Sony’s Latest Bravia Home Theater Gear Gets Bolder, Brighter

Bravia Projector 7 (VLP-XW5100ES)

With Sony’s topline Bravia Projector 8 and Projector 9 clocking in at around $16K and $32K respectively, most of us can’t come close to grabbing one. While those models are aimed at luxury or professional installs, the new Bravia 7 should be much more affordable, making it a contender for more down-to-earth installs. Offering 4K HDR resolution and a claimed 2,200 lumens of brightness from its laser light source (the Bravia Projector 8 hits 2,700 and the 9 claims 3,400), the 7 packs an impressive punch. It shares a lot of tech with its siblings, including XR Dynamic Tone Mapping for optimal brightness with color gradients, XR Deep Black to control laser dimming in dark scenes and increase gain in bright ones, and XR Triluminos Pro for enhanced colors. It’s also compatible with Imax Enhanced video, and low-latency gaming at up to 4K/120 Hz.

Huddled in a small room in the depths of Sony’s demo halls, we got to see how the Projector 7 matched up against Sony’s top two projectors, its precursor, and a few JVC models. The 7 really popped in the showiest HDR demos with much less white clipping and better clarity in high-nit scenes than the previous Sony model, the arduously named XW5000ES. It stood up similarly well to JVC’s competing DLA-NZ7, again showing less clipping in tougher HDR scenes, though we’ll have to see it in action outside Sony’s demo room for a better idea of its skills. One drawback to the cheaper model is that, unlike the Projector 8 and 9, it requires manual lens focus. Otherwise, it’s an intriguing new option for those building out a high-end home theater.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

New Bravia Sounds

Bravia Theater System 6

We didn’t spend a lot of time with Sony’s new audio systems, but the brand’s new 1,000-watt 5.1 surround system made the biggest impression. The system comprises a soundbar up front, included rear surrounds, and a sizable subwoofer. Marketed like an old-school HTB (Home Theater in a Box), it uses an amp that connects to the bar wirelessly and feeds the proprietary rear speakers over speaker wires. It’s a rather odd setup, but the sound was solid in our short demo, with a warm and relatively detailed midrange, solid surround expansion, and a thumpy sub. If it comes in at approachable pricing, it could be a great new midrange surround sound option.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

Bravia Theater Bar 6

Not to be confused with the Theater System 6, the Theater Bar 6 is a 3.2.1 system comprising just a bar and subwoofer, though it’s compatible with Sony’s new Bravia Rear 8 speakers for an additional fee. The other big difference between the two systems is that the Bar 6 offers upfiring drivers for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X video, and Sony’s Vertical Surround Engine for virtual 3D audio with traditional sources. Sony pitted the system against to Samsung’s Q600C in a few film scenes Sony Pictures’ Gran Turismo and Sony’d model strutted its stuff pretty well, especially for a midrange option. The sub is a fair bit bigger and thumpier than Samsung’s model, and dialog sounded clear and detailed.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata