Verdict
A strong-sounding Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundbar, the Sony HT-A5000 produces a transparent, detailed, and in the best setting, expansive soundstage. It performs effectively with TV and music too for many who desire a soundbar that’s a constant performer throughout a variety of sources.
Professionals Highly effective sound
Constant supply throughout a variety of sources
Expressive music efficiency
Slick integration with Sony BRAVIA TVs Cons Costly improve path
Giant footprint
Constructed-in Chromecast efficiency disappoints
Availability UK RRP: £899
USA RRP: $999.99
Europe RRP: €899
Canada RRP: CA$899
Australia RRP: AU$1195
Key Options 360 Spatial Sound Mapping Immersive 360 audio with assist for Dolby Atmos
X-Balanced speaker Much less distortion, punchier bass
Audio Dolby Atmos and DTS:X
Introduction
Sony’s refresh of its soundbar vary started with the HT-A7000 in 2021, and never lengthy afterwards it was adopted by the HT-A5000.
The HT-A5000 is the step-down bar from the flagship model. It’s cheaper, with fewer channels of audio (9 in comparison with 11), fewer connections and fewer energy at its disposal.
The value bracket by which the Sony HT-A5000 finds itself in shouldn’t be in need of competitors. The Sonos Arc and Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 have the identical RRP, so how effectively does the Sony soundbar stand out in opposition to distinguished competitors? Listed here are my ideas.
Design
Giant footprint
LED show
Distinctive seems
Compact shouldn’t be a phrase I’d use to explain the Sony HT-A5000. Just like the step-up HT-A7000 it is a huge soundbar at over a metre broad, 140mm in depth and 67mm tall. The peak permits it to sit down comfortably beneath most TVs, however the width could possibly be an issue you probably have a TV that has stick out toes.
The width of the bar is near that of a 55-inch TV however attempting to put it beneath Sony’s XR-55A80L (in its soundbar place) and it couldn’t match. A TV with a central stand must be wonderful although you’ll want some area in entrance of the TV to accommodate the A5000.
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The aesthetics have been pared down from the divisive HT-A7000 (which I appreciated the look of), however nonetheless adhere to Sony’s favoured ‘omnidirectional block idea’, which appears to translate as ‘mighty huge soundbar’.
There’s a clear grille on the entrance the place, at a sure angle, you may see the drivers behind, together with an LED show that’s brilliant sufficient to be seen from a seating place, alongside bass ports at both finish.
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Connections are housed in a recessed space across the again of the unit, with onboard controls on the highest floor. The upfiring drivers are lined by the identical sort of grille that options on the entrance – it offers the A5000 a particular look that I think about some might not take to. This isn’t actually a bar that disappears into its surroundings, however I don’t thoughts that.
The distant is similar because the one packaged with the A7000. It doesn’t function backlit buttons, however the format is superb with responsive presses and a pleasant, soft really feel that makes it good to make use of. There are a number of particular buttons with enter switching and, in the event you add rears and subwoofer, quantity management for these models.
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Options
4K HDR pass-through
Dolby Atmos and DTS:X compatibility
360 Actuality Audio assist
Connections entail an HDMI enter and output, optical enter, and USB. The HDMI enter can pass-through HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Imaginative and prescient alerts (at 4K/60). There’s at the moment no 4K/120Hz assist for gaming on the desk.
For wi-fi connections there’s built-in Chromecast, Spotify Join, AirPlay 2, and Bluetooth 5.0. There’s additionally LDAC assist to stream increased high quality audio information over Bluetooth (the bar also can transmit in LDAC to different units).
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The USB port can play MP3, FLAC, ALAC, DSD and extra, whereas the HDMI ports assist a coterie of codecs from Dolby (Atmos, Digital+, TrueHD), DTS (DTS-HD MA, Excessive Decision audio, DTS:X) and LPCM soundtracks to call a couple of.
Sony’s Vertical Encompass Engine creates ‘digital’ top channels alongside the bodily upfiring drivers, whereas the S-Pressure PRO Entrance Encompass claims to fireside sound in the direction of the listener to create a soundfield that wraps across the viewer.
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There’s additionally the Sound Area Optimization function, which makes use of the bar’s built-in microphones to measure the peak and width of the area it’s in to optimise the sound for the room.
The Sound Area Optimization function is accessible from the bar’s full-screen interface (press the House button) the place together with calibrating the sound, you may go into the settings, entry information on a linked USB and arrange a connection to an Amazon Alexa gadget to rope in Alexa smarts (Google Assistant voice management can be attainable).
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Sony states its DSEE Excessive algorithm can restore high-range sound misplaced within the compression of tracks for a better-quality efficiency. For sure BRAVIA TVs there’s the Acoustic Centre Sync function whereby each the TV and the soundbar can operate because the centre speaker concurrently. The interface of each the bar and TV is streamlined too, so settings for each may be accessed on the similar time
There are a number of variations of Sony’s 360 Actuality Audio, the principle one being the soundbar can play spatial (or 3D) audio tracks from the likes of Tidal and Amazon Music streaming companies. This may be arrange by way of the Sony Music Centre app, which can be the app to go to for Alexa integration.
Add wi-fi rear audio system and in tandem with the Sound Area Optimization, the 360 Spatial Sound Mapping processing creates phantom audio system for an even bigger, immersive hemisphere of sound.
This works with matching rear audio system from Sony within the SA-RS35 (£449/$349.99) and SA-RS5 (£699/$599.99), and there’s room so as to add a subwoofer within the SA-SW5 (£699/$699) and SA-SW3 (£449/$399). All of those ‘non-compulsory’ audio system drive the value up although.
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Sony (so far as I can inform) hasn’t gone into the precise specifics of the HT-A5000’s driver setup, nevertheless it has a sizeable 450W of energy distributed in a 5.1.2 configuration made up of beam tweeters to bounce sounds of partitions to develop the encompass sound impact: two upfiring audio system, front-firing audio system, and a built-in subwoofer. All are based mostly on Sony’s X-Balanced speaker unit that delivers much less distortion.
Sound High quality
Punchy, highly effective bass supply
Soundfield operate expands soundstage
Good music efficiency
The tone and total audio efficiency of the Sony HT-A5000 is in line with the flagship HT-A7000, however there’s a slight lack of energy, scale, and ‘top’. It performs just like the youthful, smaller sibling of the A7000.
However don’t let that dissuade you from taking a more in-depth have a look at the A5000’s efficiency. Whereas with Blade Runner 2049 it lacks the A7000’s scale and energy on the low finish, there’s a agency sense of punch and power to punches within the combat scene between Sapper Morton and Okay. Including a subwoofer would make the scene much more explosive.
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It adopts the identical pure, crisp tone with voices because the A7000, putting dialogue the place it originates on display. It describes slightly succinctly the distinction between the deeper, sterner voice of Sapper Morton and lighter cadence of Okay, which could not appear to be an enormous issue however achieves the act of immersing the viewer with dialogue the place not a lot is going on visually.
With Jordan Peele’s Nope (with Atmos enabled) there’s weight to dialogue too, nevertheless it by no means sounds something aside from pure with no sibilance famous.
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Having had the LG USC9S in for testing on the similar time, I did discover the Sony handles off-screen dialogue higher, avoiding a processed-sounding tone in addition to including a way of depth by way of the place the character is within the scene.
For individuals who have hassle listening to dialogue, the Voice Impact can raise dialogue and make it louder, though it does change the tone barely and it makes close by noises louder too, just like the kettle on boil within the background of Sapper and Okay’s dialog in Blade Runner 2049.
The sense of top to the HT-A5000’s presentation feels diminished at first. When the Spinner lands at Sapper’s farm, I can’t get a grasp of the engine because it fires down from above and the Spinner descends. That is the place turning on the ‘Soundfield’ impact can exert a optimistic impact by affording the HT-A5000 an even bigger soundscape to play in. Sound results and dialogue ‘escape’ the bar higher slightly than feeling as in the event that they’re coming immediately from the cupboard.
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With the Soundfield impact on, the race scene by way of the digital streets of New York in Prepared Participant One takes on a extra dynamic and spacious method. Depth to the motion is pushed up a couple of notches as Parzival’s DeLorean skips by way of the chaos of automobiles and trains flipping over, dinosaurs plucking competing racers from the highway and King Kong leaping from above.
Top results are extra noticeable within the Soundfield mode, with a little bit extra punch and energy afforded to the scene.
The Soundfield operate evokes a crisper tone, with a little bit sharpness evident that leads to a smidge of sibilance with dialogue. In Prepared Participant One’s Distracted Globe sequence, the sense of power to the scene is appreciated, however the sharp tone does really feel tough in locations.
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The Soundfield setting also can make some results sound synthetic. Watching Netflix’s The Dig (Dolby Atmos) and in a scene the place there’s heavy rain, the Soundfield setting makes it sound much less pure. It additionally highlights background noise, as if it’s attempting to dredge up each little bit of element within the scene as an alternative of concentrating on what’s within the foreground.
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The bar’s efficiency with DTS:X and stereo content material mirrors its Atmos efficiency watching Get Out. Turning the Soundfield operate on widens and raises the soundstage – ambient sounds have an even bigger presence and background sounds are projected ahead.
Its crisp and sharp tone offers the movie’s leap scares an even bigger impression. There’s the enhance to dialogue in including extra weight, particularly to male characters. A stream of The English on iPlayer gives the very same enhance with the Soundfield operate on.
I might say turning the Soundfield operate off produces a extra pure and balanced presentation – a subtler one to be extra actual – however you’d miss out on the small print I listed above.
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There’s no ‘Music’ mode, at the very least not one I can see listed, so there’s no technique of with the ability to alter the bar’s EQ. Nonetheless, with the Spotify Join stream of Orbital’s Petrol, it’s a punchy, energetic, and aggressive efficiency – the built-in subwoofer is put to good use. It’s not overly crisp in tone, however tracks like Elbow’s The Bones of You’ll be able to edge on sounding sibilant in Soundfield mode.
In any other case, the Sony HT-A5000 has all of the attributes for a very good music efficiency: stable dynamics, good vocal readability, brilliant (however not too sharp) treble copy, and plenty of power and energy driving its sound. I wouldn’t are likely to play music above quantity 50 until you’re internet hosting a celebration. Listening to Mitski’s Keep Smooth seems like I’m on a exercise.
The Bluetooth efficiency is healthier than I anticipated it will be, barely smoother in tone with bass not as highly effective, however there’s nonetheless power to Chvrches’ The Mom We Share. LDAC assist appears to raise its efficiency past the norm.
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Streaming over Chromecast from Amazon Music is combined. I’d urge you to stream through the Alexa connection slightly than the built-in Chromecast (you’d have to set the bar up with Alexa for this selection to current itself).
Use the built-in Chromecast and there’s not the identical stage of energy, thrust, or power to tracks. The default quantity is low; music sounds fuzzier in comparison with Spotify Join, and even with the Soundfield setting it sounds small. The worst half is that Extremely HD tracks are downscaled to HD. Select the Alexa connection and the efficiency is extra in step with different wi-fi sources.
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Do you have to purchase it? For its highly effective efficiency: The Sony HT-A5000 is a persistently highly effective soundbar throughout a variety of sources, with punchy bass, good dialogue placement and good steadiness throughout the frequency vary. For those who don’t have a lot area: The HT-A5000 is on the massive dimension, so if area is at a premium, take into account extra compact efforts just like the Sonos Beam 2 or Bose Sensible Soundbar 600.
Remaining Ideas The Sony HT-A5000 soundbar is nice for movies, TV, and music. Its efficiency out of the field is balanced, however with the Soundfield operate there’s a greater sense of top and width to go together with the bar’s innate sense of power and energy throughout all kinds of content material. It’s an enormous bar that can want area to function, and features greatest when paired with Sony TVs. There’s an improve path within the addition of a subwoofer and rear audio system, however this provides considerably to the price, making it as costly because the Sonos Arc Encompass Sound system. The Sony HT-A5000 is a robust immersive soundbar that can elevate a lounge’s audio expertise. The HT-A7000 is the higher bar, but when your finances received’t stretch to over £1000/$1000, the HT-A5000 is an effective different. Try our Finest Soundbar record for much more choices. Trusted Rating
How we check We check each soundbar system we evaluation completely over an prolonged time frame. We use trade commonplace assessments to match options correctly. We’ll all the time inform you what we discover. We by no means, ever, settle for cash to evaluation a product. Discover out extra about how we check in our ethics coverage. Examined for a number of weeks Examined with actual world use
FAQs Does the Sony HT-A5000 include a subwoofer? There isn’t a subwoofer included with the A5000 soundbar, however you may add one within the form of the SA-SW3 or SA-SW5 to extend the energy of the bass.