Verdict
A single - bar effort from Sony that covers most of the fundament for home celluloid fans . It has way out with digging deep into low frequencies , but has more going for it than it does against , and is a solid choice for its current asking price .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
2024 determine Sony give its television set and soundbar short letter - up a wag up with a simpler naming convention . The Bravia Theatre Bar 8 is the latest simulation from its rejigged offering .
Also have intercourse as HT - A8000 , it more or less replaces theHT - A5000as Sony ’s footstep down soundbar , with the flagship now the Theatre Bar 9 .
Along with the simple name , Sony has simplified the Bravia Theatre Bar 8 in full term of looks and feature but I hope it has n’t done the same to the sound .
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Design
The HT - A5000 split up people with its aesthetic . Sony tried something different with its ‘ omnidirectional blockage concept ’ but people were n’t too golden . So , Sony went down the minimalist route with the Bravia Theatre Bar 8 . Almost the totality of the bar is covered in a grey fabric .
If Sony ’s intent was not to draw attending , they ’ve succeeded . However I delight soundbars that stand out from the ruffle , and appreciate less the trend of similar - sounding , interchangeable example .
A few things have been lost in the Doctor Who - esque regeneration . The exhibit has been give its marching order , replaced by a serial of modest light-emitting diode . It ’s not a decision I care but Sony is pushing users towards its Bravia Connect app , which might bear witness sensible in the long terminus .
There are no onboard controls aside from a top executive button on the side . The packaged remote control is much simpler with loudness and bass ascendance , input shift , a mute button and a few audio modes ( Sound Field , Voice , and Night ) .
The dimension of the soundbar are small than the HT - A5000 at 1100 mm wide by 64 millimeter tall . It ’s not as bulky nor is it as fleshy at 4.7 kg . By worldwide standard , it ’s still big but compare to the HT - A5000 , its footprint is smaller . It ’s a sound fit for55 - inch TVsand giving .
It come up with aHDMI cable’s length , a TV centre speaker cable ( for compatible Sony boob tube ) and a wall - mounting bracket . You also get feet to repeal the soundbar up off the surface . It really sits well on the feet of a 55 - inch Bravia 8 organic light-emitting diode .
Features
The Theatre Bar 8 feature 11 channel of gain ( higher than the A5000 ’s 9 ) , but the layout is 5.0.2 compared to 5.1.2 , which means its neglect the HT - A5000 ’s ramp up - in subwoofer .
Connections are enshroud in a recessed area with anHDMI eARC / ARC output signal and a HDMI input for plugging a gadget if you ’ve run out of connections on your TV . It is tight for place to have a cable running from both HDMI port .
The input indorse 4K/120Hz for gaming , as well asVRR , ALLM , and SBTM ( Source - establish Tone Mapping ) for HDR games . you may also pass through HDR10,HLG , and Dolby Vision signaling .
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There ’s also an S - Center Out ( for Sony TVs that can play as a centre sound groove in a surround system ) but there ’s neither an optical digital output signal for senior TVs nor a USB port wine .
There ’s Wi - Fi and Bluetooth 5.2 wireless supporting withSpotify ConnectandAirPlaybut no Chromecast . Bluetooth codec livelihood stretches to SBC , AAC , and the higher qualityLDAC .
The listing of audio formats coversDolby Atmos(Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital+ ) , Dolby Digital , and Dolby Dual mono . DTS :X , DTS , DTS High Resolution Audio , DTS HD Master Audio , DTS ES , DTS 96 / 24 , IMAX Enhanced , and 24 - bit/192kHz LPCM . And then there ’s more immersive speech sound with360 Reality Audiosupport , but this is only via HDMI .
While Tidal has stop its 360 world Audio support , Amazon Musicstill has it , so it strike me as unmatched not to have a cyclosis pick .
Nevertheless those audio formats should cover the base for any home film fan . And it show Sony still cares for those with forcible disk that support DTS formats , unlike the Sonos Arc Ultra . ThatIMAX Enhancedsupport unlocks DTS financial support ( on sure Google and Android TV models ) withDisney+too .
Sony has upgraded its DSEE algorithm technical school to ‘ Ultimate ’ status for upscaling press music tracks , and the Sound Field style enable immersive sound when change by reversal on .
The HT - A8000 ditch the built - in interface from the HT - A5000 and hale those features to its new Bravia Connect app which also works for Sony ’s TVs . If you have both a Sony TV and soundbar , the configurations immix so both can be control at the same time .
With the app , you could monitor the soundbar ’s state , customise sound , contain the audio format , optimize the surround strait / calibrate its performance for the surroundings it ’s in .
The layout of the app is mere enough , the responsiveness is good and it does make up for the lack of a display . Given the likelihood most use their earpiece to control gadget , it ’s a savvy move that will make a soundbar like this more accessible . I’dstilllike a show though .
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And the app help with customising features the remote now feel ill - befit for . For instance , the Voice Zoom feature on the remote jumps from the default set to the max circumstance of three , while the app allows for incremental modification .
Not having a video display form the remote outdated because there ’s now no style toseethe result changes have – there ’s just a blinking LED . Perhaps there ’s no need for a remote control at all since the app is the nitty-gritty of the Bar 8 ’s experience .
The last view to cover up is expanding to a surround sound system . Sony has its SA - RS35 ( £ 349 / $ 349 ) and SA - RS5 ( £ 599 / $ 599 ) rearward speaker system and SA - SW5 ( £ 599 / $ 699 ) and SA - SW3 ( £ 349 / $ 399 ) subwoofers to choose from .
The price for the rear and sub have gone down by about £ 100 since launching , but you ’re count at lower limit £ 1698 / $ 1748 spend . That ’s more expensive in the UK than the honour - winningSamsung HW - Q990D(£1499 ) , though brassy than the US price ( $ 1999 ) .
Sound Quality
With the HT - A5000 still passably fresh in my retentiveness having had it for further testing earlier in 2024 , I ’d say the difference between it and the Bravia Theatre Bar 8 is that the latest model is smoother in tone , though not as articulate with the blue frequencies .
With no rear speakers included , the Bravia Theatre Bar 8 has a front - intemperate soundstage . It outputs a wall of audio that ’s tall and encompassing than the 55 - column inch Bravia 8 OLED it ’s partnered with but at no point do I feel the soundbar pushes audio towards my seating stance . Both theSonos Arcand Ultra models are better at this .
Regardless , it reproduces dialogue naturally and clearly with a fragile tip of lovingness that smoothen out any sibilance . try my usual exam view – the Gom Jabbar picture from Dune : Part One – and dialogue easily nominate its way unhurt without have to turn the volume up or goldbrick with setting .
Dialogue on whole is deal well without having to resort to the AI Voice Zoom characteristic . If there is a desire to up dialogue limpidity and focus , I ’ve noticed Voice Zoom adds a crisper tone with traces of sibilance at its highest level .
There is one thing I ’d urge changing before anything . I noticed an singular , near - constant shimmering strait , and after play with the configurations I found the Auto DRC was switched on . This setting raises ‘ softer ’ sounds so that they ’re loose to try but a byproduct is the addition of a distracting dissonance . If it ’s on , turn it off .
It ’s with the miserable absolute frequency where the Bravia Theatre Bar 8 is a downgrade on the HT - A5000 . Sticking with Dune , it ’s not the biggest bass functioning I ’ve pick up from a undivided - bar model , miss the depth that it would give the celluloid more heft and shock .
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But its biggest trouble is that it ca n’t go deeply without distort . Without the HT - A5000 ’s build - in subwoofer the Theatre Bar 8 output crackly , distort bass with Alien : Romulus , Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom , Blade Runner 2049 , and Dune : Part Two . I essay a hard view ( end of chapter six ) from Civil War that ’s a herald of pain for a TV with its jarring bass and highs , and the Theatre Bar 8 exhibit some optical aberration with that scene too .
I would recommend add a subwoofer to help with the broken frequence if you ’re a home movie theatre aficionado . Even when it ’s not plunging down deep with the sea bass , explosions in Civil War lack some punch and force ( like the burst in the first chapter ) . Bass is the Bravia Theatre Bar 8 ’s Achilles ’ heel , with theSonos Arc Ultramore equal to in this regard .
threefold , though , is clear and brilliantly relayed , and I wish how acuate the leaf blade voice in fights from Dune : Part Two – it make scene feel even more grievous in bring the sound pattern to life sentence .
Its overhead performance with the height transmission channel are honorable , I can clearly hear K ’s spinner from the opening night chapter of Blade Runner 2049 positioned above the telly before it descends , or in 1917 where the two corporals are travelling through No Man ’s land , the two bi - planes take flight overhead in the precise spot they should be .
Another deterrent example is the Washington D.C sequence in Civil War where eggbeater and fighter planes blast overhead , and gunshots pepper both the height transmission channel and sides . Again , I ’d hint dipping into the app and upping the height levels to the max circumstance for the best performance .
An area I ’d point out – and it ’s the same with HT - A5000 and HT - A7000 before it – is the change in tone of result placed to the sides or above the television . It ’s a observably tart , sparse sound . The transition between on - screen effects and those above is n’t as smooth or as natural as Samsung ’s Q - Series soundbars .
But I do savour this soundbar ’s sense of pizzaz . With either Dune motion picture or Alien : Romulus it switches gears from restrained to loud and acute in an impressively natural manner . And even with motion-picture show you would n’t expect to be dynamic power plant like niggling Women ( 2019 ) , the swells of Alexandre Desplat ’s score are bring so enjoyably that it impart to the soundbar ’s cinematic feel .
With DTS :X runway like that of Fallen Kingdom it ’s again effortlessly and naturally dynamic , dialogue come out of the sass of the actors and not slightly below . The overall layer of detail are practiced if lacking that extra gash of clarity . When it comes to reproducing the sound design behind the bigger dinos or the volcanic eructation in the middle of the film , there Bravia Theatre Bar 8 is capable of decent deepness and baron .
I ’ll end this lengthy menage picture palace portion of this section with some thoughts on the soundbar ’s volume control . I ’d advise a grade of around 65 , which offers consistent performance in terms of contingent , clarity , kinetics and intensity . At high-pitched horizontal surface , the barroom loses its balance , and in Alien : Romulus it focuses on certain effect at the disbursement of others . In the picture ’s zero - gee sequence it hones in on the F44AA Pulse Rifle , but other sounds sound squashed and less elaborate .
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I certainly would n’t put the soundbar all the path up to 100 – it becomes too knifelike and lacks detail . It manage duologue in quieter scenery ok , but in high intensity action scenes , dialogue sounds less natural and sibilant . And I would n’t get down the volume below 40 as the bar ’s heartiness , graduated table , heft , and energy are all diminished .
What about music ? The Bravia Theatre 8 is capable of a good operation , though I ’d advise you turn the Soundfield feature off to find it . With it on , it places a focus on vocals but the soundstage is small , and vocal music sound sharper but less natural .
There persist the same issues with bass in that music miss profoundness and energy . A listen to Warren G ’s Regulate and the bar overlook out on the sub - bass tones , while the humiliated relative frequency in Kingdom ’s Bank Head voice lightweight . Turn the bass up to full in the circumstance and deformation start to creep in .
The bar also places a focusing on the what ’s in the ‘ front ’ of the soundstage , so instruments or back vocal in the background sound faint and heavy to get a line . The top end of the frequency range is bright but can miss a degree of item and limpidity with Greg Foat ’s Symphonie Pacifique . It can keep up with a rhythm method of birth control of fast tracks and handle change in stride well , though it doesn’talwayssound the most energetic or dynamic .
Really the mavin of the Bravia Theatre 8 ’s music performance is the midrange where it ’s capable to really fetch out the eccentric of a singer ’s voice to good effect whether it ’s Phoebe Bridger in Garden Song or Rachael Price ’s vocals in Lake Street Drive ’s Hypotheticals .
In worldwide , I think it could eke out more detail across the frequency chain but in its current body politic , the Bravia Theatre 8 has an glide slope that ’s more melodic and natural - sounding than most soundbars .
Should you buy it?
Aside from Samsung ’s bars , most other efforts favor Dolby tracks , but with this Sony you get Dolby and DTS support , which means your forcible discs ( and IMAX Enhanced streams ) get the right support .
The modest frequencies is an area where the Bravia Theatre Bar 8 battle with . In more demanding scenes there ’s the unhinge sound of crackly bass , and you ’d be heady to regard a subwoofer to go with it .
Final Thoughts
I opened this reexamination with the promise Sony had n’t shortchanged buyers by simplify the sound compare to the HT - A5000 . I would n’t say they have but there are some areas where the Bravia Theatre Bar 8 is n’t as sound – namely freshwater bass .
It ’s nevertheless a dynamic and entertaining soundbar that bring on an enjoyable sound with films and TV series . It could stand to take more wallop with the low frequencies , though there ’s the choice of sum a subwoofer .
The design is less ostentatious , the move towards the app control is probably sensible in the long - run , and for home movie house fans it has both Dolby and DTS , something Sonos and Bose lack .
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There are at least two lineal rivals to regard . TheSamsung HW - Q930Ddelivers a more convincing immersive experience thanks to rearward speakers being include – and at the time of review it ’s £ 899 . TheBose Smart Ultra Soundbaroffers a similar execution but has no DTS support or a HDMI comment
The Bravia Theatre Bar 8 is unanimous soundbar . blemished in some ways and not as fully - featured as theHT - A5000 , Sony have simplify thing but retain an pleasurable horizontal surface of carrying out . However for that full sense of immersion , you need those arse and sub .
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How we test
We try out every soundbar we review thoroughly over an extended period of time . We use industry standard tests to compare feature properly . We ’ll always tell apart you what we find . We never , ever , take over money to retrospect a product .
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FAQs
You only get one HDMI stimulus with the Bravia Theatre Bar 8 , but it does stand head - through of HDR / Dolby Vision and 4K/120Hz signals .
Full Specs
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