Sony HT-A3000 Soundbar – A recipe for success

The Sony HT-A3000 soundbar is one of those audio products that found a soft spot in everyone’s heart at the Test Centre as soon as it showed up, and we watched our few videos with the audio pouring out of this magnificent bar. The package that we received included the SA-RS3S rear speakers and the SA-SW3 subwoofer. Just to let you know, all the connections between the subwoofer and the rear speakers and the soundbar itself were wireless. All of it, put together, made for a great content-viewing experience for us. 

What’s in the box?

-Remote Control

-TV centre speaker mode cable

-HDMI Cable

-AC Cord

-Warranty Card

-Quick Setup Guide

-Instruction Manual

Build and Design

If you are someone who also pays close attention to the looks of the product that they are buying, then you are in luck with this one. The soundbar itself has a muted look, with the black plastic body carrying a subtle Sony logo, some controls and a couple of tweeters, being complemented by the metallic front grill of the same colour. Having mentioned the controls, we’d like to mention that the remote included with the soundbar was feature-rich and had everything that we could demand for. The subwoofer that we got had a leather-feeling finish to the body with a soft fabric covering at the front. The rear channel speakers carried the same finish as the bar and looked like they had been chopped off from the same product.

In terms of weight and portability as well, the entire setup was decent. The bar had a nice heft to it but was light enough for someone to move it around easily. The pairing between all the wireless connectivity between components was seamless, and everything, after turning on, connected with each other like we were putting together pieces of a Lego model. All we needed to do was to turn everything on and see the magic happen. After restarts, there was an occasional button press required here and there, but that was nothing that we’d be worried about. As for the mapping done by the bar for the 360-degree Spatial Audio experience, that process was smooth as well.

I/O and connectivity

As for the I/O and connectivity, the soundbar supports HDMI ARC and eARC, as well as Bluetooth connectivity. And, if you are someone who owns a Bravia TV from the brand, then you can use the S-Center speaker-in for a single cable audio connection to your TV. There is an optical input port as well. 

Performance

The Spatial 360-degree audio setup made sure that we got a theatre-like feel when watching movies like Top Gun: Maverick, which has a lot of surround audio elements in its scenes.

And, when it came to listening to music and podcasts, the soundbar held its ground. But, one thing that we noticed, especially with podcasts that had the hosts speaking over a backing track, was that the vocals were being suppressed a bit. In movies and TV shows as well, we noticed that in relatively quiet scenes with no background noise, it was smooth sailing for the soundbar when it came to replicating vocals. However, as soon as background music started playing, the vocals took a hit.

Here at Digit, we are always looking for the best out-of-the-box experience, so EQ tuning might help the soundbar work with vocals better. However, if you are someone who does not like taking a stroll into the settings menu often, then you might find the performance of this bar a bit underwhelming. It is not bad by any means, but when looking at a product from a brand like Sony, we are always expecting the best, no matter the price tag of the product.

Verdict

The HT-A3000 soundbar and the complementing rear speakers, and the subwoofer, put together, will cost you upwards of ₹1,00,000. ₹1,70,970, to be exact if we are going by the MRP. And, for that price, there are definitely multiple options for you to explore. However, if you are looking for a soundbar setup that will last you a while and provide great performance for the most part, then you cannot go wrong with the Sony HT-A3000.

If you want to enhance your experience of using this soundbar and have some money in your pocket, we are delighted to tell you that this soundbar is capable of working with Sony’s higher-end rear speakers and subwoofers as well. Their SA-SW5 subwoofer and SA-RS5 rear speakers are generally featured paired with their HT-A5000, and the HT-A7000 soundbar can be hooked up to the HT-A3000 as well. 

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Satvik Pandey

Satvik Pandey, is a self-professed Steve Jobs (not Apple) fanboy, a science & tech writer, and a sports addict. At Digit, he works as a Deputy Features Editor, and manages the daily functioning of the magazine. He also reviews audio-products (speakers, headphones, soundbars, etc.), smartwatches, projectors, and everything else that he can get his hands on. A media and communications graduate, Satvik is also an avid shutterbug, and when he's not working or gaming, he can be found fiddling with any camera he can get his hands on and helping produce videos – which means he spends an awful amount of time in our studio. His game of choice is Counter-Strike, and he's still attempting to turn pro. He can talk your ear off about the game, and we'd strongly advise you to steer clear of the topic unless you too are a CS junkie. View Full Profile