This Black Friday soundbar deal on the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 is not to be missed

• The Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 is the best all-in-one soundbar we’ve reviewed this year, and received a five-star rating from John Archer.
• It was deemed a Best Buy at £1,399; you can currently pick it up for £899, which is its lowest-ever price and over £200 cheaper than its average over 180 days.

We exist in a time where many are tightening their purse strings, and value purchases are the order of the day. As long as you’re shopping wisely, Black Friday deals can be a big boon to this approach. Black Friday is a great opportunity to save money on essential household items and get ahead of the Christmas rush by grabbing gifts at a discounted price.

But Black Friday can also be one of the best times to pull the trigger on more lavish acquisitions that you may have been putting off for a while. This deal on the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 very much falls into that category.

The Theatre Bar 9 is a premium all-in-one soundbar, meaning it’s a self-contained unit that doesn’t ship with a separate subwoofer or rear speakers, and, as is the best of its breed. We reviewed it in February and gave it a five-star rating, along with our coveted Best Buy award.

Power, precision and poise for under £900

At the time, it cost £1,399. It’s jumped between that price and £999 a few times since then, and has averaged £1,118 over the past 180 days. This Black Friday, it’s dropped to an all-time low price of £899. Now, that’s still a lot of money, but if you’re looking for an immersive standalone soundbar that’s equally adept at handling movies and music, the Bravia Theatre Bar 9 is worth every penny. 

It squeezes 13 speaker drivers into its enclosure, and these combined to create a “prodigious soundstage” according to our reviewer, John Archer. John also praised the Bar 9’s ability to present ambient effects and music. Speaking about this, John said: “It manages to present these atmospheric additions with a beautiful sense of positioning so that they sound just beyond the world of the main action while never becoming overwhelming or feeling too detached from the onscreen action.” 

He was also extremely complimentary about the Bar 9’s articulation of the height effects that are crucial to a convincing Dolby Atmos and DTS:X presentation. “The clear sense of height effects such as rain appearing to come from somewhere near your ceiling is particularly welcome and unusual for a single-unit soundbar, contributing brilliantly to the creation of an epic but also intimate three-dimensional wall of sound,” he commented.

Not only does the Theatre Bar 9 perform superbly when watching movies, but it’s highly musical, too.

On this aspect of performance, John added: “Its stunning mix of refinement and staging practically screams ‘Hi-Fi’ – albeit in an elegant, refined, classy and never clinical kind of way. A soundbar capable of as much raw movie grunt has no right being able to adapt so well to the different demands of two-channel music.

“So deep does the Bar 9’s understanding of music run that even applying the soundbar’s 360 Spatial Mapping system to stereo tracks typically sounds compelling and involving.”

More reasons to make the Bravia Theatre 9 your next soundbar

Those are some compelling reasons to fork out the best part of a grand for a soundbar, but if you’re still on the fence, here are a few more:

• The Bar 9 is almost 40% smaller than its predecessor, ensuring it feels less conspicuous and a lot more elegant. 
• It’s easily upgraded with an external subwoofer and rear speakers if you have the budget to build it out into an even more potent surround sound system. 
• There’s support for 4K/120Hz, meaning console gamers can get the best out of current-gen consoles like Sony’s PlayStation 5.
• Owners of compatible Sony televisions can make use of the soundbar’s S-Centre output, which will hand centre-channel duties over to the TV and integrate the soundbar accordingly. 

There’s no telling whether the Bar 9 will get further discounts as we close in on Christmas, but for the time being, the current price on it earmarks it as one of the best Black Friday soundbar buys.

For more Black Friday bargains across a huge range of home and tech categories, head on over to our Black Friday deals hub. And, if it’s offers on Amazon products you’re after, our roundup of the Best Black Friday Amazon deals has got you covered.

Written By

Andy White

Andy was appointed Tech Editor in 2024 following four years spent putting a huge range of products through their paces. Formerly a sports journalist at Greenways Publishing, he cut his tech teeth testing laptops before taking over as the site’s TV and audio expert. He’s cast his eye over more headphones and televisions than you can shake a stick at but has also reviewed football boots, handheld game consoles and just about everything in between. As well as testing, writing and editing, Andy covers product launches and key industry events in the UK and overseas.

More about