Sony HT-A5000 Review | Trusted Reviews

Verdict

A robust-sounding Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundbar, the Sony HT-A5000 produces a transparent, detailed, and in the precise setting, expansive soundstage. It performs effectively with TV and music too for many who desire a soundbar that’s a constant performer throughout a spread of sources.

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 inexpensive, with fewer channels of audio (9 in comparison with 11), fewer connections and fewer energy at its disposal.

The worth bracket by which the Sony HT-A5000 finds itself in just isn’t 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

• Massive footprint
• LED show
• Distinctive appears to be like

Compact just isn’t 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 take a seat comfortably beneath most TVs, however the width could possibly be an issue if in case you have a TV that has stick out ft.

The width of the bar is near that of a 55-inch TV however making an attempt 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 advantageous although you’ll want some house in entrance of the TV to accommodate the A5000.

The aesthetics have been pared down from the divisive HT-A7000 (which I preferred 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 considered from a seating place, alongside bass ports at both finish.

Connections are housed in a recessed space across the again of the unit, with onboard controls on the highest floor. The upfiring drivers are coated by the identical kind of grille that options on the entrance – it provides the A5000 a particular look that I think about some might not take to. This isn’t actually a bar that disappears into its atmosphere, however I don’t thoughts that.

The distant is similar because the one packaged with the A7000. It doesn’t characteristic backlit buttons, however the structure is superb with responsive presses and a pleasant, comfortable really feel that makes it good to make use of. There are a number of particular buttons with enter switching and, in case you add rears and subwoofer, quantity management for these items.

Options

• 4K HDR pass-through
• Dolby Atmos and DTS:X compatibility
• 360 Actuality Audio help

Connections entail an HDMI enter and output, optical enter, and USB. The HDMI enter can pass-through HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Imaginative and prescient indicators (at 4K/60). There’s at present no 4K/120Hz help 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 help to stream increased high quality audio information over Bluetooth (the bar may transmit in LDAC to different units).

The USB port can play MP3, FLAC, ALAC, DSD and extra, whereas the HDMI ports help a coterie of codecs from Dolby (Atmos, Digital+, TrueHD), DTS (DTS-HD MA, Excessive Decision audio, DTS:X) and LPCM soundtracks to call just a few.

Sony’s Vertical Encompass Engine creates ‘digital’ peak channels alongside the bodily upfiring drivers, whereas the S-Pressure PRO Entrance Encompass claims to fireplace sound in direction of the listener to create a soundfield that wraps across the viewer.

There may be additionally the Sound Subject Optimization characteristic, which makes use of the bar’s built-in microphones to measure the peak and width of the house it’s in to optimise the sound for the room.

The Sound Subject Optimization characteristic 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 machine to rope in Alexa smarts (Google Assistant voice management can be potential).

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 characteristic whereby each the TV and the soundbar can perform 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 primary one being the soundbar can play spatial (or 3D) audio tracks from the likes of Tidal and Amazon Music streaming providers. This may be arrange by means 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 Subject Optimization, the 360 Spatial Sound Mapping processing creates phantom audio system for a much 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 worth up although.

Sony (so far as I can inform) hasn’t gone into the precise specifics of the HT-A5000’s driver setup, however 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 increase 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 perform expands soundstage
• Good music efficiency

The tone and general 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 ‘peak’. It performs just like the youthful, smaller sibling of the A7000.

However don’t let that dissuade you from taking a better take 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 drive to punches within the combat scene between Sapper Morton and Ok. Including a subwoofer would make the scene much more explosive.

It adopts the identical pure, crisp tone with voices because the A7000, inserting dialogue the place it originates on display. It describes fairly succinctly the distinction between the deeper, sterner voice of Sapper Morton and lighter cadence of Ok, which could not look like a giant issue however achieves the act of immersing the viewer with dialogue the place not a lot is occurring visually.

With Jordan Peele’s Nope (with Atmos enabled) there’s weight to dialogue too, however it by no means sounds something aside from pure with no sibilance famous.

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 Ok’s dialog in Blade Runner 2049.

The sense of peak 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 constructive impact by affording the HT-A5000 a much bigger soundscape to play in. Sound results and dialogue ‘escape’ the bar higher fairly than feeling as in the event that they’re coming straight from the cupboard.

With the Soundfield impact on, the race scene by means 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 just a few notches as Parzival’s DeLorean skips by means of the chaos of automobiles and trains flipping over, dinosaurs plucking competing racers from the highway and King Kong leaping from above.

Peak results are extra noticeable within the Soundfield mode, with slightly extra punch and energy afforded to the scene.

The Soundfield perform evokes a crisper tone, with slightly sharpness evident that ends in a smidge of sibilance with dialogue. In Prepared Participant One’s Distracted Globe sequence, the sense of vitality to the scene is appreciated, however the sharp tone does really feel tough in locations.

The Soundfield setting may 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 making an attempt to dredge up each little bit of element within the scene as a substitute of concentrating on what’s within the foreground.

The bar’s efficiency with DTS:X and stereo content material mirrors its Atmos efficiency watching Get Out. Turning the Soundfield perform on widens and raises the soundstage – ambient sounds have a much bigger presence and background sounds are projected ahead.

Its crisp and sharp tone provides the movie’s bounce scares a much bigger impression. There’s the increase to dialogue in including extra weight, particularly to male characters. A stream of The English on iPlayer affords the very same increase with the Soundfield perform on.

I’d say turning the Soundfield perform off produces a extra pure and balanced presentation – a subtler one to be extra actual – however you’d miss out on the main points I listed above.

There’s no ‘Music’ mode, no less than not one I can see listed, so there’s no technique of having the ability to alter the bar’s EQ. However, 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 may edge on sounding sibilant in Soundfield mode.

In any other case, the Sony HT-A5000 has all of the attributes for a great music efficiency: stable dynamics, good vocal readability, brilliant (however not too sharp) treble replica, and plenty of vitality and energy driving its sound. I wouldn’t are inclined to play music above quantity 50 except you’re internet hosting a celebration. Listening to Mitski’s Keep Comfortable appears 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 vitality to Chvrches’ The Mom We Share. LDAC help appears to raise its efficiency past the norm.

Streaming over Chromecast from Amazon Music is combined. I’d urge you to stream through the Alexa connection fairly than the built-in Chromecast (you’d have to set the bar up with Alexa for this feature to current itself).

Use the built-in Chromecast and there’s not the identical degree of energy, thrust, or vitality 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 consistent with different wi-fi sources.

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