Verdict
This all - in - one Dolby Atmos home cinema sound system is a virtual triumph for Sony
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
expatiate its Bravia home movie theatre strain - up , the Bravia Theatre Quad is a thickset four piece combat-ready speaker scheme that brings home the openhanded sieve bacon far more efficaciously than you might imagine , given its size .
The organization , comprise four lookalike wireless speakers and a central control corner system , is set as a permutation for both soundbars and AV receiver free-base system .
Effectively an update on Sony ’s HT - A9 speaker package , it uses 360 Spatial Sound Mapping , along with Soundfield Optimisation and Monopole Synthesis , to make an immersive listening environs from just four speaker system .
But can nigh positioned meridian speakers really be as efficient as one-time fashioned physical enclosures ? I extricated the Bravia Theatre Quad system from its ( surprisingly summary ) cargo ships box to obtain out …
Availability
Available now , a Sony Bravia Theatre Quad system could be yours for £ 2,499 in the UK , or $ 2,500 in the US and € 2699 in Europe . In Australia , you may piece one up for AUS$3699 . Hardly a budget option then , but impart there ’s no other components ask to get you up and running , it ’s not ferociously overpriced .
Design
The four Quad speaker are relatively unassuming . assess just 275 x 289 x 55 millimetre , they ask only to be positioned straightforwardly in each turning point of your way . The system does n’t transport with a subwoofer , but Sony offers compatible wireless models , specifically the SA - SW3 and the SA - SW5 , if you want to be guaranteed low closing wobbles ( more on this anon ) .
Look intimately and you ’ll see the speaker unit have both forrader facing and up - fire height drivers . Each enclosure is clear note for left , correct and rear duties and comes with a simple viewpoint that screws into the base ; this can also double up as a wall altering . There ’s no dedicated centre speaker . A wireless control corner pretend as the organisation hub .
The system ship with a basic remote control . This has Input , Soundfield selection and Voice / Night presets , plus volume and freshwater bass level adjustment . Remember , you ’ll ask a nearby power point for each of the four speakers and the control box .
Features
mightiness yield is rated at a accumulative 504W. In my distinctive life way there was plenty of loudness on offer .
Connectivity make up oneHDMI eARCconnection , and one HDMI remark . understandably this corner is n’t intended for those with a myriad of AV sources . Once you ’ve used up your allocation of TV inputs , and the incentive embrasure provide on the control box , you ’re done . Wireless connectivity covers Wi - Fi and Bluetooth .
Codec support covers Dolby Atmos , DTS : Xand PCM , as well as360 Reality Audioencodes . There ’s alsoIMAX Enhancedcertification , plus two channel upmixing . The latter works surprisingly well , producing a convincing multichannel sound premix from two duct stereo source .
Installation is a doodle , just berth and calibrate . Sound Field Optimization cover for any imbalances that might come about if you ca n’t park all four speakers in their idealistic position .
For owners of Bravia tellies , there ’s an additional subtlety . Acoustic Centre Sync can be used to enlist the TV ’s own speaker raiment as the center in your surround sound layout , creating a genuine left/ centre/ right array . You ’ll demand to telegraph the restraint box to the television set , using a 3.5 mm shit , for this .
Sound Quality
The Bravia Theatre Quad system is a bright choice to afull - blown base film organization , and bollocks up the median soundbar out of the water .
Each compact speaker system console houses four drivers : a tweeter , midrange cone cell , ten - balanced woofer and X - balanced up - firing height driver . With two speakers located to the front , and two to the bottom , the system uses Sound Field Optimisation to create phantom speakers required for an immersive Dolby Atmos listening experience .
The organisation works amazingly well with handsome blockbusters . The precision of its spatial steering , as exhibit by the Sandworm attack succession from Dune , is superb . tear apart around the soundfield is seamless , while frantic dialogue is lock dead sum .
When I first take heed Godzilla boom in Godzilla Minus One ( Netflix ) , ab initio from the rear and then across the integral front soundstage , the noise is epic . Big G engulfs the soundstage . He then stomp flawlessly to the rear left , and as our pilot film looks up in care , the rumble of the savage audibly draw overhead .
The scheme surpass with musical content encode in Dolby Atmos , and there ’s not a better demo than Illumination ’s homage to Thriller , via its Sing universe of characters . The craft and ingenuity of the sound designing is a delight , and this theatre of operations system take out you the right way into the mix .
When the primary Thriller dance procedure begin , there ’s tangible ponderousness to the beat , all the while remaining crisp and overtly musical .
Arguably the most impressive trick performed by the Bravia Theatre Quad arrangement is its power to create a fully convincing , phantom centre channel . It does a brainy job pinpointing details across the front soundstage , be it fully left , one-half left , meat , half right-hand or fully right .
Perhaps the biggest concern when shell out for this scheme is bass performance . Given the price tag , many might ask a wireless sub to be include . So how low does it go ? amazingly deep , actually …
While I amply expect mid - freshwater bass to peter out around 80Hz , the organization was measure down to 50Hz , with some grumbling below that . Impressive by any standard .
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Should you buy it?
The system is easy to position up , very resistant of speaker positioning and has few foibles . This is the most elbow room friendly , all - in - one Dolby Atmos system from Sony yet
If you require uncompromising cinema speech sound , then an AV receiver with multiple speakers will render the most visceral listening experience – but you ’ll pay a price in animation room real estate
Final Thoughts
Sony has been tempt us with spatial sound single-valued function for some metre now , and this new package is the most convincing execution of it yet . I have a go at it the system ’s obvious appliance , and was reassuringly duped by its immersive magnate .
The soundstage is systematically enveloping , and the bass answer surprisingly good . Slightly unspoiled HDMI connectivity on the control condition box would be welcome though .
Overall , this is a cracking home picture palace bargain for those that desire the execution of a full blown sound system , mate to the ease of a soundbar .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every surround phone system of rules we look back thoroughly over an extended period of time . We apply industry - standard tests to compare features in good order . We ’ll always severalise you what we determine . We never , ever , accept money to review a Cartesian product .
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FAQs
There ’s no subswoofer included with the software package , so you ’ll have add on to the organization . Depending on the size of it of the room there ’s the option of the small-scale SA - SW3 or the large SA - SW5 building block .
