Sony HT-A5000 Soundbar Review - Should you buy it?

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Sony HT-A5000 Soundbar Review - Should you buy it?

Рет қаралды 104,318

Күн бұрын

The Sony HT-A5000 is a standalone 5.1.2 setup released in 2021. It's not as well-built as the 7.1.2 Sony HT-A7000, and its soundstage performance isn't as impressive. Still, it offers Sony's Virtual Surround Engine and S-Force Pro Front Surround technologies to help create a more immersive listening experience, and there's also Sound Field Optimization technology to optimize audio reproduction based on the room you're listening in. You can access this feature on your TV, which some users may find more handy than controlling the bar with an app or a remote. Its neutral, slightly U-shaped sound profile is suitable for many different types of audio content. However, there's a disappointing lack of sound customization features for such a premium model.
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00:00 Intro
00:43 Design
02:04 Test Results
08:25 Verdict
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Пікірлер: 93

@pereparabol Жыл бұрын

Idk about slight difference in price before, but HT-A7000 costs £400 more than HT-A5000 today, which makes it 60%+ more expensive.

@dean2663 2 жыл бұрын

I heard this in Best Buy with the rears and sun. The surround demo founded absolutely amazing. About $1450 for the whole package.

@RTINGSdotcom 2 жыл бұрын

If you end up picking it up let us know what you think!

@lebavu8260 Жыл бұрын

I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty skeptical about these 5.1 soundbars with upward and side firing speakers. But found a great open box deal and figured why not, since my Sony tv is in a small “dining” room. Once I setup and ran through the sound test demo my cat was running all over the place trying to “chase” the sounds that I could hear bouncing off the ceilings and was pretty impressed for the price. Only thing I noticed is that finding Dolby Atmos sources can kind of hit or miss. Like certain movies you could clearly notice the “3D surround” a lot better than other Atmos movies. Been testing different movies all over again just to admire lol. But yeah imo I found most newer movies in the last 3 years, Atmos sounded more realistic than older movies even if they both say Dolby Atmos on them but that’s expected and I can accept that. I’m a bit late in the game but going to have fun testing my library again or finding new movies to admire

@ishkapiska4516 10 ай бұрын

What’s the best movie or atmos video you’ve found yet to test your system out?

@dommitchell4319 9 ай бұрын

Do you have the rear RS5 speakers? If not, that could be the fix to the Atmos problem you describe, as they add 2 more atmos upfiring speakers.

@claykeough7898 2 жыл бұрын

I have this with the rear speakers and it's awesome. I'm happy with the sound and the 'sub' bass in the bar seriously sounds good. Well balanced and surround is great especially now that they just added the 360 sound update

@asherring83 2 жыл бұрын

How do you update?

@claykeough7898 2 жыл бұрын

@@asherring83 If your soundbar is connected to the internet you should be able to update by pressing 'home' button and going to your menu on the tv screen

@asherring83 2 жыл бұрын

Does the fact that you can’t adjust Treble, mid, etc. bother you? Just a bass adjustment? Seems silly there’s no EQ settings option on a expensive soundbar like this? May be the make or break for me. Unless there’s something I’m missing. Can you speak to this?

@claykeough7898 2 жыл бұрын

@@asherring83 it was weird at first but I've never had such balanced theater like sound at home even my 2500 dollar systems from the past don't hold a candle to the clarity and balance, but I do have eArc supporting Bravia tv and added the rear speakers which has been well worth it.

@claykeough7898 2 жыл бұрын

@@asherring83also allow the microphones in the bar to adjust ( it actually takes a couple weeks for it to get to it's full potential by automatically equalizing it's sound to your room. It's night and day. Just make sure to do the room optimizing test once you're set up and don't reset your bar if you don't have to. The sound will get better and better. I don't even have a sub and feel like I'm in a theater room now. Helps my tv is the x91j 85" but still amazing experience. Definitely happy with it

@claykeough7898 3 ай бұрын

You forget the overall way the bar distributes the sounds very nicely instead of some combination of mid low and high where it's very flat

@SHW5010 9 ай бұрын

Anyone else loving Adams Tee Shirt…

@GiBMan70 9 ай бұрын

Better than the A7000 simply by virtue of not having the stupid glossy top that reflects the entire content of your TV if it's in front of it .

@vqa33 6 ай бұрын

I’ve opened comments to write the same thing,

@vqa33 6 ай бұрын

also it's bettter then bose 900 due to the same reason while rtings thinks that 5000 is worser product )))

@BlackCrowVr 5 ай бұрын

Is this better sound than the a7000?

@NicholasPaulFranks 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your time with this. Are the deficiencies you mentioned rectified by getting the A7000? Best, Nick

@lebavu8260 Жыл бұрын

Does anyone know, but if I add a pair of the rear rs3s speakers (without the additional top firing speakers like the newer rs5’s) and my audio source is Dolby Atmos, does that mean the main a5000 soundbar can still produce the same 3D Atmos sound in the front, while the rears will just play in stereo? Or would the soundbar convert the audio source into something more compatible and lose the “3D” affect overall?

@genreonlinenet Ай бұрын

Thank you for your review. It was straight forward and honest. Thank you again.

@rajan4334 Жыл бұрын

Sony HT A5000 with just Sw3 sub vs jbl 1000 pro - which is better option for watching movies ?? Please guide

@RTINGSdotcom Жыл бұрын

Hello! If you’re looking for personalized buying advice, this is something our experts help with via our insider forums on our website!

@vqa33 6 ай бұрын

don't buy JBL

@calumjones 11 ай бұрын

I don't know why companies keep just making 144cm flagships. Some people have small homes and so have 55" TVs instead... In fact that's exactly the logical demographic for a soundbar, because anyone with a big enough room to have a 65" not overwhelm it, can easily fit a proper speaker setup instead of a soundbar.

@jahjah444 5 ай бұрын

Any recommendations ? For best home speakers

@BMWKante Жыл бұрын

Do you notice a faint noise in the area of the display? It’s like coil whine. It’s good to hear on my Soundbar when it’s muted. Any experiences?

@RTINGSdotcom Жыл бұрын

Unfortunately this isn’t something we noticed during testing. For stuff like this, if we notice it, we’d make sure to mention it in the review. Sorry about that!

@BMWKante Жыл бұрын

@@RTINGSdotcom thank you for your reply

@oleksandrkamniev3407 Жыл бұрын

Guys, help if you know please 🙏🏻 I got Sony a95k, ps5 and A7000. So it sounds like an amazing set up, but… [First I connected console without sound bar with Belkin ultra high speed HDMI cable as well as tried w/original hdmi cable included with my ps5. (Same result) To enable 120hz I used to go to tv settings and enable enhanced VRR mode for the HDMI I’m using. Then I put “Performance mode” on PS5 and switched on VRR. So it looks like I actually got range of 60-120hz. And it looks like 120hz was working in COD MW2 at least. Then I added A7000 sound bar and reconnected my ps5 through sound bar as described in manuals. I also checked that HDMI sound bar ports are also on enhanced 120hz mode. As it connects to tv through eARC hdmi (#3), I checked all tv settings related to tv eARC HDMI to make sure “enhanced VRR” is on too. But on PS5 menu it tels me “my tv is not supporting VRR” (and yes, it’s on «performance mode and ,as I mentioned , VRR enabled on TV for this eARC HDMI too)… But it doesn’t work… HDMI cable same as I used before. So everything should logically work. But isn’t. Do you know Why? Thank you

@Ryzza5 Жыл бұрын

Have you checked for firmware updates on case it adds or fixes this feature?

@sumitchaudhary343 Жыл бұрын

Hows a7000 performance are u using it standalone

@mohamedalkaboom Жыл бұрын

You are a rich man!

@ishkapiska4516 10 ай бұрын

Plug it in ur tv not through the soundbar

@oleksandrkamniev3407 5 ай бұрын

@@Ryzza5I did, it didn’t fix the problem.

@Rossantonelli 2 жыл бұрын

hello, can you bring the review of the Huawei mate gt 34? I think it will be a very good monitor, a lot of us are buying it

@RTINGSdotcom 2 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately, we won't be reviewing this monitor anytime soon. We currently only buy and review products that are available for purchase in the US and this one doesn't appear to be. Sorry about that!

@mpex1980 Жыл бұрын

You got to review it 5months ago...but its only being released here now

@RTINGSdotcom Жыл бұрын

I'm not sure where you're located, but we buy and review all of our own products, so we ended up purchasing this and got it shipped from the US!

@sunshinehwy 6 ай бұрын

I heard s centre channel doesnt even work unfortunately

@youssefhamidi8152 Жыл бұрын

Anyone reading this should consider the Bose 900 with the Bas Module 700. I ended up testing out several various soundbar systems and for me the design and sound from Bose is an excellent choice.

@Leorgo Жыл бұрын

Idk.. I wasn't as impressed with the Bose 900.. I liked the JBL 9.1 better.. it's #2 on my list. But I also think it's unfair that some demos (at best buy) are better than others. But with that said, the Sony A5000 sounded heavy on the bass and it didn't even have a subwoofer. I guess it's not big for nothing. It's about the largest soundbar I've seen and #1 on my list but the JBL is a great size for my room.

@youssefhamidi8152 Жыл бұрын

@@Leorgo i didnt actually try that jbl. Looking at the specs is pretty solid and priced at almost half of what the bose set goes for.

@DjR3aper 9 ай бұрын

@@Leorgosony bar has a sub inside it

@ThibautMahringer 2 жыл бұрын

The highs past 7khz seems too missing based on the frequency response measurements

@zumiezdc 2 жыл бұрын

Can you speak to the Latency performance? I know I’m the video it has a score of 6.5 with ARC: 102ms Optical: 109 ms Full HDMI: 111 ms But the ratings website has a score of 9.1 ARC: 14 ms Optical: 25 ms Full HDMI: -44ms.

@RTINGSdotcom 2 жыл бұрын

There were some updates that changed the way this soundbar peeformed. The values in our reviews are the most updated and accurate!

@yabadabauk Жыл бұрын

@@RTINGSdotcom Sorry, do you mean the video review or website review is the most accurate?

@calumjones 11 ай бұрын

Since they make you pay money for the data on the website, it better be the website.

@jimmycruz9114 Жыл бұрын

How does this compare to htg700

@RTINGSdotcom Жыл бұрын

Here's our comparison between both models, hope it helps clear things up for you! :) www.rtings.com/soundbar/tools/compare/sony-ht-g700-vs-sony-ht-a5000/13985/28192?usage=8767&threshold=0.10

@StephenPhillips Жыл бұрын

If I get the soundbar by itself without the subwoofer, will I still get 360-degree sound throughout the living room?

@RTINGSdotcom Жыл бұрын

If you don't get the full setup, then you won't have the same performance. So, the 360-degree sound feature likely won't be as immersive as it could be with the full setup. Sorry about that!

@StephenPhillips Жыл бұрын

@@RTINGSdotcom Will I still get decent sound with just the soundbar?

@vqa33 6 ай бұрын

@@StephenPhillips yes it will be decent sound, i don't know why they afraid to answer basic questions.

@user-lu8mf8vm6r 7 ай бұрын

is it good for my xbox series X? i have recently purchased both microsoft's Dolby & dts:X sound applications fro hometheatre and headphones so i wonder wether i should buy it or not, since it supports both audio formats. Tnx.

@jtee9548 2 жыл бұрын

Very well done.

@Ptmoretti Жыл бұрын

So basically this isn't so good, which one do you recommend for best budget atmos sound bar?

@RTINGSdotcom Жыл бұрын

We consider the www.rtings.com/soundbar/reviews/vizio/m-series-m512a-h6 to be the best budget dolby atmos soundbar we’ve tested. You can see some other options here: www.rtings.com/soundbar/reviews/vizio/m-series-m512a-h6 as well. Hope this helps!

@noneyabizz8337 Жыл бұрын

I'd avoid Vizio, I've got the VIZIO SB36514-G6 36 and there are issues. It sometimes won't play audio unless I cycle through the inputs or power off and maybe even unplug. And, honestly, the atmos effect doesn't sound much like atmos just regular sound but fired up. That said....it's much clearer than a Vizio bar and sub combo I had a decade ago, the bass is more than adequate, and the "atmos" adds more height to the sound and is noticable. I also have a Sony a7000 and rears, which is in a completely different league and gives me good reference to criticize.

@mohamedalkaboom Жыл бұрын

This thing is amazing. No one said it isn’t good

@ishkapiska4516 10 ай бұрын

Samsung Q series soundbar (q800c or q600c) they are not suuuper expensive especially on sale

@shakengandulf 8 ай бұрын

What, this soundbar is amazing.

@Kingtoby1981 Жыл бұрын

Is the hdmi ports 2.1?

@RTINGSdotcom Жыл бұрын

Yes, and it can do 4k/120hz passthrough!

@Zoranurai13 2 жыл бұрын

Seems like a good alternative to the arc

@alexr958 2 жыл бұрын

I don't think u understand how sound works with some of your comments. Maybe someone a bit more knowledgeable should be reviewing. Bought the Sonos arc and the whole kit with it. It's more expensive overall and all it has is treble for vocals. The bass is trash at the price and just the bar is nowhere near as good for surround sound. Apart from this, I don't think many of the ppl who review things with you guys actually know what their talking about or have logic for certain things. It seems like a random rating given with nothing distinguishing between them. Pls actually offer a greater evaluation with better explaination before attempting to impact consumers.

@kabysummit5801 Жыл бұрын

you are so confusing. just state the facts and not your opinions please. that'll allow readers to know and not just hear chirps

@rohan9610 Жыл бұрын

Wrong review!!

@RTINGSdotcom Жыл бұрын

We'd love to hear more about how you think we can improve this review, so please don't hesitate to follow up and share your thoughts with us!

@rts100x5 2 жыл бұрын

a sound bar is a sound bar is a sound bar ...... I install Home Theater .... Even the best of the best sound bars do not compare to a descent 7.1 surround system at comparable cost .. Only those like Sonos where you can have dedicated rear surrounds . even then none of them are what I would consider "audiophile" quality ... and I never recommend them unless a dedicated surround system is not possible ...

@bhav213 8 ай бұрын

Can you recommend a decent surround system? My budget is around £500-600

@adamlee007 2 жыл бұрын

999..no sub n rears....ripoff

@eos1d3 2 жыл бұрын

It's Sony

@Zoranurai13 2 жыл бұрын

Why? It is literally placed as a sonos arc competitor, rears and sub are cheaper (especially with bundle discounts) and it has hdmi 2.1, chromecast, an actual UI compared to sonos

@elvelos7936 2 жыл бұрын

It is a rip off. I just bought it and it sounds like shit. My tv speakers sound better

@arnodubel4871 6 ай бұрын

@@elvelos7936can you bring ur Christn woman in that picture here? They do alot for us muslm here in germany because they believe their sin are forgiven😅

@LoafRock 2 жыл бұрын

👎

@aceofhearts8507 2 жыл бұрын

Sony crapp

@SD-oe6vv 2 жыл бұрын

Sony has NO expertise in Audio. Period

@alexr958 2 жыл бұрын

I don't think you understand how audio works lol.

@michaelbeckerman7532 2 жыл бұрын

Sure, they don't. They've only been in the consumer electronics and audio business since 1946. (Facepalm)

@danshimandle1938 2 жыл бұрын

Are you serious? They are one of the biggest players in professional audio, you should look up what headphones people use in recording studios and when mixing movie soundtracks. They are probably using Sony MDR-7506 they are the most popular professional headphones. They have also been one of the biggest companies in home theater systems. You don’t know what you are talking about.

@MasterEggroll 2 жыл бұрын

I don't like these guys reviews. I don't think they know what they're doing in audio and TV reviews.

@rafael6693 Жыл бұрын

@@danshimandle1938 why are you waisting your time answering to a clueless guy

@14sonnenkrieg88 Жыл бұрын

Seems like this is mediocre at best, do you guys have a soundbar you'd recommend on the high end?

@RTINGSdotcom Жыл бұрын

There may be some interesting options for you in our top picks! www.rtings.com/soundbar/reviews/best/soundbar

@14sonnenkrieg88 Жыл бұрын

@@RTINGSdotcom jesus christ yall got to me faster than my dad going out for milk. Granted that was 13 years ago so low standard but still. Thanks.

@arnodubel4871 6 ай бұрын

@@14sonnenkrieg88jesus not the Christ. He was a muslm that prayed and did ramadan, denying to abolish the law and called god allaha. He was made to the Christus by paulus and Roman constantins bible