Last updated at 11/05/2026 18:58:28
Sony HT-A3000 Powered Dolby Atmos Soundbar - Black
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Sony HT-A3000 3.1ch Dolby Atmos TV Sound Bar with DTSX, 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, Dual
Delivery between 16–20 May $13.74
Sony HT-A3000 3.1ch Dolby Atmos TV Sound Bar with DTSX, 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, Dual
Delivery between 16–20 May $15.52
HT-A3000 3.1ch Dolby Atmos TV Sound Bar with DTS:X, 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, Dual Subwoofers, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Airplay 2
Free delivery between 19–22 May
originally posted on bestbuy.com
I love Sony soundbars, I have been using them for the last couple of years. We have a rather large open living room so we setup the A7000 series soundbar in there a while back. The sound is amazing despite the open area and high ceilings. We were looking for something that would work well in a bedroom, and the A5000 series seemed like it might be just a tad too much for the smaller area. This A3000 series soundbar from Sony seems to fit that niche just right.Setup process is incredibly easy, run the power cable to the outlet near your TV, connect the HDMI cable from the eARC TV out port on the back of the soundbar to your eARC input on the back of your TV. The soundbar has one HDMI input in the back of the soundbar so we plugged in our streaming box to that. Once ... MoreI love Sony soundbars, I have been using them for the last couple of years. We have a rather large open living room so we setup the A7000 series soundbar in there a while back. The sound is amazing despite the open area and high ceilings. We were looking for something that would work well in a bedroom, and the A5000 series seemed like it might be just a tad too much for the smaller area. This A3000 series soundbar from Sony seems to fit that niche just right.Setup process is incredibly easy, run the power cable to the outlet near your TV, connect the HDMI cable from the eARC TV out port on the back of the soundbar to your eARC input on the back of your TV. The soundbar has one HDMI input in the back of the soundbar so we plugged in our streaming box to that. Once you have everything powered on, the soundbar walks you through the final setup process in configuring the sound to your room. Sony’s audio wizards can reflect sound off the walls and ceiling to really make it feel like the sound is moving around you as opposed to just coming from the soundbar. One small gripe I had when I was setting up was that the soundbar only has 1 HDMI input, not a deal breaker since I can run my other devices to the TV and the soundbar is still going to produce excellent sound. Some of Sony’s other models offer 2 HDMI inputs so it was just a bit of a bummer seeing that this one only had the one, again not a deal breaker but worth noting.So, the sound. In a word ‘Wow!’. I already knew what to expect since we use one of Sony’s higher end models in the living room, but this soundbar on its own can give you an immersive feeling. The clarity and separation are amazing. We were watching a movie and at one point in the movie it was raining, but I instinctively looked outside my bedroom windows thinking it was raining outside. I felt silly a second later when I realized it was just the soundbar making it sound like the rain was coming from behind us. With the soundbar supporting Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and Vertical Surround Engine Sony really has you feeling like you are in the scene. Another amazing feature, that I feel often gets overlooked is their support of 360 Reality Audio. Paired with the right digital streaming provider and songs, this makes for a unique listening experience that has you feeling like you are there in the studio or concert where the music is being recorded. Even more so if you are using their wireless rear speakers and sub.More of a test to see if I should make the extra investment, I grabbed the sub and wireless speakers from my living room setup and linked them to the A3000. This is super easy since you just click the link buttons on each speaker and the soundbar can locate them and connect to them. The sound was improved, but if I had to choose just one of those things to make the investment in, it would be the sub. The soundbar can create good bass for explosions in action movie, but unfortunately doesn’t come close to what the sub is able to do on its own. Depending on your room you might get away without utilizing the wireless rear speakers, but if you want the most out of those action movies then the sub should be a serious consideration.This isn’t the best soundbar on the market, but for the right size room and setup this can deliver an incredible experience without emptying your bank. Again, paired with the sub this makes for a very immersive cinema experience.
originally posted on bestbuy.com
Over the years I've owned MANY sound bars. Many is an understatement. In my house at this moment I have at least 4 (5 now) plugged in and functioning sound bars of various makes and manufacturers. Each of them has their own pluses and minuses, however I was really looking forward to setting this one up. Unfortunately, disappointment ensued.To start, the packaging is much as you'd expect, the sound bar is nestled in a relatively nondescript long rectangular box with an image on the front of the bar and it is packed in Styrofoam. It comes with the remote, some documentation and an HDMI cable.On setup, the sound bar is seen by my Samsung TV and it switches to the input for it. There's a relatively simple setup process whereby it connects to WiFi, allows you to set ... MoreOver the years I've owned MANY sound bars. Many is an understatement. In my house at this moment I have at least 4 (5 now) plugged in and functioning sound bars of various makes and manufacturers. Each of them has their own pluses and minuses, however I was really looking forward to setting this one up. Unfortunately, disappointment ensued.To start, the packaging is much as you'd expect, the sound bar is nestled in a relatively nondescript long rectangular box with an image on the front of the bar and it is packed in Styrofoam. It comes with the remote, some documentation and an HDMI cable.On setup, the sound bar is seen by my Samsung TV and it switches to the input for it. There's a relatively simple setup process whereby it connects to WiFi, allows you to set up Alexa or Chromecast integration, and configures the 360 audio if you have the rear speakers and the sub (both of which are sold separately). The 360 audio setup is actually very cool, each of the speakers emits a series of tones which is picked up by the soundbar to allow it to adjust the audio for the room it is set up in.Then came the movie watching... For starters, I brought up Jurassic Park. Who can match the sweeping sounds of John Williams as the score for Jurassic Park is played directly after Dr Grant and Dr Sattler see the Brachiosaurus for the first time. The audio is... tinny. The conversation between the characters is flat. The review is for the soundbar, so I'll leave out too much commentary on the surround speakers and sub, but I have to say, that the surrounds are underutilized, and the subwoofer is boomy at best. But returning to the sound bar... much of the midrange is lost on the bar itself. John Williams lovely Jurassic Park score, which sounds good just because of what it is, loses a lot of its depth and fullness. As the movie continues, it just becomes more and more apparent that the mids are just way too weak in this sound bar, from the crunching branches as the T-Rex approaches, so the freight-train sound of its roar... All of it sounds too high and a little too flat.Watching TV is an even less impressive endeavor. All of the channels I watched the sound was flat and uninspired. There's not a whole lot in the way of customization for the audio for this sound bar, and cycling through the settings did not change the experience much.For the cost of the sound bar alone, it's a rather steep price for subpar sound, even once you add the wireless subwoofer, it cannot make up for the utter lack of midrange in the bar.Unfortunately I cannot recommend this, particularly at this price.
originally posted on sony.co.uk
The Sony HT-A3000 is one of the few 3.1 setups on the market that supports Dolby Atmos content. This bar is a more affordable alternative to the Sony HT-A5000 and the Sony HT-A7000, It offers Sound Field mode to enhance its sound, and while watching movies recently this feature sounds outstanding and above all it performs as good if not better than my other surround sound wall speakers and subwoofer.The HT-A3000 soundbar features Sony's spatial audio solution, 360 Sound Mapping, that delivers an incredible “ultra-wide listening area". When we fist set this up in my kids Play Room to our Sony KDL55HX853, along with the PS5 the ability of the soundbar to fill the complete room with clarity, sharpness and stunning tones was beautiful. The soundbar all supports Dolby ... MoreThe Sony HT-A3000 is one of the few 3.1 setups on the market that supports Dolby Atmos content. This bar is a more affordable alternative to the Sony HT-A5000 and the Sony HT-A7000, It offers Sound Field mode to enhance its sound, and while watching movies recently this feature sounds outstanding and above all it performs as good if not better than my other surround sound wall speakers and subwoofer.The HT-A3000 soundbar features Sony's spatial audio solution, 360 Sound Mapping, that delivers an incredible “ultra-wide listening area". When we fist set this up in my kids Play Room to our Sony KDL55HX853, along with the PS5 the ability of the soundbar to fill the complete room with clarity, sharpness and stunning tones was beautiful. The soundbar all supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, however we would want to leave this in the play room but we will connect it to our Sony AV Receiver in the main TV room and connect it to the Dolby Atmos feature and test it out.While we have a separate subwoofer in our main TV room, the HT A3000 features three front speakers plus their very own dedicated center channel and dual subwoofers. The good news is and I mentioned we would try this down the line is it can be upgraded to support a surround sound system with the brilliant ability from the support of Sony's optional SA-SW5 wireless subwoofer and SA-RS5 wireless rear speakers.The brilliant ability to stream music from the HT A3000 allowed is the chance to connect to our own service and it was stunning and as good as the Sony Surround system we have in another tv room.On the topic of sound, the HT A3000 comes with Google Assistant integration and works with Amazon Alexa devices too.The HT-A3000 comes with a wide range of inputs including USB, optical and HDMI eARC.
| Channel Configuration | 3.1-Channel |
Sony HT-A3000 Powered Dolby Atmos Soundbar - Black
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Sony HT-A3000 3.1ch Dolby Atmos TV Sound Bar with DTSX, 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, Dual
Delivery between 16–20 May $13.74
Sony HT-A3000 3.1ch Dolby Atmos TV Sound Bar with DTSX, 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, Dual
Delivery between 16–20 May $15.52
HT-A3000 3.1ch Dolby Atmos TV Sound Bar with DTS:X, 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, Dual Subwoofers, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Airplay 2
Free delivery between 19–22 May
I love Sony soundbars, I have been using them for the last couple of years. We have a rather large open living room so we setup the A7000 series soundbar in there a while back. The sound is amazing despite the open area and high ceilings. We were looking for something that would work well in a bedroom, and the A5000 series seemed like it might be just a tad too much for the smaller area. This A3000 series soundbar from Sony seems to fit that niche just right.Setup process is incredibly easy, run the power cable to the outlet near your TV, connect the HDMI cable from the eARC TV out port on the back of the soundbar to your eARC input on the back of your TV. The soundbar has one HDMI input in the back of the soundbar so we plugged in our streaming box to that. Once ... MoreI love Sony soundbars, I have been using them for the last couple of years. We have a rather large open living room so we setup the A7000 series soundbar in there a while back. The sound is amazing despite the open area and high ceilings. We were looking for something that would work well in a bedroom, and the A5000 series seemed like it might be just a tad too much for the smaller area. This A3000 series soundbar from Sony seems to fit that niche just right.Setup process is incredibly easy, run the power cable to the outlet near your TV, connect the HDMI cable from the eARC TV out port on the back of the soundbar to your eARC input on the back of your TV. The soundbar has one HDMI input in the back of the soundbar so we plugged in our streaming box to that. Once you have everything powered on, the soundbar walks you through the final setup process in configuring the sound to your room. Sony’s audio wizards can reflect sound off the walls and ceiling to really make it feel like the sound is moving around you as opposed to just coming from the soundbar. One small gripe I had when I was setting up was that the soundbar only has 1 HDMI input, not a deal breaker since I can run my other devices to the TV and the soundbar is still going to produce excellent sound. Some of Sony’s other models offer 2 HDMI inputs so it was just a bit of a bummer seeing that this one only had the one, again not a deal breaker but worth noting.So, the sound. In a word ‘Wow!’. I already knew what to expect since we use one of Sony’s higher end models in the living room, but this soundbar on its own can give you an immersive feeling. The clarity and separation are amazing. We were watching a movie and at one point in the movie it was raining, but I instinctively looked outside my bedroom windows thinking it was raining outside. I felt silly a second later when I realized it was just the soundbar making it sound like the rain was coming from behind us. With the soundbar supporting Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and Vertical Surround Engine Sony really has you feeling like you are in the scene. Another amazing feature, that I feel often gets overlooked is their support of 360 Reality Audio. Paired with the right digital streaming provider and songs, this makes for a unique listening experience that has you feeling like you are there in the studio or concert where the music is being recorded. Even more so if you are using their wireless rear speakers and sub.More of a test to see if I should make the extra investment, I grabbed the sub and wireless speakers from my living room setup and linked them to the A3000. This is super easy since you just click the link buttons on each speaker and the soundbar can locate them and connect to them. The sound was improved, but if I had to choose just one of those things to make the investment in, it would be the sub. The soundbar can create good bass for explosions in action movie, but unfortunately doesn’t come close to what the sub is able to do on its own. Depending on your room you might get away without utilizing the wireless rear speakers, but if you want the most out of those action movies then the sub should be a serious consideration.This isn’t the best soundbar on the market, but for the right size room and setup this can deliver an incredible experience without emptying your bank. Again, paired with the sub this makes for a very immersive cinema experience.
Over the years I've owned MANY sound bars. Many is an understatement. In my house at this moment I have at least 4 (5 now) plugged in and functioning sound bars of various makes and manufacturers. Each of them has their own pluses and minuses, however I was really looking forward to setting this one up. Unfortunately, disappointment ensued.To start, the packaging is much as you'd expect, the sound bar is nestled in a relatively nondescript long rectangular box with an image on the front of the bar and it is packed in Styrofoam. It comes with the remote, some documentation and an HDMI cable.On setup, the sound bar is seen by my Samsung TV and it switches to the input for it. There's a relatively simple setup process whereby it connects to WiFi, allows you to set ... MoreOver the years I've owned MANY sound bars. Many is an understatement. In my house at this moment I have at least 4 (5 now) plugged in and functioning sound bars of various makes and manufacturers. Each of them has their own pluses and minuses, however I was really looking forward to setting this one up. Unfortunately, disappointment ensued.To start, the packaging is much as you'd expect, the sound bar is nestled in a relatively nondescript long rectangular box with an image on the front of the bar and it is packed in Styrofoam. It comes with the remote, some documentation and an HDMI cable.On setup, the sound bar is seen by my Samsung TV and it switches to the input for it. There's a relatively simple setup process whereby it connects to WiFi, allows you to set up Alexa or Chromecast integration, and configures the 360 audio if you have the rear speakers and the sub (both of which are sold separately). The 360 audio setup is actually very cool, each of the speakers emits a series of tones which is picked up by the soundbar to allow it to adjust the audio for the room it is set up in.Then came the movie watching... For starters, I brought up Jurassic Park. Who can match the sweeping sounds of John Williams as the score for Jurassic Park is played directly after Dr Grant and Dr Sattler see the Brachiosaurus for the first time. The audio is... tinny. The conversation between the characters is flat. The review is for the soundbar, so I'll leave out too much commentary on the surround speakers and sub, but I have to say, that the surrounds are underutilized, and the subwoofer is boomy at best. But returning to the sound bar... much of the midrange is lost on the bar itself. John Williams lovely Jurassic Park score, which sounds good just because of what it is, loses a lot of its depth and fullness. As the movie continues, it just becomes more and more apparent that the mids are just way too weak in this sound bar, from the crunching branches as the T-Rex approaches, so the freight-train sound of its roar... All of it sounds too high and a little too flat.Watching TV is an even less impressive endeavor. All of the channels I watched the sound was flat and uninspired. There's not a whole lot in the way of customization for the audio for this sound bar, and cycling through the settings did not change the experience much.For the cost of the sound bar alone, it's a rather steep price for subpar sound, even once you add the wireless subwoofer, it cannot make up for the utter lack of midrange in the bar.Unfortunately I cannot recommend this, particularly at this price.
The Sony HT-A3000 is one of the few 3.1 setups on the market that supports Dolby Atmos content. This bar is a more affordable alternative to the Sony HT-A5000 and the Sony HT-A7000, It offers Sound Field mode to enhance its sound, and while watching movies recently this feature sounds outstanding and above all it performs as good if not better than my other surround sound wall speakers and subwoofer.The HT-A3000 soundbar features Sony's spatial audio solution, 360 Sound Mapping, that delivers an incredible “ultra-wide listening area". When we fist set this up in my kids Play Room to our Sony KDL55HX853, along with the PS5 the ability of the soundbar to fill the complete room with clarity, sharpness and stunning tones was beautiful. The soundbar all supports Dolby ... MoreThe Sony HT-A3000 is one of the few 3.1 setups on the market that supports Dolby Atmos content. This bar is a more affordable alternative to the Sony HT-A5000 and the Sony HT-A7000, It offers Sound Field mode to enhance its sound, and while watching movies recently this feature sounds outstanding and above all it performs as good if not better than my other surround sound wall speakers and subwoofer.The HT-A3000 soundbar features Sony's spatial audio solution, 360 Sound Mapping, that delivers an incredible “ultra-wide listening area". When we fist set this up in my kids Play Room to our Sony KDL55HX853, along with the PS5 the ability of the soundbar to fill the complete room with clarity, sharpness and stunning tones was beautiful. The soundbar all supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, however we would want to leave this in the play room but we will connect it to our Sony AV Receiver in the main TV room and connect it to the Dolby Atmos feature and test it out.While we have a separate subwoofer in our main TV room, the HT A3000 features three front speakers plus their very own dedicated center channel and dual subwoofers. The good news is and I mentioned we would try this down the line is it can be upgraded to support a surround sound system with the brilliant ability from the support of Sony's optional SA-SW5 wireless subwoofer and SA-RS5 wireless rear speakers.The brilliant ability to stream music from the HT A3000 allowed is the chance to connect to our own service and it was stunning and as good as the Sony Surround system we have in another tv room.On the topic of sound, the HT A3000 comes with Google Assistant integration and works with Amazon Alexa devices too.The HT-A3000 comes with a wide range of inputs including USB, optical and HDMI eARC.
Sony's latest soundbar, the A3000, adds a budget friendlier option to their range of audio soundbar products and is packed full of features including the ability to add additonal speakers from their line of wireless speakers and other geatures such as Alexa and Apple AirPlay 2.The A3000 soundbar comes with a setup manual, remote, 2.1 HDMI cable, and power cable. Setting it up was very easy; I connected the HDMI cable into the eARC port (more on why this is important below) and changed the audio setting on my TV to output the audio via external speakers. Viola! The sound began resounding from the 3 front firing speakers and the 2 built in subwoofers. Its low profile and slick look, in my personal opinion, would not detract from the look or personal tastes of those ... MoreSony's latest soundbar, the A3000, adds a budget friendlier option to their range of audio soundbar products and is packed full of features including the ability to add additonal speakers from their line of wireless speakers and other geatures such as Alexa and Apple AirPlay 2.The A3000 soundbar comes with a setup manual, remote, 2.1 HDMI cable, and power cable. Setting it up was very easy; I connected the HDMI cable into the eARC port (more on why this is important below) and changed the audio setting on my TV to output the audio via external speakers. Viola! The sound began resounding from the 3 front firing speakers and the 2 built in subwoofers. Its low profile and slick look, in my personal opinion, would not detract from the look or personal tastes of those who are concerned about having a speaker out in front or below their TV. At least for me personally, my wife did not raise any concerns about the appearance of the TV stand after placing the soundbar on it.For audio, placement is important especially for the room you are in. Having the soundbar center towards it's viewers would be simple, although many soundbars aren't able to fill the room with audio. This wasn't the case with Sony's soundbar. Sound traveled throughout my large living room. Low end frequencies did sound a little muffled and background noise for scenes wasn't up to par for what I was expecting. After searching through settings and enabling the Sound Field feature, I was amazed with how well the A3000 sound changed. Although lows still lacked, details in the audio were more pronounced. It was able to push the explosive sounds from scenes in The Gray Man throughout my 13' x 20' living room. Dialogue was clear when listening to the news and sports broadcaster could be heard through the roaring crowds of soccer games. Music was vibrant and the sound of musical instruments really shined through the soundbar. With music in particular, I noticed that the soundbar leaned more towards producing soft lows and keener highs.Where the A3000 really shined was when enabling the Sound Field feature. This is used to produce a 3D type of sound, and it truly does; audio was fuller and details in scenes were more pronounced. Car honks, radio music, office chatter (examples of background noise in movies and shows) could be heard clearer when this option was enabled. In addition to this, for movies that had DTS:X and Dolby Atmos audio codecs I noticed the audio had more oomph and produced details that could be heard coming from different directions in the room. Through eARC, these audio codecs were able to be passed through to the soundbar to reproduce the effects of these audio codecs. eARC provides additional bandwith for these special audio codecs. Lastly, the soundbar has features for Alexa, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, and the updated Apple AirPlay 2. All were tested and fuctioned well in my experience. It made it easier to play audio from my mobile devices and not have to bring out an aux to play audio from them.Another added bonus for the A30010 soundbar is the ability to add additonal wireless speakers and a wireless subwoofer. This is a big plus as many quality sound systems require for speaker wire to be run to connect multiple speakers in a system. After personally testing the two Sony RS3S bookshelf speakers and placing them in the rear, backside of the room facing listeners, I cam say that the surround sound quality is exceptional. Adding the SW3 subwoofer to the mix, it provided room shakening effects. In scenes where there was rain, I could hear the surround sound and made it feel like you were in the movie! In another scene when watching the kids movie Cars with my children, when the old town radio was playing in the background at Radiator Springs, I was amazed at how well the audio was reproduced and thought someone outside or in a latter part of the house was playing music! Although the soundbar already elevates the sound of movies and shows, adding the RS3S bookshelf speakers for surround sound and the SW3 subwoofer for additional bass thumping sound, takes audio to the next level.Now for the downsides. While the internal subwoofers in the soundbar are great additions to bring some bass into sequences, it does not replace an external subwoofer. The internal subwoofers do provide some oomf to explosive scenes but after owning several external subwoofers, the wall shakening effect isn't the same. Another downside is the inability to switch audio codec formats from the soundbar.Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to music, movies, and shows with Sony's A3000 soundbar. It truly elevates the viewing experience and is much better than any audio TVs offer. I recommend the A3000 to those looking to elevate their audio and viewing experience. It is a great upgrade from TV audio and will notice the huge difference of what this soundbar can make.
Sony really knows what they are doing with home theater surround sound and this new sound bar is no exception. This 3.1 sound bar sits in a really great spot as a more budget friendly sound bar, but still delivers the superior audio quality you get with most Sony Sound bars.The sound quality overall is stellar. The channels all work together to give clear, rich dialogue while also delivering a surround sound feeling in a compact package.This sound bar works great in smaller rooms where a bigger system may be overkill. We use ours in a fairly small living area and it was plenty loud enough for us and definitely an upgrade over our TV's build in speakers.The built in subwoofers work well, but if you are hoping for that deep rumble, I would definitely opt for one ... MoreSony really knows what they are doing with home theater surround sound and this new sound bar is no exception. This 3.1 sound bar sits in a really great spot as a more budget friendly sound bar, but still delivers the superior audio quality you get with most Sony Sound bars.The sound quality overall is stellar. The channels all work together to give clear, rich dialogue while also delivering a surround sound feeling in a compact package.This sound bar works great in smaller rooms where a bigger system may be overkill. We use ours in a fairly small living area and it was plenty loud enough for us and definitely an upgrade over our TV's build in speakers.The built in subwoofers work well, but if you are hoping for that deep rumble, I would definitely opt for one of Sony's dedicated subwoofers. They work really well with this system.Setting things up is really straight forward, you can use HDMI eARC or optical to connect to your TV, so no real configuring to be done. The sound bar only has output, so you'll need to do all your input switching in the TV itself. After that, it's really just sit back and enjoy the impressive sound.I can't say there is much to not like about this sound bar. It checks all the boxes you'd want with dolby atmos and cool 360 mapping technology that automatically adjusts the sound mix to best suite the room that you are set up in. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but the end result is a great sounding setup, with very minimal effort to get things sounding good.It also comes with all the expected extras like bluetooth compatibility, chrome-cast support, and Apple AirPlay. All work exactly as expected. If you've used any of these features before, you'll be right at home with them here.Overall, amazing sound bar and would recommend to anyone looking for a sound bar in this price range.
The impressive surround sound is only achieved when you pair it with rear speakers, and even better when you also add a subwoofer. I tested this soundbar both by listening to it when watching television and movies, and also when listening to just music. I listened to it by itself, then also paired to a set of Sony wireless rear speakers (RS3S) and to a Sony wireless subwoofer (SW3) all at the same time. While of course you will get optimal sound with the entire set, the soundbar is quite good all by itself as well. It performed the best when I used it to watch television and movies--listening to dialogue, special effect sounds, and the music within tv shows and movies. When simply listening to music, I felt it was good but not great; for the listed price of this ... MoreThe impressive surround sound is only achieved when you pair it with rear speakers, and even better when you also add a subwoofer. I tested this soundbar both by listening to it when watching television and movies, and also when listening to just music. I listened to it by itself, then also paired to a set of Sony wireless rear speakers (RS3S) and to a Sony wireless subwoofer (SW3) all at the same time. While of course you will get optimal sound with the entire set, the soundbar is quite good all by itself as well. It performed the best when I used it to watch television and movies--listening to dialogue, special effect sounds, and the music within tv shows and movies. When simply listening to music, I felt it was good but not great; for the listed price of this particular soundbar, I would honestly pay the few hundred more to upgrade to the A5000, especially for true audiophiles who love their music.However, it really excels when used with at least a pair of rear speakers for the total 360 immersive sound experience. And when a subwoofer is added, it really packs a punch. The concept of surround sound is something that has to be personally experienced firsthand to appreciate how advanced and futuristic it sounds and feels. Sony has a program called 360 Spatial Sound which maps the room the speakers are placed in, to calibrate all of them (soundbar, rear speakers, and subwoofer all together) in such a way that it achieves what it calls sound field optimization, and the results really stand out. If you want a good soundbar to pair with your tv, I would recommend this; however, if you really want the best experience--especially when listening to music--you need to also purchase the rear speakers and perhaps also the subwoofer as well.
I had been looking for a soundbar system that would produce phenomenal sound while not breaking the bank for a long time before this Sony HT-A3000 came along. I went through several other options always finding them lacking in some way or another. I am so happy with this Sony setup. The sound coming from this is extremely impressive. It is loud yet crisp and clear, and every tone is full and rich. I am continually surprised by the things I had been missing before. I have it paired with the SA-SW3 subwoofer, and SA-RS3S rear speakers which bring a ton more to the sound field. Alone the bar sounds great, but with the addition of the rears and sub, it is on a totally different level. I have used it for Bluetooth music, airplay, and HDMI eARC for gaming and movie ... MoreI had been looking for a soundbar system that would produce phenomenal sound while not breaking the bank for a long time before this Sony HT-A3000 came along. I went through several other options always finding them lacking in some way or another. I am so happy with this Sony setup. The sound coming from this is extremely impressive. It is loud yet crisp and clear, and every tone is full and rich. I am continually surprised by the things I had been missing before. I have it paired with the SA-SW3 subwoofer, and SA-RS3S rear speakers which bring a ton more to the sound field. Alone the bar sounds great, but with the addition of the rears and sub, it is on a totally different level. I have used it for Bluetooth music, airplay, and HDMI eARC for gaming and movie watching so far and in every case it is amazing. The user interface is simple but easy to use, and initial setup shows the 3D audio demo and runs a self-adjustment optimizing for surroundings in your room. It was automatic and worked like a charm. It looks very nice with high quality materials and a nice rounded off shape. It has a metal mesh grille, and a svelte textured finish on the body. HDMI eARC, USB, Optical, Power, and a Sony TV exclusive TV Center channel port that can be plugged in adding the Sony TV’s speakers as additional center channel oomph. I have a Vizio TV, and it works flawlessly with it on eARC. That means that I can’t test the Center channel plug but I’m not sure what difference it would make as it already sounds so good. My TV can control the volume and input and vice-versa, making for a seamless setup and experience. The fact that it does so with only its own automatic optimizations and doesn’t have much in the way of a sound mixer is even more impressive to me. It keeps things simple and produces ultra-high quality sound without the user needing to spend much time making adjustments to the various channels. Hooking up my rear speakers and subwoofer were also extremely simple, literally only had to plug them in while the soundbar was powered one and they automatically synced up and started working. I can adjust the volume levels for the sub and rears, and they both produce a lot of additional sound for the system. Overall, I am super happy and impressed with this soundbar, and I love listening to it. By itself it was already top notch, and I am sure many would find it more than adequate. For the full experience, add the wireless subwoofer and rear surround speakers, they completely transform the sound it produces. I can’t recommend it enough.
First, this soundbar is quite the product from Sony. It has Dolby Virtual Atmos and is one of the lowest priced soundbars in the Sony lineup (with the features and options it offers). This is a good thing in that it doesn’t sacrifice on sound, that experience is as it should be and what you would expect both from Sony and at this price point. One thing to note is what you don’t get is an HDMI input on the soundbar. This is not a problem if your TV has HDMI ARC/eARC. As long as it does, you don’t need the additional HDMI input because everything will run through the HDMI ARC once connected to your TV (or Bluetooth of course for features like Apple AirPlay). Also, as long as you are setting up with HDMI eARC, setup is incredibly simple because you plug in the power, ... MoreFirst, this soundbar is quite the product from Sony. It has Dolby Virtual Atmos and is one of the lowest priced soundbars in the Sony lineup (with the features and options it offers). This is a good thing in that it doesn’t sacrifice on sound, that experience is as it should be and what you would expect both from Sony and at this price point. One thing to note is what you don’t get is an HDMI input on the soundbar. This is not a problem if your TV has HDMI ARC/eARC. As long as it does, you don’t need the additional HDMI input because everything will run through the HDMI ARC once connected to your TV (or Bluetooth of course for features like Apple AirPlay). Also, as long as you are setting up with HDMI eARC, setup is incredibly simple because you plug in the power, plug in to the TV and connect to the bar and you’re basically ready to go. There is additional setup and options to choose and an accompanying app, but basic setup is about as simple as it gets.The sound delivered is rich and with Dolby Virtual Atmos, it gives you the best imitation of the immersive experience of surround sound but without the headache of actually having to install surround sound speakers. Of course it’s not quite surround sound, but it’s certainly a good sound experience and the setup is MUCH easier than installing surround sound. Keep in mind also that this soundbar is a 3.1, and Sony offers some great peripherals in the form of rear speakers and subwoofer, which are connected wirelessly. Again, easy setup and a big enhancement to that surround sound experience. The biggest problem of course is that the rear speakers and subwoofer must be purchased separately from the soundbar, so your price tag starts going way up. I would say if you have a smaller space, you probably don’t need to mess with the rear speakers or subwoofer. The sound bar does have two built in subwoofers and of course the Dolby Virtual Atmos. The bigger your space though, the more the peripherals can add to your experience.The soundbar on its own is a pretty amazing piece of sound tech and does the job it’s supposed to admirably. And on its own, with the features offered, I’d say it’s actually a pretty decent price point as well. Just keep in mind the HDMI eARC requirement as well as the additional cost if you decide the rear speakers and subwoofer are necessary to complete your experience.
I’ve just taken delivery of a Sony HT-A3000 sound bar. This device is full of features, not just for transforming the sound from a TV to a cinema sound effect, but a great device to play back music using various separate devices.It’s a substantial sound bar, as you would imagine for a Sony product, it’s well made & beautifully finished, it’s also quite heavy.It can be wall mounted, it comes with a template for mounting onto a wall or it can be placed on a cabinet as in my case, it’s not too bulky & sits neatly at the base of my 42" television.From a distance all you can see is the speaker grille over the complete width of the device & at the top very discreet control functions. Once it’s switched on, you can see the LED display through the front speaker grill, ... MoreI’ve just taken delivery of a Sony HT-A3000 sound bar. This device is full of features, not just for transforming the sound from a TV to a cinema sound effect, but a great device to play back music using various separate devices.It’s a substantial sound bar, as you would imagine for a Sony product, it’s well made & beautifully finished, it’s also quite heavy.It can be wall mounted, it comes with a template for mounting onto a wall or it can be placed on a cabinet as in my case, it’s not too bulky & sits neatly at the base of my 42" television.From a distance all you can see is the speaker grille over the complete width of the device & at the top very discreet control functions. Once it’s switched on, you can see the LED display through the front speaker grill, easy to read & very slick.Setting it up was extremely quick, it comes with an easy to understand ‘set up’ instructions in one language with clear diagrams & text.You have a power lead, HDMI lead to plug into a TV set & a separate centre speaker lead if required. They also provide a detailed handbook for more information, all easy to understand & very comprehensive.If you have a Sony TV with a Bluetooth function, you can connect up wirelessly. I tried it on my mobile phone & within seconds of connecting with Bluetooth, it was playing back playlists from my phone with on screen controls. The HDMI, USB & power sockets are mounted in two separate recesses at the back of the sound bar making connecting & disconnecting when it’s wall mounted, a simple task.A separate remote control device is supplied with multi function controls. There are haptic controls on the top of the sound bar, they all work very well indeed. I’m not a fan of haptic controls, the ones on my car are a ‘hit or miss’ experience but Sony have ‘cracked it’ with these.As you would imagine, sound quality is very impressive. This is one of the best quality sound bars I’ve ever heard, it simply transforms the sound from the TV to cinema like quality. It just fills the room with a deep quality sound, it’s all very impressive indeed, there is the option of adding more speakers to enhance the sound even further.Sound quality from my phone through the sound bar is also impressive, I plugged in a 15 year old Sony USB stick with music on it & was astounded by the sheer quality of the playback sound. By downloading the Sony app, you can set up the sound bar to accept Alexa verbal instructions, connect up to the Spotify app to playback through the sound bar & link up to Air Play if required. It’s all very versatile indeed.To summarise, a well made product, excellent sound quality, versatile, easy to set up & operate, good attention to detail & good value for money. With Sony's reputation for reliability, it's unlikely to cause any issues. It' highly recommend.
PROS:+ 360 Spatial Sound really expands the soundstage+ Sound Field Optimization very quickly adjusts the sound for your space using built-in microphones+ Ability to adjust speaker distance & position manually for fine-tuning the audio+ Vertical Surround Engine & S-Force Pro successfully heighten soundstage for Atmos & DTS:X+ Comes with on-screen display for adjusting settings, it addition to visible display on soundbar+ Great remote with lots of control right on the remote without needing to nest through menus+ Can easily expand with wireless speakers and wireless sub+ Integrated support for music streaming services+ Built-in Atmos & 360 Reality Audio demos for testingCONS:- No HDMI Inputs for passthrough- Sound field can sound a bit hollow when ... MorePROS:+ 360 Spatial Sound really expands the soundstage+ Sound Field Optimization very quickly adjusts the sound for your space using built-in microphones+ Ability to adjust speaker distance & position manually for fine-tuning the audio+ Vertical Surround Engine & S-Force Pro successfully heighten soundstage for Atmos & DTS:X+ Comes with on-screen display for adjusting settings, it addition to visible display on soundbar+ Great remote with lots of control right on the remote without needing to nest through menus+ Can easily expand with wireless speakers and wireless sub+ Integrated support for music streaming services+ Built-in Atmos & 360 Reality Audio demos for testingCONS:- No HDMI Inputs for passthrough- Sound field can sound a bit hollow when off-angle from the bar- No EQ for fine-tuning sound- Bass is fine, but really could use a dedicated sub (which costs extra)SO-SO:* For some reason the power input and HDMI eARC are on opposite ends of the bar, which makes for weird cable managementTHE LONG & SHORT OF ITThe Sony HT-A3000 is a unique soundbar in the world of 3D audio in that it supports modern 3D audio formats like Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and Sony’s 360 Reality Audio, but doesn’t actually have up-firing speakers to bounce off the ceiling like. The result is that the HT-A3000 uses audio processing to simulate a “bubble” of sound while watching content, and this virtualization actually works quite well. I have used a lot of Atmos enabled systems, and the pure virtualization approach here does not provide a more convincing experience than something like dedicated speakers can provide, but it does come a lot closer than it has any right to. Turning on the 360 Spatial Audio mapping results in a soundstage that feels both noticeably taller & wider than without it, and as sounds move through the space, you do get the definite impression of movement of objects through the air. The downside to this is that, while the sound field is great, it can sound a bit muffled or messy in heavy action scenes, as the virtualization tries to emulate everything at once. Adding in Sony’s wireless rear speakers does help this quite a bit by providing dedicated channels for the rear sound. One other issue with the virtualization is that, when off-angle of the soundbar, the sound can also sound more hallow than when watching dead-on, which isn’t an issue for me since I always have mine set-up in the center to my seating, but with an L-couch or wide seating, you may find a noticeably different sound profile than when direct to the bar.While I never got the impression of audio going directly above my head, I did get the sense of height effects being higher in the sound field than other effects. For example, when the T-Rex roars in the Ready Player One chase scene, it sounds definitely higher above my TV than the rest of the lower channel effects, although nowhere near to being over my head like it is supposed to be. One benefit of this virtualization approach though is that it is less dependent on your ceiling height, and in my living room I have high vaulted ceilings, which are awful for speakers that need to bound sound off of them and back down on you. I actually found the HT-A3000 quite effective in this set-up. Additionally, when listening to music, not only do you get full support of most modern streaming services, but the HT-A3000 does a great job of making them sound even clearer through its audio processing. In fact, all told, this is probably the most software driven soundbar I have ever owned, with so many audio engines it is hard to count. What is missing though is a dedicated EQ option, so you can’t really tune the sound profile to your liking. This being said, the spatial audio optimization does a great & quick job of tuning the sound to your space, by playing a few fast test tones from the soundbar (and rear speakers & sub if you have them), and calibrating using the built-in mics. You can also manually go through and adjust speaker distances to further tune the sound for your listening position.If I had one complaint on the sound, it would be that the soundbar really does need a dedicated subwoofer. The built-in subs are fine, and may be good for a smaller space, but for a larger room they really don’t provide the low-end needed for a lot of movies and even music. That being said, like with the wireless rear speakers, you can add a wireless Sony sub as well. I paired the soundbar with one and it significantly improved the audio experience, but it is an additional cost to keep in mind.One other small gripe with the bar is a lack of any other HDMI passthrough ports, other than the eARC port. This means to get Atmos or DTS:X, you need an eARC TV. I have one, and so this is a non-issue for me, but even still, I do have a lot of devices, and it is nice to be able to plug them into the soundbar instead of a separate HDMI switch for passthrough to the TV, if you need more ports than your TV has. Also, weirdly the power input is on the opposite end of the bar from the HDMI input, which makes for weird cable management when you have cables coming from both ends of the bar.Design-wise, I think the bar looks and feels great. You have a slim profile, on-bar display, fully functional remote, on-screen menu for advanced settings, and buttons on the top of the bar for control as well. It looks great under my TV, and I imagine it will easily fit under most people’s TVs without any issue. I had no connectivity, drop-out, or other technical issues. The bar was set-up in minutes and the on-screen calibration is very straight forward. As an added bonus, you get two built-in demos with the bar, one for Atmos and one for 360 Reality Audio, which you can use to demo your calibrations and adjustments of the sound field in your space.All-in-all, this is a great soundbar, and does amazing work with its virtualization. It sounds good, has great center channel and 3D audio performance, and works great with both music and movies. If you add the rear speakers and sub, you will notice a very worthwhile upgrade to the audio experience, but as a standalone bar, it really does hit a lot of the boxes. It doesn’t work miracles, but it does push the bounds of what a single, thin soundbar can do from an audio processing perspective. The other question with all of this is price, which is still on the mid-to-upper range at $699.99. If you are willing to invest in a quality sony sub and rear speakers, and you don’t need the up-firing drivers, then I think you can get a solid surround sound system. That being said, if you are looking for a true all-in-one solution from a single bar, you may want to demo this one ahead of time if you can, to make sure it suits your needs, as it really does benefit from adding the rears and sub.
| Channel Configuration | 3.1-Channel |
Sony HT-A3000 250W 3.1-Channel Soundbar
Experience immersive sound with Sony Compact 3.1-inch Dolby Atmos Soundbar HT-A3000. The five built-in speakers with three front facing speakers and two front facing subwoofers allows you to enjoy the thrill of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, creating your own home cinema experience. The unique 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology creates multiple phantom speakers which generate a multi-dimensional sound similar to the cinema's sound. With Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa built-in, you can simply use your voice to control the soundbar or stream directly from your smartphone via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Chromecast or Apple Airplay 2. Add an optional subwoofer or wireless rear speakers (both sold separately) to create an immersive, seamless audio experience.
Experience immersive sound with Sony Compact 3.1-inch Dolby Atmos Soundbar HT-A3000. The five built-in speakers with three front facing speakers and two front facing subwoofers allows you to enjoy the thrill of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, creating your own home cinema experience. The unique 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology creates multiple phantom speakers which generate a multi-dimensional sound similar to the cinema's sound. With Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa built-in, you can simply use your voice to control the soundbar or stream directly from your smartphone via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Chromecast or Apple Airplay 2. Add an optional subwoofer or wireless rear speakers (both sold separately) to create an immersive, seamless audio experience.
Experience immersive sound with Sony Compact 3.1-inch Dolby Atmos Soundbar HT-A3000. The five built-in speakers with three front facing speakers and two front facing subwoofers allows you to enjoy the thrill of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, creating your own home cinema experience. The unique 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology creates multiple phantom speakers which generate a multi-dimensional sound similar to the cinema's sound. With Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa built-in, you can simply use your voice to control the soundbar or stream directly from your smartphone via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Chromecast or Apple Airplay 2. Add an optional subwoofer or wireless rear speakers (both sold separately) to create an immersive, seamless audio experience.
Experience immersive sound with Sony Compact 3.1-inch Dolby Atmos Soundbar HT-A3000. The five built-in speakers with three front facing speakers and two front facing subwoofers allows you to enjoy the thrill of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, creating your own home cinema experience. The unique 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology creates multiple phantom speakers which generate a multi-dimensional sound similar to the cinema's sound. With Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa built-in, you can simply use your voice to control the soundbar or stream directly from your smartphone via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Chromecast or Apple Airplay 2. Add an optional subwoofer or wireless rear speakers (both sold separately) to create an immersive, seamless audio experience.
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The lowest price for Sony HT-A3000 250W 3.1-Channel Soundbar right now is $409.48 at eBay.com.au, compared across 4 retailers.
The all-time low was $401.27 on 12 Feb 2026 — today's price is 2% above the lowest ever. This is at or near its all-time low — a good time to buy.
Prices last updated 11 May 2026.
