Sony, one of the most prolific brands when it comes to soundbars, has almost completely renewed its catalog. In 2024, it launched a new set of soundbars, and in this review, I will tell you about the Bravia Theatre Bar 8 and 9, two models that promise to be a sales success, although there are some issues worth focusing on.
Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9
The Bravia Theatre Bar 9 is a successor to the HT-A7000, a fantastic soundbar with Dolby Atmos that was a huge success for Sony, but it seems the Japanese company has stopped selling it, being completely replaced by this other bar.
The Bravia Theatre Bar 9 has much in common with that one, and in fact, it measures exactly the same: 130 cm wide. However, it is thinner and has a slightly more compact profile, also being lighter, with a weight of only 5.5 Kg, when the HT-A7000 weighed three Kg more.
Despite this, the Bravia Theatre Bar 9 introduces 13 drivers in its chassis, which are two more than those in the HT-A7000. The channel configuration is 7.0.2, with four X-Balanced woofers and two beam tweeters for the front channels, another two X-balanced woofers at the ends of the bar, two more for the vertical channels, and four passive radiators for the bass, which replace the dual integrated subwoofer that the HT-A7000 had.
This configuration has its pros and cons. Among the pros is its great immersion capacity, thanks to the beam tweeters, the aerial projection cones, and Sony’s 360 Spatial Mapping Sound technology, which really generates a very convincing surround effect without the need for rear speakers.
However, the passive radiators do not manage to replace the dual integrated subwoofer of the HT-A7000 effectively. The X-balanced drivers – woofers with a rectangular shape to increase the diaphragm area, maximizing acoustic pressure and reducing transducer excursion to enhance low frequencies while controlling distortion – along with the four passive radiators, were supposed to provide greater bass depth. The truth is that in my listening sessions, I have not noticed that the bass of the Bravia Theatre Bar 9 improves on those of the HT-A7000, but rather the opposite, and this is something that most reviews you will read about this bar also point out.
At least, Sony has maintained the good compatibility that the HT-A7000 already had, with this Bravia Theatre Bar 9 being compatible with absolutely all multichannel audio formats, and of course Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, in addition to Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and the IMAX Enhanced certification, through a firmware update that Sony promises will be available by the end of 2024.
The pity is that Sony has removed one of the HDMI ports. Thus, the Bravia Theatre Bar 9 has a high-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 port, which allows 4K 120Hz signal passthrough and supports VRR and ALLM, in addition to another HDMI eARC port. The optical digital audio input and the analog audio input have also been removed. However, the Bluetooth 5.2 connection and the WiFi connection, with support for Chromecast, Apple’s Airplay 2, Spotify, and Tidal Connect, are maintained.
Another feature that is maintained is the ability to connect a subwoofer and rear speakers to the bar to set up a full-fledged Home Cinema. It is a nice touch from Sony that they are exactly the same ones we could already connect to the HT-A7000 and HT9: the subwoofers SA-SW5 and SA-SW3, and the surround speakers SA-RS5 or the SA-RS3S. The price of forming a set like this skyrockets to prohibitive levels, but the acquisition of the SA-SW3 subwoofer (the cheaper of the two) may be enough to solve the main deficiency of this Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9, providing a depth of bass that the bar lacks on its own.
Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 8
As a more economical alternative, Sony sells the Bravia Theatre Bar 8, a model that features 11 drivers, six fewer than those in the Bravia Theatre Bar 9. But as surprising as this may seem, the sound quality does not decrease too much: the two beam tweeters and the four passive radiators are dispensed with, but the clarity and power of the front channels are maintained.
This Bravia Theatre Bar 8 does have less bass depth and less surround effect than its bigger sister, but in general terms, it is a good sound quality, not very far from what the Bravia Theatre Bar 9 offers, but for a fraction of its price.
The good performance of this bar at a significantly lower price makes the Bravia Theatre Bar 8 a soundbar with a better quality-price ratio than its bigger sister. Additionally, it maintains the HDMI 2.1 port with 4K 120 Hz passthrough and compatibility with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and will also be certified with IMAX Enhanced.
The Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 8 can also be expanded with the same subwoofer and surround speakers I mentioned earlier, and probably in this case, its purchase makes more sense. Buying the bar along with the SA-SW3 subwoofer and a pair of SA-RS3S speakers has the same price as buying just the Bravia Theatre Bar 9 bar but offering better sound quality. Again, we find that the quality-price ratio of this Bravia Theatre Bar 8 is superior, and that is why it is a more recommended purchase.
Two perfect soundbars to combine with a Bravia TV 9, 8, or 7
In addition to everything said so far, it is worth mentioning the work that Sony has done to optimize the integration of the two bars with the latest generation Bravia TVs.
On one hand, the design of the bars matches the Bravia TV series 9, 8, and 7, allowing the bar to be placed either below or above the TV stand, which has 4 positions. Using the HDMI connection, you can also see the bar settings in the TV’s quick settings menu, so you can use a single remote control and still enjoy all the bar’s settings.
At the same time, connecting these bars with a Bravia TV enables two extra sound modes: the Acoustic Center Sync turns the TV audio into a central speaker, and Voice Zoom 3 uses this function to further optimize dialogues.
Are they worth it? What alternatives are there?
Based on everything I have been telling you in this article, I think my opinion about these Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 8 and 9 is clear. I think the most recommendable of the two is the Bravia Theatre Bar 8, with a better quality-price ratio if you buy only the bar, but also when buying it along with the subwoofer and surround speakers. In my soundbar recommendations I include this model as an alternative to consider.
In my view, the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 is too expensive for what it is, and the price of buying it along with the subwoofer and surround speakers skyrockets to levels where you could already buy bars like the Sennheiser Ambeo, which are much better in every way.
Even recommending the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 8 as the better option in terms of quality-price ratio over the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9, you should keep in mind that for a little more than what this bar costs, you can buy a Samsung HW-Q990D or its lower version, the HW-Q930D, both much more complete. For a little more you also have the Sonos ARC, a bar with better sound quality and a more accomplished surround effect, although with less connectivity and format compatibility.
Thus, I see the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 8 and 9 as good candidates if you are looking for a high-end soundbar, without a subwoofer and without surround speakers, with very good sound quality and with greater connectivity and compatibility than those offered by the Sonos ARC. Also, if you have a latest-generation Bravia TV, with which to take advantage of the integration possibilities offered by Sony, such as the Acoustic Center Sync functions or the bar settings interface directly in your TV’s menu.
