Most client house theater techniques are constructed round a soundbar that serves as an anchor for the first left, proper, and middle channels. From there, satellites and subwoofers may be added for rear encompass and bass help. Sony ignores this conference with the Bravia Theater Quad, which makes use of 4 similar wi-fi audio system to cowl all of the audio round you. It’s an extremely efficient answer, producing an immersive spatial audio expertise from its soundbar-less configuration. The Theater Quad sounds glorious, however you must pay additional for a subwoofer to supply any important low-end rumble, and that’s on high of the system’s already hefty $2,499.99 value. For extra highly effective sound for across the similar value, you possibly can construct your personal house theater system across the Sonos Arc soundbar, a pair of Period 300 audio system, and a much-needed Sub subwoofer, which Sonos gives in a bundle ($2,596) that provides extra bang to your buck than the Theater Quad.
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Design: 4 Pleasant SlabsThe Theater Quad consists of 4 audio system and a management field that wirelessly connects to them. The audio system are similar rectangular slabs every measuring 10.8 by 11.5 by 2.3 inches (HWD), with desk stands that develop their footprint to five.2 inches deep and enhance their peak by 0.7 inches. Wall-mounting brackets are additionally included. Every speaker is wrapped in grey grille fabric and includes a flat black steel high panel with one other grille for the upward-firing drivers. The audio system are wi-fi, so the one connection on them is for an influence cable on the underside. You’ll be able to run the ability cable across the desk stand or straight down if the speaker is mounted on a wall.
(Credit score: Will Greenwald)
Every speaker have to be positioned with the massive, flat entrance floor dealing with the listener. Since they’re all the scale of espresso desk books, they aren’t that simple to stash underneath your TV like a soundbar and even on the identical floor the TV is positioned on. My leisure middle is 15 inches wider than my TV and placing the audio system on the far corners of it will block a part of the display. You’ll in all probability need to mount the entrance audio system on the wall or put them on their very own stands.
(Credit score: Will Greenwald)
The management field is a 2.3-by-6.4-by-6.4-inch black plastic transmitter that’s sufficiently small to suit underneath all however the lowest-seated TVs. This field connects to your TV over HDMI eARC, and wirelessly streams audio to all 4 audio system. It options an alphanumeric LED show on the entrance and ports for HDMI out, HDMI in for pass-through from one other system, a 3.5mm middle channel output for connecting to suitable Sony TVs with a middle channel enter just like the Bravia 8, an Ethernet port, and an influence button on the again.
By itself, the Theater Quad is a 4.0.4-channel system with left, proper, left encompass, and rear encompass channels, together with equal peak channels for every. It is expandable with a wi-fi subwoofer just like the Sony SA-SW3 ($399.99) or the SA-SW5 ($699.99), and as talked about, you possibly can add a devoted middle channel with a suitable Bravia TV.
(Credit score: Will Greenwald)
The distant is a straightforward black sweet bar with fundamental controls. Its greatest button is a round rocker for the system’s principal quantity, however there’s a smaller rocker for switching between three bass settings (Min, Med, and Max) under it. The distant additionally has energy, enter, and mute buttons, together with three different buttons that toggle the system’s dynamic range-dampening Evening Mode, encompass sound-processing Sound Area Mode, and dialogue-enhancing Voice Mode. As an eARC system, you can even enhance and reduce the amount and mute the system via your TV’s distant.App: Mapping Your AcousticsYou can management the Theater Quad with Sony’s Bravia Join app for Android and iOS, but it surely’s largely simply helpful for establishing the audio system. You need to create a free account, but it surely enables you to replace the Theater Quad’s firmware. Extra importantly for the listening expertise, it could possibly tweak the audio system’ output primarily based in your room’s acoustics and the place you often sit. The app will direct you to carry your cellphone whereas sitting, and it’ll then play a collection of tones via every speaker channel. The microphone in your cellphone will measure these tones and make changes primarily based on these measurements.
(Credit score: Sony/PCMag)
Apart from these two capabilities, the app gives the entire similar buttons because the distant, plus an extra rocker to vary the output of the rear channels. For those who aren’t in your regular spot, there’s a Viewing Place button that allows you to take a fast acoustic studying to quickly alter the spatial audio primarily based in your present seat. After utilizing this characteristic, the Theater Quad will robotically return to your regular settings the following time you flip it on. Sound High quality: Correct Spatial Audio With Little Deep BassThe Sony Bravia Theater Quad is a 4.0.4-channel sound system that helps spatial audio in Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced, and Sony 360 Actuality Audio codecs. An HDMI connection over eARC is required for spatial audio, although the system may play audio over Bluetooth and Apple AirPlay 2.We examined the Theater Quad and not using a subwoofer, and whereas it sounds very clear with glorious encompass imaging, it could possibly undoubtedly profit from augmented low-end. The sub-bass attain of the synth and drums in our bass take a look at observe, The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” feels very tamped down when performed via the Theater Quad. In truth, the audio system’ output on this observe appears to barely enhance after pushing the amount previous 60%, which signifies digital sign processing (DSP) to make sure the drivers don’t distort from vibrations they will’t deal with. Which, to be honest, they don’t.Once we aren’t pushing its sub-bass response so far as it could possibly go, the Theater Quad sounds glorious for music. The opening of Sure’ “Roundabout” will get loads of crisp, delicate string texture in every guitar pluck, together with robust low-mid resonance to again it up. When the observe correctly kicks in, each component is current and detailed, and no single side, from the vocals to the guitar to the drums, outshines or falls behind another. The bassline reaches low sufficient to anchor the observe with a little bit of punch and stop it from sounding too poppy.
(Credit score: Will Greenwald)
The Theater Quad helps spatial music via Sony’s 360 Actuality Audio platform in addition to Dolby Atmos. To check that audio, moreover the usual demo clip of nature sounds and sweeping tones the Bravia Join app performs after establishing the Theater Quad, I put in Tidal. Sadly, as of per week earlier than the time of this writing, Tidal not helps 360 Actuality Audio. It ought to be famous that Sony’s 360 Actuality Audio website nonetheless lists Tidal as one of many providers to stream that content material, which isn’t the most effective signal of the platform’s well being as an entire. While you get right down to the core know-how and ideas, although, 360 Actuality Audio is solely one other spatial audio format like Dolby Atmos, and whereas Tidal doesn’t have 360 Actuality Audio tracks anymore, it does have Atmos tracks. And so they typically sound improbable on the Theater Quad. The Atmos mixture of Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk” is immersive and detailed, with the drum beats seeming to come back from two separate areas as in the event that they had been separate drums in a big drum package. The opposite devices and vocals have their very own firmly anchored positions in entrance, and USC’s Trojan Marching Band takes up a large however barely distant stance as in the event that they’re taking part in behind Fleetwood Mac. The drum thrives across the finish of the music are particularly efficient, with one cymbal swell seeming to revolve across the listener.After all, the Theater Quad can also be meant for theatrical content material, and it handles that very effectively. Within the opening scene of Physician Unusual within the Multiverse of Insanity, the sounds of rubble flying and power fields buzzing come via clearly, with loads of positional imaging. The peak channels of the audio system aren’t used to extremes in contrast with the first channels, however they add sufficient to actually anchor seems like an eldritch monster held in place by sorcery within the area behind and subsequent to the listener. The dialogue is simple to know in opposition to the sound results, and the soundtrack has sufficient dynamic vary to be thrilling, even with out important bass response.
(Credit score: Will Greenwald)
Avatar additionally sounds glorious on the Theater Quad. Within the scene the place Jake tames a banshee, the whipping of air and swooping of the dragon-like creatures get loads of element and robust directional imaging round, behind, and in peak. A shot the place the tribe navigates via a waterfall is very immersive and compelling. By means of this, each the Na’vi dialog and Jake’s louder and deeper narration are each robust and clear.Whereas the Theater Quad might actually profit from a subwoofer, it doesn’t want a middle channel. The first and peak channels of the 2 entrance audio system very successfully synthesize center-channel sound and provides the impression that audio is coming instantly from the TV moderately than both speaker situated on the TV’s sides. I didn’t take a look at the system with a Bravia TV that may settle for middle channel enter, however I didn’t miss it in any respect. It’s a full, detailed sound area.Verdict: An Costly, Expandable Speaker SystemThe Sony Bravia Theater Quad house theater system sounds nice and exhibits glorious spatial audio imaging via its atypical four-speaker design. Its audio high quality is balanced and detailed, providing higher efficiency when taking part in music than many soundbars, which typically concentrate on large, dynamic sound for films. Its large stumbling block is bass energy. The audio system have robust, correct audio from the highest edges of bass as much as excessive frequencies, however they simply can’t supply any actual rumble on their very own. For $2,500, some type of subwoofer ought to actually have been included with the system, as a result of it’s undoubtedly missed. In its place, you will get equally improbable sound high quality and spatial imaging, together with much-needed low-end with the Sonos Final Immersive Set, a bundle that mixes the Arc soundbar, two Period 300 audio system as satellites, and a Sub subwoofer in a single bundle that provides larger oomph than the Theater Quad.
Execs
Detailed, correct sound from mid-lows to highs
Glorious spatial audio imaging
The Backside Line
The Sony Bravia Theater Quad is an extremely detailed and well-balanced house theater speaker system that may faithfully reproduce music and film audio, however for the value, it ought to actually embody a subwoofer.
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About Will Greenwald
Lead Analyst, Shopper Electronics
I’ve been PCMag’s house leisure professional for over 10 years, masking each TVs and every part you may need to hook up with them. I’ve reviewed greater than a thousand totally different client electronics merchandise together with headphones, audio system, TVs, and each main sport system and VR headset of the final decade. I’m an ISF-certified TV calibrator and a THX-certified house theater skilled, and I’m right here that can assist you perceive 4K, HDR, Dolby Imaginative and prescient, Dolby Atmos, and even 8K (and to reassure you that you simply don’t want to fret about 8K in any respect for at the very least a couple of extra years).
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