The HT-A3000 is Sony’s cheapest soundbar, which is said to offer 3D sound with Dolby Atmos even without additional speakers. In the practical test, she has to show what she’s actually capable of.
More and more films, series or concerts are being offered by streaming services with 3D sound. But in order to hear Dolby Atmos, you not only need a modern television with an HDMI-eARC connection that supports the so-called object-based 3D sound format, but also speakers that can do this. The most effective are systems with many speakers distributed in the room, but there are also more and more soundbars that can handle virtual Dolby Atmos all by themselves. The Sony HT-A3000 has been one of them for several months. ntv.de has tried out how much 3D sound it can produce.
At 950 x 64 x 128 millimeters, the 4.6 kilogram light bar is quite compact and also fits very well under smaller televisions. Their design is functional. Sony lets the tech do the talking by clearly showing the five front-facing speakers through the cover. Three of them are arranged centrally, the other two on the left and right.
On the sides, funnels open up to the integrated mini subwoofer. To the left of the right loudspeaker there is a small display on the front to show the selected operating mode and volume changes. There’s also simple touch controls on the top right of the box. But you don’t really need it, since Sony includes an extensive remote control.
The HT-A3000 is Sony’s cheapest Dolby Atmos soundbar for just under 700 euros. Accordingly, it is also quite sparsely equipped. On the back you will only find an HDMI connection, an optical input and a USB-A socket. There is also a suitable connection for Sony televisions that have an extra output for the medium frequencies.
It is unusual that Sony has also dispensed with upward-facing speakers. Normally they are needed for Dolby Atmos to reflect sound from the ceiling to the audience from above. The HT-A3000 tries to simulate this digitally.
It even succeeds, but not to the extent that one might imagine if one has previously experienced Dolby Atmos in a projection room. In reality, you can imagine hearing an airplane overhead, but you really don’t. This is not necessarily a fault of the HT-A3000, even much more powerfully equipped soundbars such as the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus couldn’t do it in the crooked test apartment.
Otherwise, the HT-A3000 produces a spatial sound that is quite perceptible in width. You actually sometimes have the feeling of having additional speakers to your left and right. What is particularly impressive is the great sound itself, especially in the middle range. He is very defined and clear, which, among other things, pays off in voices that are always easy to understand. The basses are quite powerful for a soundbar and make a good impression, even if they can’t go down as deep as larger external subwoofers.
You can’t change much about the sound, in principle you can only amplify the voices or activate a night mode. Here, too, Sony has made noticeable cutbacks. In view of the very harmonious sound, that’s not too bad.
The sound is also impressive when playing music. Here you can even hear a little more spatial sound when playing material that offers 360 Reality Audio. Similar to television, however, a lot depends on the distance and angle you are from the soundbar.
The Sony HT-A3000 is a stripped down but very good soundbar. It delivers a strong sound and also offers a perceptible surround sound. But you shouldn’t expect too much from Dolby Atmos, because the soundbar alone can’t keep up with a developed surround system. The HT-A3000 can also be supplemented wirelessly with a subwoofer and satellites, but then it gets really expensive. Despite everything, the still high price is also the biggest weak point of the Sony soundbar. You can also get two satellite speakers and/or an external subwoofer from other manufacturers of similar quality for 700 euros.
