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Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8: One-minute review

When Sony announced its 2024 AV lineup, it wasn’t just its TVs that received a more straightforward naming system, but its soundbars too. This year, the potentially tricky-to-remember model numbers have been replaced with a much simpler Bravia branding. The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 replaces the HT-A5000 as the company’s mid-range model – sitting below the Theater Bar 9 and the Bravia Theater Quad four-speaker audio system – and arrives with the aim to be one of best soundbars.

As with the HT-A5000, this latest model is a standalone Dolby Atmos soundbar. There are no wireless rear speakers included, nor is there a wireless subwoofer, but these can be added as optional extras if you wish to create an even more immersive surround sound experience. Despite the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 cramming 11 speakers into its slimline body to create a “bubble of sound” in Sony’s words, we would recommend true movie buffs consider adding at least a subwoofer to handle the low-end.

The Bar 8 is smaller than its predecessor – by some 30% – and is low in height, meaning it slots effortlessly in front of a TV. Connectivity is good rather than great with just two HDMI ports, one of which is eARC to connect to your TV. Thankfully, however, the other HDMI input is the 2.1 standard and it supports 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz passthrough, meaning you can confidently connect external devices including games consoles and 4K Blu-ray players. Elsewhere there is Spotify Connect, AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth for streaming music.

While some may expect more from a soundbar that costs $999 / £999 / AU$1,499, where connections or additional rear speakers are concerned there’s no denying the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 does an excellent job of boosting the sound of your TV. Although as for true Dolby Atmos it does fall a little short of the competition. The company’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping tech does work in creating phantom speakers, but we found during our testing that the soundfield was more of a half-dome as opposed to a full-dome covering an entire room.

We also found that the Bravia Bar 8 performed at its best in small to medium-sized rooms, as it seemed to lack the power to fill a larger open space. Adding the optional rear speakers and/or a subwoofer will undoubtedly help (we didn’t have them for this review), but the total cost of such a package adds up to far more than tried and tested complete Dolby Atmos soundbar packages, despite the Bravia Bar 8 receiving what seem to be permanent price cuts globally (as of September 2024, it's typical street price is generally around $849.99 / £799 / AU$1,249).

So while it might not be the outright best option for your main TV viewing room, the Sony Bravia Bar 8 can certainly find a spot in a bedroom or smaller TV room. The only question you’ll need to ask yourself is if you’d rather opt for the Sonos Arc. It doesn’t cost that much more than the Sony, handles music better and has the added potential benefit multiroom functionality.

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Price and release date

• Launched in July 2024
• List price of $999 / £999 / AU$1,499
• Has received price cuts since launch

The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 was announced in April 2024 and went on sale in July 2024 in the US, UK and Australia for $999 / £999 / AU$1,499. That puts it right in the firing line of the Sonos Arc, which also goes without a wireless subwoofer or rear speakers included.

It’s less than the MSRP of the Samsung HW-Q990D – our current favorite Dolby Atmos soundbar on our list of the best soundbars – although recent price drops against Samsung's soundbar make it approximately the same price as the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 in most regions.

Samsung’s flagship bar comes with a wireless subwoofer and rear speakers included, although the rears do require constant power. Sony’s selection of optional rear speakers run off rechargeable batteries and so could prove to be a more appealing option for anyone short on power outlets in their room.

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Specs Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Features

• 5.0.2 speaker channels
• Phantom speakers for extra 'virtual' channels
• HDMI 2.1 with 4K 120Hz support

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

As you’ll find with soundbars from the likes of LG and Samsung, the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 can connect to a Sony TV from 2021 or newer and use it as a center channel via Bravia Acoustic Center Sync. It would have been nice for this to have worked via HDMI – whereby the soundbar should be able to detect it’s connected to a Sony TV – but you have to connect them together using the included cable. If you don’t own a Sony TV, but your TV has an S-Center speaker input, you can take advantage of this feature via the same 3.5mm cable wired connection (the 3.5mm port on the rear of the Bravia Bar 8 can only be used for this feature and can’t be used as an input from external devices).

There are only two HDMI ports on the Bravia Bar 8, and with one needed to connect to a TV via eARC, there is just one spare for external devices. Fortunately, this input does support 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz passthrough and gamers will appreciate that it supports auto low latency mode (ALLM) and variable refresh rate (VRR). Having just one spare HDMI input shouldn’t alienate too many users, but the previous HT-A5000 had two spare, so it’s peculiar as to why Sony has dropped one this time around.

Setting up the Bravia Bar 8 is incredibly easy. Simply connect it to your TV via the aforementioned HDMI port, open up the Bravia Connect app on your iOS or Android device and connect it to your network. Once done, you’ll want to run a calibration to ensure the soundbar is optimized for your specific room. It’s a process that only takes around 20 seconds and sees the soundbar emitting various tones to determine the acoustics of your room to optimize the sound output based on your usual seating position.

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(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)Image 2 of 3

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(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

There’s no option to manually adjust speaker channel settings as you can with other soundbars such as the Samsung HW-Q990D, but you can choose from three height modes – lower, default and higher – and three different sound field settings. The default option here is Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, but you also have the option of DTS Neural:X or Dolby Speaker Visualizer. You can also turn the sound field mode off entirely if you wish (I’ll discuss the effects of this further down in the performance section). And, when rear speakers are connected, the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 can deliver an IMAX Enhanced certified audio presentation.

There aren’t any sound modes along the lines of ‘Movie’ or ‘Music’, which is an interesting omission, and there’s also very little mention of AI being used. The only AI-related feature of the Theater Bar 8 is to detect human voices and make them clearer via “AI sound separation”.

If you want to play music through the Bar 8, you can do so via HDMI, Bluetooth, Spotify Connect or AirPlay 2. Hi-Res audio is supported from compatible sources along with Sony’s LDAC wireless codec. You can also stream songs mixed in Sony’s own 360 Reality Audio via Amazon Music Unlimited.

• Features score: 3.5/5

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Performance

• Powerful with genuine height
• Bass handling would benefit from a dedicated subwoofer

With 11 speakers inside the bar, including two up-firing and two new side-firing drivers, the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 is certainly capable of delivering powerful, expansive sound into your room. But expansive doesn’t necessarily mean enveloping, as I found it to produce more of a half-dome of sound rather than a complete bubble to include sounds coming from behind my viewing position.

I began my testing in a smaller room of the house, with the soundbar connected to the Sony Bravia 8 OLED TV and a scene from The Incredibles streaming on Disney Plus – the part where the children are in the jungle escaping from Syndrome’s henchmen. There was obvious height and width to the sound, with the flying saucer-like vehicles shooting across the screen and up above the listening position when they went off screen.

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The Bravia Theater Bar 8 nestles perfectly in front Sony's own 65-inch Bravia 8 OLED TV. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)Image 2 of 2

Optional feet can be attached to the Bravia Bar 8, so that it slides over the feet of 2024 Sony Bravia TVs. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

For the majority of my testing, I had the height sound setting set to ‘higher’ as it provided the most immersive experience. I toggled between ‘default’ and ‘lower’ settings but found both to have a negative impact on the movie I was watching. I wasn’t personally able to find a scenario where either of these settings would be useful when watching a film.

Sony says the Bravia Bar 8 is capable of bouncing sound off the ceiling to create phantom speakers behind the listening position, but I wasn’t able to distinguish these during my testing. Dedicated rear speakers would no doubt alleviate this, as they’ll be on hand to actually deliver sound from behind the viewing position.

Dialogue was notably impressive, however, coming through crystal clear even when the volume was turned up. I also found the Voice Mode – activated within the Bravia Connect app or on the supplied remote control – did indeed give dialogue a boost without sacrificing too much of the rest of the soundtrack. And as for the Bravia Bar 8’s bass handling during the same scene in The Incredibles, I was pleasantly surprised by the depths it could go to, especially given the absence of a wireless subwoofer.

But, those same opinions didn’t translate over to the chase scene in The Batman – I loaded up a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on a PlayStation 5 and was left a little disappointed. The engine growl from the Batmobile was lacking impact and the chase as a whole lacked excitement. The bass output from the Theater Bar 8 is good, but it was apparent it had a limit to its capabilities. A subwoofer would help here as it would take away much of the low-end duties from the soundbar, leaving it to focus on other tasks.

A positive to come from this sequence, however, was that bullets fired at the Batmobile’s windows did pierce through the presentation, which is something I’ve found other soundbars such as the Sonos Arc can falter on.

There are just two HDMI 2.1 connections on the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 soundbar, one of which is reserved for an eARC connection. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

I also streamed music to the Bravia Bar 8 via AirPlay from my iPhone using Amazon Music Unlimited. I loaded up a few tracks that had been mixed in Sony’s 360 Reality Audio format, but that were also available in Ultra HD – Amazon’s version of Hi-Res – so I could switch between the two.

Put simply, songs streamed in the latter format sounded much better. Miley Cyrus’ Flowers, for example, was delivered with extremely good vocal clarity and decent low-end bass when streaming in the Ultra HD format. Having the soundbar’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping soundfield selected also added some extra expanse to the performance, resulting in something that was perfectly enjoyable and listenable. However, switching it to the default setting did yield a more natural-sounding performance.

It wasn’t such good news when moving over to the 360 Reality Audio version of the same song. Bass was essentially eradicated and the overall performance sounded tinny and not too dissimilar to a very cheap Bluetooth speaker. I tried to fix it by turning off the soundfield setting, but it didn’t make a huge amount of difference, other than removing any notion of height from the song.

• Performance score: 3.5/5

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Design

• Premium build with cloth wrapping
• Suits 55-inch to 75-inch TVs
• A front display would be nice

Sony’s website claims the Bravia Theater Bar 8 outputs sound in a 5.0.2-channel configuration – the same as the Sonos Arc – but we’ve also been told directly from Sony’s product managers that this isn’t so definitive. This is because the sound output will be different for every room, as Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology calibrates the output on a room-by-room basis. Plus, it makes use of phantom speakers with the intention of creating a bubble of sound.

The Bravia Theater Bar 8 is pretty attractive by soundbar standards. It measures 1100 x 64 x 113 mm, making it slightly shorter than a 55-inch TV (which roughly measures 1200mm). I had it setup in front of a 65-inch Sony Bravia 8 OLED and a 77-inch LG G4 OLED TV (top image) during my testing and in both instances it looked perfectly fine, meaning it would be well-suited to be placed in front of a 75-inch TV, too. Coincidentally, 55-, 65- and 75-inch are the three sizes the Sony Bravia 8 OLED TV is available in and, to further highlight how both 8-series TV and soundbar are ideal partners, Sony includes a set of feet in the box with the soundbar to raise it slightly so that it can slide over your TV’s feet if your TV bench isn’t deep enough to accommodate both.

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Sony supplies optional feet and screws to attach to the bottom of the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 soundbar. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)Image 2 of 3

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(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

If you want to add rear speakers to the Bravia 8, you have a choice of the SA-RS3S or SA-RS5, although only the latter pair features dedicated up-firing speakers. As for subwoofers, you can pair the Bravia Bar 8 with either the 200W SA-SW3 or 300W SA-SW5.

The entire soundbar is covered in a cloth fabric which means when you’re watching TV the soundbar’s top panel won’t reflect the screen above it.

A small LED is the only indicator for power and input. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

One feature I would have liked to see is a proper front panel display for information such as current input or even volume level. There are two small LEDs on the front right of the Bar 8, one to indicate when you’re adjusting the volume and one to indicate the current source. An HDMI device shines white, for example, while Bluetooth is expectedly blue. For more information relating to volume level and source input, you need to open up the Bravia Connect app.

• Design score: 4/5

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Setup & usability

• Quick sound calibration
• Bravia Connect app and remote for easy control
• HDMI eARC connection to TV

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

Setting up the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 is a relatively straightforward affair. All you need to do is connect an HDMI cable from the soundbar to your TV (Sony supplies one in the box), wait for it to register and you’re away. You’ll need to turn to the Sony Bravia Connect app for iOS and Android to get it connected to your home Wi-Fi network and to carry out the speedy sound optimization calibration.

A remote control is supplied too, for those moments when you don’t want or need to use the app. There is a central button for volume control (you can’t press and hold to turn the volume up and down), along with a dedicated button to adjust the bass level, turn the soundfield mode on or off (but not toggle through them), and toggle voice mode and night mode. The Bar 8 does work via HDMI-CEC, allowing you to adjust the volume using your TV’s remote control.

• Setup & usability score: 4.5/5

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Value

• Premium price
• Similarly-priced competitors include rear speakers and subwoofer
• Not a class leader

While it launched at $999 / £999 / AU$1,499, the Bravia Theater Bar 8 appears to have received a regular discount in all territories, seeing its price drop to $849.99 / £799 / AU$1,249. In the US at the time of writing, it can be picked up with a further discount of $150. At its MSRP, the Bravia Bar 8 was immediately pitted against the Sonos Arc, which we consider to be one of the best standalone Dolby Atmos soundbars and which does outperform the Sony.

Now it appears to have received a price cut, it’s a more appealing option and somewhat helps stomach the extra cost for a wireless subwoofer and/or wireless rear speakers, should you want to add them. Considering its performance isn’t quite at the level we were expecting, it’s not the obvious choice for anyone looking to create a Dolby Atmos experience at home.

Our current pick for the outright best Dolby Atmos soundbar is the Samsung HW-Q990D, which can regularly be found for much less than its launch price in all territories. If you have one of Sony’s 2024 Bravia TVs, then the Bravia Theater Bar 8 is a natural pairing, but for anyone else, the Samsung soundbar still gets our vote.

• Value score: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8? Buy it if...

You want a simple solution for a smaller room
The Bravia Bar 8 will struggle to fill a large space, but if you want boosted TV sound in a smaller room or bedroom, it's worth an audition.

You want a full-range soundbar that supports Dolby Atmos
The Bravia Bar 8 can indeed deliver a expansive soundstage with good object placement, and it has the option of additional hardware to create a complete system.

Don't buy it if...

You want an authentic Dolby Atmos experience
Without the rear speakers or subwoofer included, the Bravia Theater Bar 8 can't deliver a true Dolby Atmos experience, despite its best efforts through calibration techniques.

You own Sonos speakers
This may sound strange, but if you already own Sonos speakers such as the Era 100 or Era 300, you're better off getting the Sonos Arc. It has the same speaker configuration as the Sony, but can be paired with speakers to create a full home theater. Plus, it handles music more confidently.

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Also consider

Sonos Arc
It’s been mentioned throughout this review for good reason. The Sonos Arc doesn’t cost much more than the Sony Bar 8, yet delivers a more authentic and immersive audio performance. It’s much better with music and has the obvious additional benefit of being able to be added into a larger multiroom system.

Read our full Sonos Arc review

Samsung HW-Q990D
You may need to pay a little extra to pick up Samsung’s latest Dolby Atmos soundbar, but it is absolutely worth it. Wireless rear speakers and a subwoofer are included in the box to deliver a sensational home cinema experience. It also has an extra HDMI 2.1 input, making it better for owners of multiple playback devices or games consoles.

Read our full Samsung HW-Q990D review

How I tested the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8

• Connected to the Sony Bravia 8 and LG G4
• Tested with a variety of sources
• All soundfield modes tested

I tested the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 over a period of two weeks. I connected it to a Sony Bravia 8 TV in a small room to test its sound output and any same brand exclusive features. I also moved it to a much larger room and connected it to an LG G4.

The majority of testing was conducted with the highest soundfield setting enabled, although I did toggle between the other options to analyze the sound output.

I played content from streaming services and 4K Blu-ray discs to test the Bravia Theater Bar 8's ability to handle Dolby Atmos soundtracks, and analyzed not only its spatial sound performance, but also bass, trebles and vocal clarity.

I also streamed music via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to test music playback. I played hi-res audio, Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio tracks via Amazon Music Unlimited and Apple Music.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: September 2024

From the ultra-thin new Apple Watch Series 10 to the budget-friendly SE, these deals will help you save on the Apple Watch you want.

Commentary: Natural disasters can disrupt flight itineraries for passengers nationwide. I've found that these items make uncertainty easier to navigate.

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Wordle hints and answers, Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #478) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• QUICK
• LATHER
• CURRENT
• CONDITION
• RAPID
• RINSE
• HEALTH
• SWEAT
• NORMAL
• WAVE
• FORM
• SANITIZE
• STEW
• SHAPE
• CASCADE
• TIZZY

NYT Connections today (game #478) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• Yellow: All het up
• Green: In good…
• Blue: H20 actions
• Purple: No scrubber required

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #478) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: FLUSTERED STATE
• GREEN: FITNESS
• BLUE: FAST-MOVING WATER
• PURPLE: DISHWASHER CYCLES

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #478) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #478, are…

• YELLOW: FLUSTERED STATE LATHER, STEW, SWEAT, TIZZY
• GREEN: FITNESS CONDITION, FORM, HEALTH, SHAPE
• BLUE: FAST-MOVING WATER CASCADE, CURRENT, RAPID, WAVE
• PURPLE: DISHWASHER CYCLES NORMAL, QUICK, RINSE, SANITIZE

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

It was good to get back on track again with a victory today, following my failure yesterday. Admittedly, I was helped out by this Connections puzzle being on the easier side of things, with four relatively straightforward groups and not too many fiendish red herrings to contend with.

There were some, though – notably in the purple DISHWASHER CYCLE group. I nearly guessed this early on, but wasn't sure which of the six possible answers formed the correct quarter; the eventual solutions were NORMAL, QUICK, RINSE and SANITIZE, but I figured LATHER and RAPID were also possibilities. And no, you don't get dishwashers with a LATHER setting, but I didn't know that was the connection then, merely that there was probably one about some kind of appliance – maybe a washing machine…

I worked it out in the end, ticking off some of the easier groups first then solving that by default at the end, as is usually the way things work out.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, 30 September, game #477)

• YELLOW: COOK WITH HEAT AND WATER BLANCH, BOIL, POACH, STEAM
• GREEN: COMMON PERFUME INGREDIENTS AMBERGRIS, MUSK, ROSE, VANILLA
• BLUE: CHARACTERS WITH PET DOGS CHARLIE, DOROTHY, SHAGGY, WALLACE
• PURPLE: CAPITAL CITY HOMOPHONES KETO, ROAM, SOPHIA, SOUL

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #212) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Channel surfing

NYT Strands today (game #212) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• MEAL
• LEND
• SEND
• COVE
• COVER
• SITE

NYT Strands today (game #212) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• 57 Channels (And Nothin' On)

NYT Strands today (game #212) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: left, 5th row

Last: right, 5th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #212) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #212, are…

• PARAMOUNT
• DISCOVERY
• HISTORY
• HALLMARK
• LIFETIME
• SPANGRAM: NETWORK

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: Perfect

This is a similar one to yesterday's in that not everyone will find it easy, but some definitely will. I didn't – because I'm not based in the US and therefore don't have access to all of the same NETWORKs as many Strands players will. I've never heard of LIFETIME, for instance, and have never watched HALLMARK (I'm not sure it's even available here).

That said, I didn't find it that difficult once I'd got the spangram and confirmed the overall theme. The likes of PARAMOUNT, DISCOVERY and HISTORY are well known and available around the world, so this puzzle is beatable even if you're not that familiar with US cable TV.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday 30 September, game #211)

• HEAVY
• MIDDLE
• FEATHER
• LIGHT
• WELTER
• BANTAM
• CRUISER
• SPANGRAM: BOXING

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now nearly 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #981) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #981) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.

Quordle today (game #981) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #981) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #981) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• F

• M

• G

• N

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #981) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #981, are…

• FRILL
• MADLY
• GRANT
• NYLON

I very nearly screwed up again here, and could have lost my streak for the second time in a week. Fortunately, that didn't happen – but it was a close-run thing. The problem, for me at least, was that both FRILL and MADLY had a couple of solutions; the former could also have been GRILL, the latter also BADLY. What I should have done is to have played BEFOG, my go-to word in these situations, to establish what both were. But I only looked at the MADLY/BADLY quadrant to begin with, so played BADLY and then had to use another narrowing down word when I came to -RILL in the top left. I escaped with a last-guess victory, but should really have been wise to this trap.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #981) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #981, are…

• QUACK
• LIMBO
• PIPER
• HOUND

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #980, Monday 30 September: CRUSH, TARDY, TEACH, STUMP
• Quordle #979, Sunday 29 September: SERIF, BORNE, WRITE, SLEEK
• Quordle #978, Saturday 28 September: BUSHY, CIVIC, SNOUT, EQUIP
• Quordle #977, Friday 27 September: GUEST, CHASM, ROOST, BASAL
• Quordle #976, Thursday 26 September: STAGE, VOGUE, CLUMP, HEATH
• Quordle #975, Wednesday 25 September: UMBRA, DADDY, GLAZE, PRANK
• Quordle #974, Tuesday 24 September: SPACE, INNER, SPAWN, BEGAT
• Quordle #973, Monday 23 September: GUILT, STERN, ANNEX, FIELD
• Quordle #972, Sunday 22 September: ZESTY, MEATY, ALIVE, DRAWN
• Quordle #971, Saturday 21 September: VITAL, FRAIL, SPEAR, EERIE
• Quordle #970, Friday 20 September: ELIDE, DITTO, SHAWL, BONUS
• Quordle #969, Thursday 19 September: MARRY, OWING, DICEY, LUCKY
• Quordle #968, Wednesday 18 September: CEDAR, VENOM, MIGHT, MEDIC
• Quordle #967, Tuesday 17 September: ETHOS, COUNT, PRINT, THREE
• Quordle #966, Monday 16 September: ROUGE, SWAMP, FUGUE, UNDUE
• Quordle #965, Sunday 15 September: VILLA, SMOKE, BULKY, THRUM
• Quordle #964, Saturday 14 September: ESSAY, GENRE, WIMPY, CHUTE
• Quordle #963, Friday 13 September: LEANT, ORGAN, FILLY, PLAIT
• Quordle #962, Thursday 12 September: ARBOR, STARK, LEAVE, GOOFY
• Quordle #961, Wednesday 11 September: ROUGH, CACTI, SAVOY, ODDER

It’s no secret that Intel has been experiencing major issues with its 13th and 14th-gen desktop processors for nearly a year now, which has been slowly tanking some of its best processors — especially the Core i9-13900K and Core i9-14900K — in terms of performance. And now there’s a new instability update that seems to be dropping speeds even more.

Users have been testing out Intel’s latest BIOS patch, which is supposed to fix instability on Intel’s 13th-gen and 14th-gen processors. However, user twfox on the Chiphell forums has noticed a 6.5% drop in the Core i9-13900K in Cinebench R15’s single-core performance. In the Cinebench R23, the Core i9-14900K dropped about 2% of its multi-core performance score, putting it behind the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X.

While this may seem bad (and that would be the understandable take), as Digital Trends notes, this is much milder compared to previous drops in performance that ranged from 9 to 20%. Intel has clearly learned from its first round of motherboard updates and is gradually mitigating the issue to far more acceptable levels.

Intel could still be in danger 

According to an Intel blog update, the final issue with the 13th and 14th-gen processors has been discovered, which the current BIOS update addresses. “Microcode and BIOS code requesting elevated core voltages which can cause Vmin shift especially during periods of idle and/or light activity.”

However, ‘mitigated impact’ is not ‘no impact,’ and the latter is what Intel seemed to promise when it reported on the patch’s internal test results. However, 2% and 6.5% performance differences are typically well within the allowable margin for system variances, so in the end, Intel's chips look to have been fixed by the new update.

Fortunately for Intel, Team Blue is moving on to a whole new architecture with Arrow Lake and these current issues shouldn’t affect the new chips. This is especially important, as Arrow Lake is set for an October launch. Coupled with performance-improvement updates for both AMD Ryzen 9000 series and Intel’s last two generations, it’ll be vital to pay attention to benchmark test scores in upcoming reviews. 

Hopefully, Intel will have this whole situation dealt with for next-gen, because right now AMD is gunning for Intel’s desktop market share and Team Red’s chip game has been evolving by leaps and bounds while generally keeping its MSRP lower than Team Blue’s offerings. We'll see soon enough though if Intel can hold the line with Arrow Lake.

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This comes just a week after the FBI disrupted a network of more than 200,000 devices infected with malware.

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Be careful when receiving emails with QR codes, because Quishing (QR code phishing) has evolved to become as dangerous as never before, experts have warned.

A report from Perception Point has outlined one such campaign, claiming it is able to bypass most email security solutions around.

The attack is just like any other QR code phishing attack - the recipient gets an email, and in it a QR code. They scan it, and it leads them to a fake Microsoft 365 landing page, where they type in their login credentials and essentially share it with the crooks. However, since most email security solutions these days come with QR code scanners, simply sending the image in the email will not suffice. Such emails will simply get blocked, which is why crooks came up with a creative new way of bypassing the protections.

Two QR codes

As Perception Point explains, the campaign involves abusing two legitimate services - SharePoint, and me-qr.com. SharePoint is a Microsoft-built, web-based platform for collaboration, document management, and content sharing. Me-QR.com is a website where users can create and manage QR codes.

The landing page is hosted on SharePoint. Me-QR.com is used as an additional obfuscation layer, so that the scanners cannot read where the QR code points to.

Here is how the scam works: The recipient gets the usual phishing email, containing a .PDF attachment that’s either a purchase order, an invoice, or something similar. When they open it, there is a QR code that points to me-QR.com. Since this is a legitimate service, the code passes security scans.

When the victim scans this code, they are redirected to me-QR.com, where the service scans a second QR code (a malicious one, which would most likely be blocked by email security). This code leads to SharePoint, where the phishing page is hosted.

Perception Point calls this tactic “Quishing 2.0”, and describes it as highly sophisticated.

The best way to defend against spam remains the same - be suspicious of all incoming emails and use common sense when opening up attachments.

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The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, which is our choice as one of the best processors in the market period, beat out two of the best Intel processor options when it comes to pure gaming ability. Its reputation has made the chip a hot commodity, and its price has been skyrocketing as of late.

This is due to dwindling stock, which is all happening right before the rumored launch of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D in October. Of course, nothing has actually been confirmed, but price hikes and lower stock often tend to be tied into imminent launches of new products as retailers rush to clear stock and take advantage of high demand, while not replenishing its current stock.

The dwindling stock is driving up prices, delaying delivery, or simply selling out at US retailers like Amazon and Newegg. As PCGamesN points out, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D can only be shipped from China on Newegg but at a higher $679.99 price point, which is about $200 more than MSRP. Meanwhile, Amazon has it in stock for about $50 more with a shipping delay of a week or so.

PCPartPicker graphs the steady increase in the processor’s US pricing over a 60-day period at major retailers. However, it seems that some other regions, like the UK, haven’t been affected nearly as much or even at all, according to the site’s UK data.

(Image credit: PCPartPicker)

If you're looking to kit your gaming rig with a new processor right now, it might be better to wait for AMD or Intel’s new offerings before investing. And since there are rumors of both the Ryzen 7 9800X3D and the Intel Arrow Lake chips launching in October, that time might be far sooner than you think.

We need more affordable options 

This situation shows how badly the market needs and wants for affordable mid-range and low-end components. The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is considered the best processor for gaming, standing toe-to-toe with some of Intel’s best chips like the Intel Core i9-14900K or the Intel Core i7-14700K. And because it’s AMD, the pricing is (or rather was) quite reasonable considering its specs.

Now with new chips on the horizon, it makes sense that buyers are trying to snap up mid-range chips now while they can. But if you truly want the best deal, it would be much better to wait until the 9800X3D launches. Either the chip will be cheaper than the 7800X3D or its release will reduce demand and lower prices to a more affordable level.

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Israel began a series of attacks against the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah with pagers and walkie talkies that exploded. They then launched airstrikes targeting the group's leadership. One strike killed Hezbollah's leader of over thirty years, Hassan Nasrallah. The attacks are an effort to prevent Hezbollah from continuing to fire rockets at northern Israel, which it has been doing since the war in Gaza began. Israel's airstrikes are continuing to widen and their military is massing at the border, pointing to a possible ground invasion.

We'll hear from our correspondent in Beirut about the feeling on the ground there. We also hear about whether and how Iran might respond. Iran had been arming Hezbollah to counter Israel, and the weakening of the group is a blow to an important proxy of Iran's.

For more coverage of all sides of this conflict, go to npr.org/mideastupdates

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There's no question that the AMD Ryzen 9000 series had a troubled launch, but AMD's latest fixes for the entire lineup of chips could go a long way to addressing the concerns of gamers and creators who might be holding off on buying one of the new chips.

The fix, which is part of the new AGESA ComboAM5 PI 1.2.0.2 microcode update to various AM5 motherboard UEFI BIOSs, comes in two parts, according to TechPowerUp.

First, users can configure the PPT of the AMD Ryzen 9600X and AMD Ryzen 9700X (cTDP) in the updated BIOS up to 140W (which translates to 105W TDP) while maintaining their warranty. This effectively allows users to overclock the base 65W (88W PPT) chips without the risk of wearing them out and not being able to replace them.

Second, the BIOS updates will improve the inter-core latency performance on the AMD Ryzen 9900X and AMD Ryzen 9950X. These two chips use two Complex Compute Dies (CCDs) rather than a single monolithic die for all cores.

In order to get the two CCDs — which have 6+6 and 8+8 cores for the AMD Ryzen 9900X and 9950X, respectively — to act as a single unit, there needs to be an interconnect between the two CCDs. This introduces latency whenever cores need to communicate with each other or when the OS scheduler needs to assign work to various CPU cores.

Typically, the chips are supposed to be optimized to negate this latency as much as possible, but according to AMD, the issue with the high core-to-core latency of the 9900X and 9950X "was mainly due to some corner cases where it takes two transactions to both read, and write, when information is shared across cores on different parts of a Ryzen 9 9000 series processor."

"However, we've been working on optimizing this since the launch of the 9000 series. In the new 1.2.0.2 BIOS update, we've managed to cut the number of transactions in half for this use case, which helps reduce core-to-core latency in multi-CCD models."

While the reported core-to-core latency might still be higher than with a monolithic die, in real-world use, this fix should boost the multi-core performance that users experience with these chips.

Extra performance all around, but is it too late to compete with Intel?

(Image credit: AMD)

So I haven't actually finished reviewing the AMD Ryzen 9000 series, as some may have noticed. There are a lot of scheduling reasons for that, but I did manage to test all four chips and found, like many, that the performance gains were not great, if they existed at all.

Across the board though, I was more impressed by the power efficiency of the chips, which effectively let you have Ryzen 7000 series performance at lower power levels. I actually thought that this was pretty great, since the Ryzen 7000 series are fantastic chips and offer more than enough performance for just about everyone, and I've been on a tear about how chipmakers need to call a truce on performance and focus on efficiency.

That said, I understand why many would want to have more performance and better uplift gen-on-gen, even if I'd counsel them to ask whether that's really necessary.

In either case, though, it's generally a good rule to offer consumers more choice rather than less, and in the case of the 9600X and 9700X, you get to decide whether better performance or more efficiency best suits your needs while not having to worry that you're going to lose your investment in a chip because you increased its power draw.

As for the 9900X and 9950X, these two chips are specifically designed and marketed for high-performance use, so the importance of the gen-on-gen uplift is obvious. In that case, any fix for the underwhelming multi-core performance of these chips is welcome, though how much gain users will benefit from remains to be seen.

Of course, all this comes as Intel appears ready to introduce Intel Arrow Lake desktop processors later this month, meaning that the couple of months lead time that AMD had to gain an advantage early on in this generation might have been missed. It'll now have to really fight it out with Intel to maintain its recent market share gains, but considering we haven't seen what Intel Arrow Lake can do yet, it's still a jump ball as to who will come out on top in the end.

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