Customer Ratings & Reviews

Bravia Theater Bar 8 sounds amazing. The Sony app makes the setup and sound adjustments so easy. My Bravia 7 TV and Sony SA-SW3 subwoofer work so well together. I really enjoy the Voice Zoom 3 setting control to really get dialogue so clear and loud.

Decide to go with the Sony Bravia TV and Combined with the Sony soundbar, makes this purchase impressive! Excellent sound quality and clarity! Highly recommend!! The Best Buy customer service rep was extremely knowledgeable and helpful!

Excellent soundbar. Will sound better after breaking in.

The sound in this soundbar by itself is amazing! I ended going all out with the rear speaker rs3 and sw300 subwoofer. The entire system including the app is seem-less! Even being able to pair your phone easily to use as a massive blue tooth speaker is a nice addition.

Great look. Great build. Great sound (in the store). Unfortunately when I bought the Bravia 8 it would not complete the installation in the app. Keep in mind that the only way to use this system is with the app. I called in for support and was told to go to the store and swap the unit out. I went to the store and they didn’t have another 8 in stock so I paid the difference for a 9 that was in stock. I took it home, set it up, and launched the app only to run into the same problem. It would not complete the connection. After hours of restarting my router, my modem, my phone with no success I decided that the Sony Bravia 8 or 9 was not for me. I returned the 9 and the subwoofer and went for a Sonos Arc Ultra system. I went home, set it up, launched the app and completed the installation and now have an amazing system that brings movies to life. This is not meant to slam Sony but the app needs help..obviously. Also I want to mention that Cole who works in the Independence Blvd store was great to work with. Go see him if you are in the market for a home theater system.

Paired perfectly with the Sony TV both for looks and sound. Quality sounds in all frequencies which made watching a movie enjoyable.

I'm guessing this is for the sound bar... Product came packaged well, super easy assembly and installation, and it worked nicely with my home set-up. Product arrived on time as expected.

Very excellent sound quality. Fits perfectly under the Sony TV.

The sound and vibe are behond my expectations. To sit back and enjoy this speaker system is fabulous!

Soundbar is AMAZING! Sounds, Music fills the room accurately, it’s like being at the theater, to me BETTER!

Great sound quality from a sound bar you would think you are in a major Home theater room

Sounds sooo good.it makes my house like a theater.Sony is the best

Sounds great. Pairs great with the Sony A95L TV. Good for movies, TV, and gaming.

Feel like it should be way louder for the price honestly, no offense to Sony

TL;DR If you are looking for a truly immersive, adaptive spatial sound system, this Sony Theater Bar 8 soundbar, this one might be the one you have been looking for. It beautifully complements a Sony Bravia TV by providing a real cinematic experience for Dolby 2.0, Dolby 5.1, Dolby Atmos, DTS, and more. The 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology works stunningly and awesomely well for TV/ movie enjoyment and Audio. It’s amazing to hear what this soundbar does for stereo sources, from Dolby 2.0 sources, to lossy MP3s, to lossless HiRes 192kHz/24-bit [FLAC] sources. The soundbar’s bass truly provides an immersive movie and audio experience even without an external subwoofer (select “Max” in the Bravia Connect app’s “Bass Level” setting), though this soundbar supports the addition of an external wireless subwoofer as well as a set of wireless rear speakers. In my opinion, however, these are not really necessary to add. My spoiled ears loved the sound as is. Verdict: This soundbar is simply perfect. Very highly recommended. UNPACKING The well-built and designed soundbar ships in a very well-organized box. Apart from the soundbar itself, it ships with all needed accessories, such as a remote control with batteries, a 3.5 mm-plug speaker mode cable (for using Sony Bravia TV speakers as a center speaker), an HDMI cable, a power cord, two feet for the soundbar, wall-mounting brackets, and a wall-mounting template. INSTALL/SETUP Ideally, you want to set up the soundbar using an Android-based smartphone or an iPhone. You will be prompted to download and install the BRAVIA Connect app. What a genius idea to use the smartphone’s microphone to measure the room for an optimal sound experience. Note that part of the setup process is creating (or signing in to an existing) Sony account. If you have an existing one, double-check you can log in to it with your ID and password to achieve a smooth setup experience. Place the soundbar in front of your TV and connect the supplied HDMI cable to the TV’s eARC HDMI output. If you plan on using the TV’s speaker as a center speaker in addition to the soundbar (highly recommended when you have a Sony BRAVIA-compatible TV), also connect the supplied speaker cable (you may do that later too as you will be prompted in the setup routine whether or not you want to use the TV’s speaker as a center speaker and will then be given time to install the cable), and connect the supplied power cord. After powering up the soundbar, best connect it to your home Wi-Fi network so the soundbar can download software updates before setup starts. Once the setup begins the app walks you through various sound tests. The entire easy and flawless setup takes about 10 minutes, and the app gives good on-screen feedback and time estimates for each step. DAY-TO-DAY USE The soundbar powers up (and down) together with the TV. Though I enjoy Google TV, I prefer to use an external Apple TV 4K box for all my streaming needs, which works perfectly well with the soundbar, too. I use the BRAVIA app to double-check on video streaming quality (e.g., Dolby 2.0 vs. Dolby 5.1 vs. Dolby Atmos, etc.) to ensure I receive maximum enjoyment. The soundbar switches to the best decoding mode automatically always, but sometimes it’s the streaming source which you need to force to send, for example, the Dolby Atmos stream. As for audio sound, I use DNLA (media server, connected to an ASUS wireless router) which I access through the VLC for Android App (see screen capture). I love the new spatial experience allowing me to enjoy my music in a way I could never do before. The spatial stereo effects are truly immersive and stunning. There are new details I did not hear before, especially when I play my lossless High-Resolution sources. Bob Marley’s Legend in 192 kHz / 24-bit sounds amazing including the bass, wow! In summary, this soundbar is simply perfect in all aspects, from its design, and its immersive sound without the addition of subwoofers and rear speakers, to the easy setup, to everyday use. As such, I very highly recommend this soundbar to friends and family.

THIS… Is the Sony Bravia theater Bar 8 (HT-A8000) with eleven built-in speakers, packed full of smart features and 4k120 passthrough which I have been looking forward to for a long time now! Something interesting about the new generation of the Sony ‘Bravia Bar’ series is that all the extra parts (subwoofer and rear speakers) are additional accessories… meaning it has no stand-alone subwoofer. It will be interesting to see how it sounds as I put it through the wringer, that being said, it does have four ‘woofers’ built into the bar. This Bravia Bar 8 will be replacing my aging Sony HT-ST5000 and will be my primary source of sound for all things gaming, music, and movies in my gaming room. TL;DR Great mid to high-end 5.1.2 soundbar packed full of the newest features for movies, music and gaming. HDMI 2.1 support, softer on bass but has the option to add one (and rear speakers) in after the fact or bought in a bundle from Bestbuy at the start. Straight out of the box I was really happy to see that Sony included risers for the soundbar so it isn’t half sitting on the TV stand rocking, a revised remote, and one of the sleekest-looking soundbars I have gotten to test in a long time. It was nice to see that Sony threw in a riser for the soundbar, a lot of TV’s have a flat pedestal and this helps the soundbar rest on top of that platform without rocking - an issue I just somewhat got over prior but I'm happy to see this solved here! Setup was quite easy, and with only one HDMI input so was cable management! Sony includes batteries, an HDMI cable, and a 3.5mm cable so you really are good to go straight out of the box. Setup required me to download Sonys Bravia app to set up the sound mapping which was a quick, but interesting process using my phone's microphone to listen to the soundbar bounce sounds around my room. A hidden feature of this soundbar is that it is well-sized for the power that it has. At about 43” wide, this soundbar can fit almost anywhere and look sleek, which is something that I needed in my space-limited setup. Now, what we are here for! The sound is genuinely one of the most fun aspects of this soundbar. The way that the soundbars channel is set up is interesting…It is 5.1.2, which begs the question… how do we get 5.1.2 from 11 speakers? Where do the other 3 speakers go? Well, Sony told me that the four ‘woofers’ and yes they are calling them dedicated subwoofers IN the soundbar are effectively combined into one channel. So you have the four woofers counting as one, with the option to expand the system out to 7.2.2 with the rear speakers and dedicated subwoofer (bought separately). The speaker layout is interesting though, three tweeters, four woofers, two up-firing units, and two side-firing units. My gaming room is FILLED with rich crisp sound. As you can imagine, the soundbar has punchy, but not floor-rocking bass. What it lacks in bass though, it makes up for in clarity and room-filling sound. I could really tell that the sound was hitting my ears from all angles, and in a demo, It was very interesting to listen to the soundbar bounce sound off my ceiling to behind me making me feel like I was completely wrapped in sound. Even listening to music, which is typically not a dynamic sound, I felt the soundbar wrap the soundwaves around me. The soundbar is rich-leaning, but honestly pretty balanced! I will 100% be adding a subwoofer, I think that most people will be on the fence… but when I watch movies I like to feel the movie. We are starting to see brands focus on an ecosystem now more than selling a closed-loop system (no expansion capability) which… I think I like! I think that being able to buy the additional parts later on allows me to have a much better sound system over time, as I can break up the purchases so it isn't just one large purchase out the door - and if one part bites the dust you can just replace/upgrade that ONE part. A cool feature if you have a Bravia TV is a feature called Voice Zoom 3 which elevates human voices and makes it a bit more crisp, Sony has done a lot of work to get you to go full-blown Bravia as well which I have slowly been sold on. You should check out their display at Bestbuy as they have the best (in my opinion) OLED TV’s on the market. Something that is annoying though is that you can only connect one subwoofer to the soundbar…so it is its own separate item…and then you can still only have one. I think that the audiophile in me wants more, but with a SA-SW5 I am sure that one will be enough. Sony has killed it with the Bravia Bar 8, and with almost every feature you could want thrown at it. Dolby EVERYTHING, IMAX Enhancement, 360 audio, HDMI 2.1 for HDR 8k60/4k120, DSEE, DTS:X. For gaming, it has VRR, ALLM and SBTM. This soundbar also makes life easy with Airplay 2 and Spotify Connect making casting and blasting seamless for even those that aren’t techie. The best part of the whole thing is when you buy this at Best Buy… you never have to worry about getting the wrong soundbar, they have this model and several other variations as well to fit all needs and setups. Best Buy has an excellent return policy and even better customer service, so you never have to worry about buying a product that you don’t like… so why not test it out! Expandable Speakers: Woofer - SA-SW3 / SA-SW5 Rear Speakers - SA-RS3 / SA-RS5 Channel Setup: 5.1.2 - expandable to 7.2.2 Pros: -supports VRR, ALLM and SBTM. -Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Genre Picture Mode when connecting Bravia TVs and PS5 -Mids and Highs are phenomenal -360 spatial audio is REAL -4k120hz / 8k60hz Cons: -One HDMI port -No dedicated subwoofer 1 year factory warranty

I have been a longtime proponent of Sony products. TV’s, ES receivers, HT-Z9F soundbar (with subwoofer and rear speakers), Bluetooth speakers, etc – all of which I would recommend. Unfortunately, my initial impression of this soundbar was not good. However, after taking the time to go through the downloaded manual/app and “tweaking” the settings I am much happier with it and while it is not perfect, I would recommend it. Included in the box is Soundbar AC power cord, with NO brick – nice. Remote control HDMI 4K & 8K cable Center speaker analog mini cable connector Wall mount template and hardware 2 “feet” to raise soundbar if needed to accommodate a TV stand, etc. Unboxing was easy and I followed the provided card with installation instructions. Hooked up to TV using provided HDMI cable, plugged in and installed Bravia Connect app using provided QR code. Following the steps in the app I connected it through wifi. The soundbar does work without wifi but there is no functional support – it seems you can only control volume. With the soundbar now connected, I noticed the sound output was about 60% of my other soundbars at same output level from TV. I “fixed” this by turning on “Automatically adjust volume” option at bottom of sound settings. Another minor issue was the sound level wasn’t showing any numbers. The volume slide would show but it just indicated whether sound was going up or down. Granted you can hear the difference, but it irked me. In trying soundbar with 2 other brands of TV’s I discovered the problem seemed to only occur on my TCL TV (using eARC connection). I was now ready to test the soundbar. I did optimize my “sound field” which was easily accomplished using my phone. Pure and simple, I feel the app is a disappointment and should provide much better sound control options. There is no “sliding” control for bass – just minimum, mid or full. There are no controls for treble or midrange (or EQ). Turning voice mode on/off helps a little. The sound field is only on/off as well, with no settings for movie/sports/music etc. as my HT-Z9F allows. Nighttime mode seems to reduce the bass. The remote has the same limitations as the app as far as sound settings. The soundbar does allow for 1 HDMI input separate from the output/arc connection. I must admit I am confused a little as to whether functions should show on the TV screen – to this point they do not but maybe I missed a setting, so I used the app. I streamed an Atmos Dolby movie and was very impressed with the encompassing sound quality. I happened to have a Sony Dolby Atmos Demo Blu-ray DVD - provided with the HT-Z9F soundbar. Playing the DVD with my 4k dvd player the sound wes even more impressive than the movie. It came from in front, above and behind, as if I was standing in the middle of the sound. Playing music from my phone was also a very pleasant experience. But sound is so subjective your results may vary. The power output was more than enough for me, but it doesn’t really rattle the windows and probably won’t wake up the neighbors. The overall design is nice, and its 43-inch size should make it easy to use under a TV or to mount on the wall. There are no IR repeaters option in case it does block your TV. Has easy to understand inputs/output attachments on the back of the sound bar. There is 1 HDMI input and 1 HDMI ARC/output. I found the HDMI area to be very tight to attach cable(s) so hope yours is very flexible (same with HT-Z9F). There is also a no fiber optical connection but there is aux in (3.5 mm) for analog input, The front panel LED display gives some basic information by using different colored flashing/solid lights to indicate inputs, messages, etc. – brightness can be controlled as well. Final Thoughts App is lacking but hopefully with user feedback it will be updated for better control. Remote is not illuminated and makes it hard to find or use in dark room. The sound is impressive and for many the soundbar alone will be more than enough. But for me I think you really need a dedicated subwoofer and maybe rear speakers. While they are available it is a rather pricy upgrade. Since I do have other Sony products the provided remote turns on/off the HT-Z9F soundbar and Sony ES receiver. Overall, a very nice unit that for its size produces a very impressive sound.

I recently had the pleasure of experiencing the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 and it was nothing short of spectacular. The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 is a soundbar that delivers a truly immersive home theater experience with its 11 speakers and innovative 360 Spatial Sound mapping technology that fills your room with rich beautiful audio. So, let’s go over what makes the Sony Bravia a spectacular soundbar. Home Theater Sound: The Bravia Theater Bar 8 grabbed me with its 11-speaker system that pumps out crystal-clear, room-filling audio. The sound quality is simply phenomenal, delivering crisp, clear, and immersive and deep bass audio that fills the room. Whether you're watching an action-packed movie or listening to your favorite music, the sound is rich, detailed, and incredibly lifelike. 3D Audio: Dolby Atmos and DTS:X take things to another level by creating an immersive 3D soundscape. You'll feel like you're in the middle of the movie, with sounds coming from all around you, including from above. The height channels add to a whole new dimension, making your living room feel like a giant theater. It's not just about hearing the sound, but also about feeling it. Easy to use and stylish: The Theater Bar 8 is a breeze to set up and its sleek design looks great under your TV or mounted on the wall with the provided mounts, adding a touch of sophistication to your space. The Bravia Connect app will guide you through the connection and the setup process. The application also runs the spatial 360 reality audio setup and once done correctly should have complete theater experience. Wireless expandability and Connectivity: While the soundbar itself delivers powerful audio experience, you can add an optional subwoofer and rear speakers for an even more complete home theater setup. The BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 offers a variety of connectivity options, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and HDMI. This makes it easy to connect to your TV, streaming devices, and other audio sources. The Theater Bar 8 also supports 4K HRD, 8K HRD, Dolby Vision and Dolby Vision HDMI 2.1 Gaming features 4K120, VRR and ALLM for all the PS5 gamers out there and myself being one. Connecting this bar to my PS5 added a whole new experience of Warzone and at times it felt as if there was war in my room, It was amazing. Overall, the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 is a is an exceptional soundbar that delivers a true theater-quality listening experience. From rustling leaves to explosive explosion, you will hear them all. If you're looking to elevate your home entertainment setup, this is a fantastic option. I honestly could not find anything that I was not happy with the Bravia Theater 8 and believe me I tired, this is just an exceptional sound bar at a reasonable price point.

I’ve been using the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 for a couple of days now and it ranks as the best soundbar I have ever owned (this is my 6th soundbar from various manufacturers). Included in the box is everything you need for setup including a highspeed HDMI cable and wall mount brackets if you need them. In order to set it up you must first download the Sony Bravia Connect app. I do not own a Sony Bravia TV (yet) and in reading the literature it appears to be a very seamless setup process when adding the Theater Bar 8, so I wasn’t sure how my setup might go. Once I downloaded the app I began the setup process, and the app walks you through everything in terms of connecting to your TV set as well as speaker optimization based on your room and where you typically sit while watching TV. The app goes through a measuring process and once completed the result is “optimized surround sound”. The theater bar has 11 separate speakers built into it and I can definitely hear the “360 spatial sound mapping” in my room. It delivers very full and clear sound. I was a bit concerned about the two subwoofers in the theater bar figuring they probably would not be too impressive, but I was wrong. There is very nice bass coming from the theater bar. Its probably not as booming as a separate subwoofer would be which can be added to the system, but for my room/setup the bass delivery is excellent from just the Theater Bar 8. While the Theater Bar 8 comes with a remote control, I was surprised after setting it up that both my TV remote and our DirecTV remote both automatically controlled the volume of the Theater Bar. In the past, particularly with DirecTV, I’d have to do a separate setup to get that remote to work with a sound bar, but not with this one. I suppose that’s because the Theater Bar 8 and our TV both have eArc HDMI (a first for me), I’m not really sure, but it sure made the setup process easy! To be honest, the first movie I watched with the Theater Bar 8 I was not quite thrilled with the volume I was getting from it, even cranked to 100/full volume. I also listened to some music through Spotify and was not very impressed with the sound quality or volume when playing through the Theater Bar 8. The sound was kind of tinny and the bass was definitely lacking. So I began checking the app to see what other changes and options there are in terms of fine-tuning the soundbar for my setup. One of the Sound Settings I ran across was “automatically adjust volume”. Once I turned that on it made a HUGE different in volume both for TV viewing as well as music through Spotify. I’m guessing it about doubled the volume so I can now make is much louder and more like movie theater volume if I’m in the mood. I’ll need to keep testing/tweaking other app settings to see if there are any other improvements I can make but as of now I am extremely impressed with the sound quality. Overall, as I said previously, this is the best soundbar I’ve ever owned. It delivers high-quality fantastic immersive surround sound that fills my room, a huge improvement over our previous soundbars. Love it!

I never thought a soundbar without a sub will sound this good and the Sony Bravia theater 8 is that soundbar. I have been an audiophile for many years, and I have owned many soundbars. I currently have the Sony HT-ST5000 which was rated one of the best soundbar with Atmos when the Dolby Atmos trend started in the soundbar section. Many years have passed and technology has since evolved. The Bravia theater 8 does not only have a smaller footprint but packs an amazing sound with its 11 speakers. It has a great built quality. It does not have a metal grill like my old soundbar, instead is wrapped with a fabric mesh that gives an elegant appearance. It comes with two HDMI ports, 1 input and 1 output that supports eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) and ARC (Audio Return Channel). That means if you have multiple devices, most of them have to be connected to the TV. That could be good or bad depending on your setup and the age of the TV. Honestly ARC has gotten way much better from what it used to be, and now is enhanced (eARC) so I understand why they chose the route of not adding many HDMI inputs. Let the TV handle the video and the soundbar the sound. The HDMIs are 2.1, and they support video formats of 4K HDR, 8K HDR, Dolby Vision, and gaming features 4K at 120hz, VRR, ALLM. Setting it up is very simple, but some may find it challenging especially those who are not tech-savvy. The reason I said that is because the bar does not have any buttons, a display or on-screen menus. The simplest method if you do not wish to use the app and the rest of the soundbar features is connecting the HDMI cable from the bar's output to the TV's HDMI eARC/ARC input. You have to connect the soundbar to the TV that way regardless. However, the soundbar will work this way without the detailed setup from the app. Make sure that your TV has the HDMI remote feature enabled and that should do the trick. The soundbar will power on and off with the TV. For detailed setup, download the Bravia connect app. Grant the app the necessary permissions, and the app will detect the soundbar and guide you through the process. I really like the 360 sound mapping. That will measure the speaker distance from the listening position to the soundbar and create a 360 listening environment using your walls and ceiling. I found the mapping feature to be impressive since it works in a similar way to the mapping I performed in my dedicated theater room. The difference is that this soundbar uses your phone microphone to measure the distance compared to the wired microphone I used in my theater room. The app also provides access to all soundbar settings and features, including the ability to connect additional surround speakers and subwoofers. In terms of sound quality and performance, it’s just amazing. It delivers a well-balanced sound with rich mids, clear highs and surprisingly good bass. I haven't heard a soundbar that sounds this good without a separate subwoofer. The magic happens with 4 front 2way woofers of (3 5/8" drivers) that also acts as front channels. It is not going to be the rumbling bass you’ll get from a dedicated sub but is a really good bass that is well balanced with the audio track and is very noticeable. To my experience I found it optimal to watch movies or shows with the sub settings higher and music at mid-level. In other words, this soundbar will be great for a small room without a sub. You have the option to expand this bar's great sound capability by adding wireless surround speakers and a wireless sub. However, that will beef the price over $2000 if you choose the two higher price surround and sub wireless speakers. If you plan to place this in a bedroom you will be good with the soundbar alone. This bar also supports most of the industry-standard audio formats including Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and IMAX Enhanced. When it comes to music you can stream it via Bluetooth, Spotify Connect and Apple Airplay 2. This bar will not just play your wireless music, but it will also upmix it to its 360 Reality Audio. Music streaming sounds great too, especially with the sound field enabled. Unfortunately, this soundbar does not support casting. If you're an Android user, you have to stream the music via Bluetooth. Is sad that Sony did not include Chromecast built-in for this model. Overall, this soundbar delivers exceptional audio quality without needing a separate subwoofer. Its compact size and contemporary design make it a great fit for any room. If you have a Sony TV that supports center channeling, this soundbar includes center channel cable. This cable connects to the TV, enabling it to function as a center channel, providing the soundbar with greater flexibility to utilize the center speaker for other audio purposes. You can place it on top of the entertainment center or mount it on the wall, and the mounting brackets are included. Thanks to its compatibility with modern sound and video formats, this soundbar will remain useful for years. In the box you get the soundbar, remote, 2 AAA batteries, wall mounting kit, power cord, HDMI cable, TV center mode cable, and manuals.