Sony has announced the HT-A3000 soundbar, bringing a Dolby Atmos-powered audio experience to market for £599.
The HT-A3000 is also modular, as it can be combined with rear speakers to provide 360 Spatial Sound, according to Sony. The SA-RS5 and SA-RS3S are available separately for £699 and £449 respectively.
However, it’s the presence of the en vogue Dolby Atmos technology that’ll pique the interest of A/V enthusiasts looking to upgrade their entertainment setup.
Sony’s £599 offering goes into direct competition with the sector leading Sonos Arc speaker, and it’s a substantial £300 cheaper than the Arc’s recommended retail price. Whether it can live up to the overall experience provided by the Arc remains to be seen, but it’ll certainly be a tempter for those weighing-up soundbar options.
Indeed our Sonos Arc reviewer summed up the dilemma quite well. He wrote: “Although, you could save a significant sum of money and check out some cheaper Atmos soundbars that also support a subwoofer to boot, though they don’t sound quite as good.”
Sony is also touting Google Assistant and Chromecast support built-in, along with Alexa compatibility. There’s support for Apple AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect, as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. In terms of physical connectivity, there’s HDMI eARC support.
As well as launching the HT-A3000 in October, along with the 180W SA-RS5 and 100W SA-RS35 wireless rear speakers, Sony will also enable users to add the SA-SW5 subwoofer or SA-SW3 subwoofer to the array too.
“You can add the SA-SW5 subwoofer with 300W of deep, rich bass from a 180mm driver with passive radiator or, opt for the SA-SW3 subwoofer with 200W of sound from a compact bass reflex subwoofer with a 160mm driver,” the company says in a press release.
Sony is also confirming European availability for the higher-end HT-A5000, which also offers 5.1.2 channel sound, Atmos, DTS:X and the same ability to create the exclusive-to-Sony “360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology”. That’ll cost £899 and it’ll also go on sale in October.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.