Sony
HT-X8500
Sony HT-X8500 (2019): 2.1 one-piece soundbar with built-in subwoofer, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, HDMI eARC, one 4K HDR HDMI input and Bluetooth.
Released 2019
MSRP $299.99
Check price on AmazonShop prices can differ.
- 2.1 speaker setup
- Dolby Atmos (virtual)
- DTS:X
- HDMI eARC
- 1 HDMI input
Overview
HT-X8500 is a 2.1-channel Sony soundbar from 2019. It is 890 mm wide, 64 mm high and 96 mm deep, comes in black, weighs 3.1 kg and can be wall-mounted. There is no separate subwoofer: Sony lists the subwoofer as built in.
Sony lists a 3-channel S-Master digital amplifier.
The box contains a remote control, batteries, an optical cable, a power adapter, a power cable and booklets. The TV connects over HDMI eARC, and one HDMI input takes a console or player. There is also an optical input, a USB port (Sony lists it for firmware updates only) and Bluetooth 5.0 (receiver). The HT-X8500 has no Wi-Fi, so there is no network streaming or voice assistant; you control it with the buttons on the bar or the remote.
Sony lists the sound modes Auto Sound, Cinema, Music, Game, News, Sports and Standard, plus a Night Mode and a Voice Mode.
What the specs mean
- 2.1 speaker setup: two main channels (left and right) and one subwoofer channel, with no centre or height channels. The bar still decodes Dolby Atmos and DTS:X; Sony lists S-Force PRO and its Vertical Surround Engine (Dolby Speaker Virtual and DTS Virtual:X) as the virtual surround processing.
- HDMI eARC: the enhanced Audio Return Channel sends the TV's sound to the soundbar over one HDMI cable, including high-bitrate formats such as Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos and uncompressed multichannel audio.
- HDMI passthrough: the HDMI input passes 4K at 60 Hz with HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision to the TV and supports HDCP 2.3.
- Audio formats: Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-ES, DTS 96/24, DTS Digital Surround, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, LPCM 2ch and MPEG-2 AAC.
- Expandability: no optional subwoofer or rear speakers are listed for the HT-X8500.
Which soundbar is right for you?
| SonyHT-X8500 (current soundbar)MSRP $299.99Check price on Amazon | TCLS60KMSRP $299.99Check price on Amazon | JBLBAR 5.0 MultiBeamMSRP $349.95Check price on Amazon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall value A rough features-for-the-price score, compared with every soundbar listed. Bars gain points for things like Dolby Atmos, Wi-Fi and room tuning, and lose points without them. Dolby Atmos with up-firing speakers earns more than virtual Atmos. Cheaper bars lose fewer points, or none, for missing premium extras (Dolby Atmos, HDMI eARC, up-firing speakers). 100 is the best deal listed. Based on specs only, not on how it sounds. | 47 | 74 | 67 |
| Price-band value Like Overall value, but each soundbar is compared only with soundbars in its own price band: up to $300, $300–500, $500–800, $800–1,200 or over $1,200. 100 is the best deal in that band. Based on specs only, not on how it sounds. | 64up to $300 | 100up to $300 | 67$300–500 |
| Speaker setup | 2.1 | 3.1 | 5.0 |
| Dolby Atmos | Virtual | Virtual | Virtual |
| Form factor | Bar only | Bar + sub | Bar only |
| Audio support |
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| Available inputs |
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| HDMI inputs | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Streaming support | None | None |
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| Virtual assistants | None | None |
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| Soundbar dimensions | 890 × 64 × 96 mm | 850 × 64 × 90 mm | 709 × 58 × 101 mm |
Specifications
Overview
- Overall value
- 47
- Price-band value
- 64up to $300
- Speaker setup
- 2.1
- Dolby Atmos
- Virtual
- Form factor
- Bar only
Expandability
- Is extendable
- None
- Has wireless surrounds
- No
- Has wireless subwoofer
- No
Connectivity
- Available inputs
- Bluetooth
- HDMI
- HDMI eArc
- Optical
- USB
- Streaming support
- None
- Virtual assistants
- None
- Controllers
- On Device
- Remote Control
- TV Remote Control
- App required
- Not stated
- Same-brand TV features
- BRAVIA Sync
Audio & video
- Audio support
- Dolby Atmos
- Dolby Digital
- Dolby Digital Plus
- Dolby True HD
- DTS 96/24
- DTS Digital Surround
- DTS-ES
- DTS-HD High Resolution Audio
- DTS-HD Master Audio
- DTS:X
- LPCM 2ch
- MPEG-2 AAC
- Room correction
- No
- Dialogue enhancement
- Voice Mode
- Night mode
- Night Mode
- Passthrough
- 4K60
- HDR10
- HLG
- DV
- HDCP 2.3
- HDMI inputs
- 1
Design
- Soundbar dimensions
- 890 × 64 × 96 mm
- Wall mountable
- Yes
- Colors
- Black
- What's in the box
- Batteries
- Booklets
- Optical Cable
- Power Adapter
- Power Cable
- Remote control