Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 8 Review

Introduction

2024 saw Sony give its TV and soundbar line-up a shake up with a simpler naming convention. The Bravia Theatre Bar 8 is the latest model from its rejigged offering.

Also known as HT-A8000, it more or less replaces the HT-A5000 as Sony’s step down soundbar, with the flagship now the Theatre Bar 9.

Along with the simpler name, Sony has simplified the Bravia Theatre Bar 8 in terms of looks and features but I hope it hasn’t done the same to the sound.

Design

• Less ostentatious look
• Display is gone
• Smaller footprint than HT-A5000

The HT-A5000 divided people with its aesthetics. Sony tried something different with its ‘omnidirectional block concept’ but people weren’t too favourable. So, Sony went down the minimalist route with the Bravia Theatre Bar 8. Almost the entirety of the bar is covered in a grey fabric.

If Sony’s intent was not to draw attention, they’ve succeeded. However I enjoy soundbars that stand out from the fray, and appreciate less the trend of similar-looking, interchangeable models.

A few things have been lost in the Doctor Who-esque regeneration. The display has been given its marching orders, replaced by a series of small LEDs. It’s not a decision I like but Sony is pushing users towards its Bravia Connect app, which might prove sensible in the long term.

There are no onboard controls aside from a power button on the side. The packaged remote control is much simpler with volume and bass controls, input switching, a mute button and a few audio modes (Sound Field, Voice, and Night).

The dimensions of the soundbar are smaller than the HT-A5000 at 1100mm wide by 64mm tall. It’s not as bulky nor is it as heavy at 4.7kg. By general standards, it’s still big but compared to the HT-A5000, its footprint is smaller. It’s a good fit for 55-inch TVs and bigger.

It comes with a HDMI cable, a TV centre speaker cable (for compatible Sony TVs) and a wall-mounting bracket. You also get feet to lift the soundbar up off the surface. It actually sits well on the feet of a 55-inch Bravia 8 OLED.

Features

• Dolby and DTS support
• 5.0.2 channels of sound
• Supports Bravia Connect app

The Theatre Bar 8 features 11 channels of amplification (higher than the A5000’s 9), but the layout is 5.0.2 compared to 5.1.2, which means its missing the HT-A5000’s built-in subwoofer. 

Connections are hidden in a recessed area with an HDMI eARC/ARC output and a HDMI input for plugging a device if you’ve run out of connections on your TV. It is tight for space to have a cable running from both HDMI ports.

The input supports 4K/120Hz for gaming, as well as VRR, ALLM, and SBTM (Source-Based Tone Mapping) for HDR games. You can also pass through HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision signals.

There’s also an S-Center Out (for Sony TVs that can act as a centre audio channel in a surround system) but there’s neither an optical digital output for older TVs nor a USB port.

There’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.2 wireless support with Spotify Connect and AirPlay but no Chromecast. Bluetooth codec support stretches to SBC, AAC, and the higher quality LDAC.

The list of audio formats covers Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital+), Dolby Digital, and Dolby Dual mono. DTS:X, DTS, DTS High Resolution Audio, DTS HD Master Audio, DTS ES, DTS 96 / 24, IMAX Enhanced, and 24-bit/192kHz LPCM. And then there’s more immersive sound with 360 Reality Audio support, but this is only via HDMI.

While Tidal has stopped its 360 Reality Audio support, Amazon Music still has it, so it strikes me as odd not to have a streaming option.

Nevertheless those audio formats should cover the bases for any home cinema fan. And it shows Sony still cares for those with physical discs that support DTS formats, unlike the Sonos Arc Ultra. That IMAX Enhanced support unlocks DTS support (on certain Google and Android TV models) with Disney+ too.

Sony has upgraded its DSEE algorithm tech to ‘Ultimate’ status for upscaling compressed music tracks, and the Sound Field mode enables immersive audio when turned on.

The HT-A8000 ditches the built-in interface from the HT-A5000 and carts those features to its new Bravia Connect app which also works for Sony’s TVs. If you have both a Sony TV and soundbar, the settings merge so both can be controlled simultaneously.

With the app, you can monitor the soundbar’s state, customise sound, check the audio format, optimise the surround sound / calibrate its performance for the environment it’s in.

The layout of the app is simple enough, the responsiveness is good and it does make up for the lack of a display. Given the likelihood most use their phones to control devices, it’s a savvy move that will make a soundbar like this more accessible. I’d still like a display though.

And the app helps with customising features the remote now feels ill-suited for. For instance, the Voice Zoom feature on the remote jumps from the default setting to the max setting of three, while the app allows for incremental adjustments.

Not having a display makes the remote outdated because there’s now no way to see the effects changes have – there’s just a blinking LED. Perhaps there’s no need for a remote at all since the app is the centre of the Bar 8’s experience.

The last aspect to cover is expanding to a surround sound system. Sony has its SA-RS35 (£349 / $349) and SA-RS5 (£599 / $599) rear speakers and SA-SW5 (£599 / $699) and SA-SW3 (£349 / $399) subwoofers to choose from.

The prices for the rear and subs have gone down by about £100 since launch, but you’re looking at minimum £1698 / $1748 spend. That’s more expensive in the UK than the award-winning Samsung HW-Q990D (£1499), though cheaper than the US price ($1999).

Sound Quality

• Smooth, expansive soundfield
• Fluid sense of dynamism
• Struggles with low frequencies

With the HT-A5000 still fairly fresh in my memory having had it for further testing earlier in 2024, I’d say the difference between it and the Bravia Theatre Bar 8 is that the latest model is smoother in tone, though not as articulate with the low frequencies.

With no rear speakers included, the Bravia Theatre Bar 8 has a front-heavy soundstage. It outputs a wall of sound that’s taller and wider than the 55-inch Bravia 8 OLED it’s partnered with but at no point do I feel the soundbar pushes audio towards my seating position. Both the Sonos Arc and Ultra models are better at this.

Regardless, it reproduces dialogue naturally and clearly with a slight hint of warmth that smooths out any sibilance. Trying my usual test scenes – the Gom Jabbar scene from Dune: Part One – and dialogue easily makes its way unscathed without having to turn the volume up or fiddle with settings.

Dialogue on whole is handled well without having to resort to the AI Voice Zoom feature. If there is a desire to up dialogue clarity and focus, I’ve noticed Voice Zoom adds a crisper tone with traces of sibilance at its highest level.

There is one thing I’d recommend changing before anything. I noticed an odd, near-constant shimmering sound, and after playing with the settings I found the Auto DRC was switched on. This setting raises ‘softer’ sounds so that they’re easier to hear but a byproduct is the addition of a distracting noise. If it’s on, turn it off.

It’s with the low frequencies where the Bravia Theatre Bar 8 is a downgrade on the HT-A5000. Sticking with Dune, it’s not the biggest bass performance I’ve heard from a single-bar model, lacking the depth that it would give the film more heft and impact.

But its biggest problem is that it can’t go deep without distorting. Without the HT-A5000’s built-in subwoofer the Theatre Bar 8 outputs crackly, distorted bass with Alien: Romulus, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Blade Runner 2049, and Dune: Part Two. I tried a difficult scene (end of chapter six) from Civil War that’s a harbinger of pain for a TV with its jarring bass and highs, and the Theatre Bar 8 exhibited some distortion with that scene too.

I would recommend adding a subwoofer to help with the low frequencies if you’re a home cinema aficionado. Even when it’s not plunging down deep with the bass, explosions in Civil War lack some punch and force (like the explosion in the first chapter). Bass is the Bravia Theatre Bar 8’s Achilles’ heel, with the Sonos Arc Ultra more capable in this regard.

Treble, though, is clear and brightly relayed, and I like how sharp the blades sound in fights from Dune: Part Two – it makes scenes feel even more dangerous in bringing the sound design to life.

Its overhead performance with the height channels are good, I can clearly hear K’s spinner from the opening chapter of Blade Runner 2049 positioned above the TV before it descends, or in 1917 where the two corporals are travelling through No Man’s land, the two bi-planes fly overhead in the exact position they should be.

Another example is the Washington D.C sequence in Civil War where helicopters and fighter planes blast overhead, and gunshots pepper both the height channels and sides. Again, I’d suggest dipping into the app and upping the height levels to the max setting for the best performance.

An area I’d point out – and it’s the same with HT-A5000 and HT-A7000 before it – is the change in tone of effects placed to the sides or above the TV. It’s a noticeably sharper, thinner sound. The transition between on-screen effects and those above isn’t as smooth or as natural as Samsung’s Q-Series soundbars.

But I do enjoy this soundbar’s sense of dynamism. With either Dune film or Alien: Romulus it switches gears from quiet to loud and intense in an impressively natural manner. And even with films you wouldn’t expect to be dynamic powerhouses like Little Women (2019), the swells of Alexandre Desplat’s score are conveyed so enjoyably that it adds to the soundbar’s cinematic feel.

With DTS:X tracks like that of Fallen Kingdom it’s again effortlessly and naturally dynamic, dialogue comes out of the mouths of the actors and not slightly below. The overall levels of detail are good if lacking that extra slice of clarity. When it comes to reproducing the sound design behind the bigger dinos or the volcanic eruption in the middle of the film, there Bravia Theatre Bar 8 is capable of decent depth and power.

I’ll end this lengthy home cinema portion of this section with some thoughts on the soundbar’s volume control. I’d suggest a level of around 65, which offers consistent performance in terms of detail, clarity, dynamics and intensity. At higher levels, the bar loses its balance, and in Alien: Romulus it focuses on certain effects at the expense of others. In the film’s zero-g sequence it hones in on the F44AA Pulse Rifle, but other sounds sound squashed and less detailed.

I certainly wouldn’t put the soundbar all the way up to 100 – it becomes too sharp and lacks detail. It manages dialogue in quieter scenes ok, but in high intensity action scenes, dialogue sounds less natural and sibilant. And I wouldn’t lower the volume below 40 as the bar’s dynamism, scale, heft, and energy are all diminished.

What about music? The Bravia Theatre 8 is capable of a good performance, though I’d advise you turn the Soundfield feature off to find it. With it on, it places a focus on vocals but the soundstage is smaller, and vocals sound sharper but less natural.

There remain the same issues with bass in that music lacks depth and energy. A listen to Warren G’s Regulate and the bar misses out on the sub-bass tones, while the low frequencies in Kingdom’s Bank Head sound lightweight. Turn the bass up to full in the settings and distortion starts to creep in.

The bar also places a focus on the what’s in the ‘front’ of the soundstage, so instruments or backing vocals in the background sound faint and harder to hear. The top end of the frequency range is bright but can lack a degree of detail and clarity with Greg Foat’s Symphonie Pacifique. It can keep up with a rhythm of fast tracks and handle changes in pace well, though it doesn’t always sound the most energetic or dynamic.

Really the star of the Bravia Theatre 8’s music performance is the midrange where it’s able to really bring out the character of a singer’s voice to good effect whether it’s Phoebe Bridger in Garden Song or Rachael Price’s vocals in Lake Street Drive’s Hypotheticals.

In general, I think it could eke out more detail across the frequency range but in its current state, the Bravia Theatre 8 has an approach that’s more musical and natural-sounding than most soundbars.

Should you buy it?