound. The speaker configuration on the ST5000 beams audio all around you, so it simulates immersive surround sound without forcing you to put a bunch of speakers all over your living room. It has all the connectivity you’ll need with one HDMI (ARC) output, three HDMI inputs, USB, Ethernet, analog (3.5mm aux), optical, Bluetooth and WiFi. Chromecast and Spotify Connect are also on the features list. Plus, the ST5000 works with Google Assistant, so voice control from a compatible smart speaker is an option here.
Source: engadget.com