Sony HT-XT2 2.1 Channel Sound Base with Bluetooth

I just got it a few days ago. I haven't really gotten much time to explore all the features. It has a TON of them. There's almost no shortage of ways to play your music. You can use your laptop or phone or USB or network or Google Play Music, Bluetooth etc. The speakers really fill the room. I haven't tested the max volume. I usually use it around the 15 to 20 mark and it's plenty loud.Hardware wise, it's huge! I wasn't expecting it to be this big. I guess it's that way because you can place a TV on top of it. I love the glossy black look. It makes it look sleek and if you have a black TV (which most people do), it will complement the look.I have a Sony 4k TV so it was pretty much a plug and play setup experience. Like I said, I just got it so I'll update my review as time goes on.UPDATE (11/26/2016): The sound base is still working perfectly. I've gotten about three or four updates since I bought it. There are no changelogs so I don't know what exactly they were for. One feature I like is the "night mode", it lowers the bass and produces a sound more suitable for night time use when you don't want to disturb people who might be sleeping.I used to have an issue where the sound base would go out of sync with the TV and I would have to re-sync it. However, I've not had that issue in over two months. I guess one of the updates fixed it.All in all, I'm still happy with the purchase and would definitely recommend it.UPDATE (3/27/2017): I'm still using the sound base and I'm still loving it. So far, no issues whatsoever. There was a recent update that boosted the sound quality and added more clarity. It is definitely noticeable when watching from pure sources like blu-ray movies. The speaker also syncs up really well with my Sony 4K TV.UPDATE (11/19/2018): Over two years later and still no issues. There have been a couple of updates but once again no changelogs so I'm not sure what they're for. The speaker does have a glossy finish which attracts dust so I have to wipe it down every few weeks.

The Sony HT-XT2 is great for applications where a full surround system isn't feasible or necessary - a cost effective means of getting enhanced sound from a flat-screen television in bedroom applications or rooms smaller than a typical living room. What it isn't is a full surround experience, nor is it meant to be. The sound quality is reasonably expansive and deep, more so than most sound bar applications, especially if utilizing the wireless surround rear speaker options. The optional wireless surround essentially makes the Sony HT-XT2 an economy 4.1 surround (left, right, wireless rear left and right, plus sub). The adjustable sub provides enough boom without being overbearing.The HT-XT2 caters to a desire for a simple, clean, minimalist plug-and-play setup for people that want to keep things simple. The casing is modern and beautiful with a solid glass top, top touch sensitive controls along the front edge that don't stand out or obstruct, and an unobtrusive sub that points downward. The construction is sturdy and solid, negating any sense of shaking or rattling with distortion seeming non-existent at high volumes so far. USB, Bluetooth, and both ethernet and wireless network connectivity make this offering somewhat versatile, though some limits do exist on the connectivity part (see next paragraph). Menus are clean and attractive.What the HT-XT2 lacks, however, are many standard options. Physical connectivity is down from the XT1 to HDMI (ARC) or Digital Optical. This means the device is unusable beyond being an expensive bluetooth speaker if your TV doesn't have Optical / TOSLink output or isn't Audio Return Channel capable. Any semblance of an equalizer has been negated for pre-sets, most of which seem to have minimal differences between them to the ear. Night Mode essentially cuts the sub channel, which you could do simply by adjusting the separate sub volume to zero. The Google Cast capability has limitations - you can cast music and apps, but I believe any purchased music acquired through the service is unavailable to the HT-XT2 version. Network connectivity is picky about what can be sent from where - the device shows on the network, and I can cast to it from any network computer on a song-by-song basis or Sony's music management software, but dedicated music programs / apps like MediaMonkey can't currently locate the device for me to set it as an output channel through the program.My major gripe with the HT-XT2 is that communication between some inputs can be interrupted. If I am streaming through Amazon's FireStick and back out to the Amazon menu from a film or show while it's playing, say I quit watching a movie that isn't holding my interest, the HT-XT2 will sometimes drop sound completely - it's still connected but it's like you've hit mute. When this occurs, I generally have to shut the base off and then turn it back on and wait for it to reconnect before continuing a stream or starting another. Volume can also be misleading: most soundbars output sound separately and you simply can turn the TV volume down to zero while the bar is in use while the XT-XT2 seems to override and replace the TV sound. The TV volume will now manage the base volume instead. This is fine to a degree except for the base number is half the TV volume (if the TV is at 50, the base is at 25) and, when the previous issue creeps up, you sometimes wind up with both TV and base sound with the base no longer wanting to override the TV - even though I keep my TV at zero anyway, upping the volume when this happens will now increase the volume of both. This usually leads to me having to shut down both and restarting the TV (making sure it's at zero) before restarting the base.The HT-XT2 also seems to suffer from Sony's current practice of making an affordable mid-range device with more power than the entry model but just enough features removed to drive you toward the more expensive high-end offering. The HT-XT1 had 3 HDMI in, 1 ARC out, and standard 3.5mm input along with the digital audio but half the power output. For three times the retail of the HT-XT2 you can get the HT-XT3: 3 HDMI in / 1 ARC and 3.5mm are back, double the subs, double the watts, dual-band wi-fi, etc. It's a clear push to compel you to go high-end but, if your equipment is compatible, there really isn't a need to. If I want high-end, I'm going to do it in the main / living room with a full surround receiver.