Sony HT-A8000 BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 with 11 Speakers

Bought the bar 8 after much research out on reddit and reviews wherever i could find. Arrived without any damage but looked like it was a returned product as some of packaging was already open. Setup looked pretty simple with the app. Only thing was software update took 40mins easy and stuck at 65% for most time. The sound was great but for a 5.0.2 channel config. I am used to my master series a90j sound thats great and bar 8 sound was instantly dissappointing. Spent whole day tweaking settings on tv and bar 8 but couldnt justify since bar 8 couldnt sound same/better than my a90j from 2021. In a medium-large living room this just wasnt cutting it. Maybe sony doesnt want to undermine the master series sound or bar 8 is for those computer monitors, i just dont understand its placement anymore and the discounted pricing of $700 now makes more sense. Just get the 7.1 system(sonos arc or bar 9) and avoid bar 8 altogether if you have similar or better setup than me. No wonder not many people are talking about it online, i was considering building out with bar 8- rear speakers and sub but i dont see a point now.

I want to start off my review by mentioning the sound quality. I watch probably eight or 10 different reviews from other people that touted all the different technology built-in to the speakers and how many speakers there were automated software downloads, etc. I bought this speaker because I heard it was the best sounding sound bar available available and everyone was right.

I did Have some issues with installation with my Samsung TV and my Apple TV that I generally use to watch all of my shows. I guess there is a known issue where the Apple remote if it’s in the same room can cause issues where the volume goes all the way up all the way down on its own. I did need to call Sony support and they immediately Told me to take the remote into another room and it should stop having that issue and they were right. That may or may not be an issue for you, but it’s worth mentioning.

This is definitely a premium product and they are charging a very premium price, but honestly, it’s still is a good value for the money. I did not get a sub for this particular sound bar or rear speakers because it’s going to be for my office. I do have the brand new Sony Bar 9 In the other room where I have my gym and that does have a sub and rear speakers, and this sound is absolutely phenomenal and a huge upgrade over my Sonos set up. I am now convinced that Sonos is really a midtier product and Sony is coming in at the high end. My ears do not.

It’s quite easy to use as long as you have an eArc setting on your TV Which will allow you to turn the volume up and down with the same remote that you use for your TV. It just simplifies everything. I really appreciate that. They included the wall mount bracket for me to hang on the wall.

If you need some base, they have I think something called an SW3 and then the SW5, which is their larger subwoofer which I have in the other room. It’s way bigger than I thought it was going to be in a good way. They also have two options for smaller and larger speakers, but again in this office room, I elected to just have the sound bar. For this particular room it’s more than enough and great music.

I’m going to score this solid five out of five with some small changes. Sony could easily be the new Sonos. Sonos has simplicity and networking down, but Sony has the better sound profile at least in my ears. Hope that helps.

I read a bunch of reviews on this soundbar so I bought ,let me say it really sounds incredible. Let’s start on the packaging very nicely done 5 star on that. The setup,they could have done way better on this I didn’t get any instructions with it so that sucked but an hour later figured it out. Sony makes you do all kinds of connecting thru their App which you have to do ,it’s definitely not a plug and play. So it’s all connected and it does sound incredible. Follow the app steps and the soundbar will send out different sounds to learn the room for optimum performance..and you can reset it for different rooms if needed. It’s pricy for sure but we’ll worth it. Enjoy. Update ..so I mounted this with no wires being shown but what a pain,you woukd think when they made this all the wires would be on 1 side ,not the case. So beware if your going to mount this your going to be making extra holes in the wall. Good luck.

I first want to say that when it comes to home theatre sound, I’m pretty picky. I have my own “home brew” setup for home theatre with KEF speakers and subwoofer driven by an Emotiva AV Receiver and other such gear. A few years back I tried one of these sound bars (different brand) and was pretty disappointed. However, since I got my Sony Bravia TV last year, I wanted to give one of these Sony sound bars a try. Why because in as much as I enjoy my current HT system, it really takes quite a bit of space and have to be careful with cabling, wiring, etc. So, let’s call it a want for convenience. After trying it for over a week (including a 48h break-in period) below are my thoughts:

* Sound fidelity: one of the informal tests I run with all my audio equipment is sound fidelity. I want to hear, before all equalization and any spatial effects, how the audio compares with my reference monitors. In this regard the sound bar does well, though I wasn’t expecting much because it’s not the “job” of a HT bar to be clinical or reference. But again, all things considered, did pretty well.

* Another thing I like to test on these small-format speakers is the low range/bass. This is challenging for these because at certain point physics will limit how low a speaker of that size can go. However, this bar did very well. Full-body, chest pumping lows could definitely be felt. Again, you can’t compare with a 10 or 12” dedicated subwoofer, but for the size, it’s pretty fantastic.

* Immersion. A key aspect of any HT system is the sense of immersion/spatial effects. This unit is impressive in this respect. While watching Dune 2, my wife and I kept looking at each other because this sound bar had us impressed. We felt truly the sounds were coming from the right direction and those lows and special sound effects came through amazingly. I also tried it with Elden Ring — which, btw, has possibly the best purpose-made music of any RPG out there — and was very pleased with how well the sound effects and the music came through. Spatial sound was especially helpful for PvP.

* Misc: Sony recommends you install an app on your phone to control and setup this sound bar. This is wholly unnecessary step. You can just hook your ARC/eARC into it and presto! Ready to go. We’re still undecided whether we want to go through the process of hanging the TV and bar of our wall. We like it in the little shelf and our PS5 and other players hook easily into it.

Overall, I’m very impressed with this sound bar. It certainly punches far above its weight and far above my expectations. Unreservedly recommend it.

This comes with 11 speakers and is a good product that might need a separate sub-woofer to really elevate your audio experience.

Some important pros:

Exceptional audio quality with Dolby Atmos and DTS
support. The clarity is awesome and the mid-tones are crisp. Atmos effect can be felt easily.

Sleek design that blends well with modern home decor.

Easy setup and user-friendly interface.

Versatile connectivity options including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

The Bravia Connect app works seamlessly and you will need it to make it work.

The spatial sound mapping is true and enhances the experience. The room mapping feature is good.

The Voice enhancement feature is crisp and helps if you are watching sports and other specific events. You can toggle through these features using the remote.

Cons:

A little too pricey.

The built-in sub-woofer is good but for a better experience a stand-alone sub-woofer is recommended. The bass is adequate but could have a bigger footprint depending on the needs of the specific consumer.

In my testing the sound dropped a few times across a couple of televisions. It happened once every hour and I had to pause the program and unpause it again to make it work. Quite simple but this should be remedied with a software update.

Overall, this is a solid buy. The high fidelity sound along with the sleek design makes this a wonderful product for any home. I have to say that if you have never ventured beyond Bose and Sonos, you will be pleasantly surprised by the quality Sony has been offering over the years in their sleek sound bars. I have tried a few of them over the years and apart from the price factor, these have all been top notch. My HT-7000 is still one of my favorites. This one, the Theater Bar 8, is a nice replacement.

Bar 8 exceeds my expectations. The quality of sound is great alone by itself. It could be very loud for my not-small family room with high ceilings. Amazon delivery service was fast and nice.

Great soundbar! You will think you got a new TV as the sound is so good. The Bar8 spatial sound add significantly more enjoyment to movies and 4K programs. I’ve paired this with an SW3 subwoofer and a Sony – 55″ Class BRAVIA XR A80L OLED 4K UHD Smart Google TV. Using the Sony Bravia Connect app makes the setup easy! On my particular television, the TV front panel becomes the center channel. Bravo Sony!

I recently had the pleasure of experiencing the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 and it was nothing short of spectacular. The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 is a soundbar that delivers a truly immersive home theater experience with its 11 speakers and innovative 360 Spatial Sound mapping technology that fills your room with rich beautiful audio. So, let’s go over what makes the Sony Bravia a spectacular soundbar.

Home Theater Sound: The Bravia Theater Bar 8 grabbed me with its 11-speaker system that pumps out crystal-clear, room-filling audio. The sound quality is simply phenomenal, delivering crisp, clear, and immersive and deep bass audio that fills the room. Whether you’re watching an action-packed movie or listening to your favorite music, the sound is rich, detailed, and incredibly lifelike.

3D Audio: Dolby Atmos and DTS:X take things to another level by creating an immersive 3D soundscape. You’ll feel like you’re in the middle of the movie, with sounds coming from all around you, including from above. The height channels add to a whole new dimension, making your living room feel like a giant theater. It’s not just about hearing the sound, but also about feeling it.

Easy to use and stylish: The Theater Bar 8 is a breeze to set up and its sleek design looks great under your TV or mounted on the wall with the provided mounts, adding a touch of sophistication to your space. The Bravia Connect app will guide you through the connection and the setup process. The application also runs the spatial 360 reality audio setup and once done correctly should have complete theater experience.

Wireless expandability and Connectivity: While the soundbar itself delivers powerful audio experience, you can add an optional subwoofer and rear speakers for an even more complete home theater setup. The BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 offers a variety of connectivity options, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and HDMI. This makes it easy to connect to your TV, streaming devices, and other audio sources. The Theater Bar 8 also supports 4K HRD, 8K HRD, Dolby Vision and Dolby Vision HDMI 2.1 Gaming features 4K120, VRR and ALLM for all the PS5 gamers out there and myself being one. Connecting this bar to my PS5 added a whole new experience of Warzone and at times it felt as if there was war in my room, It was amazing.

Overall, the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 is a is an exceptional soundbar that delivers a true theater-quality listening experience. From rustling leaves to explosive explosion, you will hear them all. If you’re looking to elevate your home entertainment setup, this is a fantastic option. I honestly could not find anything that I was not happy with the Bravia Theater 8 and believe me I tired, this is just an exceptional sound bar at a reasonable price point.

THIS… Is the Sony Bravia theater Bar 8 (HT-A8000) with eleven built-in speakers, packed full of smart features and 4k120 passthrough which I have been looking forward to for a long time now! Something interesting about the new generation of the Sony ‘Bravia Bar’ series is that all the extra parts (subwoofer and rear speakers) are additional accessories… meaning it has no stand-alone subwoofer. It will be interesting to see how it sounds as I put it through the wringer, that being said, it does have four ‘woofers’ built into the bar. This Bravia Bar 8 will be replacing my aging Sony HT-ST5000 and will be my primary source of sound for all things gaming, music, and movies in my gaming room.

TL;DR Great mid to high-end 5.1.2 soundbar packed full of the newest features for movies, music and gaming. HDMI 2.1 support, softer on bass but has the option to add one (and rear speakers) in after the fact or bought in a bundle from Bestbuy at the start.

Straight out of the box I was really happy to see that Sony included risers for the soundbar so it isn’t half sitting on the TV stand rocking, a revised remote, and one of the sleekest-looking soundbars I have gotten to test in a long time. It was nice to see that Sony threw in a riser for the soundbar, a lot of TV’s have a flat pedestal and this helps the soundbar rest on top of that platform without rocking – an issue I just somewhat got over prior but I’m happy to see this solved here! Setup was quite easy, and with only one HDMI input so was cable management! Sony includes batteries, an HDMI cable, and a 3.5mm cable so you really are good to go straight out of the box. Setup required me to download Sonys Bravia app to set up the sound mapping which was a quick, but interesting process using my phone’s microphone to listen to the soundbar bounce sounds around my room. A hidden feature of this soundbar is that it is well-sized for the power that it has. At about 43” wide, this soundbar can fit almost anywhere and look sleek, which is something that I needed in my space-limited setup.

Now, what we are here for! The sound is genuinely one of the most fun aspects of this soundbar. The way that the soundbars channel is set up is interesting…It is 5.1.2, which begs the question… how do we get 5.1.2 from 11 speakers? Where do the other 3 speakers go? Well, Sony told me that the four ‘woofers’ and yes they are calling them dedicated subwoofers IN the soundbar are effectively combined into one channel. So you have the four woofers counting as one, with the option to expand the system out to 7.2.2 with the rear speakers and dedicated subwoofer (bought separately). The speaker layout is interesting though, three tweeters, four woofers, two up-firing units, and two side-firing units. My gaming room is FILLED with rich crisp sound. As you can imagine, the soundbar has punchy, but not floor-rocking bass.

What it lacks in bass though, it makes up for in clarity and room-filling sound. I could really tell that the sound was hitting my ears from all angles, and in a demo, It was very interesting to listen to the soundbar bounce sound off my ceiling to behind me making me feel like I was completely wrapped in sound. Even listening to music, which is typically not a dynamic sound, I felt the soundbar wrap the soundwaves around me. The soundbar is rich-leaning, but honestly pretty balanced! I will 100% be adding a subwoofer, I think that most people will be on the fence… but when I watch movies I like to feel the movie. We are starting to see brands focus on an ecosystem now more than selling a closed-loop system (no expansion capability) which… I think I like! I think that being able to buy the additional parts later on allows me to have a much better sound system over time, as I can break up the purchases so it isn’t just one large purchase out the door – and if one part bites the dust you can just replace/upgrade that ONE part. A cool feature if you have a Bravia TV is a feature called Voice Zoom 3 which elevates human voices and makes it a bit more crisp, Sony has done a lot of work to get you to go full-blown Bravia as well which I have slowly been sold on. You should check out their display at Bestbuy as they have the best (in my opinion) OLED TV’s on the market. Something that is annoying though is that you can only connect one subwoofer to the soundbar…so it is its own separate item…and then you can still only have one. I think that the audiophile in me wants more, but with a SA-SW5 I am sure that one will be enough.

Sony has killed it with the Bravia Bar 8, and with almost every feature you could want thrown at it. Dolby EVERYTHING, IMAX Enhancement, 360 audio, HDMI 2.1 for HDR 8k60/4k120, DSEE, DTS:X. For gaming, it has VRR, ALLM and SBTM. This soundbar also makes life easy with Airplay 2 and Spotify Connect making casting and blasting seamless for even those that aren’t techie. The best part of the whole thing is when you buy this at Best Buy… you never have to worry about getting the wrong soundbar, they have this model and several other variations as well to fit all needs and setups. Best Buy has an excellent return policy and even better customer service, so you never have to worry about buying a product that you don’t like… so why not test it out!

Expandable Speakers:
Woofer – SA-SW3 / SA-SW5
Rear Speakers – SA-RS3 / SA-RS5

Channel Setup: 5.1.2 – expandable to 7.2.2

Pros:
-supports VRR, ALLM and SBTM.
-Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Genre Picture Mode when connecting Bravia TVs and PS5
-Mids and Highs are phenomenal
-360 spatial audio is REAL
-4k120hz / 8k60hz

Cons:
-One HDMI port
-No dedicated subwoofer

1 year factory warranty

I have been a longtime proponent of Sony products. TV’s, ES receivers, HT-Z9F soundbar (with subwoofer and rear speakers), Bluetooth speakers, etc – all of which I would recommend. Unfortunately, my initial impression of this soundbar was not good. However, after taking the time to go through the downloaded manual/app and “tweaking” the settings I am much happier with it and while it is not perfect, I would recommend it.

Included in the box is

Soundbar
AC power cord, with NO brick – nice.
Remote control
HDMI 4K & 8K cable
Center speaker analog mini cable connector
Wall mount template and hardware
2 “feet” to raise soundbar if needed to accommodate a TV stand, etc.

Unboxing was easy and I followed the provided card with installation instructions. Hooked up to TV using provided HDMI cable, plugged in and installed Bravia Connect app using provided QR code. Following the steps in the app I connected it through wifi. The soundbar does work without wifi but there is no functional support – it seems you can only control volume.

With the soundbar now connected, I noticed the sound output was about 60% of my other soundbars at same output level from TV. I “fixed” this by turning on “Automatically adjust volume” option at bottom of sound settings.

Another minor issue was the sound level wasn’t showing any numbers. The volume slide would show but it just indicated whether sound was going up or down. Granted you can hear the difference, but it irked me. In trying soundbar with 2 other brands of TV’s I discovered the problem seemed to only occur on my TCL TV (using eARC connection).

I was now ready to test the soundbar. I did optimize my “sound field” which was easily accomplished using my phone. Pure and simple, I feel the app is a disappointment and should provide much better sound control options. There is no “sliding” control for bass – just minimum, mid or full. There are no controls for treble or midrange (or EQ). Turning voice mode on/off helps a little. The sound field is only on/off as well, with no settings for movie/sports/music etc. as my HT-Z9F allows. Nighttime mode seems to reduce the bass. The remote has the same limitations as the app as far as sound settings. The soundbar does allow for 1 HDMI input separate from the output/arc connection. I must admit I am confused a little as to whether functions should show on the TV screen – to this point they do not but maybe I missed a setting, so I used the app.

I streamed an Atmos Dolby movie and was very impressed with the encompassing sound quality. I happened to have a Sony Dolby Atmos Demo Blu-ray DVD – provided with the HT-Z9F soundbar. Playing the DVD with my 4k dvd player the sound wes even more impressive than the movie. It came from in front, above and behind, as if I was standing in the middle of the sound. Playing music from my phone was also a very pleasant experience. But sound is so subjective your results may vary.

The power output was more than enough for me, but it doesn’t really rattle the windows and probably won’t wake up the neighbors.

The overall design is nice, and its 43-inch size should make it easy to use under a TV or to mount on the wall. There are no IR repeaters option in case it does block your TV.

Has easy to understand inputs/output attachments on the back of the sound bar. There is 1 HDMI input and 1 HDMI ARC/output. I found the HDMI area to be very tight to attach cable(s) so hope yours is very flexible (same with HT-Z9F). There is also a no fiber optical connection but there is aux in (3.5 mm) for analog input,

The front panel LED display gives some basic information by using different colored flashing/solid lights to indicate inputs, messages, etc. – brightness can be controlled as well.

Final Thoughts

App is lacking but hopefully with user feedback it will be updated for better control.

Remote is not illuminated and makes it hard to find or use in dark room.

The sound is impressive and for many the soundbar alone will be more than enough. But for me I think you really need a dedicated subwoofer and maybe rear speakers. While they are available it is a rather pricy upgrade.

Since I do have other Sony products the provided remote turns on/off the HT-Z9F soundbar and Sony ES receiver.

Overall, a very nice unit that for its size produces a very impressive sound.