Bravia XR65X95LU & non-Sony Soundbar Compatibility

[Big_H003]

I am thinking of buying a Sony Bravia XR65X95LU.   Now, I am looking for a suitable soundbar which I can expand in the future (e.g. adding rear speakers or SW).

Here is my list at this moment.

- Sonos Beam (Gen 2)

- Bose 600

- Sony HT-A5000

- Yamaha X-40A

Firstly I was going for a soundbar from Sony because of the sync between a Bravia TV and a Sony soundbar.  However, I have seen many negative posts simply choosing a Sony soundbar over non-Sony soundbar.

So I start looking for non-Sony soundbars.  Here is another BUT.  I have also seen comments about the compatibility of a non-Sony soundbar and a Sony Bravia TV.  Unfortunately, I have not found a specific topic for Bravia XR65X95LU, so here I am.

My questions are

Q1.  Which one I should avoid in terms of compatibility? Or Have you had any problems connecting one of those soundbars to Sony Bravia XR65X95LU?

Q2. Which one is the best for expanding in the future (adding SW or rear speakers)?

Thank you for your help in advance!

[royabrown2]

@Big_H003 

That’s an excellent shortlist of mid-range bars around the £500 mark, though they all go up to around £1100 when you add in the sub and the rears.

And they all promise to immerse you in sound, and bass, but …erm…. offer you extras that shouldn’t be necessary if they can do what they claim 😛

So draw up a chart of base price, sub, rears, Total, and see what each one comes to. Use dealer prices, not manufacturer RRPs for this.

But only your ears can tell you which you prefer, and whether each one is good enough not to need rears and/or a sub. So you will have to audition them one by one, if you can. Take a disc you know, Blade Runner 2049 maybe, or Dune. 

My guess? Yamaha, Sonos, Sony, Bose in that order. I’m a big Yamaha fan, though I haven’t heard the X-40A. But if one of the bars can get close without the sub and rears, but the others can’t, that’s a ton of money you could save.

You will also likely get a better price, if you decide you need the rears and the sub, to buy as a bundle now, if funds permit. The X-50A, for example, is the X-40A plus the sub, for £50 less than if bought separately.

But good hunting, and do let us know the outcome!