The thought experiment was inspired by my peculiar habit of playing 10-hour-long videos on YouTube, especially those that mimic rain, streams, and even forest mist, with soft piano tones, to unwind and relax on odd days. I have been playing with Sony’s Bravia Theatre Trio and Sub 9 audio system for a few weeks, and it has transported me to many places right from my home.

The Sony Bravia Theatre Trio setup has not only enhanced the sound system but also changed the overall ambience of my home. This is the first time I have installed an extensive home theatre system, and I am beyond impressed with the output. I can hear each sound distinctly, and the bass from Sub 9 has changed the way I watch movies and listen to songs. Coupled with the brilliance of my LG OLED C2, the Sony Bravia Home Theatre set-up feels like IMAX has come home.

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The Sony BRAVIA Theatre Trio features a sleek, minimalist design that complements a modern home entertainment setup.

When it comes to its home theatre lineup, Sony seems to have been building something bigger than your regular soundbar, and the Bravia Theatre Trio system – paired with the mighty Sub 9 subwoofer and the optional Rear 9 speakers – is the most evident sign yet that the company aims to compete with full surround setups and not merely glorified TV speakers.

I have unboxed, set up, and experienced this system, and here’s a full breakdown of what you can expect from the latest Sony Bravia home theatre system and, most importantly, if it is worth the investment.

The set-up

The Trio system ships as three main pieces: a centre channel unit and matching left and right speakers. Each speaker comes with its own power cord. I feel this is a small but important design change for anyone who has dealt with fussy wireless soundbars in the past.

For accessories, Sony includes HDMI cabling, a USB calibration microphone and dongle, wall-mount templates, brackets, and a useful printed setup guide with a QR code that walks you through the Bravia Connect app.

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The Sony Bravia Theatre home theatre system combines a powerful subwoofer with two compact rear speakers for an immersive audio experience.

This piece of documentation allayed my fears of setting up the system incorrectly. For a fuller surround experience, you can add the Rear 9 speakers and Sub 9 separately, while the Trio itself creates a wider sound field using Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology.

I believe the modularity of this system is one of its most significant unique selling points, letting you expand gradually rather than committing to the entire package at once.

Design and durability

Each unit in this lineup matches the Bravia TV series and features a clean, understated look with matching fabric across the front speakers. In the Trio, the left and right speakers feature a distinct up-firing driver on top to bounce Dolby Atmos audio off the ceiling. Each speaker comes with three drivers – a woofer, a tweeter, and the up-firing driver – to manage the full range of a spatial audio mix.

Meanwhile, the Rear 9 speakers follow a similar design language, with their own up-firing drivers for true wireless surround sound, while the Sub 9 is in a class of its own. This subwoofer weighs in at about 24 kg and features dual woofers that fire from the sides, which explains why the bass response is deeper than what most soundbars can produce.

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Considering the weight, installing the Sub 9 is a two-person task. It is a refined piece of hardware, and it is not as subtle as it should be.

Specs and connectivity

The theatre trio system supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and 3D spatial surround. The spec sheet is expansive, with a range of features aimed at offering a cinematic experience. The centre unit, which looks similar to the Sony Theatre Bar 7, comes with HDMI input and output, with pass-through support up to 8K resolution or 4K at 120Hz.

This can be useful for those with TVs that have only two HDMI ports and need to route a gaming console or another device through the sound system without losing bandwidth.

As mentioned earlier, the setup is easy. It runs entirely through the Bravia Connect app. The whole system connects over 2.4GHz Wi-Fi along with Bluetooth, giving it a longer effective range for the wireless rear and subwoofer connections. As part of the setup process, pairing the Trio and updating the firmware across every component, identifying left/right speaker placement, and connecting the rears via a physical pairing button is fairly simple.

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Once set up, run a room calibration using the included USB microphone. While this process may take more than five minutes, you won’t need to repeat it often once it’s set up.

How it actually sounds

Sound is the defining feature here, obviously, since it’s a home theatre system. But the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio and Sub 9 sound exceptionally good. The centre channel brings crisp audio with an immersive feel.

Dialogue is an area where most soundbars wobble; however, the Trio system renders dialogue clear and direct. The rear speakers add real spatial separation, and the upfiring drivers produce a sense of height that a flat soundbar may struggle to replicate.

Meanwhile, the Sub 9’s dual-woofer design adds a low-end rumble that’s immediately obvious in anything with explosions, a score, or heavy bass.

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The Sony Bravia Theatre Sub 9 features a 600W subwoofer designed to deliver deep, powerful bass.

After installing the Theatre Trio system, I watched Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar and Tenet, movies that are made for the theatre. Tenet has one of the most notable opening sequences in cinema history.

The high-stakes action scene set inside a crowded Kyiv opera house during a siege by armed terrorists comes alive with the Sony system. From terrorists milling about to the searing background score to flying bullets, the Sony system captures the soundscape with utmost fidelity.

Similarly, classics like A Time to Kill and the recent hit The Invite, rich in dialogue and mounting tension, made you feel like a spectator in the middle of the action.

When it comes to music, I revisited some of A R Rahman’s golden tracks to experience the system’s varied sound profile. From dreamy tracks from Iruvar to the soul-stirring music of Guru, Jodha Akbar, and Dil Se, I could fathom the depths of Rahman’s genius with percussion.

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The Sony Bravia Theatre Trio speakers uses dual opposing drivers to produce rich, room-filling bass.

With the system, I could feel the pulse of live concerts by some of the greatest, like Radiohead, Pearl Jam, and Foo Fighters. The surround sound setup makes you feel like one of the ardent fans caught up in the high energy at the stadium.

I enjoy classical music as much as I enjoy rock, grunge, or shoegaze, and Bravia’s fine audio engineering let me fully appreciate the subtlety and richness of the soft instrumentals of a bygone era.

Is it worth it?

This is a premium set-up that would cost up to Rs 3.8 lakh if you include the Bravia Theatre Trio, Sub 9, and Rear 9 speakers. Honestly, this isn’t for everyone, but Sony seems to be positioning it for people who have already invested in the Sony Bravia TV ecosystem, which allows seamless integration across devices.

If you are part of the ecosystem, it’s a great deal, as you get better separation, more accurate dialogue sync, and bass that can’t be matched by a regular soundbar. If you are not in the ecosystem and don’t really need the full Atmos experience, you can opt for an affordable combination in the Bravia lineup.

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For those upgrading from an older Sony setup or a standard soundbar, this is a real step up. The Bravia Theatre Trio on its own offers the best sound experience in its range. The Bravia Sub 9 adds to the bass and extends the cinematic experience in your home. This set-up is clearly worth every penny. However, I would advise a demo session before you sign up, as audio is something you simply cannot compromise.

The Sony BRAVIA Theatre Trio is priced at Rs 2,39,990, while the BRAVIA Theatre Sub 9 and BRAVIA Rear 9 are priced at Rs 94,990 and Rs 42,990, respectively.