In the box, you’ll find all you need to get started, including HDMI, and power cables (there’s no optical, but you’ll need to connect via HDMI ARC or eARC for Dolby Atmos anyway), mounting brackets, a large instruction booklet, and a boxy remote loaded with rubberized keys. It’s immediately evident the A5000 isn’t as posh as Sony's flagship bar, skipping some of the luxury touches for a decidedly boring, black-plastic exterior. At just under three inches tall, though, it should fit well beneath most TVs, mounted or otherwise.
SCREENSTEPS ALTERNATIVES TV
Pulling it from the package, it’s clear this is still a monster-sized unit that requires a large TV console to support its breadth. Though it’s a few inches shorter and nearly six pounds lighter than the A7000, that’s not to say it’s a compact bar by any means. The A5000 is very reminiscent of its pricier sibling, with similar dimensions and design.
Video support: 4K/HDR passthrough at 120Hz (includes Dolby Vision), 8K passthrough.aif), HE AAC, AAC, mp3, Monkey Audio, WMA, Ogg Vorbis Sound formats: Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Dual mono, DTS, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS ES, DTS 96/24, DTS:X, LPCM, DSD, Wav, Flac, ALAC(.m4a.Smart features: Alexa and Google Assistant support (requires added speaker).Wired connection: HDMI ARC/eARC out, HDMI in (1), digital optical, analog, USB.
SCREENSTEPS ALTERNATIVES BLUETOOTH
SCREENSTEPS ALTERNATIVES DRIVERS
The $1,000 HT-A5000 competes well with those models in a lot of areas, offering plenty of streaming options like Spotify Connect and AirPlay 2, the ability to add surround speakers and a wireless subwoofer later on, and upfiring drivers for immersive Dolby Atmos sound. Bose’s flagship Smart Soundbar 900 also costs $900, and as the market changes, that seems to be something of a new standard. At that price it’s not quite a bargain, but still impressive enough that we named it the best soundbar all around. The Arc, a relative deal at its $800 launch price, got jacked up to $899 when the supply chain went silly. Sony’s HT-A5000 offers a ton of value and performance packed into a single bar.ĭolby Atmos soundbar shopping has been … odd as of late.