Sony’s Latest Dolby Atmos Soundbar Is A Gateway To 360 Spatial Sound

But there’s a catch before you bravely go ahead spend a few hundred dollars on the blocky soundbar. In order to experience the perks of a phantom speaker network that Sony touts with its 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology, you will need to pair the new soundbar with Sony’s own rear speakers. That means forking out extra cash on the SA-RS5, which is priced at $600 (180W output), or the SA-RS3S speaker (100W output) which will set you back $350.

To further elevate the experience, users can also link up the HT-A3000 soundbar with the SA-SW5 (300W output, 180mm driver) or SA-SW3 (200W output, 160mm driver) sub-woofers, which are sold separately. Sony says the HT-A3000 follows a plug-and-play approach right out of the box, but there are a few smart tricks under the hood. It plays well with Chromecast, Spotify Connect, and Apple AirPlay 2 to stream music. 

Plus, it can piggyback on Bluetooth or the shared home Wi-Fi waves for streaming your audio library. Sony’s HT-A3000 soundbar can also handle digital assistants when hooked to a network with Chromecast built-in devices for accessing Google Assistant, and Alexa setups, as well. The company is asking $699.99 for its latest soundbar and has already listed it for pre-orders via Amazon and authorized partner outlets.