Sony’s 2024 Dolby Atmos soundbar range has arrived – here’s what you need to know
Sony has announced its new Dolby Atmos soundbar range for 2024. The lineup is led by two premium soundbars, the Bravia Theater Bar 9 and Bravia Theater Bar 8, accompanied by the Bravia Theater Quad wireless speakers and the Bravia Theater U, a ‘personal home’. theater’.
The Bravia Bar 9 and Bravia Bar 8 have 13 and 11 speakers respectively and have a more compact shape than their predecessors, the Sony HT-A7000, one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars, and the Sony HT-A5000, which they will replace . Both soundbars have built-in top-firing speakers, and the Bar 9 adds extra beam tweeters and passive radiators for a fuller sound.
The Bravia Quad is a package of four wireless speakers that replaces the Sony HT-A9. Each unit features a new top-firing driver, bringing the total number of speakers across the four units to 16, compared to the HT-A9’s 12. The Bravia Quad speakers have a slim, flat design, allowing for wall or freestanding mounting. standing installation with Sony speaker stands.
All three models support Dolby Atmos and DTS:X and have an HDMI 2.1 port for gaming with VRR and ALLM pass-through. They also support Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, which uses virtual processing to create ‘phantom speakers’ between the actual speakers to expand the soundstage.
The latest audio addition to Sony’s 2024 AV range is the Bravia Theater U. This ‘personal home theatre’ is designed to sit around the wearer’s neck and provide a more personal speaker experience. Sony’s neckband speaker is compatible with Dolby Atmos and uses 360 Spatial Sound Personalization to tailor the sound to the user.
The Sony Bravia Bar 9, Bar 8 and Quad speakers all use Sony’s new Bravia Connect app, which replaces the Home Entertainment app.
Read on for a detailed look at Sony’s new audio introductions, including sizes, features and pricing.
Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9
The Bravia Bar 9 has a total of 13 speakers, including two top-firing speakers and two side speakers. It supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced (via an upcoming update) and Hi-Res audio and has two HDMI ports, one of which is HDMI version 2.1 with VRR and ALLM pass-through.
The Bravia Bar 9 supports 360 Spatial Sound Mapping for virtual surround, but can also be upgraded with Sony’s optional SA-RS5 and SA-RS3 wireless rear speakers and SA-SW5 and SA-SW3 wireless subwoofers.
Measuring 1300 x 64 x 113 mm (51 x 2.5 x 4.4 inches), the Bravia 9 is 36% more compact than Sony’s previous HT-A7000 flagship and uses fabric mesh made from recycled PET3 bottles. At $1,399 / £TBC / AU$1,799, the Bravia Bar 9’s launch price is identical to the HT-A7000 (and AU$100 more in Australia), even though the new model includes more speakers.
Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8
The Bravia Bar 8 ($999 / £999 / AU$1,499) packs a total of 11 speakers, including two top-firing speakers and side speakers, but omits the two beam tweeters and passive radiators found in the Bravia Bar 9. It is also compatible with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced (via an upcoming update) and Hi-Res Audio and comes with two HDMI ports, one HDMI version 2.1 with support for VRR and ALLM.
Like the Bravia Bar 9, the Bar 8 supports 360 Spatial Sound Mapping and can be paired with Sony’s optional wireless rear speakers and subwoofers for a more complete home theater system.
Measuring 1100 x 64 x 113 mm (43 x 2.5 x 4.4 inches), the Bravia Bar 8 is 30% more compact than the HT-A5000 it replaces, but still larger than other compact soundbars such as the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) and Bose Smart Soundbar 600.
Sony Bravia TheaterQuad
The Bravia Theater Quad is a home theater package with four wireless speakers that succeeds the Sony HT-A9. With a new top-firing driver added to each unit, the Bravia Quad has 16 speakers across the four units, compared to 12 speakers across the HT-A9’s four units.
The Bravia Quad covers a lot of bases with support for Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced (via an upcoming update) and Hi-Res Audio. It also supports Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping feature, which analyzes the environment and places ‘phantom speakers’ around the room to create a more immersive surround sound effect. The Bravia Quad features two HDMI ports on the wireless control box, with gaming support for VRR and ALLM.
Each speaker unit measures 289 x 275 x 55 mm (11.3 x 10.8 x 2.1 in) and can be stand-mounted or wall-mounted for a more discreet placement, while the control box measures 160 x 56 x 160 mm (6.2 x 2.1 x 6.2 inches). ).
At $2,499 / £2,499 / AU$3,699, the Bravia Quad is significantly more expensive than the HT-A9 at release ($1,799 / AU$2,499). It also doesn’t come with a subwoofer, but can be paired with Sony’s optional SA-SW5 and SA-SW3 subwoofers.
Sony Bravia Theater U
The Bravia U ‘personal home theater’ is a neckband with two speakers inside. The battery lasts 12 hours and provides one hour of playtime after a 10-minute charge. It connects wirelessly to Sony’s 2024 TVs, but connecting to an older TV requires a Bluetooth dongle accessory.
The Bravia U creates a bubble of audio for the user and two devices can be connected to the same TV at the same time. The Bravia U also offers a multi-point connection and can be connected to a PS5 via a wire in the controller.
The Bravia U offers Dolby Atmos support, but only in combination with Sony’s latest Bravia 7, 8 and 9 models. It also has a 360 Spatial Sound optimization setting, which appears to be a version of the 360 Spatial Sound Mapping found on the 2024 soundbars.
Measuring 235 x 51 x 178mm (9.2 x 2 x 7 inches) and weighing 268g, the Bravia U is comfortable enough to wear for a few hours at a time – at least the duration of a movie. Priced at $299 / AU$499, it’s comparable to the Sony WH-1000XM5s, one of the best wireless headphones out there, but offers an alternative to covering your ears when watching movies and gaming at night plays or in other situations where you do not want to disturb others.
Models transferred
Sony confirmed that some older mid-to-entry-level soundbars would be carried over into the 2024 lineup. Confirmed models include the Sony HT-S2000, one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars on a budget, the Sony HT -S400 and the Sony HT-A3000.