Sony - BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 with 11 speakers, Dolby Atmos/DTS: X - Black

Prior to purchasing the Theater Bar 9, I owned the HT-A7000 along side the SA-SW5, SA-RS5's, and the 65" A95K (using the Center Sync feature). I sold the HT-A7000 to a friend and replaced it with the Bar 9. The Bar 9 is an improvement to the previous Sony flagship soundbar. It's less forward and in your face than the HT-A7000, but it made the entire listening experience more balanced. The SA-RS5 surround speakers are now more present than before. After viewing the car chase scene in the The Batman, a couple friends immediately said, "The rear speakers are actually noticeable now and they sound clean." I played that scene because that's what I noticed most after replacing HT-A7000 with the Bar 9. The SA-RS5 surrounds gained more presence. I've always set them to MAX volume, but once including the Bar 9, the impact they make to the movie experience is immediately noticeable. I'm not sure what Sony did, but the SA-RS5's are worth getting with the Bar 9 vs previously I almost regretted purchasing them. There are some cons about the Bar 9. Firstly, I wish the app had to option to manually adjust the volume of the speakers. The vocals are clear, but they can come across a tad bit veiled at times even when using Center Sync. This isn't always the case, but at times I find myself raising the volume, just to hear the vocals a bit better. I also personally prefer to not use Voice Mode. Secondly, there can be more separation in the mix. What I mean by this is the bar can sound caged by the limitations of being a soundbar. This is something that most soundbars have to overcome, because well, they're soundbars. Mind you, this can 100% be due to the current setup of my living room. It's not ideal for the soundbar and it's a similar complaint I had with the HT-A7000 so it's not entirely on the Bar 9. Thirdly, there does seem to be less bass when comparing the individual bars. It's not completely an issue because the SA-SW5 provides more than enough impact and body to the listening experience. I will say this. Sony needs to update their subwoofer lineup to remain competitive with Sonos, Samsung, and others. When discounted, the SA-SW5 is a good deal, but not at MSRP, All in all, I've had a great experience with the Bar 9 for the two weeks. With a better room configuration and setup for movie watching, I know the sound and immersion this system can provide will only improve. I hope I didn't miss any crucial points, but this is my experience thus far.

IT'S A SONY! As I mention before in some of my reviews about Sony products, I’ve been a big, big loyal fan of Sony for decades due to the quality of their products, from Walkmans to TVs and AV systems, but I’ve been a little disappointed with their soundbars after testing a few of their latest models, including the 5 Stars rated HT-A7000 7.1.2 Channel Soundbar (with the SA-SW5 300W Wireless Subwoofer and SA -RS5 Wireless Rear Speakers) which couldn’t beat my 4 years old JBL 9.1 Sound bar (sorry Sony). After reading about Sony’s upcoming 2024 line of soundbars and their new features, I was curious to test the Theater Bar 8, I found it more appealing for my needs (and space). SET UP I have a Sony A80J OLED tv so connecting and setting up the Bar 8 through the Sony Bravia app was a breeze since I already have a Sony account, same with pairing the Subwoofer and Rear speakers. SOUND QUALITY In a word: AMAZING! The Soundbar alone sounds really great with crisp highs, balanced mids, pretty decent bass and over all the clarity of the dialog, the new Voice mode feature is awesome, especially if you set the TV speakers as the central channel (Note that this feature is available only with recent Sony tv models), big improvement over the A7000 in sound quality IMO. However, adding the SA -RS5 Wireless Rear speakers and SW3 (yes, I returned the big sibling because 300 watts is too much for me) and once I had the whole system set up…holy smoke, it is simply SPECTACULAR! The high-quality sound performance of the 11 speakers of the Bar 8 paired with the Sub and the Rears gives a rich immersive audio experience. The whole setup can be pricey but It's worth the Money. Sony finally made me happy with the new THEATER BAR 8!

We tried the sonos. It sounded muddled to my wife and I agreed. This is crisp and clear even at high volumes. I got the subwoofer to go with it. It was a large investment but ive been very happy with it. Sound does come out of the top so I lowered it so its not riding the bottom of the tv to let that sound get out. Its not my favorite to see the mounting bracket for the soundbar. If you are setting it on a matle or something that wont be an issue.

The product was really easy to install and setup! Love the bass and sound especially when watching a movie with lots of the fam. It’s especially great for gaming as it sounds like the game is surrounding you.

I’ve always had full surround systems from Pioneer but when I bought my Sony Bravia 9 Tv, I decided to upgrade my entire sound system with Sony products. The Bar 9 Sound Bar is simply amazing on it own but I also added the Sony SA-SW5 Subwoofer and the Sony SA-RS5 Wireless surround speakers and my sound went to the next level. This system was everything that I was looking for. Easy setup with regular firmware updates, integrates with my Bravia 9 Tv, easy access to all the settings through the Sony App, and the absolute best thing is the amazing sound that makes my movies come alive around me. My wife even said I made a great purchase after our first movie which of course was Top Gun Maverick. I highly recommend the Bar 9 as a stand alone sound bar but if you include the rears and the sub you may never leave the couch. Good luck!