I tried Sony's new TV surround system and it'll make LG and Samsung weep

Sometimes in this job things come out of the blue that I simply don't expect. Case in point: after setting a 4am alarm to catch a flight to Sony HQ for a TV line-up preview, I never expected the brand's new and unexpected TV surround sound system to wake me up quite as spritely as it did. Forget the coffee, for this audio injection is one home cinema delight.

It's called the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio in its most 'basic' form which, as the name suggests, is a trio of speakers – a small soundbar and front left/right speaker duo in concert. It expands beyond this, though, with up to two subwoofers and a pair of rear speakers (also with upfiring channels) for a 7.2.4 channel system total.

However, by using Sony's 360 Spatial Sound Mapping (SSM), the product can add 24 'phantom' speakers into this mix too, for a Dolby Atmos mix that's unlike anything I've ever heard from such a surround setup – and I suspect it'll be enough to make LG and Samsung weep.

Not short of competition

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Not that the competition are in any way short on quality: Samsung's HW-Q990H, for example, is a great all-in-one-box solution that's easily the best soundbar for Samsung TVs; LG, meanwhile, has a very persuasive (albeit mightily expensive) option in its Sound Suite – which also includes discrete front left/right speaker separates much like the Sony.

But while LG has gone down the route of being among the first to adopt Dolby Atmos FlexConnect – an explainer about that positional technology is here – the Sony instead uses the brand's Bravia Connect phone app (for iOS or Android) with a USB-C microphone to calibrate for your room's specific setup.

You needn't have a Sony TV to run the Theatre Trio, but a bit like LG's modular system, you will need a brand tie-in if you elect to skip the soundbar option and only want, say, a subwoofer and/or rear speakers to function in concert with the TV's speakers – this will be possible for Sony's latest Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II models.

Note, however, that the Theatre Trio via eARC bypasses the TV's speakers (and there's no workaround to that; Sony doesn't offer a Q-Symphony or Wow Orchestra equivalent). There's a second HDMI for passthrough, seeing Sony also qualify beyond what you'll find from Sonos soundbars, such as the Arc Ultra.

But the competition don't have this

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But back to the Theatre Trio in its full surround sound setup for a moment – which, in my test experience included a pair of also-new Theatre Sub 9 subwoofers and two Theatre Rear 9 speakers (smaller Sub 8 and Rear 8 options also exist for lower-wattage output, to your needs or preference).

It's quite difficult to describe in words what a stellar job Sony's engineers have achieved with this system. Think of it as a true surround system – 7.2.4 channels, as described above – but with psychoacoustic intelligence thanks to those additional 24 phantom outputs that genuinely give this setup pro-grade-cinema-like Dolby Atmos accuracy.

With a scene from Sinners on 4K Blu-ray shown on Sony's new 98-inch Bravia 7 II True RGB TV, the way in which Atmos sound objects swirled effortlessly around, including overhead, was quite remarkable. And while I was in a fairly ideal cinema-like room (no surprise, given I was at the company's UK headquarters), the calibration means offsetting for your own personal setup will also be possible.

Having just shifted out of LG's Sound Suite for review, which certainly impressed, the sheer cohesiveness of Sony's new surround system – and, note, achieved with fewer speakers overall (subwoofer pair excluded, but of course) – is mind-bogglingly qualified.

Boss of bass

Granted, the subwoofer pair of my demo almost certainly won't be required for pretty much anyone, especially as the Sub 9 outputs 600W apiece, but a single unit will give you all the bass you need – and then some. A smaller Sub 8 will suffice for most, I'm sure (not that I got a demo to hear this model).

But who doesn't love a big dollop of bass? That's exactly what a scene from Ready Player One was cued up to demonstrate – and it didn't disappoint. That's not to the detriment of the rest of the frequency range or sound mix, though, with a classic scene from No Time To Die showing off the delicate sharpness of the high-end this system can generate, revealed as Mr Bond's Aston Martin scraped across concrete walls.

I'm also not suggesting those with a small TV contemplate a Theatre Trio, as this setup is squarely aimed at large sets where conventional soundbars may otherwise struggle to deliver a soundstage with ample width. This one also shows off with a confident dome of surround sound, to sweeten the deal.

And while I may shout this Sony setup above and beyond its LG and Samusng rivals, in addition to the scale point above, it's not going to be perfect for everyone for other reasons. Sony doesn't use a paired TV's speakers, for example, whereas Samsung's Q-Symphony does, which with a big panel can add better dialogue pinpointing in relation to the screen – which would be one of my criticisms against the Sony setup.

There's also the small (or big) point on pricing. The Theatre Trio will set you back £2000 (wider regional pricing I don't have yet), with the Sub 9 priced at £900 and the Rear 9 speakers also at £900 – making for a £3800 total!

Indeed, this Sony setup might therefore make Samsung's Q990H seem like a relative bargain by comparison. But the extra cash could be worth it for true cinema heads, as this latest Bravia surround system is a true Dolby Atmos revelation.