Sony 'bar demands to be upgraded

This well-specified Dolby Atmos soundbar may have a mid-range price tag, but you'll soon want to spend more, cautions Steve May

CONSCIENTIOUSLY SPECIFIED AND irresistibly upgradable, the Sony HT-A5000 is a next-generation soundbar with a deceptively attractive price. 

Sporting three forward-facing X-Balanced (which is to say they're more bassy than you might expect) drivers, two side-firing beam tweeters, a pair of height speakers, and dual integrated woofers, it's classified as a 5.1.2 sound system. There's DTS:X support as well as de facto Dolby Atmos, a claimed 450W of amplification and a 4K/120Hz capable HDMI input. Not bad for £699. The thing is, if you buy one, you'll want to spend more. Much more...

The HT-A5000 sits below the £1,099 500W Sony HT-A7000 (HCC #326). That model is classified as a 7.1.2 system, thanks to its five front drivers and two side tweeters, but it has a comparable feature specification. This makes the more modest HT-A5000 look like a bit of a steal.

But I'm here to warn you that what appears to be a mid-priced soundbar is actually a high-end component in disguise. To unlock its full potential, you need only add 360 spatial sound rears and a partnering subwoofer. Of course, you may be able to resist, but I doubt it.

Well-connected

The HT-A5000 is rather big at 1,210mm wide, so best partnered with 55in-65in TVs. Build quality is superb, with a slick black-finished chassis and smart metallic grille to protect the driver complement. Touch-sensitive controls up top cover source selection, volume and Bluetooth pairing.

Connectivity includes two HDMI ports, one with eARC for a TV connection. As mentioned, the HDMI in will pass 4K/120Hz gaming feeds, plus Dolby Vision HDR. There's also an S-Center Out minijack, allowing the soundbar to function as a centre speaker with compatible Sony TVs; a legacy optical digital audio input; and music-file friendly USB-A port. And in addition to Bluetooth (v5.0), there's Wi-Fi onboard