The Sony BRAVIA Theater Trio with Sub 9 + Rear 9 is an expanded version of the Sony BRAVIA Theater Trio. This variant features a subwoofer with dual 8-inch woofers, as well as two up-firing driver-equipped rear satellites, bringing the total channel count to 5.1.4.
Our Verdict
The Sony BRAVIA Theater Trio with Sub 9 + Rear 9 is very good for mixed usage. The addition of the Theater 9 sub and rear speakers helps overcome some of the limitations of the base trio, improving bass-range presence and bolstering the surround channels. The extra speakers also improve immersion with Atmos content, with the extra dose of bass injecting some energy into high-octane chase sequences. That said, the stereo soundstage is quite cluttered with 'Sound Field' enabled, and tracking from left to right can get quite messy, hampering the enjoyment of your favorite records. On the bright side, this configuration retains the same format support and extensive passthrough possibilities of the base model, allowing for flexibility for different devices and media types.
Room correction tool with calibration mic.
Dedicated rear speakers improve surround effects.
Gets loud without much compression.
Limited sound adjustment features.
Cluttered stereo soundstage with 'Sound Field' enabled.
The Sony BRAVIA Theater Trio with Sub 9 + Rear 9 is great for TV shows and other dialogue-driven media. It has a balanced mid-range response that helps render voices in a natural way, accentuated by a discrete center channel. Given the soundbar's bass-heavy tuning, voices sound full rather than bright, and sequences with lots of low-end can sometimes interfere with vocal intelligibility. Still, there's a dedicated 'Voice' mode for boosting dialogue, and you can always dial down the bass to your preference if you want to hear dialogue loud and clear.
Room correction tool with calibration mic.
Dedicated rear speakers improve surround effects.
Gets loud without much compression.
Limited sound adjustment features.
Cluttered stereo soundstage with 'Sound Field' enabled.
The Sony BRAVIA Theater Trio with Sub 9 + Rear 9 is good for music. We tested this setup with 'Sound Field' enabled, which up-mixes stereo content across all channels, making for a congested stereo soundstage with poor tracking from left to right. The default frequency response is quite bass-heavy: the throbbing basslines in dub tracks sound full and quite boomy, but this range can eclipse mid-range elements, like voices and guitars. Still, the bar can get loud without introducing much compression in the bass-range. While the soundstage improves when you disable 'Sound Field', with better clarity and localization of audio objects, low-frequency extension suffers as a result, making it challenging to get the best of both worlds.
Room correction tool with calibration mic.
Dedicated rear speakers improve surround effects.
Gets loud without much compression.
Limited sound adjustment features.
Cluttered stereo soundstage with 'Sound Field' enabled.
The Sony BRAVIA Theater Trio with Sub 9 + Rear 9 is good for movies. It has a fairly bass-heavy tuning that lends itself well to action-packed blockbusters and thrillers, with plenty of rumble in the low-end to keep explosions and bellowing foghorns exciting. While the mid and treble ranges are quite balanced, they can be overshadowed by the dominant bass-range sometimes, hurting the intelligibility of quippy dialogue in superhero movies. With 'Sound Field' enabled, 5.1 and Atmos content sound immersive, though the latter lacks in vertical presentation, despite the presence of four up-firing height drivers. Still, the bar gets loud enough to fill the largest of living rooms, with minimal compression at max volume.
Room correction tool with calibration mic.
Dedicated rear speakers improve surround effects.
Gets loud without much compression.
Limited sound adjustment features.
Cluttered stereo soundstage with 'Sound Field' enabled.
Changelog
-
Updated Sep 01, 2026:
We've updated the Test Preset listed in the Stereo Frequency Response box to clarify that we used the Soundfield feature in our review results.
-
Updated Aug 06, 2026:
We've mentioned the Bose Home Theater Set in the Voice Assistants Support box.
- Updated Jul 23, 2026: Review published.
- Updated Jul 20, 2026: Early access published.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Sony BRAVIA Theater Trio with Sub 9 + Rear 9 is an expanded variant of the Sony BRAVIA Theater Trio that adds the Theater Sub 9 and Theater Rear 9 speakers. The base configuration can also be paired with other compatible subwoofers (BRAVIA Sub 7 and 8) and rear speakers (BRAVIA Theater Rear 8). Our unit is available in the 'Black' color variant, and we took photos of the labels for the bar and satellites.
If you encounter another variant of this soundbar, please let us know in the comments, and we'll update our review.
Popular Soundbar Comparisons
The Sony BRAVIA Theater Trio with Sub 9 + Rear 9 adds a discrete subwoofer and two rear satellites to the Sony BRAVIA Theater Trio. The extra components match the base configuration's aesthetic and help counterbalance some of its shortcomings. This expanded setup is able to output a lot more bass, courtesy of the sub, and the additional satellites help increase immersion with Atmos and higher-channel content. That said, tracking within the stereo soundstage remains messy, so you're better off going with the Sony BRAVIA Theater Quad with Bass Module if an expansive and smooth soundstage is important to you (though this comes at the loss of a dedicated center channel). In terms of maximalist, four-satellite soundbar setups, the LG Immersive Quad Suite 7 Pro still offers the best value for money and beats out the expanded Theater Trio in almost all of our sound tests. It features more comprehensive sound customization options, too, though the lack of an HDMI In and DTS format support is a potential dealbreaker.
Check out our best soundbars, best soundbars with subwoofers, and best Dolby Atmos soundbars for more alternatives.
The Sony BRAVIA Theater Trio with Sub 9 + Rear 9 and the Sony BRAVIA Theater Quad with Bass Module are both flagship soundbar products from Sony that fulfill different needs and listening preferences. The Theater Quad features four satellite speakers and a discrete subwoofer that can be positioned flexibly around your living space. It has a much better build quality and sleeker aesthetic compared to the Theater Trio, and it's able to create a much more expansive soundstage with stereo content. There's a better sense of verticality with Atmos content, too, though it lacks a dedicated center channel, meaning the Theater Trio is able to render speech and dialogue more clearly. The Theater Trio is a better fit for those who prefer a bass-heavy sound, though, as the Theater Sub 9 is able to produce plenty of rumble and thump, to the point where it can sometimes overwhelm the mid-range.
The Samsung HW-Q990H is a better choice for most people's home soundbar needs than the Sony BRAVIA Theater Trio with Sub 9 + Rear 9. The Samsung is better built overall, with more comprehensive sound enhancement options and better performance across most of our objective sound tests. That said, BRAVIA TV owners might want to take advantage of the Sony's BRAVIA Connect and Voice Zoom 3 capabilities. These features allow you to use your TV remote to control the soundbar and boost dialogue intelligibility, respectively, though the latter's efficacy will depend on your exact TV.
The Sony BRAVIA Theater Trio with Sub 9 + Rear 9 and the LG Immersive Quad Suite 7 Pro are the maximalist configurations of modular sound setups from Sony and LG, respectively. That said, unless you're a die-hard Sony fan, it's hard to justify the Sony's much higher asking price over the LG. The LG outperforms the Sony in almost every sound performance metric, with a vastly superior stereo soundstage and a higher 9.1.6 channel count. It also boasts far more granular sound enhancement options, including an 8-band graphic EQ, to complement the adaptive qualities of Dolby Atmos Flex Connect. Still, the Sony has HDMI passthrough capabilities in its corner, as well as DTS format support, which could sway some people with an older physical media collection.
The Sony BRAVIA Theater Trio with Sub 9 + Rear 9 is an expanded variant of the Sony BRAVIA Theater Trio. Though the addition of the Theater Sub 9 and Theater Rear 9 poses an added expense, these extra components help combat some of the standalone bar's shortcomings. The discrete sub adds plenty of boom and rumble in the low-end, while the rear satellites help render surround effects more vividly while boosting immersion with Atmos content. The expanded setup retains the same comprehensive passthrough capabilities and format support of the base configuration, too. That said, the stereo soundstage is quite congested with both iterations of the bar, and playback behavior changes drastically depending on whether you enable the 'Sound Field' and 'Movie theater acoustics' settings. If you have the space to accommodate a larger setup and value a more immersive sound, the expanded variant is worth the additional outlay.
Test Results
for pictures & test results
for videos & test results
for videos & test results
