Second Chance Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 8

The BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 has a sleek and modern design that looks great in any living room. The sleek appearance and high-quality materials provide a luxurious appearance. Thanks to its compact size, it fits easily under your TV without being noticeable.

Installing the BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 is simple, especially with a Sony TV. With HDMI ARC you're ready quickly, and the wireless subwoofer connects automatically. Sony TVs benefit from BRAVIA Sync, allowing you to control everything with one remote control.

In terms of sound quality, the BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 does not disappoint. With Dolby Atmos and DTS
everything sounds spacious and compelling. The Vertical Surround Engine offers extra dimension without additional speakers. Perfect match with Sony TVs for a cinema experience at home.

I was able to test this soundbar together with the new Sony Bravia TV. When I unpacked this soundbar, I immediately thought the design was beautiful. Fits perfectly under this TV. But when setting it up I immediately encountered a problem. This is not possible without instructions. Perhaps this is why my test in the first week was disappointing. At first I didn't like the sound at all. I corrected it several times but it did not improve. Only after resetting did I get completely different settings and, for example, I was also asked whether I wanted to connect the soundbar to the TV so that TV sound also becomes part of the sound.
I think the sound is good on normal mode. But I find the surround effect a bit disappointing. You hear the sound becoming broad, but not as in pictures you have to believe that because of the Spacial sound it also comes from "behind". This is really not the case. This also applies to Atmos sound. In the best tests via YouTube you can hear it, but in many films I barely hear it. Anyway, the sound in general is fine.
I think the bass from the soundbar is really good. A subwoofer is not necessary. The remote control is a bit poor. The disadvantage is that with bass you cannot see which setting it is in, not even via the Bravia app. This app is useful, but could be better. Connecting the app to the soundbar sometimes takes quite a while!
The combination TV and soundbar is really a positive thing, it makes it one whole!
This soundbar has almost all surround types, this is done automatically. And this works great! Still, I think if you place background speakers the sound will be much better. But I expected it without these boxes and this is a shame. In short, a nice soundbar, but in combination with a new Sony Bravia TV!