You definitely dont need to stick with Sony just for the brand match, as standard HDMI eARC works universally across manufacturers. For a mid-tier budget in a standard apartment, the JBL Bar 5.0 Multibeam Compact Soundbar is a solid option around 400 dollars that avoids massive standalone subwoofers rattling your neighbors walls while still delivering clear dialogue. Another reliable alternative is the Bose TV Speaker Small Soundbar which retails right around 280 and focuses heavily on vocal clarity so you wont have to constantly ride the volume remote during action scenes. Setup is just one cable to the eARC port, making it truly plug and play.

To add to the point above: you really dont need to stress over matching the tv brand. I was worried about that exact thing when I got my Bravia last year, but I ended up grabbing the Yamaha ATS-2060 Sound Bar with Built-in Subwoofer and its been solid. Setting it up took like two minutes with a single hdmi cable, no headaches at all. For an apartment, having something reliable that clears up dialogue without shaking the walls is a lifesaver. My neighbors havent complained once, and I finally stopped reaching for the volume remote during action scenes. Just keep it simple and stick to your budget range.

you definitely dont need a sony bar to make it work. for your budget and apartment size, grab either the Polk Audio Signa S4 Dolby Atmos Soundbar or the Vancore TV Sound Bar 34-inch Subwoofer instead. the polk gives you real atmos height channels and crisp dialogue for around 400 bucks. just plug into the hdmi earc port and youre set.

TL;DR: You dont need a Sony brand soundbar, and a Sonos Ray Soundbar or Roku Streambar Pro 4K will fit your apartment and budget perfectly without any complicated setup. To answer your specific question, matching brands is unnecessary. Any modern soundbar connects via HDMI eARC, which just means a single cable handles both audio and power signals from your TV. For your X90L and apartment size, dialogue clarity is usually hampered by standard dynamic range compression issues. A dedicated soundbar with a dedicated speech enhancement mode solves the quiet dialogue and loud explosion problem entirely. Stick to a simple all-in-one unit since you want to avoid separate speakers. Plug it into the port labeled eARC on your TV, enable HDMI control, and it works seamlessly with your existing TV remote.