Which soundbars pair best with Sony OLED TVs?

Question

Which soundbars actually play nice with the Bravia sync features on a newer Sony OLED? I have been using a dedicated receiver setup with my old Pioneer speakers for years but since I moved into a smaller condo in Chicago I really need to declutter. I grabbed a 65 inch A80L recently and the internal audio is honestly fine for basic news but it just lacks the punch I need for movies.

I tried hooking up an older soundbar I had lying around via eARC but the handshake between the TV and the bar is constantly dropping or failing to wake up when I use the Sony remote. Its driving me nuts. I have a budget around 800 to 1000 bucks and I am hoping to get something that supports Atmos properly without needing a million cables everywhere. Do I just stick with a Sony bar to keep the ecosystem happy or are there other brands that play well with the Bravia interface? I do not want to spend another weekend debugging CEC issues, honestly just want to plug it in and have it work... let me know what you guys think

tank_akOi · Accepted Answer

Honestly, I fought with CEC for years on various setups. Adding my two cents, the Sony HT-A7000 7.1.2ch Soundbar finally killed those handshake issues for me. Total game changer.

HowardFaf · Answer

> Adding my two cents, the Sony HT-A7000 7.1.2ch Soundbar finally killed those handshake issues for me. I disagree that you need a Sony bar. I use a Sonos Arc Premium Smart Soundbar with my A80L and the eARC performance is rock solid. Just disable the TV speakers in the settings. My tip: use a high-speed AudioQuest Carbon 48 HDMI Cable to ensure your bandwidth is stable. CEC is way less finicky with the right cable.

LindaDycle · Answer

Honestly, stick to Sony to avoid those CEC nightmares. I have a Sony HT-A5000 5.1.2ch Soundbar in my place and it just works with my A80L every single time.