HT-A8000

I have a Sony A75L 55” in the bedroom and I wanted to augment sound, in particular wanting a bar with a center for dialogue isolation (we have a toddler that sleeps nearby). Got a Bravia bar 8 (normally $1000) open box and a bit dented in a corner for $365 at Best Buy. I use to sell HT equipment and am aware the difference a sub makes, I decided to get that next when I have some more cash. So far I am… not impressed. The vocals are terrible, almost like there is no center. There is zero EQ control and only a few sound modes to choose from. The Sony sound mode you are supposed to use is BAD and sounds awful. The bar does decent at loud volumes during action scenes at creating separation, thats about it. If I had paid a grand this wouldn’t even be a discussion, the thing is hot trash for that price. My question is, can I do better for \~$500? I have hear dozens of bars over the years and understand the limitations of the tech. Is this just a me thing or is this normally $1000 soundbar just… bad? I will just keep it if I cant beat it for anywhere near the price. I can always try it with the sub, but it’s always going to be off (apartment, toddler) since the bass settings are “low, medium, high”. Any feedback is appreciated. Edit: I’ll add that YES it has to be a soundbar, trust me I wish I could do a system. I cant for like 8 different valid reasons. I am looking for a fuller sound than the tv with dialogue control, I couldn’t care less about a bar in front of me trying to replicate surround, though I don’t mind it if its there. Atmos doesn’t matter and I will not ever get wireless surrounds. So a bar or a bar and a sub with good bass control.

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.

I scored a Sony Bravia 8 soundbar half off open box at Best Buy another 500$ for rear speakers and sub. Using a horizon pro 4k projector with 110in screen works well in room that is open to the dining area

I have the A95L. Last Black Friday I was able to get the TB8 and SW3 subwoofer for less than the TB9 so I decided to go in that direction. Reviewers kind of said that was a bit better or at least equal to the TB9 (with no subwoofer). I use the A95L for the center channel but it is easy to try it with a without to see what you like best. I mainly wanted clear dialogue and this seems to work the best. Overall, it sounds good and I really like how well integrated it all is into the TV interface so it has never been a hassle to use it. Just do everything from the TV remote. I have not tried unplugging the subwoofer to see how it would be without it, but I originally had planned on getting the TB9. I am guessing the TB8 would be "ok" but the TB9 much better if you do not add the subwoofer.

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.