Sony Put a Soundbar Around My Neck and I Didn’t Hate It

Sony isn’t afraid to get weird and its new Bravia Theater U is a perfect example. The Bluetooth speaker is essentially a soundbar with Dolby Atmos support that you wear around your neck. The idea doesn’t need to be rational, but at $300 it needs to work well. So I got to work determining if this is the new personal audio device people need.

Sony Bravia Theater U

Experience true surround sound audio with Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Personalizer technology. Enjoy crystal clear sound with the newly developed upward-facing X-Balanced Speaker Unit.

Pros

• Wearable design doesn’t fatigue your ears
• Immersive sound
• Mostly comfortable for long stretches of time

Cons

• Sound leaks and it’s completely private
• Less convenient than walking around with earbuds
• Not really travel friendly
• Pricey compared to headphones or a full sized TV soundbar

Price and Availability

The Sony Bravia Theater U retails for $299.99 and is available now. It only comes in one black color.

The Theater U Might Make More Sense For Gaming Than Movies

This neck speaker might look fancy, but this audio device is essentially just a Bluetooth speaker. It’s not very complicated and mostly just plays audio. Even the way it integrates with a PlayStation 5 system for low latency by plugging a cord into the controller isn’t complicated.

Since Sony decided to put Bravia and Theater in the product’s name, the company intends it for the home theater crowd. That’s smart because being an entertainment companion is the easiest way to justify its price. And while it might not cost as much as some of Sony’s other headphones, $300 isn’t cheap.

The thing it does have going for it over headphones is that it can deliver a complex sound profile while not getting anywhere near your ear canals. That lets you keep an ear on what’s happening around the house.

The speaker is mostly comfortable with a rubber, bendable piece that connects both sides together. The one wild card is if the Theater U ends up laying funny on your collarbone. That could lead to minor discomfort over time.

While I wouldn’t call the bass level surprising or overly deep, the full spectrum of sound remains present. Voices are clear which makes it an ideal way to shove a soundbar right in your face so you can keep dialog close and personal. Listening to music on it was vibrant and lively. The two drivers provide a much bigger sound than you might expect from its physical size.

Be aware, however, the Theater U does not provide a completely private listening experience. It might seem like having perfectly angled audio drivers might be able to somehow keep the sound private, only for your ears, but it doesn’t.

There is a decent amount of sound leakage which rises pretty substantially as you increase the volume past 50%. At a moderate level, it is possible to use the Theater U in the same room as other people without disturbing them. In a bedroom at night, I think another person trying to sleep might get annoyed.

All these different caveats are why this speaker is a bit hard to blankly recommend. The use case I was pitched when Sony debuted it, was for a parent to watch movies at nighttime so they didn’t disturb sleeping kids in another room.

The more I’ve used the Bravia Theater U, the more confounding I found it. I never hated it, but even after several weeks of use, I’ve had a hard time getting a firm grasp of who this device is for.

It gets a thumbs-up on performance because it worked well when I connected it to my iPad, Apple TV, iPhone, and other devices to use it for a variety of things like watching baseball games, movies, shows, and YouTube videos. Even though it functioned well, I didn’t find it super convenient to use for all those things. At least it wasn’t any more convenient than popping in an earbud for casual watching.

Plus, at $300, the Theater U is about the same price as an Apple TV box and a pair of AirPods which do the same thing and are even more private.

You can connect two Theater U’s to a device for listening with a partner, but now you’re up to $600 for the experience.

I’m bullish on the Theater U’s function, but highly skeptical of its place in the home theater space. As a movie-watching product, I have a hard time seeing this as a mainstream product.

The place I think the Theater U fits more realistically is being used with a gaming console like a PlayStation 5 or PC. I don’t have a PlayStation and couldn’t test this extensively at home, but I did try the two together at a Sony press event. In the context of games, I can imagine people flocking to this wearable soundbar.

As long as you’re fine with your gaming sessions only being semi-private, the Theater U will keep your ears unplugged and less fatigued, without giving up immersive sound. The caveat is that it’s just for single-player use.

This Neck Speaker Can Do Work Too

While I think the Theater U is easier to justify as a gaming accessory, it can also function as a speakerphone for work that you wear around your neck. It would just be an expensive product for that task.

I had no problem connecting it to my Mac or taking calls from my iPhone on it. The people on the other end sounded good to me and they didn’t notice any peculiarities. It’s nice not to wear anything in or on your ears for an hour-long meeting, but, again, $300.

I walked away from my computer to grab a snack and some water during a meeting and felt like I was still present with the Theater U around my neck.

Battery life can be up to 12 hours which I found solid, but not unbelievable. With frequent use, I needed to charge the device every couple of days or so. Your mileage will vary, of course, but it should be able to easily cover a full day of gaming, movie watching, or other listening uses if you want to keep it on all day.

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Should You Buy the Sony Bravia Theater U?

I commend Sony for regularly putting out unique products. The Bravia Theater U fits squarely in that category—it’s strange. There are absolutely people who could benefit from a personal, wearable soundbar, but unless you have some very specific circumstances where this product will excel, I foresee its shine wearing off and shoved in a drawer and forgotten about sooner rather than later.

If you’re a (single player) gamer, however, and looking for an audio device that doesn’t totally isolate you, then this could be a real winner and solid value.

Sony Bravia Theater U

Experience true surround sound audio with Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Personalizer technology. Enjoy crystal clear sound with the newly developed upward-facing X-Balanced Speaker Unit.