I tested the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 soundbar – I love its 5-minute rapid setup and exceptional surround sound

With Sony being such an established brand in the world of audio, their range of soundbars has been steadily growing over the past few years, with the BRAVIA soundbars being the brand's most advanced offering.

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 is one of Sony's top models, boasting Dolby Atmos, 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, realistic surround sound, and 11 speakers to deliver lows, mids, and highs that pop.

I put it to the test using movies, shows, and songs that showcase its ability to handle every sound, to see if it could be one of the best soundbars. Here's what I learned.

My one-minute verdict

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 is a great soundbar, with its most notable strengths being how easy and quick it is to set up (it took me five minutes), the exceptional audio detail, and the immersive, expansive surround sound experience it produces. It fills the room more naturally than other soundbars I've tested, and everything sounds well-balanced.

But it's let down by a weak bass. It's by no means bad, but for a soundbar that's this expensive, it isn't unreasonable to expect higher impact here. In certain scenes and songs, the bass is perfect, but a few times too many, it resulted in action scenes that lacked depth, and bass-y music that sounded rattly. If you're big on bass, I'd recommend the Sonos Arc Ultra instead (it's only an extra $100).

Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8: Specifications

Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8: Setup

What's included: The soundbar, power cable, HDMI cable, optical cable (which you'll need if your TV has no ARC port), manual, and wall bracket.

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 is essentially a plug-and-play soundbar, with minimal tech knowledge needed for a fast setup. Mine was up and running in less than five minutes, which is wonderfully low-stress.

Simply plug the soundbar into the mains and your TV, and your TV's audio starts playing instantly. If you want access to the full features, then you can connect the soundbar via Sony's BRAVIA Connect app.

The app is super straightforward, guiding you through each step with clear instructions. The data permission questions aren't the clearest, however, and many users may accidentally agree to Sony collecting data as it isn’t immediately clear whether it’s something that needs to be agreed to use it, or is optional.

Once the soundbar’s connected on the app, you can set up different features, like sound field optimization (for 360-degree spatial sound mapping), height of sound field, and more advanced network and system settings. It's one of the easiest devices I've ever introduced into my smart home setup.

Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8: Design and features

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 has a slim, low-profile design that's 43 inches wide, with a fabric grille that gives a softer, warmer aesthetic compared to matte and metallic soundbars. There are feet included if you need to raise the soundbar above your TV’s legs on the TV stand, with safe, non-slip bottoms.

It's one of Sony's top soundbars, meaning it supports almost all audio and video formats, including Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and IMAX Enhanced, as well as lossless audio files such as FLAC. It's also Bluetooth compatible to stream music from devices other than your TV, and it supports Spotify Connect and Apple AirPlay for quick streaming.

The app is where you'll find the soundbar's full set of features. As it's a premium model, it has surround sound capabilities, specifically 360 Spatial Sound Mapping and 360 Reality Audio for realistic cinema-style movies and high-fidelity music. You can turn the 'sound field' on and off, and the difference is huge. It really fills the room.

Sound field optimization is great, and means it can adjust to different-sized rooms, different soundbar positions (above or below the TV), and even the acoustics of the room influenced by soft furnishings and hard surfaces. After setting it up, a demo plays to show off the surround sound, and it’s stunning. It's a smart home must-have if you enjoy a rich audio experience.

You can adjust the viewing position using your phone’s microphone and the soundbar’s speakers to determine exactly where you’re sat, and then tweak the sound direction if you ever move seats.

It's great to see night mode, especially as I have close-by neighbors and haven't soundproofed the room. The EQ is limited, though, with only the option to adjust the bass between min, mid, and max.

I would’ve liked to see more options to play around with the sound, as occasionally, I would watch something that would benefit from more precise tuning. And also, as the bass is the weakest frequency, I'm always going to have it on max.

Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8: TV and movies

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 is a strong soundbar, delivering full-sounding and well-rounded audio, with special attention paid to the finer details. It lacks bass compared to other soundbars and sound systems I've tested, but it what it lacks in depth, it redeems itself with realistic, immersive surround sound.

The first thing I noticed when watching the pilot episode of Arrested Development: The quality is incredibly clear. So clear that during a scene where there’s background noise, it became a little distracting when cars went past or the wind blew, but mostly, this really pulled me into the scene. This is precise sound engineering – every voice sounded natural, every action felt real. I watched the whole episode and struggled to pick out points for improvement.

I felt this when watching John Wick: Chapter 2 as well, with detailed and exhilarating action sequences. Where the Sonos Arc Ultra (our favorite soundbar) shone in its low and high frequencies, making scenes feel deeper and fuller than what I’d heard before, the Sony delivers sound that’s sharp, poignant, and crisp, focusing more on the mid-high frequencies. The surround sound is immersive. With trains going past and crowds running in different directions, you can hear the sound waves travelling around your head.

Watching John Wick: Chapter 2, I felt Sony's bass isn’t as fulfilling as the Sonos, yet when watching Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos’ booming voice added the well-needed depth that makes his character so iconic. And every fight sequence was glorious – just as I remember from the cinema.

However, that seems like a fluke, perhaps owed to the level of sound engineering that Disney and Marvel have access to. In Our Planet II, the lack of bass could be felt again. With the Sonos and the Samsung HW-QS750F, another great soundbar I've tested, Our Planet II showed off the expansive, dramatic orchestral music with depth. But with the Sony, it seemed a little emptier in comparison, and David’s voice took the center stage above the unique sounds of the natural world.

This isn't a major complaint, but for such an expensive soundbar (and one of Sony's best), I would expect there not to be a noticeable weakness in the sound. Soundbars are mostly meant to deliver thumping, impactful bass as it adds depth to loud and intense scenes – something that regular TVs don't have the capacity for.

But what it lacks in bass, it makes up for in clarity. The voices in season six episode nine of Breaking Bad are resoundingly clear. Every scene has the right emotional delivery, and the eerie music (and its minimal changes and subtle drums) come through perfectly and give it richness. The surround sound is great too: Distant voices sound far away (and to the side), while on-screen voices are projected right towards you.

When watching Princess Mononoke, the voices sounded a bit tinny at times. Mostly it was great, but there were noticeable moments where it would benefit from deeper bass, even with the bass at its max setting. The highs of the music (pipes, strings) added lovely ambiance to emotional scenes, and the soundbar is capable of delivering full-sounding cinematic boom during dramatic scenes and action sequences. The attention to detail shines through once again: Cookware clanging, horses' hoofs, and gentle footsteps all sounded authentic.

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 might prove more useful for dialogue-heavy TV shows and fall movies that inspire decorating, for example, rather than tense, loud, and busy action movies that need stronger low frequencies.

Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8: Music

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 delivers music that sounds whole. Everything is (mostly) well-balanced, and songs with a mix of low-to-high frequencies sound hypnotic, filling the room with music where you can hear every detail. But similar to watching shows and movies, I found the bass to be the weakest element, occasionally even sounding rattly.

I heard this when listening to Matthew Halsall's An Ever Changing View, and the gentle jazz track doesn't even have particularly strong bass. It sounded as if the soundbar wasn't able to handle the low frequencies, instead distorting it (this was at volume 20, so not particularly loud, either).

Then, on Sade's Feel No Pain, it actually became a little distracting how much the bass struggled. It took away from her vocals and the subtler elements of the song. I'd say if you're organizing a music room and prioritize bass, perhaps if you're a fan of hip-hop and electronic, I'd recommend getting a separate subwoofer, like the wireless Sony SA-SW3.

In contrast, the mids and highs are gorgeous. Whether it's the funk breakdown in All Day Breakfast Cafe's What If Nile Rodgers And Fela Kuti Were Friends, or the folky melodies in Big Thief's Simulation Swarm, they sound so detailed it's intoxicating.

I also want to emphasize that while the bass is the weakest element, it's definitely not bad. It's present in every song I tested the soundbar with, and in more electronic tracks like Daft Punk's Phoenix and Four Tet's Three Drums, it adds the depth needed to give the songs their high energy. I just wanted to point it out, as many may expect a soundbar at this price point to deliver a more impactful bass.

Above all else, this soundbar excels in delivering clear details and balancing different frequencies. After leaving a playlist on in the background, you start to forget where the soundbar is positioned as the well-rounded sound fills the room so effectively. For that reason, I'd still recommend it for a music room or home theater.

Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8: Price

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 costs $999.99 at Sony. It's at the expensive end of the price range, where more expensive models tend to have sophisticated sound systems, rather than single soundbars.

The Sonos Arc Ultra costs an extra $100, and it's the best soundbar we've tested so far. Whether it's quiet dialogue, intense action, or any genre of music, the audio quality was shockingly good. Everything sounded full and detailed – what you'd expect from such an expensive design.

For $400 less, the Samsung HW-QS750F is a great alternative. It's a setup comprised of a soundbar, a woofer, and two surround speakers, so it takes up a lot more space in your living room, but because of the different audio outputs, no elements suffer. The surround sound was immersive, and the music sounded fantastic.

How I tested the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8

I tested the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 in my home, in the largest room in the house. I tested every feature available on the BRAVIA Connect app, including optimizing spatial sound to my room size, and all of the sound settings included night mode and voice mode.

To standardize testing across every soundbar, I use a set list of scenes and songs:

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Fast-paced, loud, and busy action scenes, with dialogue, explosions, artificial sound effects (casting spells and mystical creatures), emotional scenes, and a dramatic score.
• Avengers: Infinity War. Transitions from distant loud noises to immersive action, with dialogue, crowds, artificial sci-fi sounds, and fight scenes. Ideal for testing spatial audio and hearing fine details during loud moments.
• John Wick: Chapter 2. Fast-paced action, tense music, and background noise (trains, crowds, traffic).
• Breaking Bad (season five episode nine). Intimate dialogue between two characters, switching between whispering to impassioned shouting.
• Arrested Development (season one episode one). Fast-paced dialogue in a casual setting, voices with different pitches, and background scenes.
• Princess Mononoke. Emotional sequences with rich musical scores and Foley (creating sounds for animation).
• Our Planet II. Ideal for testing audio range, with wide-ranging nature sounds, music (from dramatic to subtle), and narration.

And to test music quality, I listen to songs from different genres and times that highlight different frequencies, instruments, voices, and sounds. This list is roughly ordered from bass-heavy to high treble (listen to the playlist here on Spotify):

• Angel by Massive Attack. Trip-hop, electronic, slow build-up, percussion.
• Phoenix by Daft Punk. Electronic, dance, thumping bass, soft highs, cymbals, sampling, synths.
• Oh My God by A Tribe Called Quest. Hip-hop, overlapping voices, tight bass, vocal sampling, subtle crackling, jazz influence.
• Didn't Cha Know by Erykah Badu. Neo-soul, layered instruments, varied percussion, synths, smooth trebles, and strong midrange.
• Feel No Pain by Sade. Smooth soul, electronic, full audio range including low bass, strong midrange, soft highs.
• Three Drums by Four Tet. Electronic, dance, layered live instruments, soft drums.
• Simulation Swarm by Big Thief. Soft folk, melodic, full band, pure midrange, vocal trebles.
• Suzanne by Leonard Cohen. Old, low-fidelity, high-emotion, guitar, strong midrange.
• Ramble On by Led Zeppelin. Hard rock (with quiet moments), full band, slow-to-fast pace.
• Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) by Marvin Gaye. Jazzy soul, trebles overlapping the midrange, with occasional low frequencies.
• The Sea by Morcheeba. Emphasized midrange alongside vocal highs and percussive lows.
• Robber by The Weather Station. Soft pop, subtle sounds, high trebles, brass, strings, isolated drums.
• An Ever-Changing View by Matthew Halsall. Jazz, chimes, brass, varied percussion.
• What If Nile Rodgers And Fela Kuti Were Friends by All Day Breakfast Cafe. Funk, breakdown, high energy, slow moments, smooth vocals.
• Pitch the Baby by Cocteau Twins. Dream pop, pure treble, synths, electronically altered voices.
• Set Fire to the Rain by Adele. Pop, booming voice, high emotion.
• Location by Playboi Carti. Hip-hop, high highs, electronic layering, trap rhythms.

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