Sony’s HT-X8500 soundbar has the difficult mission of being attractive from a price point of view, but also of carrying the increasingly popular 3D Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound formats. All without an additional subwoofer.
In the ever-growing world of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundbars, the Sony HT-X8500 can count on the very surprising quality of its effects. surround virtual to offer a relatively convincing immersion. It certainly does not work wonders on the “pure” sound reproduction side, but still provides solid work, which is enough to make it eminently recommendable for anyone who would like to taste the pleasures of 3D sound at a lower cost.
Strong points
- Remarkably effective virtual surround, including height effects.
- Good sound balance (as long as you stay in “Music” mode).
- Clear and natural mediums.
- eARC-compatible HDMI output.
Weak points
- Small box effect in the bass.
- Treble a little imprecise, lacking in musicality.
- Only one HDMI input.
- No display on the bar, unnecessarily complex remote control.
NB: The reported price drop is calculated by comparing the lowest price of the day with the average of the lowest prices charged by all merchants for the product last month, with security rules to exclude prices from shops whose the VAT policy is not clear (known as “grey” shops, typically in the case of imports from China).
Alternatively
The Yamaha YAS-109 certainly does not keep all its promises when it comes to the quality of its bass and its surround virtual. But we can’t really hold it against it, since it nevertheless offers more than adequate performance for its price range, satisfactory both for listening to music and watching movies – on the only condition of remaining wise on the sound volume.