The Sony HT-X8500 measures 890x64x96mm (WxHxD), making it wide enough for larger screen sizes but low enough so as not to block the screen. Visit our corporate site. The Sony HTX8500 is one of the good options under the $300 price tag. Like many other Sony soundbars, it has an always-on surround sound mode called S-Force PRO. Why the price difference? The result is a big and powerful soundstage, with excellent stereo imaging and a surprising amount of bass thanks to those radiators. The Sony HT-X8500 sports a 2.1-channel system based around a speaker at either end of the cabinet, a pair of subwoofers in the middle and bass ducts at either end. The Sonos Playbar retails for $699, while the Sonos Beam retails for $399. So Sonos Beam, while being a cheaper option, tends to get more favorable â reviews than the $500 JBL Bar 5.1, as seen on the chart below. Sonosâ Beam soundbar has been a mainstay of the brandâs evolving home theater collection since it debuted in 2018. 2021-01-06T17:03:33Z, When it comes to sport and movie viewing it's time to go large and go home, with the best Ultra HD 4K and 1080p projectors, The best 4K TVs under £500 for bedrooms, games rooms and tighter budgets â big screens at small prices, Bringing you the best Sky TV deals on Sky Q, 2021's top-of-the-range TV box, Leaked names reveal new potential 4K and 8K TVs, The company is teasing the next generation of Direct-View displays, Expect 4K and 8K TVs using 2021's hottest new TV tech, By Matthew Bolton ⢠All rights reserved. But, while it delivers big on specs, its core sound quality is a long way behind that of the Sonos Beam, which simply gets to the heart of your movie, TV show or favourite tune far more effectively. That's not a significant jump in spending, but if youâre thinking the Beamâs price premium is due to an expanded feature set, youâd be wrong. The app is the main method of control for changing settings, but you can also use your TV remote or the smart assistants, which is a relief because most people wonât use their phones to simply change volume. Joining Sonosâ line of speakers, the Sonos Beam is a fantastic soundbar that looks great and offers amazing sound output. The Sonos Beam is a small soundbar. When it comes to home cinema sound, Dolby Atmos is the buzzword these days. The included remote is unusually good for a soundbar, making control easy when you need it, though if it's connected over HDMI, it will take volume commands straight from your TV. With the Beam, Sonos managed to make a discrete sound bar that can connect to their wireless subwoofer, has built-in Wi-Fi and an Ethernet port, provides support for Alexa (which is a privacy nightmare and I would never turn on), and AirPlay 2 for wireless streaming in the world of iOS and Mac. Sony TV with 'breakthrough' new tech coming tomorrow, New TCL TVs with 'Next Gen Mini-LED' tech will be unveiled on Jan 11. It also makes TV shows, movies and games sound better, although with less immersion compared to the Sony. You can also stream music to it using Wi-Fi or Apple AirPlay. 83. Regardless of your viewing habits, the X8500 has an audio preset for you, with cinema, music, game, news and sport modes. As they have both been designed for different purposes itâs hard to compare them. Build Quality 9.2/10. It offers more in terms of HDMI connectivity, and delivers a pleasingly immersive experience with object-based audio soundtracks such as Dolby Atmos. T3 is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Most of us donât have the luxury of an unlimited budget, so price certainly matters. You can see what products we currently have for sale. The Sonos Beam and the Sony HT-X8500 are soundbars with different strengths. Here's our full comparison. Sonos makes great speakers, and the Sonos Beam has so much to offer. Bose just announced a new entry-level smart soundbar that's designed to be a direct rival to the Sonos Beam.It's called the Bose Smart Soundbar 300 and it costs $400, which is the same price as the Beam. â Gain early access to all tests results for new products, Prices will now be listed directly in reviews and tables, Have 5 votes per product category to choose which product weâll review next, Gain unlimited access to detailed test results in tools and results (no blurred results), Video: The 4 Best Samsung Soundbars to Buy in 2020, Having trouble deciding between two soundbars? Sonos Beam vs Sony HT-X8500: Price & features The two soundbars differ slightly in pricing, with the Sony HT-X8500 costs a thoroughly reasonable £299/$299, with the Sonos Beam ⦠The Sonos is a 3.0 setup that's better built, has a discrete center channel that performs better than the Sony's phantom center, and it has a better stereo soundstage. Appearance. However, the Sonos Beam only has one HDMI port, so when connecting this to your TV, you'll lose the use of that port for anything else â no problem for some people, but it might be a pain for others. If you can live without Dolby Atmos, the Sonos Beam is a viable alternative to the HT-X8500. Iâm new to Sonos. Since thereâs not a huge difference in price, which soundbar is best-suited for you will largely depend on your priorities. Sonos Beam. The Beam measures just 651x69x100mm (WxHxD), making it suited to smaller screen sizes â we'd suggest 55 inches at the absolutely max, but it's really best for between 32 inches and 50 inches. Stay on top of discounts for the Sonos Beam by visiting Slickdealsâ Audio/Video category page, or simply set a Deal Alert to be automatically notified of an upcoming sale. When looking at the Sonos Beam vs Play 5 you will notice that the Play 5 is a bigger and more powerful speaker in contrast to the Beam being compact and more versatile. In fact, the HT-X8500 is a strongly specified soundbar for its price bracket, boasting a 2.1-channel speaker system with built-in subwoofers. If youâve been tempted to get into Sonos, but werenât sure where to start, the Beam is for you. Alexa support, 80 compatible music streaming services, and being small enough to fit in a mid-size room make the Beam a compelling product. The Good The Sonos Beam is the least-expensive sound bar available with a choice of two voice assistants, Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Performance 8.6/10. Part soundbar, part smart speaker, and all Sonos, the Beamâs minimalist aesthetic and impressive smarts have made it a favorite for those looking to upgrade their TV sound the Sonos way. Sonos Beam $399. Sonos Beam. While the Sony HT-X8500 will give your TV a soni⦠You don't get eARC here, but that's okay, because that's mostly a priority for Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks, which this doesn't support anyway. The Sonos Beam, on the other hand, strives for a more co⦠Because DTS-HD MA requires eARC, DTS:X does as well. This soundbarâs big selling point is its ability to decode object-based 3D audio formats Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, and apply processing to create the illusion of greater depth and height. It offers high definition sound, which lets users experience clear and detailed sound at any volume. Thereâs no remote â the Beam is controlled using the Sonos app, though takes volume control from your TV over HDMI â but thereâs built-in Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, making this âbar a fully-functioning and agnostic smart speaker.Â. The soundbar is finished in black, has a punched metal speaker grille at the front, subwoofer ducts at either end, and an eye-catching champagne-gold trim around the bottom. So Sonos Beam, while being a cheaper option, tends to get more favorable â reviews than the $1498 Sony 7.1.2 Dolby Atmos, as seen on the chart below. Our Verdict: A fully featured and multi award winning 5.1 channels Bluetooth soundbar, with a best buy award from one expert review website and 18 further awards from other expert sites. Prior to its ⦠At £399, it does plenty for the money, and ⦠9. Like the Sonos Beam, this one is also a compact soundbar and brings the advantage of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. The only other connectivity option is Bluetooth, allowing you to stream music from other devices. While thereâs not a huge amount of room for creativity in the design of a soundbar â long and thin is almost a given â the YAS-209 is more stylish and fashionable than most. I love this setup for TV, movies and mostly Netflix. Inside the cabinet are four full-range woofers and a tweeter, each of which has its own Class D digital amplifier, plus three passive radiators. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. The Sonos Beam is a smart and compact soundbar designed for Television, music, and other forms of entertainment. It supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, applying psychoacoustic wizardry to create a more immersive sonic experience, so it's twin speakers sound like there are more sources of sound.Â, Thereâs an HDMI input as well as an output that connects to your TV, both of which pass 4K, HDCP 2.3 and high dynamic range (HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision) through to your TV. 2020-08-12T14:17:28Z, You can get an amazing picture from todayâs ultra-slim TVs, with 4K and even 8K resolutions combined with HDR enhancements⦠but so often, you still need one of the best soundbars to help them reach their full potential. Weâre also big fans of Sonos brand speakers, and the new Sonos Beam brings everything we like about the company to an ultra-compact soundbar. May 14, 2019; New products; Sonyâs HTX8500 TV soundbar delivers a top-notch Atmos experience from a compact package.. Subwoofer and rears are no go so I will only be getting a bar. The Sonos Beam was launched at $399 / £399 / AU$599 â now, that might not sound super cheap, but compared to the Sonos Arcâs $799 / £799 / AU$1,399 price tag, itâs positively frugal. DTS:X uses a DTS-HD MA carrier signal, so to support DTS:X the soundbar must also support DTS-HD MA. Overall the Beam looks elegant and discreet, getting on with sonic business in hand without drawing attention to itself. When a product is discontinued or no longer popular, we sell the purchased products locally in Montreal, Canada. The Sonos Beam offers a choice of black or white finishes, but otherwise its design is very minimalist, with a fabric grille that covers the front and sides, along with touch sensitive controls on the top. My living room is small, I sit wall to wall from the tv, which is 2 meters (6 feet 6) from me. The result is a more immersive experience with movie soundtracks and streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+.Â. so that you can compare the results easily. Thereâs a single HDMI-ARC connection with a cable included in the box, an Ethernet port for a wired connection, built-in Wi-Fi with Apple AirPlay 2 and Sonos' own multi-room streaming, but no Bluetooth. DTS:X is different from DTS Virtual:X, which is a post-processing effect that upmixes normal audio. Sounds appear to come from higher and wider than most other budget soundbars, giving things a more cinematic presentation, though it can't replicate true surround sound, of course. Letâs be honest, as great as the image quality from the best OLED TVs is, the sound that comes from something just a couple of millimetres thick usually sucks.Â. You can even add Sonos' wireless sub, but this is hideously expensive.Â. For those unaware, Dolby Atmos is an audio format that aims to add height effects in order to give you a 360-degree sound field. If on the other hand youâre more interested in getting the most out of TV shows and movies, the Sony HT-X8500 is a great choice. 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