Today I’m reviewing the Sony HT8500 soundbar which I have been using for the last two or three months. I purchased the soundbar, and the review is based on my own experiences of using the soundbar.

Sony HT8500 specification and thoughts

The Sony HT8500 is an entry-level 2.1 soundbar with no separate subwoofer.

There is likely to be a significant market for those of us who don’t want a subwoofer due to lack of space or potential complaints from other members of the same household, which means that the bass comes from two subwoofer speakers being contained within the soundbar itself.

The soundbar supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS X. As the soundbar is a 2.1 system, it uses sound virtualisation to convince you that the sound came from around you.

Not just on the sides or behind you, but above you as the speakers come with Sony vertical virtualisation system. It seems to give the sound a bit more height when it is on.

The soundbar makes a good attempt at simulating surround sound, especially from the sides. It is the sound from the rear and height where it struggles, but occasionally, I hear something from behind me or above.

The speaker has several modes available. I usually default it to auto sounds which adjust the sound depending on what you are watching.

The soundbar also supports Bluetooth, and it’s okay for music if you put the speakers into music mode.

I was also very disappointed that the speakers didn’t ship with an HDMI cable but a small optical cable. Why couldn’t they send it with an HDMI cable as well?