Back when I first reviewed the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio, I discovered an excellent alternative to a typical soundbar, with the separate right, left and centre speakers working together to produce a very satisfyingly cinematic sound by lifestyle system standards.
Impressive as it is on its own, though, the Trio can also be the foundation for an even more immersive Dolby Atmos system, and Sony also furnished us with a pair of Rear 9 surround speakers and a Sub 8 for that initial test.
With all elements working together, the delivery was elevated from an excellent soundbar alternative to a complete, room-filling home cinema. As I wrote in my review:
“Testing with the Rear 9 surrounds and Sub 8 dramatically increases immersion, creating a seamless bubble of sound that extends around the entire listening position. Atmos effects become even more precisely placed, and the busy cityscape of Blade Runner 2049 becomes extraordinarily convincing.
“Just as importantly, the minor shortcomings of the standalone system largely disappear. The slight buzz from the centre speaker vanishes once deep bass duties are handed over to the subwoofer, while the occasional over-emphasis of echo through Movie Theatre Acoustics is also cured.”
But I still felt the system could be even better.
Partly, that was down to a very light buzz from the Sub 8 during the bassiest soundtrack moments (yes, I'm mostly referring to Blade Runner 2049). Primarily, though, it was because I'd previously heard the Trio accompanied by two of Sony's Sub 9 subwoofers during a visit to the company's Tokyo HQ, and that had really knocked my socks off.
So, ahead of our Awards testing process, I asked Sony to send the Trio back in, this time with the Rear 9 surrounds and a Sub 9, and at the risk of tooting my own horn, I was absolutely right.
The Sub 9 is huge. That’s not helpful if your intention is discretion, but it’s often a good sign in a subwoofer. And the Sub 9 looks pretty awesome, too. A monolithic almost-cube, it’s got an imposing, sci-fi-style appearance. It’s like having a Borg ship in your living room.
There’s a reason for the cube shape: the Sub 9 is a little like two rectangular Sub 8s that have been fused, but the two drivers are set up in a dual-opposing arrangement for reduced distortion. Power is doubled, too, from a claimed 300W to a claimed 600W.
Ultimately, not only is the Sub 9 vastly more powerful than the Sub 8, it’s even cleaner and more composed, too, and the boost it gives to the Trio system is significant.
Punchy yet refined, brutal yet tuneful, it delivers all of the weight and bombast that the committed bass-head demands, but with a degree of subtlety and integration that's very rare.
In a weird way, you almost forget the subwoofer is there, because it goes about its work so seamlessly. Rather than drawing attention to itself, it simply feels like an integral part of the system – the final piece of the puzzle that makes an already excellent home cinema setup even better.
I realise that the Sub 9 is an expensive optional extra, and that the base system is excellent in its own right, but I strongly recommend that anyone considering the Trio also auditions it with the Sub 9 before making a decision. The difference is significant.
Buy everything together, and you should get a big discount (I've detailed the current UK deal below), and based on my testing (and a couple of weeks of using the system at home), the extra outlay is well worth it.
MORE:
Check out my Sony Bravia Theatre Trio review
And here's the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio + Rear 9 and Sub 9 review
These are all of the best surround sound systems you can buy right now
