Sony’s Cheaper Dolby Atmos Soundbar Is Made for Small Spaces

Hot off the heels of the extremely beefy HT-A7000, Sony’s again with yet one more Dolby Atmos soundbar. And whereas the specs on these two audio system are fairly related, the Sony AT-5000 is supposed for smaller rooms and areas. Oh, and it’s $400 cheaper.

While the A7000 is a 7.1.2 channel soundbar, the A5000 is a 5.1.2 system, which means it has two fewer audio system constructed in. It additionally forgoes the 7000’s aspect beam tweeters for normal ol’ beam tweeters and sacrifices an HDMI 2.1 port. Otherwise, the specs are virtually an identical, with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and Sony’s 360 Reality Audio. The A5000 additionally has Sony’s auto-calibration tech, which is supposed to optimize the sound for the room that you simply’re in. You additionally get help for 8K HDR, 4K at 120p, and Dolby Vision passthrough. Like the A7000, it’s a buildable system that’s appropriate with non-compulsory rear audio system and a subwoofer. They each additionally help Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa, in addition to Chromecast. And it additionally helps Sony’s new characteristic that lets you join the soundbar on to its Bravia TVs for an built-in UI.

So, what offers? It appears a tad odd that Sony would put out a less expensive soundbar that isn’t that a lot completely different from its flagship. When I requested Sony, the corporate identified one factor I’d missed. The A5000 is a lot extra compact and weighs an entire 16 kilos much less. While the A7000 is 54 inches lengthy and 9 inches tall, the A5000 is 37 inches lengthy and 6 inches tall.

I’m at present testing the A7000, and let me inform you, this factor is a hefty boy. It barely matches on my TV stand (which holds my 55-inch LG TV simply nice) and albeit blocks the underside of the TV display. And in my humble New York City bed room? It’s the definition of overkill.

According to Sony, the A5000 is supposed for people in smaller houses or who plan to make use of it in a smaller leisure room. And whereas it helps passthrough and 4K at 120p, its single HDMI 2.1 enter doesn’t make it the best choice if you wish to get fancy along with your setup. The A7000 is for these cavernous dwelling rooms or for individuals who need to run their consoles, set-top bins, and every part else by their soundbar. The A5000 is for metropolis dwellers who don’t want their socks actually blown off their ft whereas watching an motion movie.

It is smart in that context, nevertheless it nonetheless feels a bit like muddying the waters. At $900, the A5000 continues to be expensive—particularly since we’re starting to see Dolby Atmos added to mid-range soundbars. However, getting a single-solution Atmos soundbar that may simulate peak for below $1,000 continues to be a great proposition. (The Sonos Arc is $800, whereas the Vizio Elevate is a good $1,000.)

The HT-A5000 will likely be obtainable for order in “early fall” at approved sellers. In the meantime, you possibly can take a look at the complete specs here.