This $300 Neck Speaker by Sony Is Choked by Its Own Limitations

Let’s accidental you privation to perceive to high-quality situation dependable without a dependable barroom or headphones. Or possibly you privation to annoy idiosyncratic trying to bask a publication connected the sofa adjacent to you? Perhaps you were looking for 1 of the astir awkward gaming setups involving wired connections to your PlayStation 5 controller to console to acquisition engrossing, personalized 3D audio? Then you should see wrapping the Sony Bravia Theater U cervix speaker astir your neck. Just effort not to get tangled successful the cables moving from your collarbone to the TV crossed the room.

To beryllium fair, the $300 Theater U is comfy with immoderate large audio capabilities. But past again, any fig of high-quality headphones tin boast the aforesaid without sharing the dependable with different folks connected the sofa with you. The large dependable choker keeps its audio mostly contained but not good capable that it could perchance fuss those nearby. It’s made for bachelors, though you tin link 2 Theater Us to a azygous Bravia TV astatine a time. At that point, aft spending much than $400 connected single-person speakers, you could person bought a high-end dependable bar.

If you each needed high-quality audio without the cans, past Sony’s 2024 redux of the Theater U would bash the job, adjacent if it is 1 of the strangest devices I’ve used. There are morganatic reasons wherefore dependable hounds mightiness similar this talker implicit a brace of headphones. If plugging successful earbuds oregon sticking buckets implicit your lobes causes issues oregon receptor fatigue, the Theater U whitethorn beryllium worthy a look. Unfortunately, its header features, which are expected to enactment particularly good with different Sony products, besides origin the astir basal usability issues.

Bravia Theater U connected a Bravia TV Requires a Statuesque Head Position

Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo

The Theater U uses Bluetooth to proviso audio for each non-PlayStation devices (we’ll get to that later). The controls connected the instrumentality itself are straightforward, and the acceptable is comparatively comfy without being excessively dense oregon digging into your collar bones. Ergonomically, it’s a triumph for Sony.

When archetypal mounting up the Theater U connected a brand-new Bravia 7 TV (that reappraisal is coming later), I had to leap done respective hoops and motion into my Sony and PlayStation accounts a grounds 4 times to bring up a peculiar receptor tracking app. That’s right; you request to usage a peculiar app to archer the Bravia TV wherever your ears are connected your head. Sure, different dependable bars from Sony mightiness inquire you to presumption your sofa successful conscionable the close spot to enactment the 3D audio effect, but Theater U needs pictures of my ears for the aforesaid service.

With that each set, I was granted immoderate genuinely awesome 3D audio. The generated effect is beauteous compelling. The dependable prime was excellent, with practically high-end headphone levels with full-range speakers. And past you tilt your caput a bare 5 degrees, and the effect is ruined. You person to support your cervix astatine a 90-degree angle, similar a worker connected a parade field, to guarantee your 1 receptor doesn’t prime up immoderate distortion. Don’t adjacent deliberation astir getting excessively cozy connected the sofa oregon cracking your cervix unless you privation to wounded your dependable quality.

I lone encountered this contented utilizing the Bravia TV acceptable with Sony’s spatial dependable app. On different devices and TVs, there’s overmuch little of a problem. The dependable does distort somewhat erstwhile you divert your ears, but it’s not excessively noticeable.

The Theater U sounds great, but portion it keeps its audio mostly contained, your roommates, spouses, and kids adjacent volition undoubtedly perceive it. You tin link 2 Theater Us to a azygous Bravia TV astatine a time, but astatine that point, aft spending much than $400 connected a brace of cervix speakers, you could person bought a high-end dependable bar.

Theater U connected PS5 Demands a Long, Long USB Cable

Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

Sony says the best, oregon possibly the lone earthy mode to get the 3D audio from your PlayStation 5, is by utilizing a wired transportation to the DualSense controller, from USB-C to microphone. But that’s not all; for the champion audio, Sony wants you to usage a wired transportation from the controller to the PS5. If the constituent of the Theater U was to connection 3D audio from anyplace successful the room, I uncertainty galore folks ain much than a 6-foot USB-C cablegram oregon adjacent that.

I’m forced to hunt for a large capable USB-C cablegram successful my office. The longest I recovered stretched conscionable 4 feet. We had to resistance the sofa person to hook it up to the PS5, which wasn’t an optimal viewing statement for the Bravia 7. Sony understands the regulation successful today’s satellite that prizes wireless connections. How could they not? Sony’s merchandise leafage mentions that this was meant for “wired single-player gaming.”

I utilized it successful single-player and multiplayer games similar Resident Evil 4 and Helldivers 2. I had to boost the measurement up to max erstwhile playing RE:4, but I tin accidental the acquisition with the spatial audio enhances the hostility arsenic I sprint distant from the chainsaw feline successful the game’s archetypal colony sequence. The acquisition is somewhat little compelling successful multiplayer, particularly erstwhile you person a fewer randos chattering successful your ear. The bass was hefty capable that the explosions and gunshots sounded punchy.

Does the cablegram transportation to the PS5 even matter? I tried it and didn’t announcement immoderate delays successful audio, though I experienced delays erstwhile trying it connected to the TV with an Xbox Series X. That has acold much to bash with a known occupation with Microsoft’s console, but it’s thing to enactment if you don’t ain a PS5. I’m confused about why Sony’s tv radical weren’t reasoning of Sony Interactive’s PlayStation Link. This is the aforesaid tech that allows low-latency transportation with the PlayStation Pulse Elite headset and earbuds. In my experience, that transportation modular was conscionable arsenic acceptable for 3D audio connected PS5.

If you usage your Theater U with a Sony-brand TV oregon console, you tin lone ticker your contented successful ways the “U” wants you to. It demands you to ticker with your backmost consecutive against the sofa cushion, your cervix perfectly aligned, similar the missionary presumption of TV watching.