Sony’s HT-A9 Home Theater System, which we reviewed last year, is a one-of-a-kind soundbar system. It had four individual speakers, which were paired together as one system. Sony preferred to call it a soundbar system, which was a bit absurd. Sony has fixed that nomenclature with its successor and named it Sony Bravia Theatre Quad. We have been using Sony Bravia Theatre Quad for some time now, and it has been nothing short of impressive. In this review, we will talk about all the pros and cons of the Sony Bravia Theatre Quad system in detail.
Sony Bravia Theatre Quad Review
Pros
- Easy Setup
- Design looks sleek
- 360 Spatial Mapping works great
- Stable connection without single drops
- Improved Phantom speaker for Center Channel
- Gets Loud while maintaining a fantastic soundstage
- Supports Dolby Atmos
- 8K@120 pass though makes it future-proof
Cons
- Sub-woofer sold separately
- No graphic EQ
- Pricey
Sony Bravia Theatre Quad +SW5 Review Design and Setup
The “quad” setup comes with four newly designed wireless speakers for 2024. The ht9’s cylindrical shape has been replaced with a flatter design covered in a neutral fabric, making it more suitable for home decor.
The speakers are about 11 1/2 inches long, 10 7/8 inches wide, and 2 1/4 inches deep without the stand. They weigh around 5.5 pounds. The control box is approximately 6 3/8 inches long, 2 1/4 inches wide, and 6 3/8 inches deep, and it weighs about 2 pounds.
Sony includes attachments for both tabletop and wall mounting in the box, so it’s easy to place the speakers wherever you want. You can just put two speakers on each side of your TV and the other two behind your listening spot. This time, Sony has also given longer power cables, so you have more flexibility compared to the original A9.
Just a heads up, the Subwoofer isn’t included. You can buy the SW3 or SW5 subwoofer separately from Sony. You can choose the one that fits your budget. For this review, we’ve paired the SW5 with a quad-speaker setup, all connected wirelessly. The setup also comes with a control box that serves as a hub.
Sony Bravia Theatre Quad Review: Connectivity and Control
The Sony control box hub lets all the speakers talk to each other wirelessly when the TV is hooked up with HDMI. There are two HDMI ports on the control box: one for input and one for output. The output port can handle Arc/eArc signals up to 8K 4K 120, with or without HDR, and supports Dolby Vision.
The Bravia theater quad system also supports gaming features like VRR and ALM. Although the control box doesn’t have many physical connections, it does have wireless features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth version 5.2, AirPlay 2, and Spotify Connect.
Let’s talk control. You can control the quad in four ways. Firstly, you can use the small basic remote included, but it’s likely getting lost in your sofa cushions. Secondly, you can control it via HDMI. If you have a compatible Sony TV, you can use the TV remote quick menu, which is super cool and convenient. If you don’t own a Sony TV, don’t worry! You can use the new Bravia Connect app, which now lets you set up and calibrate the device according to your position. This procedure takes a couple of minutes to complete.
The Sony uses your phone’s built-in microphone to calibrate the quads for speakers according to your sitting position. The results are beyond dramatic, so if you want to experience Sony’s 360° spatial mapping, Once the quad is calibrated, you can control the subwoofer volume and rear speaker levels via the app. You can also toggle the dialogue mode on and off and play with the surrounding night modes. Night mode cuts the Subwoofer dramatically, which could come in really handy for those of you who would say, kids or nosy neighbors.
With the original HT9, we faced occasional dropouts with our unit. Still, the new Quad surround speakers with the Subwoofer worked flawlessly. It worked like a charm because Sony upgraded the wireless antenna on each speaker for a stronger and more stable connection with the control box.
Sony Bravia Theatre Quad Review: Performance
Each of the four speakers in this setup has four drivers: a dedicated tweeter, mid-range, and bass driver. All of those drivers face forward, along with the upward-firing Atmos driver. Each speaker is powered by its own internal amplifiers, totaling 504 watts. Just like the HT-A9, the Sony Bravia Theatre uses its proprietary algorithms to create about 12 virtual speakers around the room to give you a really immersive sound experience.
The new system’s main advantage over the A9 is that it includes upward-firing drivers on each designated speaker. Depending on your room layout, speaker placement, and ceiling height, this feature can really improve the sound quality of the Bravia Theatre Quad.
The app lets you pick from three Surround Sound Processing profiles to use with your content: Sony spatial mapping, Dolby virtualization, or DTS Neural X. Each has its own sound, so try all three to find your favorite. I like the 360 mode. The height setting can shift the sound up or down based on your TV’s height, affecting the overall frequency response. After calibrating with Sony’s 360 mappings engaged and everything else at default, be cautious.
The most noticeable improvement between the A9 and the Bravia Theatre Quad is the central channel performance, which is surprisingly better than in the new system. While Sony has made many changes to the hardware, its phantom speaker technology has delivered impressive results.
As mentioned before, we paired the new satellite speakers with the SW5 subwoofer, which turned out to be a perfect match. It blends in seamlessly without standing out too much. The default settings from the Bravia Connect app initially had to be tweaked just a tad to tone down the sub to ensure everything gels well and works beautifully.
The Sony BRAVIA Theater Quad speakers really bring the sound to life. With just four speakers, they managed to fill up my whole living room. We tested out their Dolby Atmos mixing by watching Top Gun: Maverick, Dune 2, and Ready Player One. It turns out that the Bravia Theater Quad is top-notch, delivering some of the best Atmos mixes with amazing sound that moves seamlessly between the four speakers and all around you. It’s like being right in the middle of the action!
The system really does a great job with big, intense moments. The speakers handle sudden changes in volume and intensity really well, giving the effects a nice amount of weight. The 360 Spatial Sound Mapping feature takes the experience to the next level. When this feature is on, it’s like the sound isn’t just coming from the speakers but floating all around you. The system really does a great job with big, intense moments. The speakers handle sudden changes in volume and intensity really well, giving the effects a nice amount of weight. The 360 Spatial Sound Mapping feature takes the experience to the next level. When this feature is on, it’s like the sound isn’t just coming from the speakers but floating all around you.
I was pleasantly surprised by how well these speakers performed with music playback. When I listened to International hits and Bollywood songs in two-channel mode, it was impressive. However, when I upscaled the audio to play on all four speakers, the experience was truly elevated. The system delivered an immersive sound that filled the room, making the music feel more dynamic and engaging while keeping the soundstage pretty neutral.
Review Verdict: Should You Buy the Sony Bravia Theatre Quad +SW5?
Smartprix Rating: 4.1/5
Design
Setup
Connectivity
Signal Stability
Performance
Sony really knocked it out of the park with the new Bravia theater quad system. It’s way better than the old one in every way, offering a reliable wireless home theatre system. Why pick the Sony Bravia Theater Quad over other sound systems? It’s simple: If you want a sleek, wire-free setup with impressive surround sound, this is the one for you. The Bravia Theater Quad not only looks stylish but also offers modern surround sound formats, all easily controlled through a top-notch app.
So should you get the Sony Bravia Theatre Quad? After thinking about it a lot, I think that for most folks, young and old, the Bravia is probably all the home theater you’ll ever need. It’s better than most soundbars on the market right now, and I absolutely love it.
First reviewed in June 2024.
