Sony's HT-AX7 speaker system has a look like no other In fact, when I first saw it, it looked like a concept design still in development

While it creates a sphere of immersive sound with on-screen action, it's not exactly a soundbar, and it's not like any of the best Bluetooth speakers I've seen Regardless of how it looks, the HT-AX7 is definitely an amazing speaker system that produces immersive sound from its unconventional form

I had the opportunity to hear Sony's HT-AX7 in action, both indoors and out, during a brief demo at a recent Sony Europe press event in London

While I have yet to experience the HT-AX7 at home and do a full review, here are my first impressions of Sony's latest Bluetooth speaker system

The latest addition to Sony's Bluetooth speaker lineup, the HT-AX7 pairs either the best wireless headphones or the best Bluetooth speakers with the best laptops, the best tablets, the best cell phones, and other playback devices It works the same way as the [Sony's HT-AX7, its latest Bluetooth multi-speaker system, takes a surprisingly different approach in the looks department, rather unkindly sometimes called the "magic bucket" In addition to the central main unit with controls, two removable, rechargeable speakers are located on top, which can be placed nearby to fill a room with sound

The central control unit and docking station for the detachable speakers play stereo sound from connected devices and transmit sound to nearby remote speakers While this is not surround sound, sophisticated Sony algorithms mix Bluetooth stereo audio to create an immersive surround-like experience, cleverly creating a room-filling positional effect with the HT-AX7 speakers

The Sony HT-AX7 is priced at $499 / £499 / (about A$750 at the time of writing) and will be available in August, but as of this writing, Sony has not yet revealed an official release date It is available in the light gray color pictured

Sony's HT-AX7 did not look like what I expected when I was first introduced to the company's new portable theater system My first impression was that it looked quite compact and lightweight, and I doubted that it would be able to deliver the immersive 360-degree sound that Sony claims However, looks can be deceiving

The HT-AX7's columnar body is more solid and nicely built than it appears We experienced an outdoor listening demo, but no mention was made of water resistance

At the time of this writing, Sony has not yet released a complete list of specifications, but the HT-AX7 felt solid enough to be safe The two speakers, which are detachable and can be placed anywhere, felt sturdy enough to withstand wear and tear as owners move them around the house to different locations

The HT-AX7 comes in light gray According to Sony, the neutral coloring of the speaker body is made from 100% recycled plastic bottles and covered with a fabric material that incorporates recycled plastic

Sony's HT-AX7 is essentially a Bluetooth speaker that transmits only stereo audio signals; it does not support Sony 360 Reality Audio or Dolby Atmos content, but according to Sony, 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology creates multiple phantom speakers in front, behind, and overhead, according to the company And from what I heard in the two main demos, which included several lengthy excerpts of movie, music, and sports content, this works really well

The first demo took place on the terrace of a smart London hotel suite overlooking a busy street below Sitting on a sofa on the sun-drenched, open-air terrace, watching a recording of Coldplay live, the detachable speakers were placed about three feet from either side of my shoulders

As the Sony representative conducting the demo deftly explained, I was enveloped in a sphere of sound coming from the front and side speakers As the performance progressed, I could clearly hear the crowd noise of the live event from the left, right, and rear, and despite the noise of London's busiest streets just below, I was in the center of the performance Despite the fact that the audio was only in stereo, I felt as if I were listening in surround sound

Once inside the room, the sphere of sound created by the HT-AX7 was equally impressive: despite having to do all the mixing from the stereo audio signal for immersive processing, the HT-AX7 was able to render the action effects in "No Time To Die" with convincing accuracy and with an uncanny knack for placing them with little perceptible latency

To emphasize Sony's low-latency strengths, a brief expert demonstration of a tennis match cleverly demonstrated the sound of the ball hitting the racket at exactly the same time as it appeared on the tablet's demo screen

With no distracting on-screen visuals, the music demo was less than impressive The Sony HT-AX7 could fill a large hotel suite with sound, but it is better suited to audio content for screen viewing rather than as a music speaker

Despite its somewhat odd-looking design, the HT-AX7 proved to provide a much more spectacular immersive experience than we had initially imagined The demonstration was very effective with the main speakers on a coffee table about three feet in front of me while I watched the screen of a tablet on my lap, but if you are the kind of person who enjoys TV on a handheld screen while sitting in bed, this arrangement may feel awkward

However, based on my brief experience, I can already see a use for the HT-AX7 with the portable projector system I tried for outdoor movie viewing

I found more success when viewing on-screen content than when listening to music, but I will be able to elaborate on this when I am able to try it out on my own Stay tuned for a review of the Sony HT-AX7 coming soon