Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony HTCT100 Sound Bar with Subwoofer - Black

I tried several 2.1 speaker systems to enhance the sound from our LCD HDTV. The 2.1 speaker systems used the RCA audio output from the TV but I was never satisfied with the quality of the sound, even from the Bose Companion system. I think part of the problem is with the low-level output of the TV's RCA audio connection and for this reason I decided to look for a speaker system that could take advantage of my HDTV's digital optical audio output connection. I also didn't want to have a five-speaker system all around the room and so I focused my search on soundbar-type systems. The Sony HT-CT100, just recently introduced, fit the bill perfectly and comes at a price much lower than the Yamaha and Philips soundbar systems with optical inputs.

The Sony HT-CT100 produces great sound. The speaker bar is very low profile and takes up very little space whether you sit it in front of the TV or hang it on the wall. The subwoofer is large (about the size of a desktop PC) and sits on the floor. The subwoofer has a nice display along the top edge of the box to tell you the various system settings. Best of all, the 200 watt amplifier (built-in to the subwoofer) has multiple HDMI and optical audio inputs and acts as the control center for a complete home theater/sound system. This was an unexpected bonus -no need for a separate home theater receiver. Just plug your satellite system, DVD player(s), game consoles, etc. right into the HT-CT100 and control everything from the remote. It's an elegant solution and I haven't seen anything else quite like it. Since the system takes in digital video/audio directly, you get to enjoy full Dolby Digital surround sound. The system can belt out remarkable volume levels and rich, deep bass. The speaker bar has left, right, and center channel speakers along with the remote control IR sensor. The Sony remote supplied with the system will control all your Sony components; however, if your HDTV, DVD player(s), etc. are not Sony brand (like mine), then be prepared to buy a universal learning remote in order to program the HT-CT100 commands. While I can decipher having several remote controls, I prefer to use a single remote control so that my family has an easier time turning on the TV or watching DVDs.


The price of the Sony soundbar system is very reasonable considering its power output and multiple digital video/audio inputs to control your home theater. The quality is impressive (though I did have to return my first system due to a soundbar speaker buzz -my second system is flawless) and it looks and sounds like high-end gear. When I shop for items like this, I look at features, quality, and price without regard to the brand. In this case, Sony simply has a product that works great and provides an elegant solution for those wanting home theater sound in a low-profile package. It's a winner.

For my needs, this pseudo surround sound solution is perfect. I did not want to run wires all over my house, or feed them through the walls or floor, etc. Nor did I want some flaky wireless rear speaker 5.1 solution.

I wanted something simple, elegant, with as few wires as possible. I have the Samsung LN52A550 television, and wanted something to complement it well. I looked at the Samsung HT-X810 2.1 soundbar with the integrated upscaling DVD player for compatibility sake, but it was too large and way to expensive ($600 and no blu-ray?!).

The Sony CT-100 works great so far. The small, unassuming speaker fits perfectly under my LCD panel and it complements it well. The subwoofer reminds me of a PC tower, but I love the fact that it includes three (3) HDMI inputs. I routed my HD cable box and an upscaling Sony DVD player into it.

At first, I found some of the vocal dialogue sound from 5.1 sources a bit muted, but I tweaked the system to my liking (+4 center speaker; -3 subwoofer; Movie soundfield), and this seems to fix the problem right up.

All in all, this won't replace a true 5.1 system, but the right and left simulated surround sound works surprisingly well. Then again, I have a family room on the average to small side, and this system might work better in these types of environments.

All in all, this is exactly the system I was looking for - it's simple, sounds good, and looks good.

***** UPDATE: July 29, 2008 *****

I still enjoy the system, and think it was worth the $299, but I have found that to really enjoy the system, you must be directly in front of the speaker. If you are off the the side, it sometimes gets a bit hard to hear dialogue. In fact, I still think the dialogue gets a bit muted through these speakers. If there is any ambient noise aruond you (e.g. a fan, a/c unit, etc.) it can really affect the sound output quality.

Just my 2 cents, but I would rank this 3.5 stars.

Summary: Good value for the price and a big improvement over TV speakers, but surround effect is weak and there are some limitations in connectivity, subwoofer placement, remote control and audio settings.

I wanted something that would provide improved TV and DVD sound as well as streamed iTunes music without investing a lot of money. This system fills those requirements very well. The sound has a satisfying richness and depth, although the "surround" effect is weak. More like being surrounded on 3 sides, which is pretty much the norm for systems without real rear speakers. To their credit, Sony did not try to mask this limitation by adding reverb effects at ridiculous levels like some systems I've heard.

I'm happy with my choice, but if you are contemplating buying this system you should be aware of some of its limitations:

Connectivity-
There are 4 A/V inputs. Three can be connected via either HDMI (video & audio) or digital optical cable (audio). The SAT input also has a Coax jack. The TV audio can be connected via either RCA jacks or digital optical cable. The ports are labeled TV, BD, DVD and SAT, but any of them can be used for anything. Which is a good thing, because I need RCA jacks for the iTunes music input from my Airport Express so I use the TV input for this and the SAT input for the TV.

An additional limitation for audio is that the HDMI audio passed to the TV is inactive if the connected DVD or other device is set to output Dolby 5.1 or DTS audio. Unless you forego Dolby sound you don't have the option of just using the TV speakers for playing DVDs. You also have to turn on and set the Sony system to get DVD sound. This is not a problem for me, but is for less technophyllic members of the household.

Subwoofer placement-
If you are going to place the subwoofer next to a TV stand, it can only go on the right (facing the TV) because of the placement of the speaker on the side of the subwoofer.

The amplifier is built in to the Subwoofer cabinet, so it must have a clear line of sight to the remote control, and you have to be able to see the display on the front of the unit to tell which mode you are in. No hiding the subwoofer.

Remote control-
The remote control is not a "universal" remote and cannot control any other components other than newer model Sony TVs and DVDs with the "Bravia" system.

Audio Settings-
There is no equalizer or even the ability to directly set the bass/treble balance. Indirectly this is affected by the choice of "sound field". The choices are Standard, Movie, Music, Sports, Game and P-Audio, all of which have different mixes of surround effect/stereo separation, bass/treble balance and reverb. You can also adjust the relative loudness of the center speaker and the subwoofer. However, these adjustments affect all sound fields, and getting it right for, say, Music may result in way too much subwoofer for Movie.

The overall sound volume is adequate for my 11' x 20' TV room, but the maximum output may not be sufficient for large rooms.

I got tired of my Onkyo surround sound system with all the speakers, woofer, amp, cables and all the space it took, so I started looking for a single unit sound bar.

Initially, I was dissapointed by the size or the cost of the other units, or the fact they were not HDMI. I tried Soundmatters MAINstage HD Single-speaker TV sound system, but had a bad experience with the vendor. I was sent an "open box" item. But I plugged it in anyways and was dissapointed by the sound. It did not come with an external woofer and the unit definitely needs one. The internal one was not good enough. There was a remakable sound difference when I plugged in an external woofer.

Anyways, I saw this product and it is basically a new product from Sony. To make a long story short, I plugged it in and I was hooked. Sounds great!! Comes with an external woofer that controls everything, takes very little real estate. It took me about 30 minutes to set up and plug everything it. I like it so much that I bought a Sony TDM-IP1 Digital Media Port iPod Dock for my iTouch.

The whole system requires HDMI cables. You will need at least 4, 3 for for the components you want to attach with it and 1 from the unit to the TV. You will also need to connect the included optical cable to control the unit via the included remote control. The manual was not clear that it is a required to attach this. Other than that, I love this unit. I have my iTouch connected via Sony's proprietary "digital media port", DirectTV HD DVR and XBOX 360 connected via HDMI. My XBOX 360 also serves as my DVD player. I have an extra open port for a Blu-ray player if and when I get one.

I highly recommend this if you want a simple "surround" sound system that takes a lot less space and cables. and if you don't like the clutter of a full home theater system.

I remember having a 5.1 surround system and moving from apartment to apartment... what a drag dealing with those rear satellite speakers! I heard about these sound bars and was skeptical, but hopeful. I have had my HTCT100 for over 5 hours now and have watched 1.5 movies and played my XBox 360 and can honestly say that I am impressed! The best example of what I mean comes from "Black Hawk Down" where a helicopter comes flying from the background towards the viewer (imagine a clock lying flat... the flight path was from 1:00 towards 7:00). Not only is BHD one of my favorite movies, but it also won an Oscar for its Sound, so I knew this would be a good test. The helicopter's Doppler effect was perfectly accurate... the impressive part was when the chopper flew off-screen and the sound continued off into the distance behind me. At that moment I thought: "How the heck does this thing work?" Simple, yet truly amazing sound and technology... and with a price tag of less than $300, well, 5-stars from me!