Following the Sony Bravia Theatre Quad home cinema system released in 2024, the Japanese brand presents the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio, also known as the Sony HT-A8, capable of expanding to a 5.2.4 configuration.
The Sony Bravia Theatre Trio, as its name suggests, comes in the form of a package including three wireless speakers (using Sony's proprietary Wi-Fi connection), a compact mini soundbar (58.9 cm long, 6.4 cm high, and 16.5 cm deep) for the center channel and two height channels to be placed under the screen, plus two cylindrical speakers for the left and right channels to be placed on either side of the television. Sony Bravia Theatre Trio, main specifications: The Sony Bravia Theatre Trio package includes most of the features and technologies of the Quad package, of course, but especially those of the recent Sony Bravia Theatre 7 (see our article "Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 Soundbar: Compact, Ambitious, and Ready for Home Cinema"). As with its predecessors, the Sony HT-A9 and Sony Bravia Theatre Quad, the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio system offers great flexibility in terms of placement. Indeed, it's sometimes rare to be able to position the front left and right speakers perfectly symmetrically in relation to the screen at home to optimize their sound reproduction and the audio effects of soundtracks. The same goes for the height of one speaker relative to the other… This is why Sony has equipped the Bravia Theatre Trio speakers with exclusive 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology (see photo below). This technology first scans the listening room, then evaluates the placement of each of the three speakers and the distance between them. These measurements, which take approximately 5 minutes, are taken using a microphone included in the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio box. The goal is precise calibration to optimize sound diffusion by perfectly aligning each speaker with the others. For example, a speaker placed further back or higher than another will emit sound slightly ahead or behind for perfect simultaneity at the listening position. This welcome ergonomic feature greatly simplifies speaker setup. Another advantage of the 360 Spatial Sound Mapping process is that it creates multiple virtual speakers (24 in total, see photo below) to deliver a wide surround sound environment and fully immerse the viewer in the action. As for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X compatibility, it's included. Finally, the total power output is 405 watts. Sony Bravia Theatre Trio features Voice Zoom 3, Acoustic Center Sync, 360 Reality Audio, and DSEE Ultimate. Of course, the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio system benefits from the AI-powered Voice Zoom 3 feature. Once connected to a compatible Bravia TV, Voice Zoom 3 identifies human voices and amplifies them for perfect intelligibility. The same applies to the Acoustic Center Sync function. It achieves sound fusion between the TV speakers and a Bravia Theatre soundbar starting with the 2024 model year. Similarly, the 360 Reality Audio music mode, for 3D sound close to that of a live concert, is also included. Specifically, streaming services like Amazon Music HD, Deezer, and Tidal offer albums encoded with 360 Reality Audio technology. And to be thorough, the speakers also benefit from DSEE Ultimate to enhance the sound quality of compressed audio files in real time (via the Edge-AI algorithm). The Sony Bravia Theatre Trio mini soundbar has three speakers: one for the center channel plus two up-firing speakers for the height channels. The speakers themselves incorporate three drivers: a tweeter plus a front-firing woofer, and an up-firing model at the top for Dolby Atmos Height effects. There are therefore four up-firing drivers (two in the central mini-bar + one in each cylindrical speaker). In total, the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio system has seven drivers. Of course, it is possible to add one or two Sony Bravia Theatre Sub 7, Sony Bravia Theatre Sub 8, or Sony Bravia Theatre Sub 9 subwoofers (see photo below) to enhance the impact of low frequencies, plus two Sony SA-RS5, Sony SA-RS8, or Sony SA-RS9 surround speakers.
Specifications in brief…££££
For the rest, the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio is also equipped with Bluetooth 5.2 LDAC, Chromecast (built-in), Wi-Fi 5, and AirPlay 2 compatibility. Hi-Res Audio certification is also included. The same goes for HDR10, HDR HLG, and HDR Dolby Vision pass-through functionality. Connectivity includes an HDMI 2.1 input/output (with eARC, 4K/120 Pass-Through, VRR, and ALLM) and an Ethernet port. Availability is announced for June. Suggested retail price: €1,999 for the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio, €2,999 in a bundle with the Sony SA-SW8 subwoofer and Sony SA-RS9 surround speakers.
Key features of the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio:
• Type: three-speaker package (mini soundbar + two cylindrical speakers)
• System: 3.0.2 (upgradeable to 5.2.4)
• Amplification: Class D
• Total power: 405 W
• Subwoofer: optional (up to two), wireless
• Technology(s): 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, DSEE Ultimate, 360 Sony Acoustic Center Sync, 360 Reality Audio
• AirPlay 2 compatibility
• Bluetooth 5.2 LDAC compatibility
• HDR10 compatibility
• HDR Dolby Vision compatibility
• HDR HLG compatibility; • eARC compatibility; • Wi-Fi ac compatibility; • 4K Pass-Through function; • Chromecast (built-in) function; • Spotify Connect function; • ALLM function; • 4K/120 function; • 8K/60 function; • VRR function; • HDR Pass-Through function; • Voice Zoom 3 function; • Acoustic Centre Sync function; • Connectivity: 1 HDMI input / 1 CEC 2.1 output, 1 Ethernet port Other: Optional Sony Wireless Surround Speakers (SA-RS series)
• Dolby Atmos Decoder
• DTS:X Decoder
• Hi-Res Audio Certification
• IMAX Enhanced Certification
