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.
Our Verdict
The Sony HT-A5000 soundbar is satisfactory for mixed usage. This soundbar comes with Sound Field Optimization, which automatically optimizes audio reproduction based on your room's unique acoustics. With this feature on, and its Vertical Surround Engine feature, it has a pretty neutral, though slightly U-shaped sound profile that adds boom in the bass and brightness in the treble. It's suitable for listening to many different types of audio content, and it also supports Dolby Atmos content. Unfortunately, there's a very limited selection of sound customization features available.
- Room correction feature.
- Dialogue enhancement feature.
- No bass and treble adjustments.
- No graphic EQ.
The Sony HT-A5000 soundbar is good for dialogue-centric content like TV shows. There's a discrete center channel that helps to anchor voices to a pinpoint location in the sound image. If you have a compatible BRAVIA TV, you can also set up Acoustic Center Sync, which uses your TV speakers as a discrete center channel to more accurately place voices in the soundstage. However, you may notice a difference in the volume between the bar and the TV when using this feature, which can degrade the overall sound quality. If you want dialogue to seem more clear and crisp, you can also use its dialogue enhancement feature.
- Dialogue enhancement feature.
- Good center channel performance.
The Sony HT-A5000 soundbar is decent for music. This soundbar comes with Sound Field Optimization, which automatically optimizes audio reproduction based on your room's unique acoustics. With this feature on, and its Vertical Surround Engine feature, it has a pretty neutral, though slightly U-shaped sound profile. There's a little extra boom in the bass range and some extra brightness and sparkle on vocals and lead instruments in the treble range. However, it struggles to reproduce the deep thump and rumble in bass-heavy genres like EDM. There aren't a lot of sound customization features, either.
- Subwoofer level adjustment.
- Room correction feature.
- No bass and treble adjustments.
- No graphic EQ.
The Sony HT-A5000 soundbar is decent for movies. This soundbar uses its front-firing drivers to simulate a phantom surround, though this doesn't sound quite as clear and real as a discrete localization from dedicated rear speakers. It also supports Dolby Atmos content, using its up-firing drivers to ricochet sound off the ceiling to simulate height. Dialogue is reproduced quite clearly, but you notice the lack of deep thump and rumble in the low-bass during action-packed scenes.
- Room correction feature.
- Dialogue enhancement feature.
- Disappointing surrounds performance.
Changelog
- Updated Mar 12, 2024: The height measurement listed in Dimensions - Bar has been corrected.
- Updated Jan 29, 2024: Updated Stereo Dynamics results with new methodology. Added Audio Latency: ARC Audio Latency: HDMI In and Audio Latency: Optical results.
- Updated Jan 29, 2024: We've converted this review to Test Bench Update 1.3. If applicable, we've retested stereo sound based on the manufacturer's recommendations. Additionally, we've expanded our audio latency tests to the following boxes: Audio Latency: ARC, Audio Latency: HDMI In, and Audio Latency: Optical. You can see the full changelog here.
- Updated Sep 14, 2023: Updated text in Video Passthrough to TV box for clarity. No changes in test results.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Sony HT-A5000 soundbar is available in 'Black'. You can see the label for the model we tested here.
Our results are only valid for the standalone soundbar. You can also add a dedicated subwoofer and rear satellite speakers if you prefer.
If you come across another version, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Soundbar Comparisons
The Sony HT-A5000 is a premium 5.1.2 soundbar released in 2021. Like the 7.1.2 Sony HT-A7000, it has two integrated subwoofers, and you can upgrade it with a dedicated sub and satellites down the line. However, it has fewer sound enhancement features, and its soundstage performance isn't as impressive. Compared to other premium standalone bars like the Bose Smart Soundbar 900, it isn't as well-built.
See also our recommendations for the best soundbars, the best all-in-one soundbars, and the best soundbars for movies.
The Sony HT-A5000 and the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) are both standalone soundbars, but they cater to different types of listeners. The Sonos is a small, compact bar with built-in voice assistant support, so it's best suited to listeners without a lot of space in their setup. It's actually better built than the Sony, and it has a better soundstage. However, the Sony gets louder. It also has an HDMI In port for video passthrough, which the Sonos lacks.
The Sony HT-A7000 is a bit better than the Sony HT-A5000. The HT-A7000 is a better built 7.1.2 setup with a better soundstage performance. It also comes with an additional HDMI input. However, the 5.1.2 HT-A5000 gets a little louder with less compression at max volume.
The Sony HT-A5000 is better than the Sony HT-A3000. The A5000 is a 5.1.2 bar that's better for surround and Atmos content since it doesn't have to downmix these formats into stereo to play them like the 3.1 A3000. Also, the A5000 comes with more sound enhancement features, including room correction, and HDMI In for video passthrough.
The Sonos Arc is better than the Sony HT-A5000. The Sonos is a 5.0.2 setup with better soundstage, center, surround, and Atmos performances. Its default sound profile is also more balanced and neutral, which some listeners may prefer. However, the Sony has a Full HDMI In port for high-quality passthrough. It also supports more wireless playback options, including Bluetooth.
Test Results
