Sony - HT-A8000

I've recently bought the sony bar 8 with sub & rears and regret it massively(for my bedroom) I wish I bought the sonos beam gen2 along with another era100. Despite the shitshow of an app the sound quality is great

There's also the shorter Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8. you can normally see them around $400 on eBay from reputable sellers ,, some times you see open box of them for about $300. you can get the BAR 8, and then look for the Sony sa-rs5.. you can sometimes find them on ebay for around $500 new/open box. and around $350 used. Th Sony SA-RAS5 are probably the most recommended Sony rear/side speakers since they have up firing , side/ tweeters and even small passive woofer and it can run unplugged for about 8 hours, so you can take it out for movie nights and put they away after. The more expensive Sony Theater bar 9 will sounds wider and the build in small woofers is more even and stronger than the BAR 8 but they are still pretty pricey. sometimes you can find them for around $800 .

The best mount is the Sony SUWL905. This is not cheap, but it’s the best mount I’ve ever used. The Sonos is a great soundbar especially if you’re all in on the Sonos ecosystem. If you’re not stuck on the Sonos I would look at the Bar 8. Sticking with Sony will give more reliable performance and they have a dedicated mount that pairs this perfectly with the 905 and TV. For your BD stick with what you have.

The Sony ht a5000 soundbar is excellent .. Got a new one for $200 on eBay. Not open box, new . They were $699 but have been superseded by the Bravia 8 ( also called 8000) soundbar for $699. R*tings rated the 5000 higher than the 8000

I have the A95L which may have even better sound. It was definitely "good enough". That said, I added the Theater Bar 8 + SW3 during Black Friday last year and it is a definite upgrade. Since the TV has excellent sound taking advantage of the center channel feature really adds to it as well. I have been very happy with it the outcome.

You can get a cheap soundbar that matches your TV brand. Even the cheaper ones are still quite amazing for watching movies and for enjoying music casually. There is almost universal agreement that TV sound is inadequate for watching immersive movie content like Godzilla or Jurassic Park or Avatar and it is equally bad if you intend to listen to music with any mount of bass. You need a speaker system with a subwoofer to enjoy the thumps aka the bass. The key is that you must match your system to your listening usage and the space available to you. Each step of spending “more” will improve your listening experience by 5 to 10%. WHAT COMES NEXT IS NOT FOR HARDCORE AUDIOPHILES. ABOUT 90% OF CONSUMERS WON’T NOTICE OR APPRECIATE THE DIFFERENCE IN HIGH-END AUDIO. Below are some observations based on 20 years of fiddling with many different sound systems: MUSIC: A 2.1 setup is the best format to enjoy music - a set of large active bookshelf or floor standing speakers with HDMI support - ideally with 1.5 inch tweeters, 4 to 6 inch mid-range cones and a subwoofer output with a powered subwoofer(optional). As a basic example, you could get a pair of Klipsch Fives with an optional Klipsch 10 sub. This will give you phenomenal sound for Music as well as Movies. The only operational downside is that you will need to use the speaker systems remote to make adjustments to bass, treble, balance, etc. Thanks to HDMI, you will still be able to adjust the volume level with the TV remote. It’s all plug and play. For Music enthusiasts, the SOURCE of the music is way more important e.g playing audio tracks on highest settings on Apple Music (or Tidal) via an Apple TV device is the best way to enjoy high quality music. MOVIES: The 5.1 and 7.1 speaker concept was designed for movies - the primary sounds are delivered from the Front Left and Front Right speakers, speech dialog from the Center speaker, while the ambient sound effects like whispers, chatter, applause, street noises, door knocks, laughter, etc come from the Rear Left and Rear Right speakers. The subwoofer is meant to carry all the weight of thunder and deep bass from the sound tracks - its location is usually in the front corner of the entertainment space. Look up an online diagram for ideal placement of speakers. If you really like the simplicity of managing your audio menu options with your TV remote (e.g. Sony or another similar brand), you can add a same brand soundbar or Home Theater In a Box system. These systems get heavily criticized but IMHO they are not bad for most average users. You don’t need to get caught up in gimmicks like virtual surround, virtual Atmos, etc. If you are value-minded ignore the hype about these technologies - they are just designed to extract maximum money from your wallet. Focus on your space: If you have a cozy space up to 12ft x 15ft and you’re just trying to enjoy your downtime with a simple elegant looking setup, you will have a VERY solid 2.1 stereo sound experience and excellent bass from something like the economical Sony HT-S400 2.1 system which comes with the subwoofer included ($200 USD in 2025). If you have the room for it, and want some sound effects and swooshes to come from the rear of your seating position, you can get something like the HT-S40R for affordable but powerful 5.1 sound, again with subwoofer included ($280 USD in 2025) If your entertainment space is larger than 12ft x 15ft, or if you have a large open living space, you can upgrade to something like the HT-A5000 or HT-A7000, Bravia Bar 7 or 8 or 9 and pair them with wireless rear speakers and an efficient subwoofer like the SW3. Truth is that you don’t really need expensive virtual Atmos rear speakers, the height channels don’t actually work as well as advertised in real world usage. If you want even higher quality sound for great Movie and Music all in one, you could get a higher-end system such as a Sony HT-A9 or Sony Quad with a powerful wireless subwoofer like the SW5. This will give you true spatial seperation since each speaker is physically separate. The performance is mind blowing (upwards of $1500 USD as of 2025) Finally, if you have more refined taste with a desire for absolutely realistic cinema sound, you can spend the money to get a full-blown receiver and component speakers with real Atmos speakers mounted in the ceiling. Most consumers find full AV systems overwhelming to setup and manage. It’s a never ending quest and people can get really obsessed with things just to get slightly better sound. IMHO it’s not worth the effort for most casual viewers. BOTTOMLINE: For most people with an average small to medium entertainment space there is no need to go overboard with gimmicks like virtual Atmos, etc, just stick with basic 2.1 (if Music is priority) or 5.1 (if Movie is priority). All the best!

Honestly, it might be a pain to exchange but for a $100 more I would do it. The Bravia 8 and 9 are very similar in performance but from what I see in reviews the Bar 9 is the superior choice for a wider sound stage and dialogue reproduction and separation. I am one of those people who if I didn’t switch, I would constantly be thinking how much better would things have sounded if I had switched.

The theater bar 8 is a really good option it’s not a great price right now it’s $850 it has been on sale for $700 and when you buy your tv with the soundbar you get a $100 soundbar bundle so you get the bar for $600 so in the Sonos beam territory of price. You do need to use the Bravia connect app to setup the bar but you don’t need to use during day to day use you can control the sound bar directly from the tv because Sony sound bars allow you to just use your tv’s remote to control most feature directly from the TV’s interface. If you are looking for a super solid option that is not nearly as expensive that does not require an app I would still look at the hta-3000 from Sony looks like it’s $600 right now but you get it for $500 right now with your Bravia 7 purchase it’s a 3.1 has the same sound mapping tech as well as not requiring you to use the app at all. Also Sonos’s app is still broken I would not recommend it still at this time. Also I’m a member at Bestbuy too and if the price of the item goes lower within your 60 day return window they will price match both your tv and soundbar without having to bring them in. [Bravia Theater Bar 8](https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sku/6577858.p?skuId=6577858&sb_share_source=PDP) [HTA-3000](https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sku/6515725.p?skuId=6515725&sb_share_source=PDP)

I mean buying one of the best consumer TV's on the market today and then pairing it with a discount sound bar doesn't seem logical to me. If you really want the total package you'd get real speakers, but at a minimum i'd get a Bravia Bar 8 or 9 for the compatibility with the center channel feature.

Recently got the theatre bar 8 with with Bravia 7, amazing integration and happy with the sound quality in my apartment (got it massively discounted). Will be getting a Sony subwoofer soon, just waiting on a sale. Use it for both tv streaming and PS5 gaming.

Depending on your room size & budget, choose either the Bravia theatre bar 8 or 9. I got the 8 paired with the subwoofer, got them both on sale from Sony online for much less than a bar 9, they sound really good in my apartment living room. The Sony tv speakers become part of the system by providing additional sound clarity from the front.