Sharp HT-SB700 in the test: Compact soundbar with Dolby Atmos for only 170 euros

Anyone who has a cheap television in their living room knows how poor the sound quality of some of the speakers built into such devices can be. That’s why many people are looking for relief in other solid solutions. A popular way to enhance the sound of your TV is with a soundbar. And if you have a cheap television in your living room, you will rarely want to spend more on a soundbar than the purchase price of the television itself. Then cheap models like the Sharp HT-SB700 come into play.

for just 170 Euros It has a compact 2.0.2 mini soundbar with a total of four full-range stereo speakers. Top features include support for Dolby Atmos. But can a soundbar really sound good at this price? That’s what our test shows.

When developing the HT-SB700, Sharp clearly did not take advantage of the small scope for crazy designs that already exists in simple devices like soundbars. Because the black soundbar is as simple and elegant as ever. The sound technology is packed into a plastic housing that weighs just 1.9 kg.

There is a metal acoustic grille on the front, behind which are hidden white LEDs that help in operation and also display the current sound source. The manufacturer probably did not find a place to put its logo there and left all the printing on the top of the device. Apart from the logo and model name, we also get information about the various input sources and the supported Dolby Atmos technology.

There are five buttons in the middle that can be used to turn on the soundbar, adjust the input and volume, and activate Bluetooth pairing mode. The soundbar is 64 cm wide, 11 cm high and 16 cm deep and with its very compact dimensions, fits easily under any television without covering any infrared light sensors.

Unfortunately, the Sharp HT-SB700 is a bit lacking in interfaces. The manufacturer only installs a digital optical input, an HDMI 2.1 port with ARC support, and a 3.5mm audio input. The impression of being able to play sound through the built-in USB-A port on the back is deceptive – this is a service port in case the soundbar needs to be repaired by the manufacturer. There is also the option of playback via Bluetooth 5.3. Another HDMI port would probably have been included for the price and would have saved many users a bit of headache. The soundbar also does not support WiFi, so you cannot play music on the device via Google Chromecast.

The soundbar does not necessarily have to be operated using the buttons on the top, but can also be done using the remote control, which has plenty of buttons. Of course you can control the volume and playback, but you can also activate and deactivate the 3D surround mode (more about this in a moment) and select different EQ profiles. You can choose from Movie, Music, Voice and Night. Direct control of bass and treble is also possible from the remote control. Considering the price, the soundbar has no screen, so the current volume can only be seen via the LEDs on the front. The device is set up simply by connecting it to the power supply and connecting the television via one of the inputs or via Bluetooth. It’s child’s play!

As always when evaluating sound qualities, it is important to note here: only a certain part of this assessment can be objective. Much is also determined by other factors such as user preferences, the nature and size of the room in which the test was conducted, the exact settings and more. We tested the Sharp HT-SB700 in a medium-sized room and stuck to the factory sound settings.

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First of all: the HT-SB700 doesn’t sound bad at all. Basically, you have to distinguish between two major application scenarios – music playback and playback of movies, series, shows and other programs. The strength of this device, surprisingly, lies in the latter application. When playing music, you will immediately notice that the HT-SB700 can get very loud. In the upper volume range, the sound is highly distorted, as is the case with many other cheap audio devices, so we tested mostly in the 60 to 80 percent range. And there we got a little less than the 200 euro price promises. Overall, the sound can be described as somewhat indistinct and a little shrill, but still confident and room-filling due to its volume. The focus is clearly on the mids, which affects the highs and especially the bass. The latter is only slightly incorporated here.

The biggest problem of the HT-SB700 is to correctly represent the soundstage of tracks with many different instruments. Everything sounds “confused” here – the soundbar barely manages to separate the individual instruments from each other, so that the loudest noise sources come out too much, especially in packed instrumental sections, and quieter details disappear. Unfortunately, singing voices are usually, but not always, one of the details that disappear and so many songs can become a slightly shrill and deafening sounding uniformity; here it is still far from being inedible. This specific problem can be largely solved by disabling the 3D surround mode. Then everything sounds more focused, clear and friendly, but most of the fullness and width of the sound disappears. A dilemma.

Things look a little different when it comes to playing movies, series, etc. In any case, they do not give the most importance to an accurate representation of the soundstage or a warm, friendly sound. It is possible to achieve good results here, especially in the “Movie” mode, and with Dolby Atmos titles anyway. The soundbar performs best in talk shows, news programs and other formats without crowded background noise. A tip: For example, if the dialogue in an action movie scene is very incomprehensible, it is advisable to click the “Voice” button on the remote control.

A total of four full-range speakers work in the Sharp HT-SB700. Two of them are hidden behind the front grille in stereo configuration, the other two are located on the left and right sides at the top of the device and radiate upwards. Unfortunately, we were unable to find out the driver size of the built-in speakers in the operating instructions or from the specification table on Sharp’s website. The speaker supports Dolby Digital, DTS and Dolby Atmos sound formats. The maximum sampling frequency for Bluetooth transmission is 48 kHz.

The Sharp HT-SB700 is available at many electronics stores and other third-party retailers 170 Euros Available.

What do you expect from a soundbar that costs less than 200 euros? It depends entirely on whether you have ever experienced the sound of a high-quality audio system in your life. If this has not been the case before, you will see the Sharp HT-SB700 as a great upgrade to the often poor sound of your television. This device is an excellent option primarily for budget-oriented customers. However, if you are looking for sound quality that will blow your mind, you will have to spend more money.