Let’s say you want to listen to high-quality surround sound without a sound bar or headphones. Or maybe you want to annoy someone who tries. Do you want to enjoy a book on the sofa next to you? Perhaps you were looking for one of the most awkward gaming setups that involves wired connections to your PlayStation 5 controller to your console to experience personalized and mesmerizing 3D audio? Then you should consider wrapping the Sony Bravia Theater U Neck Speaker around your neck. Just try not to get tangled in the cables running from your collarbone to the TV across the room.
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To be fair, the $300 Theater U is comfortable and has excellent audio capabilities. But again, any number of high quality headphones You can show off the same without sharing the sound with other people on the couch with you. The great sound choke keeps your audio for the most part. contained, but not well enough that it would disturb those nearby. It’s made for singles, although you can connect two Theater Us with a single Bravia TV at once. At that time, after spending more than $400 on speakers for a single person, he could have bought a high-end sound system. bar.
If everyone needed high-quality audio without the cans, then the 2024 version of Sony’s Theater U would do the job, even if it’s one of the strangest devices I’ve ever used. There are legitimate reasons why sound hounds might prefer this speaker over a pair of headphones. If plugging in headphones or sticking cubes over your earlobes causes problems or fatigue or pain, the U Theater might be worth a visit. Unfortunately, its core features, which are supposed to work especially well with other Sony products, also cause the most basic usability problems.
The Bravia U Theater on a Bravia TV requires a statuesque head position
The Theater U uses Bluetooth to supply audio to all non-PlayStation devices (we’ll get to that later). The controls on the device itself are simple and the fit is relatively comfortable without being too heavy or digging into your collarbone. Ergonomically, it’s a win. for Sony.
The first time I installed the Theater U on a new Bravia 7 TV (that review will be published later), I had to jump through a few hoops and log into my Sony and PlayStation accounts a record four times for a special app to appear. ear tracking. That’s how it is; You need to use a special app to tell the Bravia TV where your ears are on your head. Sure, other Sony soundbars might ask you to position your couch just right to support the 3D audio effect, but Theater U needs visuals. of my ears for the same service.
With all this done, I got some really impressive 3D audio. The effect generated is quite convincing. The sound quality was excellent. with practically high-end headphone levels with full range speakers. And then you tilt your head just five degrees, and the effect is ruined. You have to keep your neck at a 90-degree angle, like a soldier on a parade field, to ensure that your ear doesn’t pick up any distortion. Don’t even think about getting too comfortable on the couch or breaking your neck unless you want to. to damage your sound quality.
I only encountered this issue when using the Bravia TV with Sony’s Spatial Sound app. On other devices and TVs, there is much less of a problem. The sound is slightly distorted when you turn your ears away, but it’s not too noticeable.
The Theater U sounds great, but while it keeps its audio contained for the most part, your roommates, spouses, and nearby children will certainly hear it. You can connect two Theater Us to a single Bravia TV at a time, but at that point, after spending more than $400 on a pair of neck speakers, you could have bought a high-end sound bar.
Theater U on PS5 requires a very, very long USB cable
Sony says that the best, or perhaps the only natural way to get 3D audio from your PlayStation 5, is by using a cable connecting to the DualSense controller, from USB-C to the microphone. But that is not all; For the best audio, Sony wants you to use a wired connection from the controller to the PS5. If the point of the Theater U was to offer 3D audio from anywhere in the world, I doubt many people would own more than a 6-foot USB-C cable or even that.
I am forced to look for a large enough USB-C cable in my office. The longest I found stretched out to just 4 feet. I had to drag the couch closer to connect it to the PS5, which wasn’t an optimal viewing arrangement for the Bravia 7. Sony understands the limitation in today’s world that values wireless connections. How could they not? Sony’s product page mentions that this was intended for “single-player wired gaming.”
I used it in single player and multiplayer games like Resident evil 4 and Helldivers 2. I had to turn the volume all the way up when playing RE:4, but I can say that the spatial audio experience enhances the tension as I move away from the chainsaw guy in the game’s opening village sequence. The experience is a little less compelling in multiplayer, especially when you have some randos chattering in your ear. The bass was loud enough that explosions and gunshots sounded punchy.
Does the cable connection to the PS5 even matter? I tested it and didn’t notice any audio delay, although I did experience delays when trying it connected to the TV with an Xbox Series you have a PS5. I’m confused as to why the Sony TV people weren’t thinking about Sony. PlayStation Link from Interactive. This is the same technology that allows a low latency connection with the PlayStation Pulse Elite headphones and headphones. In my experience, that connection standard was just as acceptable for 3D audio on PS5.
If you use your Theater U with a Sony brand television or console, you will only be able to view your content the way the “U” wants you to. It requires you to look with your back straight against the couch cushion, your neck perfectly aligned, like in the missionary position of watching TV.
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