HT-A8000

I’m not sure about the width but by memory, I would look at the ambeo plus. It has no rears nor does it come with a subwoofer but it does have the option of adding subs in the future, either ambeo brand or better yet, an aftermarket sub, and I’ve never heard of any real issues with it, but it’s big brother, the Max does. I don’t know your budget as that would help with options, but you said the Bose Ultra and normally I don’t recommend Bose, but as a stand-alone option, then yes I would say it’s worth a look for sure. You don’t want a sub but you definitely want the bar to have some decent low end or it’s gonna sound really bad. I also highly recommend any of Sony’s Bravia models like the theater bar 7,8 or 9 as it’s a high quality product and long lasting, plus it has options for rear speakers and subwoofers down the line which is always better to have than not. I bought the first a7000 in late 2021, and passed it down to my son and it’s still rock solid and has no issues. The newer line is slightly better and range from $800-1299, but again go on sale. I’d say the theater bar 8 is the sweet spot or if you can find the a7000 from 2021 that’s new in store, I’d grab it. It’s a big list and a few might be too wide for u, but I still say ambeo plus first and then the rest. Good luck

I’m assuming you have a 4k tv with an Earc hdmi port? If so, then I still have to recommend the ambeo plus, which is so clean and has great separation for a soundbar. If you want the Bose Ultra, get it as it does work well by itself but its rears are a joke and that’s why I would only recommend it as a standalone bar. Still have to go 1-Ambeo Plus 2-Bravia theater 8 or 9 and 3-Bose Ultra. You will be happy with any of these.

First off, no I haven’t heard of any specific issues with the ambeo, but as I said earlier the ambeo max had issues with something burning or getting really hot, but I don’t remember. As far as the new Lifestyle, I don’t like to recommend any specific products that I’ve never heard in person. I know that the new one has substantially bigger rear speakers than the current ones now, I believe the 700’s are just ridiculously small and thin(think soda can but in a square-rectangle) but that doesn’t matter because you don’t want rears. I have only seen pictures of it and it’s top is glass covered except on the edges of the bar because that’s where the upfiring drivers are to give you a bounce like effect so sounds go around your head, but without rear speakers also firing up and bouncing back to give you that Dolby Atmos sound, it’s extremely difficult to get this immersive 360 sound with just the bar by itself. I’ll look it up when I get a minute and tell you what I see but I can’t recommend it because I never heard it. I’m sure it’ll sound better than the ultra will, but that’s all I can say right now.

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.

Hello to everyone! Theatre bar 7 standalone is more dynamic versus theatre bar 8. Bar 8 have more low frequency at sound, but sounds more flat, more clinical. Sub 8 is a beast. Sub 7 is good working for small room. Theatre bar 7 + sub 7 have very good sound. With sub 8 maybe low frequency is little aggressive. I think bar 7 have different crossover with sub 7 and sub 8. Theatre bar 8 with sub 8 is better than bar 7 and sub 7 combo. When added sa-rs5 bar 8 + sub8+ sa-rs5 is a way better sounding system. Bar 7 + sub7 is really good sounding system. When added rear speakers to bar 7 + sub 7 there is a new option at Bravia connect application. We can make all channel stereo, and rear speakers reproduce full sound stage, not only surround effects. I have all tree systems in different rooms. Best sounding for me for large room is bar9 + sub9 + rear 9 (soon I hope second sa-sw9 be added to this setup). For medium room full set bar 8 + sub8 + rear speakers (sa-rs5 or sa-rs9) Bar 7 standalone sounding baseless, but with sa-sw7 oh man… another beer. Perfect sounding. With sa-sw8 bar 7 have potential for medium room without a problem. https://preview.redd.it/1r7rmfyddx4h1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cf4102c57c54946a2fb6c7df07d709dec6a6f465

Hello. For large room bar 9 have more power and more dynamic. Soundstage is wilder with more balanced tone. But if you have medium room maybe better choice is bar8. I tested and big difference is with more open space. With medium or small room bar 8 is better choice. After calibration bar 8 and bar 9 difference is not big if you don’t have large room. But this is only for my ears. I didn’t make test with bar 8 with sa-sw7 . My bar 8 system combo is with sa-sw8 and sa-rs5. I don’t know anything about Sa-rs7. We didn’t have sa-ra7 here.

And another thing. Bar 7 (hta7100) have some strange problem now (firmware 1.420) with old sub sa-sw3. Bass is too weak. Same sa-sw3 hit hard with Bar8 (hta8000 firmware 1.439)