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Sony claims that the Bravia Theatre U is a personal sound system that won’t disturb anyone around you, but that’s only true if there’s nobody within a 6-feet radius because the Theatre U, at 50% volume, can still be heard from that distance, albeit very softly.

But as the person using it, it sounds very loud already at 50%, sometimes I even have to go lower, otherwise I can’t hear my wife speaking to me!

👉 Listen to the sound samples

The Theatre U also solves one big problem I’m facing. I’m someone who likes using headphones and earbuds for work and video editing because I can take the sound with me anywhere instead of having fixed stereo speakers. But in my line of work testing earbuds 24/7, spending 12 more hours of editing using headphones is too much for me. So the Theatre U can be an alternative that mimics a surround sound system…

Or can it?

Sound Quality

I am quite amazed at the Theatre U’s bass generation. Audio feels full and rich whether low volume or high, but up to a certain point, somewhere at the 80pc mark, the bass stops getting louder so it does feel a tad thin at high volumes compared to the regular 50% mark. And playing at that volume level, it sounds very clean, and can deliver a detailed soundstage. It supports the base version of DSEE so it even does some polishing of the sound.

You can customize its sound in the Sony Sound Connect app just like you would the popular Sony headphone, even the 5 band graphic EQ, but there isn’t a Clearbass dial so if you want to get more fullness in the bass, use the bass boost setting, which is what I did.

👉Listen to the sound quality samples

The Bass Boost setting does add to the engagement. As for whether it can deliver a surround sound experience, one thing it can do very well is object phasing, suspending sound objects in a 3D space, but it only happens at the sides.

And as for the vocals and left right channels, it cannot project them in front of your head, the best it can do is project them at the sides and at the center point of your head.

So don’t expect this to replace a surround sound system with discrete channels, it’s not the same experience at all.

Microphone Quality

There is a built-in microphone so you can use it as a handsfree if you want, and mic pickup is pretty good. Clear voice capture in both quiet and noisy conditions, with good noise gating.

👉 Have a listen to microphone quality samples

Verdict

There’s nothing much about Theatre U that I don’t like per se, I mean the controls are easy to learn and operate since they’re raised, and you can feel which is which with your fingers. It doesn’t feel heavy either, and the undersides have a thin cushion so it feels comfortable to wear.

It even absorbs some of the vibrations coming from heavy bass passages. Multipoint works well, switching between devices is fast and straightforward, just pause on one device to play on the other.

If you want to do wired audio, just connect the included USB-C to 3.5mm adapter/cable combo. However you can’t do direct USB audio. Connecting a USB-C cable simply charges the Theatre U. That’s a drawback that seems like a huge oversight by Sony because not many devices now have a 3.5mm port.

But if it comes down to the sound experience, do note that there are limits like the soundstaging not being further in front. If some other reviewer mentioned a lip-sync issue, that has already been fixed in a firmware update, and I got a very tight experience with video editing, enjoying my movies and music.

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Sony BRAVIA Theater U - https://amzn.to/44NvDVv