Sony Bravia Theatre 2024: immersive home theater sound from Sony

Sony has just unveiled two new soundbars, a revolutionary home theater system and a neckband speaker for ultra-immersive cinematic sound. Here is an overview of these new products!

Sony renews its home theater audio ranges, which are now part of the Sony Bravia Theatre family. Sony’s new 2024 audio devices include two new soundbars, a four-speaker 360° home theater system (successor to the famous HT-A9) and a neckband speaker for solo home theater and gaming.

Sony Bravia Theatre Quad

Acclaimed by the press from the moment it went on sale in 2022, the Sony HT-A9 system revolutionized home theater by offering true 360° immersive sound with just four speakers.

• See the Sony HT-A9 review

Two years on, Sony has reinvented its disruptive home theater with an all-new design for easy integration and installation. Now called Sony Bravia Theater Quad, this set consists of four speakers in a flat, square format with rounded edges. Covered in an attractive gray fabric, they can be placed on a piece of furniture using the supplied stand, or mounted on the wall.

There are three drivers on the front of each speaker: a tweeter, a midrange driver and a woofer. This three-way design covers a wide range of frequencies, from the low frequencies of explosions and gunshots to the high frequencies of an airplane or helicopter.

Each speaker also features a fourth driver on top, responsible for diffusing the vertical effects of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks.

360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology is used to create the virtual speakers needed to reproduce a truly immersive 360-degree sound field, using just four speakers.

The box that accompanies and powers the four speakers of the Sony Bravia Theatre Quad integrates an HDMI input for connecting a source (4K UHD Blu-ray player, AV network player), and an HDMI ARC/eARC output for connecting a 4K TV, both of which are compatible with 4K 120Hz, 8K 60Hz, HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision. There’s also an Ethernet and WiFi network controller for streaming and a bi-directional Bluetooth controller, as well as an S-Center Out audio output, to send the center channel to the speakers of a compatible Sony TV.

Price and availability

The Sony Bravia Theatre Quad is due to go on sale in June. Its selling price will be between €2,500 and €3,000.

Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9

Replacing the Sony HT-A7000 soundbar, the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 gains two additional drivers, with a total of 13 transducers to deliver immersive sound all around the audience thanks to 360 Sound Mapping technology.

It, too, benefits from an all-new design, with a recycled fabric finish that’s both elegant and more respectful of the environment.

All Dolby and DTS sound formats are supported via the HDMI input and HDMI eARC port, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. This soundbar’s HDMI 2.1 connectivity is also compatible with 4K 120Hz and 8K 60Hz, as well as Dolby Vision and HDR10 (passthrough).

Price and availability

The Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 will go on sale in May. Pricing will be announced shortly.

Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 8

The Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 8 is the successor to the Sony HT-A5000 soundbar, from which it takes its acoustic formula with two additional drivers (11 in total), to improve the precision of sound effects and the amplitude.

Connectivity, audio decoding and HDMI functions are identical to the Sony Bravia Theater 9, which retains higher power (not indicated by the manufacturer) and more drivers for enhanced immersion.

The two new Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 8 and Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 soundbars, as well as the Sony Bravia Theatre Quad system, are compatible with the Sony SA-SW5 and Sony SA-SW3 wireless subwoofers.

Each soundbar can also be combined with a pair of Sony SA-RS5 surround speakers for even greater spatialization and more precise sound effects. These speakers have a built-in battery, so they don’t need a power supply and can be easily placed anywhere in the room. They feature an upward-firing driver for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X effects.

Price and availability

The Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 8 will also go on sale in May. Sony is due to unveil its sales price shortly.

Sony Bravia Theatre U

The Sony Bravia Theatre U is a neckband speaker designed to deliver immersive sound to the user, guaranteeing an unrivalled personal listening experience. Capable of reproducing Dolby Atmos soundtracks, it directs the sound towards the user’s ears, immersing them in the heart of the action. The sound beam is precisely aimed at the ears, so that people around them hear very little of the sound.

Note that two Sony Bravia Theatre U neckaband speakers can be connected simultaneously to the same TV. Each spectator can then enjoy an enveloping, clear and immersive sound, and adjust the volume to their liking.

Price and availability

The Sony Bravia Theatre U neckband speaker is due to go on sale in the summer. The price will be revealed shortly.

Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 8, Bar 9 and Quad: shared features

360 Spatial Sound Mapping

The system creates several phantom drivers in areas of the room where there is no physical driver, e.g. above or to the sides. Audiences enjoy 360-degree spatialized sound, optimized for their home environment. They perceive sounds coming from several directions, just like in a movie theater, without the need to install speakers on the walls or ceiling.

Sound Field Optimization

Sound Field Optimization technology automatically adjusts each driver according to the layout of the room, to deliver the impact of true cinema sound at home.

Acoustic Center Sync

This technology makes the drivers of the Sony Bravia Theatre audio system work in harmony with those of a Sony Bravia TV. In particular, it allows dialogue to be played through the TV’s drivers, so that it literally bursts out of the screen, just like in the movies.

Voice Zoom 3

Sony’s Voice Zoom 3 technology recognizes human voices thanks to an AI algorithm that can amplify or reduce their volume. Even discreet dialogue is clear. Voice Zoom 3 settings can be changed directly from the BRAVIA Connect appl, without having to display the menu bar on the TV screen while a film is playing.

IMAX Enhanced certification

Sony BRAVIA Theatre Bar 9, Bar 8 and Quad are not only Dolby Atmos and DTS:X compatible, they are also IMAX Enhanced certified (via future update). The assurance of enjoying a home theater experience that respects the vision and intention of the filmmaker.

Dolby Vision Passthrough, 4K 120Hz

In addition to supporting Dolby Atmos soundtracks, Sony Bravia Theatre 2024 home theater audio systems are Dolby Vision compatible. They allow any 4K Dolby Vision signal to pass unaltered from their HDMI 2.1 input to their HDMI 2.1 output, so that the TV receives an image that is completely true to the source. 4K 20Hz and 8K 60Hz signals are also supported.

Connectivity

The Sony Bravia Theater 2024 and Bravia Theater Quad soundbars feature Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity. The first enables music played from a Bluetooth-connected smartphone to be broadcast. The second enables audio streaming via the Apple AirPlay protocol, as well as voice control with Alexa and Google Assistant (Works with Alexa / Works with Hey Google).

New Sony Bravia Theater 2024 products: summary

With its new Sony Bravia Theater soundbars and home theater systems, the Japanese manufacturer offers a range of solutions for enjoying an extremely immersive experience on film and video game soundtracks, in the comfort of your own home.

In addition to the classic Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 8 and Bar 9 soundbars, Sony offers a very surprising system: the Bravia Theatre U neckband speaker, optimized for solo listening. As for the Sony Bravia Theatre Quad, it takes up and improves on the strengths of the famous Sony HT-A9 wireless home theater for even greater immersion, with a superb design and easy integration.