Wanted to upgrade from my dying 5.1 surround sound system and very happy with this purchase. Easy to set up (providing you have a fairly recent Sony TV) and the sound/bass are spot on. Easy to use and flick of a button to get the best sounds for films, TV, sports etc.

Strong home cinema specs and big scale sound are undermined by foggy audio quality

Neat design; Dolby Atmos and DTS:X; Weighty; open sound

Thick; muffled midrange; Lack of crispness and definition; Occasionally confusing operation

This compact Sony soundbar belies its mid-range price with a blockbuster audio performance. The soundstage is wide, with lovely wraparound sound processing courtesy of Sony's clever Vertical S, and that internal subwoofer is a proper beast.

Dolby Atmos and DTS:X compatible; Compact all-in-one form factor; Integrated subwoofer; Easy to set-up and use; Brilliant value

No upfiring drivers; Not High-Res Audio capable; Stripped back feature set

This is my first experience of a soundbar and this one had good write-ups. Once unpacked and book read. I went to set up. Unfortunately, my Tv is not the latest model and the Bluetooth on the TV does not talk to the bar. This is why I gave it a 4 out of 5.

I am sure you have a television at home. And I can say with confidence that this television of yours, no matter how expensive it may be, will not exactly be very good as far as the sound experience goes. Believe me, it is not just a problem with your TV.

Once set up, this Dolby Atmos soundbar has proved to be an outstanding piece of kit, with modes to suit every conceivable sound need, a rich ambience and superb surround-sound.

Sony HT-X8500 soundbar review: At the moment, the Sony HT-X8500 is among the best soundbars you can bring home, given that it performs ...

Sony HT-X8500 soundbar review: At the moment, the Sony HT-X8500 is among the best soundbars you can bring home, given that it performs ...

In a lot of our reviews of TVs, we tend to recommend buying a separate audio system because of their inadequate sound capabilities. Even if the TV's audio is good enough, it usually doesn't go beyond basic stereo sound; you'll need a good speaker system to turn your living room into a proper home...

Good; Easy to set up and use; Decent mid-range and low-end sound; Can get quite loud; Support for Dolby Atmos; DTS:X; 4K passthrough; HDMI-CEC; Fairly wide soundstage

Bad; Vertical Surround mode is gimmicky; No display; confusing LED-based prompts