Second Chance Sony HT-A5000

The Sony soundbar is in place and installed in no time at all. A simple wizard guides you through the installation of this soundbar. The soundbar is also largely configurable with your phone (google home app), which is very practical. Unfortunately, the "ok google" function seems to be missing, but there is a built-in chromecast/airplay (audio only) option for streaming your favorite audio files.

During installation, a sound reflection measurement of the room is made using the “Sound Field” function. After this measurement, the sound is better distributed in the room, so that the sound is also better balanced. Without this function, the soundbar is slightly flatter and more static, measure 30 seconds and your sound gets a real boost!

The Sony soundbar is pleasant to use, the built-in display makes it easy to see from which source music is played. The volume feedback via the display is also very practical, when you stream music without the TV being turned off, you can still see at which volume is being played.

Coming from a 5.1 set with separate speakers, this switch is certainly not a downgrade. The sound is warm and the bass is plentiful for a soundbar. If you find the bass too intense, you can easily lower it with the remote control. Through Vertical Surround Engine and S-Force PRO, the sound seems to come from the top/sides, which gives a good surround feeling while watching a movie. If you really want to experience sound from behind, you should go for the accompanying rear speakers, although this will be a bit overkill for an average user.

All in all, “Dolby Atmos” comes into its own (eARC) through this soundbar. A worthy upgrade as a replacement for separate speakers! This soundbar also comes into its own with only music.

This soundbar has pleasantly surprised me in a positive sense. The soundbar was delivered within 24 hours and installation was easy by following the steps in the tutorial. The first demo after the installation already promised a lot of good and that was confirmed when watching a movie that evening. The sound is beautiful and well adjustable, so that the neighbors are not bothered. You can also connect your phone to the soundbar, so you can also listen to music. All in all, it is a nice addition to watching television with much better sound.

Good, solid soundbar from Sony.
The design is not spectacular, but I do not expect that from a soundbar. The soundbar is quite large, with a small TV I would choose a different soundbar.

The soundbar is very easy to configure. Very nice that you can complete the wizard completely on the connected TV. During the wizard you can easily have the soundbar scan the room and make the correct configuration. The sound sounded a lot duller before performance wizard, after the performance I heard a much fuller and deeper sound.

In normal TV use, the TV is comparable to my previous soundbar. When watching a movie with the sound a bit louder, the sound bar comes into its own. A fantastic full and pure sound will come your way. I really miss the real 5.1 sound. Then you will be a lot more expensive, because you have to buy the sub and rear speakers for this. I'm still in doubt if I'm going to do that.
The ease of use of the soundbar is fine, but I do miss the connection with my other Sonos speakers.
All in all a good solid soundbar