Sony - HT-A7000

My short story: I recently owned the A7000, however the optical port housing needed repair, under BB repair policy it was not worth it, hence BB gave me a gift card for the cost of the A7000, and I purchased the Bar 8 (open box). Personally I like the Bar 8, it is not in your face as much as the A7000. After that, I purchased the RS5s & SW3, to test their worth, this was for my mini-man cave (gaming and music primarily). I must say after breaking-in and some minor tweaks, this system sounds really good for a mini-theater. Initially, I wasn't going to purchase the speakers/sub, but found an open box sub, however I couldn't find an open box RS-5 near me, this after reading reviews for the RS5. The whole setup cost approximately $1.2k. Originally I had the RS3s, but they didn't have the battery/up firing Atmos speakers. I really wanted to like the RS3s, but they lacked the acoustical properties I was looking for. Hope this helps. Happy New Year Everyone. Peace and blessings, Azeke

That's my situation I'm out of return window on my 7k..I love the way it looks and sounds too. But the 9 peaked my interest but not willing to shell out the cash rn..I have the sub 5 and rear 5s the set up is nice. In a sound comparison with gaming and movies would you say it's worth the upgrade ? Thanks!

Completely agree & it sounds better

I have the A7000 and the Sony TV I find every now and then (probably when one gets an update) the two decide to not like each other and TV cant control the A7000 volume control.

Really great soundbar and I’m being completely honest here. I have the a7000 Sony soundbar and this Walmart one just as good if not better due to low price

I have the A7000 full setup with subwoofer and speaker installation. I am still very happy with the setup.

I can recommend from experience the Sony HTA5000 + wireless sub (SW3) + rears (RS3). Even with decades of amp + discrete speaker home theatre experience I was impressed with the quality and accuracy. With the 65, though, you might move up to the A7000 and or SW5 sub. (The line has been refreshed so both available at a discount) The new current refresh of the above line is the Theater Bar 8 & 9

I have a A95K... bought the HTA 7000 (subs and rs5 rears)... and was NEVER happy with the soundbar. The dialogue was terrible and lacking. I bought a Samsung HQ990C... and am TOTALLY happy. It's really amazing, no joke. I got mine new on Amazon for $1,000.00 new. No need to get the D version. It's more expensive, $1700.00. The sound will make you smile... even without acoustic surface audio or q-symphony.

HT-A7000 has a problem that was never fixed. Search here and on Google by "HT-A7000 Hello"

Don't know but i have one in my house (it's from a friend that's living here while is house isn't ready) and it has the "Hello" issue. Also, it happened at least one time, that the soundbar just stop working when we were watching tv. And yes, it has the latest fw available. Maybe this one was from a bad batch and you got lucky to get one good.

What he said! The HT-A7000 w/sub is a great option.

Out of these 4 the A7000 is the best option but also the most expensive, the HK multibeam 1100 for 600 is a great price, id take it over the Sonos Arc everyday

Currently own the A7000 and i absolutely love it, got mine for around 900 €. Previous to the A7000 i had the HK 1100 and it really is a very capable soundbar! Gets very loud, good bass on its own and good surround effects, only got rid of it because i had issues with the sub disconnecting. My brother has the Arc and to me the HK 1100 just sounds more natural, has greater bass on its own and vocals werent as sharp as on the Sonos Arc. I would say the Arc has slightly better Atmos performance tho

I do honestly think the A7000 is worth it for that money but if you're on a tight budget id say go for the HK 1100

This. I can barely listen to my brothers Sonos Arc because i feel the treble is way too pronounced and drowns the other frequencies. IMO my Sony A7000 delivers a much warmer and satisfying sound

I played band of Brothers yesterday at 50% volume with my A7000 and SW3 subwoofer, i thought my apartment would blow up 😅

See if you can find the Sony HT-A7000 and pair it with the SW3 sub, to be honest the A7000 is probably still the best soundbar on the market and when paired with a sub and rear speakers it becomes a beast

After having gone through multiple different sound systems over the last couple of years i am now pretty sure Ive found something that i will keep until it breaks down. Ive had the LG SK10Y, Samsung Q950T, Samsung Q800A, HK multibeam 1100, a pair of active bookshelf speakers with hdmi arc support and also tested the A5000 for a week. All i can say about the A7000 is WOW. The A7000 just gets pretty much everything right, music performance is pretty much as good as with my previous active speakers and movie watching especially in Atmos is miles ahead! As of now i only have the bar by itself and i can tell you that if you live in an apartment or have a small room the bar on its own creates an amazing bass response and overall sound quality from the drivers that Sony has put in this are simply just top notch for a soundbar unit. Height effects are much more pronounced on the A7000 compared to every other soundbar Ive tested aswell. The fact that it also has 2.1 hdmi support and can playback pretty much every sound format there is is also a huge bonus and chromecast stability has been great. Compared to the A5000 which also is a good soundbar, the immediate thing i noticed was how much more full and warm the A7000s sound was where as the A5000 could sound a bit sharp at times. All in all im super happy that i splurged on the A7000 before its to late since its an outgoing model, i managed to get it for 900€. So if you've been thinking about getting the A7000 dont wait until its to late :)

Yeah it awesome! Old Reviews discredit it because of the early poor software, now its an absolute beast

Well as Ive stated in my post i have owned a lot of different Dolby Atmos soundbars and the A7000 outperforms them all , i would almost say id go with the A7000 over the Q950T which has a subwoofer and rear speakers

Ye the A7000 is amazing! Have it paired with the Sw3 and its so dynamic, clear and punchy! Cant go past 40% volume when watching rings of power for example. Just really wished i had space for rear speakers...

A7000 without a doubt! Its the larger speaker with as many drivers and with bass ports. I have it paired with the SW3 and its insane

This issue sucked. I had to send music to the sound bar from my phone via Bluetooth in order to wake it up out of its "Hello" boot loop state. I've had it for 11 months before this issue happened. If it wasn't for this major problem then the Sony HT-A7000 would be an incredible device to own.

Acoustic center is a gimmick. The TV sounds better with just the a7000 and sub

Sonos arc is one of the best standalone (no sub) soundbars along with the Sony A7000. The only reason the Q800C gets a higher RTINGS score is because it comes with a subwoofer. If you add a sonos sub to the Arc is will beat the Q800C but at almost 2x the price. The Arc is also old and will be superseded by a new model later this year.

Really? lol I’m not too happy with the a7000

Wait why does noone speak of **accoustic center sync** here? You know, the tech that makes your BEAUTIFUL A95L work as the dedicated centerspeaker for your soundbar. They work together. Personally i have heard all the A series soundbars (which you need for this) and i can say either get the A5000 if the A7000 is too wide, and get the rear speakers 5 (RS5) and Sub woofer 5 (SW5). Connect the HDMI cable and the included aux cable to the TV and turn on ACS. Another option is to wait for the new soundbars

In about a month or so the new Bravia Theatre lineup will come out. i was coincidentally JUST reading about them. They got more speakers in them than any other soundbar out there so might be interesting. If you wanna get a bargain, find the A7000 or A5000

Just picked up the A7000 @ best buy for 499.00, what a steal. Sounds great even without a sub or rears which I'm getting for Christmas. So many frequencies and so little time.

Bose doesn’t support any DTS audio format. Sonos Arc doesn’t support DTS:X. I wouldn’t want to spend €1000 for a device that lacks support for latest technology. Get the A7000.

Man if I spent the money on the A95L, I would NOT settle for tv sound. I have the Sony Ht-A7000 and RS5 rears, with dual subs. The newer version is the Bravia 9 (same rears and sub) - even better soundstage, but no dual subs potential. Also, the Bravia Quad integrates with your awesome TV's ability to serve as the center channel, so I would try that first. The added benefit is that you can see some of your soundbar controls on the tv menu - so it integrates nicely. Everyone sleeps on the A7000, but it's freaking amazing once it's set up properly.

Then I would go HTA7000 with RS5's and dual subs (1 hard wired and 1 wireless)

I have an HT-A5000 and HT-A7000. They sound amazing. For a bigger room, you'll need to add the rear RS5's, eventually. Totally changes your experience. And get a sub no matter what. You can use dual subs and/or a 3rd party sub. For my 7000, I have the wireless SW5 and a basic klipsch 10" that's hard wired. And also have the S-Center connection. It's not life changing but I can tell the difference...adds a bit of life to the vocals and brings it up a little bit.

For me, yes. The 7000 is worth the upgrade if you have the space (it's big). It has more channels, so it's gonna sound fuller overall. But if you need the smaller footprint, the 5000 sounds great, too

This. HT-A7000, RS5's and dual 3rd party subs.

Not arguing your point, but I think with the up-firing channels, it's better to have the 5000/7000 slightly in front of the tv anyway. Mine is wall mounted, but I noticed a difference when I extended it out far enough to clear the tv.

Real quick - channel separation. Yep. You're right. I don't listen to music in this room, so this is totally from a movie and newer "atmos" streaming shows on Netflix, Apple TV, etc. the rears provide 2 additional channels, where, along with the Sony 360 Spatial Audio and front soundbar, create a sound bubble that makes it sound like there are speakers on the side walls smack dab in the middle of the action. You really think there are two side speakers on the wall with newer mixed content. The front speakers are small, but with my dual subs, it's a really "full" experience. The point of me "struggling" on whether or not to go back to a full system is because of a few reasons. (1) I've had a full system with "real" speakers my whole life. So I miss the idea of it. Swapping out speakers, upgrading, etc. (2) as amazing as my soundbar system sounds, my most recent 9.2 in-walls ALSO gave me a ton of floor space and sounded great....plus, they obviously sounded more meaty and fuller, due to the size of the woofers, etc. this is just physical and horsepower (3) I literally have most of the equipment collecting dust. I only need to purchase another receiver. So not much new added expense. (4) I'll mention in again - I miss the fun of it all. I had pride in what I had built over the years. With the Sony, once I figured out I could add dual 3rd party subs...done. Over. I'm just done. It sounds amazing and I can't tweak it any more. And don't really need to...but I still have that itch. I'm bored. Now I'll go back to why I'm struggling, and what's in favor of the soundbar SYSTEM. (1) it sounds so freaking good. Its soooo close to what I had that it's hard to remember what it was like before. It's like your favorite ice cream might be butter pecan...you skip it for 10 months, and have discovered pralines and cream. Holy crap it's good. Wait...do I even need butter pecan any more? I don't know for sure. Damn. - To be fair, I might just have it dialed in so well because of my current room setup, and I might just have gotten lucky. That being said, I tried the Samsung Q990C, and it was pretty solid, too, and is a very easy #2 choice. The Sonos Arc sounded nice, but not even close to my Sony setup, and was really "thin" in comparison. (I put the Q990C in my son's new house, and he's thrilled, by the way). (2) this is a personal reason in favor of the soundbar - so realizing that this Sony soundbar system creates a really nice amount of separation (from your example) with its 360 Spatial tech, i really can't decided if it's worth cutting holes into the wall. Plus running speaker wire through the walls and ceiling. Plus then having to dial in a new receiver (basement was totally rearranged, so I'd be starting from scratch). I LOVE doing that stuff...but once I do, I'm committed because Wife won't let me patch things up again. It was a mess. So...if I were to complete this major project, and it's only marginally better, I'm screwed. (3) floor/tower speakers with a big ass center channel on a front media cabinet is no longer an option. I've outgrown it, frankly. 30+ years is enough. My 85" tv is on the wall, and I want the floor space for my grown kids and their gals and their dogs (and our dogs) to come over and have room for everyone on movie night. So more floorspace and an ultra clean look? Check. So...soundbar or in-walls are my only two choices. To be honest, the main reason I've thought about going back is because I still have all my in-walls and I don't want to to lose my ass selling it all off and also closing that door. And I'm also super intrigued with the new Sony receivers that use the same 360 Spatial technology that the soundbar does. Supposedly, it's amazing. So what if I could get the same experience and bump it up a few levels with a full system? Man. Then I sit down and watch a movie with the fam and it's like "shit. This rocks. Nah, I'm good". Then later I'm back to "what if???" So, sorry if I sounded flippant. I just get tired of folks saying that soundbars suck and their basic 2.1 system would blow it out of the water (music, probably so, but there are some Atmos concerts and albums that might beg to differ). Most of the people saying that are being stubborn and holding on to past beliefs, or tried a nasty $250 LG soundbar from Walmart 4 years ago and simply gave up. All I'm gonna say is show some respect (kidding). Side by side, if I go back to my old in-wall system and add the new Sony receiver I'm referring to, i'm guessing it will take the best of both worlds (still open floor space, 360 technology, and more physical speakers) and sound better. But, to my point, if you come over for movie night and start off blindfolded, you won't be sure what you're listening to. I saw a similar video in a room with both the Sony soundbar system and a full set of 5.1 speakers (unplugged) and the listeners picked wrong at first.

For whatever it's worth, I've tried the Sonos Arc/sub/era 100, and then the Q990c before settling on the Sony HT-A7000 with RS5's and dual 3rd party subs. For my basement application, the Sony smoked the other two.

The Sony 360 spatial mapping, for one. Insanely good. I also had issues with connectivity between the Samsung and my Bravia. The Sonos sounds very musical but was really "thin" sounding. The Sony is just so...robust/enveloping/full...I think that's the best way of putting it. No matter where you sit, you'd swear there's a speaker smack in the middle of my left and right side walls. It's just an awesome sound bubble, but it's not just noise all around. It all fits together. PLUS....you can use 3rd party dual subs. That's a game changer. Sonos allows for dual subs, but not from any brand. The Samsung has a really nice sub...for a soundbar. But it doesn't compare to my Sony setup. Now...with all that being said, the Q990 series is a killer killer killer value that sounds awesome. I picked up a new Q990C for under $700 from Samsung direct for my son's new house. It's incredible for what he needs.

I can't see how you say the A7000 has a narrow sound field, especially if you use the RS5 rears. But even without, it's amazing. I took it head to head with the Sonos Arc system and the Q990C, and the Sony system blew them away. And I'm coming from a huge 9.2 in wall theater system. I'm guessing you didn't run the room EQ (whatever it's called) or adjust the rears to optimize. But maybe I'm wrong.

A7000 with RsS5's. Plus you can adjust each speaker level (can't do that with the Bravia 9) and also add dual subs! It's freaking awesome. Only other one I'd consider would be the Quads (with RS5)...but I'm having trouble giving up my A7000 arrangement. I also tried the Sonos Arc system and the Q990C before deciding on the A7000.

For something as amazing as the A95L, don't skimp on sound. Can't speak for the Bar 9, but I have my A7000 dialed in with dual subs and it's incredible. If I do anything else, it will be the Quad. Otherwise, for a top performer and great value, the Q990D is probably the best option. As a side note, however, I returned my Q990C earlier this year because it didn't play nicely with my X90L (before I returned it for the x95L). Not sure if that was a systemic issue or just bd luck. If I didn't already have my A7000 the way I like it, I wouldn't feel bad about trying the Samsung again. Otherwise, I say go all out with the Quad and SW5

I returned the Sonos arc system last year and got the Q990C and thought the Samsung was more dynamic. But I returned it also and got the Sony A7000 system and prefer it out of the 3. Arc would be my third choice.

I tried to hook up my new ATV to my a7000 and the switching delays and black screens when everything was connecting were horrible. I reconnected it to one of my TV inputs and moved on with my life. I would only use the soundbar HDMI input for devices as an absolute last resort

How big is your room? And do you value dual subs in your configuration? I have the A7000 with RS5's and a dual setup with the SW5 and a basic Klipsch 10" sub. It's insane. I have no issues with the height "channels", and it sounds so enveloping that my wife and one of my adult kids asked where my "side" speakers were (great phantom presence on the left and right side between the soundbar and the RS5's). The main reason I didn't look harder at the new Bravia Quads is because of the A7000's (and A5000) ability to use 3rd party dual subs. It changed everything. I also have the A5000 and smaller SW3 in my smaller sunroom and I found that I didn't need the RS3's for rear surround because the 360 spatial of the soundbar alone was enough for the space / so I returned them) I can share more details about my experience if interested.

Yep that's right. The SW5 is connected to the A7000 like normal. I'm using an SVS wireless transmitter connected to the soundbar for the Klipsch. In terms of crossover, the SW5 obviously takes care of itself. For the Klipsch, I just use the crossover dial on the sub (I'm not too fancy). I think I have it around 70-ish. What I did was set the volume on the SW5 first (located in back right corner), then adjusted the Klipsch (left front corner) volume to blend in with the SW5. No perceivable delay. The A7000 volume controls both subs with no issue. I'm actually about to switch it up and replace the subs with two RSL 10" subs that supposedly rock the house. We'll see. But otherwise, I'm still totally satisfied

Sonos and Klipsch might be the worst choices for the money. Klipsch has gobs of issues - they play loud, but they're not great in the atmos "sound bubble" department, and they have issues. Sonos - Software hell and the arc itself sounds good, but small. Do yourself a favor and look at last year's Sony Ht-A7000 with rears. The sub can either be their SW5 or a third party sub connected hard wired. You can even go dual in this fashion. Once you get it tweaked, it's unbelievable.

Agree to disagree. I returned my arc with surrounds and sub for the Sony I mentioned - it was transformative.

I've had a massive 9.2 system with dual SVS subs, 110" 4k projector. I recently simplified to an 85" Sony 4k tv and HT-A7000 with RS rears and dual subs. It's so close to my old system that i'lll never go back. And it actually has a better sound bubble. Way more floor space, wires under control, single remote. If I wanna upgrade, just move it to another room or sell it.

Sounds like you either didn't take the time to set it up right or your room isn't made for it. My Sony soundbar system with rears is truly amazing and competes with my $8k+ full theater system from before. Don't get me wrong, my full system rocked, but this makes you forget about it. That being said, my Sony system kills the Q990C that I had briefly before returning it for the Sony setup.

Once you get the A7000 dialed in, it's amazing. There are some tricks involved in getting the most dynamic sound and rear speaker levels. Once you get it dialed in, it's incredible. Oops just re-read your question - it sounds great with just the subs but if you add rears it's even better

HT-A7000 with RS5 rears and SW5 sub (along with a hard-wired Klipsch 10" sub. You'll have to figure out a sub because yours isn't compatible with this one. The SW3 is a less expensive sub that also sounds amazing. The 7000 is last year's model so you could find it at a good price.

Well, my Sony HT-A7000 system with dual subs was amazing. Not sure how it could have gotten much better

Yep. There's a panel underneath with a 3.5mm input.

See my other reply. I've been messing around with being a lifelong AVR guy (mostly Yamaha and upper mid-level Klipsch) and spent a brief time with a full soundbar system (with rears and dual subs). They each have their merit. You didn't directly say it, but if you go the soundbar route, I would 100% beyond any question add rears on day one. For me, the Sony HT-A7000 with RS5 rears and using their "dual subs" hack is the way to go. I just sold all my soundbar stuff to get back to putting together a full 7.2.4 system (it's an obsessive hobby) and I can say I can't shame the A7000 after going back. It 100% held its own admirably. The Q990 does a great job at my son's house so that would be my second pick. The Sonos ARC with sub and rears that I had sounded nice, but was nowhere near as dynamic. If you go to a full system, do at least 7.1 with your receiver. Then you can experiment between 7.1 and 5.2 whenever you feel like mixing things up. I'm a lifelong Yamaha receiver guy (since the 80's) because of their sound quality and durability. So that's my current vote. I tried two new Sony receivers and they sounded Amazing and the setup is simplified and similar to a soundbar level of complexity. Unfortunately the "hissing" complaints are real, so I returned them (issue when enabling their EQ functions). I had an Onkyo briefly but couldn't get the nerve to open the box so I returned it. Too many complaints about reliability issues and setup quirks. So I'm back to Yamaha.

You're not specifically wrong, but I will say that my HT-A7000 with RS5 rear speakers did a great job with phantom sound and made my basement media room sound a lot bigger than it was. The rear (and phantom side) separation was great. The front stage was somewhat narrow compared to an actual surround system but it made up for it with the reflective sounds off the side walls that placed side speakers where there were none. And there was definitely no issue with centering the vocals, haha. My son's Q990 does a great job in his living room, as well. Not a full system in terms of overall dynamics and separation, but very very acceptable, to say the least. I moved back to a full 7.1 (soon to be 7.1.4) setup and it's amazing, of course. But I do notice a difference with less reflective "side" effects when compared to the A7000. Not good or bad, but just noticeable. If Sony would ever take the quads concept and implement a 5th center channel speaker and allow for dual subs, they would blow away the market for those that want near-AVR performance with more simplicity.

Short version for anyone reading this post for pre-purchase research - on last year's models, I tried the Arc, Q990c and HT-A7000. The Sony won out by a large margin in terms of dynamics, immersion, and reliability for my 85x90L and then 85x95L. Also, if price isn't an issue, the tipping point is pairing it up with a Sony tv (integrated menu and ability to you with using the tv as the center channel - I give this feature a solid "B"). For price, stick with the Samsung if your going with this years models.

Man, I've been right where you are. Years and years of tower speakers and subs cluttering up my medium-ish basement, giant projector hanging from the low ceiling and a 110" screen covering an entire wall. Boys have mostly moved out and we spend most of our time watching various streaming shows (in 4k). I briefly installed in-wall speakers as a 9.2 system (to replace the tower) but ended up rearranging the entire basement layout. At the timed I didn't have it in me to patch up all the speaker holes and then cut new ones to re-install all my in-walls again with the new setup. So decided to sell some of my stuff and mounted a Sony 85x95L and went for an upper-end soundbar system. Started with the Sonos Arc system, then tried the Samsung Q990C, then ended up with a Sony HT-A7000 with RS5 rears and dual subs. The Sony totally demolished the other two previous soundbar systems (for my particular room). I held on to the in-wall speakers and I keep toying with the idea of re-installing them...but the Sony sounds so good, it's really hard for me to pull the trigger on buying a new receiver, and then running all the speaker wires through the walls and ceilings, plus cutting new holes (probably looking at 200 to 300 feet of speaker wire, since my receiver would be in the closet under the stairs. So I'm torn. During the day, I'm researching, then when it comes time to pop on our shows, I'm reminded how incredible this system sounds. The Dragon setup is something I've read about and watched videos on a ton. Most reviews are really positive, and they all say it's the closest you can get to a complete system like you have now. The only negative I've seen is that their QC might not be super stellar, and they're hard to work with in terms of warranty and service. But that's just what I've read. I will say, I figured out how to use dual subs with my current setup (as I had with my old 9.2 system). So I'll never go without one. The main ones I'm aware of that officially support dual subs is the Sonos and Nakamichi.

Yeah Q990 is a great setup. I just feel they in my room, my Sony setup is light years ahead of it with its 360 spatial sound mapping. I have the SW5 and a Klipsch basic 10" sub. I'm about to move on to dual RSL speedwoofers, so that's gonna be killer. I just got my adult son the Q990C for his new house and he loves it. No hate.

HT-A7000 with RS 5 rears and dual subs. I tell everyone who will listen. Spend some time dialing it in and holy crap

Last year in the same month, I had the Sonos system (with the 100's not the 300's for the rears), the Q990C, and the Sony HT-A7000 (with RS5 rears and SW5 sub). (1) Sony (2) Samsung (3) Sonos

Can't speak for the latest models, but I've had the Arc, Q990C and the HT-A7000 (all with rears and sub) - and the Sony Outperforms the others by a significant margin, in terms of immersiveness and reliability. For 2024, the Arc is the same, the Bar 9 is supposedly an improvement sonically, and the Q990 has only modest improvements (according to reviews). But if you end up with a Samsung tv, you might consider the Samsung based on some features exclusive to staying in the family, and price. The Arc system sounded very musical, but nowhere near as dynamic as the Sony or Samsung with movies.

Yeah respectfully, it was 100% the opposite for me. The Q990C sounded like a really good soundbar. The A7000 with the bigger rs5 sounds like a home theater. Plus you can use a 3rd party sub.

I too am rocking the HT-A7000, ive had it for 3(ish) years and would recommend.

Honestly? Just look to buying used. Stay away from cheap new stuff. It being new doesn’t mean it’s inherently better. I managed to get a sort of unicorn deal of a Sony HT-A7000 for £340 a week ago on eBay. Just identify some previous flagship models and look on eBay. This obsession mindset of “I have to get new” means you condemn yourself to crap stuff.

I mean, one option costs $350 more before discount, surely that should be the answer? No point in all that power if the quality is subpar, power usually indicates loudness. I have the Sony HT-A7000, and that’s 500W, yet I’ve not gone past 40% volume. I just went from the Sony Z9F and that was 400w, with rear speakers too, and still only went the absolute max of 50% just to test it, and it’s nearly night club-loudness at that point. 100%, go with JBL. In my experience, day to day, you’ll hover around 10-25% volume.

Far from every soundbar supports this, but there are a few that does. Around the $500-mark, there is the Bose 600. The Sony HT-A5000/7000 also supports subwoofers via RCA cable. The whole point of soundbars is ease of use, and not the ability to customize it to your liking (that’s what proper surround setups are for), so this combination of soundbar without included sub, capable of being paired with a 3rd party sub, is rather rare. However, as I said you have a few options! If you find a standalond soundbar, just Google the outputs and see if it had a sub-out. Good luck with your project! :)

A premium soundbar such as Bose Smart Ultra, Sonos Arc or Sony HT-A7000 can create decent surrounds (not fantastic, but they are pretty good) including height channel, you’re definitely right about that! But below $500 it’s difficult to make a soundbar (especially without sub) sound decent.

The a7000 fits. I have it between the stands of my TV, also a 65" A95L. I'm personally itching to order the Bravia Theater Bar 9, though, as I've never been super happy with the center channel audio of the a7000.

I find that dialog isn't as crystal clear as it was with my older HT-NT5. This is true even with center sync off, and regardless of what other settings I have configured.

I own the HT-A7000 because I wanted a bar that had solid reviews and had center and up firing speakers. My living is only 9 feet tall, so the Atmos effects work very well. I purchased the SW5 because IMO, any bass coming from a soundbar is restricted and affects the rest of the bars performance. So I just want my bar to handle the main 3 and 2 height channels and a sub to handle the bass. I purchased the RS5s to assist with the surround and Atmos effects, since they include up firing speakers. These are wireless speakers with rechargeable batteries, you essentially put them in any odd areas and use Sony's room calibration. These system preforms very well to Atmos content. The total cost of this set up might be under the Theater Bar 8, given that the A7000 is on sale. I can't comment on the Theater Bar 8 because I never heard it but I hear decent things about it. I prefer the look of the A5000 and A7000. This is just my experience, I hope that helps.

I liked the a7000 soundbar and their sw3 subwoofer but their rear speakers really disappointed me and I bought the rs5’s. Cannot play music through the rear speakers and they didn’t make much sound when I would watch sports. Returned my whole set up for Sonos and was very pleased. Sub mini packs a punch and the arc soundbar is much more reasonable of a size for me. I thought the arc had slightly better clarity too but I don’t play my stuff very loud since I live in an apartment

I’ve really liked my A7000, picked it up open box like new condition for about $700 USD. Got lucky that it was also on sale at the time, so you might wanna wait and see if open box prices drop with a sale

I’ve really loved my Sony HT-A7000 as a standalone bar (though I do plan on upgrading to include the separate sub and rears in the future). From what I’ve seen the smaller HT-A5000 is also quite good. Sony has released some new bars in the lineup but I haven’t seen much on those, the A5/7000 seem to be still very much relevant and you can probably pick them up at a discount now

I did the same thing. Just happened to get the 7000 right before I heard the Bar 9 was coming out. Your ups and downs are exactly what I would mention. One thing for me after listening to them back-to-back is it seems that the voice (even with Voice Mode on) is not as good or clear compared to the 7000 in many situations. The overall balance between everything is better (I have the RS5 and SW5) and the surrounds and heights are definitely more noticeable, but voices aren't as clear to me anymore. Especially when going from louder action scenes to quieter dialog scenes. I've had to adjust the volume up and down more. The 7000 was better with voice in these situations. I could find a good volume and leave it. I also think that the rear surrounds are too loud now sometimes. Even when turning them down, a lot more of the audio is passed to them than with the 7000. Hopefully, they add some more adjustability later on (although unlikely). The app is great, but it's surprising there are overall fewer options for customizing your sound.

That's what I was talking about with the 7000 though. It does a better job at amplifying the voices while using the TV as an extra center channel. The Bar 9 doesn't do as well it seems.

I love my Sony HT-A7000 but it cost a small fortune with sub and up firing rear speakers. The thing is that it just works. I don't have glitch issues, connection issues, compatibility issues, or anything else. I look at it as I paid for something that just works without that frustration of something that cost less that has quirks.

I have the Sony HT-A7000 with rear upfiring and higher end sub. It is a really expensive Atmos system. That is my only complaint about it. It sounds great as long as you don’t try to listen as an extremely quiet volume. We don’t go to the theater anymore. It supports TrueHD Atmos in Plex. I use it with a Fire Cube 3. Plex is buggy for Fire OS so I have to delete Plex and re-add it almost every update or use the Plex App in Kodi. This is a Plex issue and the way that they deploy the update the app, not a Sony issue.

My Sony A7000 has been a rock. It cost a small fortune but works flawlessly. I have the sub and rears with it too.

I love my Sony HT-A7000 with sub and rear upfiring speakers. It has truly been a set it and forget it system. It just works for everything. It cost a small fortune but I look it as an investment in my sanity.

I have the Sony HT-A7000 with rears and sub. The upfiring feels like a gimmick on mine if you don’t fine tune it for the ceiling. I don’t have a flat ceiling in my living room and had to fine tune it to compensate. If you watch something like Transformers with TrueHD with Atmos, you will get to hear it. Not many movies utilize that with Atmos.

For what it's worth, we got to listen to the new bars, and in a side by side in a fairly large but closed room (not an open warehouse store or anything) the Bar 9 had a larger soundstage than the A7000, with clearer dialogue and punchier bass. The bass is one thing I was worried about given the Bar 9 doesn't have a built in subwoofer like the A7000 but it surprisingly had deeper bass. Managed to test both with The Batman, Dune Part 2, and some bass heavy music tracks. My only concern was the Bar 9 sounding a little more shrill than the A7000 when volume is pushed to 80+. I'd be surprised if the Bar 9 didn't review as well as the A7000 but I think it's a matter of preference. And for what it's worth I loved the A7000 and was more than a little worried about the changes they made with the Bar 8 and 9, but I was pleasantly surprised. I will say the A7000 is still a better soundbar than the Bar 8. Realistically the Bar 8 is meant to replace the A5000, not the A7000, and you can hear that in its dynamics and weight

4m? Mine is only 2.7m lol. I'm using Sony a7000 rs5 & sw5. It isn't perfect but my friends don't want to watch movies in their own house anymore after experiencing this setup 😂

I previously had the Sony HT-A7000, SW5, and RS5’s. Overall I gave the system a 7/10. The soundbar was very forward and dominated the sound. Rears (even at MAX volume) weren’t very present (Bladerunner 2049 is the exception). The system was very unbalanced. As of three weeks ago, I replaced the Sony HT-A7000 with the Sony Bar 9. The system is very balanced now. Vocals sound clear without being in your face. The rears are powerful now. As I’m writing this, I’m watching Pacific Rim on my ATV4K (purchased on iTunes). System volume at 25%, rears and sub at MAX. I can hear all of the atmos effects clearly and the experience is exceptional. Not the case when the HT-A7000 was the soundbar. The sub is good for what it can do and plenty for my needs.

I recently replaced my HT-A7000 with the Bar 9. I know it’s not the Bar 8, but thought it could be helpful nonetheless. I also have the SA-SW5 and SA-RS5’s which I used with both bars. From my experience, these are the differences that stand out the most when the entire system (soundbar, sub, and rears) is being used. 1. The sound from the A7000 is very forward and in your face compared to the Bar 9. I noticed the soundbar significantly more than the rears even though I was only a few feet from the rears. The A7000 made itself the star of the show, and I don’t think that’s a good thing. Some may, but I don’t. 2. Vocals from the Bar 9 are clearer than the A7000. Not by much, but enough to notice. Mind you, I use(d) the S-Center Sync feature on my 65” A95K with both bars. 3. I don’t know what caused this, but ever since adding the Bar 9, the SA-RS5’s have become more present when watching movies. With both soundbars I always set to rears to MAX volume, but now I can actually hear them while using the Bar 9. They’re powerful at MAX volume and their sound is clean. System volume for movies I usually set anywhere from 50-70 depending on the movie. The other night I watched A Quiet Place Part II. Rears were set to MAX but system volume was set to 30. I could still hear the rears loud and clear. This is with the Bar 9 in the system. When using the A7000, there’s no way at 30% system volume that I’d be able to hear the rears. Sony did something. I don’t it’s firmware, but the RS5’s are amazing now. 4. The complete system with the Bar 9 sounds very balanced and clean. The complete Bar 9 system now sounds like one. This was not the case when the A7000 was being used in the system. The A7000 dominated the sound every second it could. From a home theater perspective, this was not ideal for me. The rears were quiet and only came always during certain films (especially Bladerunner 2049). 5. The SW5 subwoofer sounds more or less the same regardless of which soundbar was being used. I will though that the system as a whole has ever so slightly less bass with the Bar 9 than with the A7000. Those are my thoughts. Let me know if you have any questions or if I can clarify anything. Also, at the time of writing this, the Bar 9 is on sale for $898 on Amazon brand new. I received the Price Match with Best Buy this morning.

I have the Sony ht a7000 and two rear speakers. Sounds great. Would like to get the sub also.

What are you bass settings? When I watch on Max the sound can sound so compressed. I also have HT-A7000. For example, I’m watching TNT for the NBA GAMES. It has the icons of Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos but I don’t hear it well

I have the HT-A7000 with the optional surround speakers, it’s expensive but I find it’s really good. I’m no audiophile though. Be careful that the soundbar supports HDMI 2.1 if you have more than one input that needs 4K 120fps. The soundbar will bottleneck you if it only has HDMI 2.0.

Going to agree with my friend here, the A7000 with the full kit is an excellent choice. That second full bandwidth HDMI really comes in handy, too.

Yes, most of the functions are available through the TV interface. I have the A7000 paired with the Bravia 9, I can control rear volume, surround volume, voice mode, night mode, and audio mode from the TV remote. Bravia Bar 8/9 should be the same, plus or minus a few features. As an aside, I was considering swapping my setup with the Sonos Arc Ultra, but it doesn't have any HDMI inputs at all (the A7000 has two, the Bar 8/9 has one). As Sony TV's eARC output is also one of the HDMI 2.1 inputs, that makes it a no go for me.

I'll speak to the A7000. I first bought it for my 65" x900f, now using it with a 75" Bravia 9. Have the Atmos surrounds and the larger sub. Also using it in an apartment. Sound quality is quite good, generally, with dialogue being easy to hear and immersive surround when watching movies. I'm using the s center function these days (you'll have that function on your Bravia 8 no matter which of bar you choose on that list) which helps boost center treble (though it may do more with your OLED, as it functions a little differently). Overall, very happy with the a7000 + Bravia 9. Don't think it looked too large under my prior 65" either. Aside from the lack of voice zoom 3 (it does have an effective dialogue enhancer, which you probably won't need if you use acoustic sync), the a7000 integrates nicely. All common settings / adjustments are available through the TV. Don't buy it for Atmos though... Aside from the demo it doesn't track 3d sounds all that well. The soundstage is wide, but height effects are minimal. Not sure how the Bar 8 stacks up on that, but everyone says the Samsung is the way to go for Atmos effects. While the reviews generally note that the Bar 9 is "better" than the a7000, the lack of screen, second HDMI port, and dedicated settings menu is baffling. Would still buy the a7000 over the new ones, but I do use the extra port.

I've had the a7000 since just after launch. While I was aware of this issue via AVS Forum, I've never encountered it. Possibly just some defective units or they've corrected it with subsequent firmware.

My first guess based on my experience & research of soundbars, I'd say the A7000 will sound more dull, but might provide a better surround performance considering it has up firing drivers, while I believe the Bravia bars 8 or 9 don't have any actually. But I could be wrong on that. The Bravia bars will seem "brighter" sounding considering having 3 tweeters. I honestly say grab the A7000 and bring it home & compare. You have I think 14 days on open box returns.

Between the 3, the Q990D offers the most compelling package. Sound-wise, the Samsung ekes out a win over the Sonos Arc, and handily trumps the Bravia Theater Bar 9. I've not had a single good experience with the Bar 9, so anecdotally, I can't recommend it at all. Moreover, the Q990D comes as a complete sound system, with the rears and the sub. This, in itself, is a great reason to spring for the Samsung over the other 2 options. If you must stick with Sony, go with the HT-A7000; I think it sounds better than the Bar 9 across the auditions I've had with both bars.

Get the Sony a7000

I have the HT-A7000 and the SA-SW5 300 sub and it's fucking fresh. The sound bar fits fine between the legs. Soundbar works great by itself, I'd only recommend the sub if you like feeling bass and dont live in an apartment. I love techno so it works for me, I turn the volume up to 50 when I'm getting after it.... barely hear it outside my house but inside it's bumping.

I have this soundbar and also really like it, but I’ve noticed on some movies the dialogue is really quiet and the action is super loud at the same volume. Anyone have any tips for improving that (beyond the voice mode, that helps but doesn’t completely fix it for very action heavy movies)

Just like you I was looking for reviews on the Bar 8 or 9 before buying. I went ahead and pulled the trigger and bought one off Sony, it actually arrived the next day which was insane. Went to my local bestbuy outlet and picked up the SW5 sub and HTA7000, a long with the JBL 1300x sub/soundbar. Later in the day I found the Sony quads were at my local best buy so I ran over and purchased those a long with the RS5s (why not?) (All tests were with a Sony a95L 77 inch OLED. I had the SW5 Sub used, a long with Phantom Menace Pod racing scene, top gun black hawk scene, and the racing scene from Ready Player one played. (yes my GF was annoyed) SO after some goodnights rest I woke up and went to work. First I started with the HTA 7000 and RS5s. This combination was amazing with the sound, but I felt like the bar and sub overpowered the rears by a ton. I felt like I almost didn't even need the rears. My one MAIN concern is that the sound bar was so huge. It was barely fitting under my tv a long with the cables being hidden behind. If you have the room I would not hesitate to purchase this bar. Next I opened the Bravia bar 9 and WOW this thing was slim and sleek. I was absolutely blown away, but at the same time I couldnt tell if it was on or doing any of the button functions when changing from 3D surround sound to atmos, etc. I could only tell if i was in the App which was a little annoying. Anyways I paired this up with the Rears and I felt the same problem. I couldn't hear the rears that well. Besides the slim design and smaller size I think it almost had the same effect as the HTA7000's besides maybe being a little better in the sub section and voice clarity. For the price difference thought I don't think its worth it unless the slim design is really important. (for me it was which is why i preferred it over the HTA7000. I would probably not use the rears for either of them. Next I tried the JBL 1300x and man that subwoofer is HUGE. At first I was blown away by the sound, but then it became a little too much in the sub department that it would over power the voices in the movies. Like the sound effects were insane, but at the cost of losing what the actors were saying in the movies. If you can get past this part then its a pretty good bang for your buck since the sound bar allows you to detach the sides to make rear speakers which I thought was pretty cool. Again though, the sound bar was HUGE and barely fit under my TV. I kept switching the JBL and the Sony bravia bar 9 out 1 by 1 and tested scenes over and over. I had around 6 people over and it was a split decision between the JBL and the Sony Bar 9. So take that with what you want. Lastly I packed everything up and took out the Sony QUADS. WOW. Right out of the box I knew this was going to be the keeper. I had everything calibrated and set up and tested the movie scenes over again. WHEN I SAY I had a smile on my face, man oh man. I looked like a kid in a candy store. This thing was insane. My GF even was impressed, but not so much with the price LOL. I was even watching streamed NBA playoff games with lowbit quality and man It sounded like we were in the stadium with how well the spatial audio was. I wanted to believe I was just convincing myself because of the price, but no I was blown away. Especially after hearing all the reviews about the H9 being so good except for the continuous drop outs with wifi. I went in hoping sony fixed everything and man did they. Long story short, if you have the extra money to shell, id get the QUADS in a heart beat. If not I would say the HTA700 or JBL 1300x for more than half the price is a great option also. No need for the rears.

Dialgues are big issues with HT A7000. When I am using dolby atmos, A7000 produce almost no volume at 20. I tried multiple settings and finally replaced with ht a9.

Updated my comment. I was referring to A7000 dialogue quality being bad.

Flexus core is the most cost effective. Probably the better option without spending a lot. Just there’s no calibration and no rear upward firing drivers (if you care). Otherwise Sonos is a fine option but it adds up really fast. You can always do some delay purchasing by getting surrounds at some point and then subwoofer later on to break up the cost. I’d shoot for the a7000 if you’re going sony. It’s just the overall better option for Sony. The quads would be next for their newest stuff.

I have an X90L with the HTA7000, SW5, and RS5s. The work beautifully together. I only use the remote that came with the soundbar to adjust sub volume and rears. They sound great too.

I tested that one. I wasn't impressed.

Sony HT-A7000 with sub and rear atmos speakers. Use the center sync feature available on Sony A95l and it's fantastic.

Interesting. Your hook ups are correct. I haven't noticed the 360 sounding worse. Used this setup with lg c8 before getting the Sony and the Sony def sounds better for me, with center sync on. But may have to try it out with off and compare again. For me: Audio System Settings: Acoustic Center Sync on Audio system prioritization on Av sync Auto Digital audio output - prioritize pass through eARC setting auto I don't have auto 1 or 2 options. Love the hta7000. Was a little nervous moving away from old school surround set up, but this thing as been awesome.

I have the A95L. The center sync integrates with the 360 Spatial Audio soundbar setup. Centersync on a95l is pretty cool tech. It actually vibrates the panel to create the effect, not just using the tv speakers. The hta7000 still doing the heavy lifting.

I got my entire setup, the ht 7000 sw3 rs3 for 700 before tax, brand new from Best Buy, ht 7000 is pretty old, and I'm sure the rest are gonna be discontinued soon.

Definitely don't stay with the a7000. I have recent experience with both a7000 and bar 9. Both with sw3 sub and rs3 surround. My god the a7000 had it's socks knocked off by bar 9. Bar 9 especially after the new update created a much more surround sound stage than 7000 ever could. I returned the 7000 shortly after testing bar 9 and kept that setup.

Ht 7000 when set up properly with some setting tinkering is great.

Sony ht5000/7000 works really well with a LG C3 which is my setup. But it also depends on size of your room

For listening to low volume I would recommend you to go for an all in one sound bar. Because the systems with dedicated sub will require you to crank up the volume to get the sub going. So my recommendation is go for all in one sound bar where you can add rear speakers later on to experience surround sound. And in future if you move to bigger place then you can add the sub as well. For all in one either go for sonos Arc/beam or sony’s new bravia theatre bars or if you can get good discount on previous models like A5000/7000

U have spent this much money on a TV, deciding to cheap out on audio is kinda ridiculous. That TV demands an equal, not an after thought. The Sony Quad, Sony a5000/7000, Sennheiser Ambeo would be good companion to this kind of caliber.

That'll do.

Bose for simplicity and ease of use. Sonos is decent but the software side right now is a complete crap show and unreliable. For me it would be either Sony A5000/A7000 or Sennheiser Ambeo Plus or Ambeo Max. For the money, Sony has the upper hand as long as the soundbar is calibrated properly.

I'm a big fan of Andrew, and I'm sure the Quad is miles better than Bar 9, but as with everything else... don't just listen to one guy's proffesional opinion. Try to get a bird's eye view of things and make your own decision after. I am also owner of the flagship Sony A series soundbar. And while I did appreciate Andrew's written review of the A7000, in my view it don't mean that the A7000 is shit. But I think the problem with Sony is that they are really bad at communicating on how you properly calibrate this thing. I agree that if you just plug, turn on the soundbar and perform the sound optimization rightaway, the sound it produces is shit. But, if properly calibrated... it's pretty darn good.

HT-A5000 / 7000 with SW3 / 5. I originally got the Samsung Q series, but it didn’t play nice with my A95L.

You could look at sennheiser ambeo mini but the sonos beam is probably better. The sony ht-a5000/ht-a7000 are going to be way better than ht-s2000 and depending on your usage; you may prefer them over the sonos beam.