The Sony Bravia Bar 9 is a 7.0.2 Channel soundbar. It features 360 Spatial Sound Mapping with 13 speaker units, a new generation of surround technology for immersive, cinematic.It also combines physical and phantom speakers, BRAVIA Theatre Bar 9 creates a wider surround sound field for outstanding immersion. No need to remodel your home to get movie theatre acoustics. Sound Field Optimization analyses your room's acoustic characteristics, then uses advanced signal processing to overwrite them with those of a movie theatre.
The Sony Bravia Bar 9 is a 7.0.2 Channel soundbar. It features 360 Spatial Sound Mapping with 13 speaker units, a new generation of surround technology for immersive, cinematic.It also combines physical and phantom speakers, BRAVIA Theatre Bar 9 creates a wider surround sound field for outstanding immersion. No need to remodel your home to get movie theatre acoustics. Sound Field Optimization analyses your room's acoustic characteristics, then uses advanced signal processing to overwrite them with those of a movie theatre.
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The lowest price for Sony HT-A9000 Soundbar Black Accessories right now is $1,556.00 at Appliances Online Australia, compared across 3 retailers.
The all-time low was $849.00 on 25 Apr 2026 â today's price is 83% above the lowest ever. It has been notably cheaper before â worth setting a price alert.
Prices last updated 5 June 2026.
Sony HT-A9000 Soundbar Black Accessories
The Sony Bravia Bar 9 is a 7.0.2 Channel soundbar. It features 360 Spatial Sound Mapping with 13 speaker units, a new generation of surround technology for immersive, cinematic.It also combines physical and phantom speakers, BRAVIA Theatre Bar 9 creates a wider surround sound field for outstanding immersion. No need to remodel your home to get movie theatre acoustics. Sound Field Optimization analyses your room's acoustic characteristics, then uses advanced signal processing to overwrite them with those of a movie theatre.
The Sony Bravia Bar 9 is a 7.0.2 Channel soundbar. It features 360 Spatial Sound Mapping with 13 speaker units, a new generation of surround technology for immersive, cinematic.It also combines physical and phantom speakers, BRAVIA Theatre Bar 9 creates a wider surround sound field for outstanding immersion. No need to remodel your home to get movie theatre acoustics. Sound Field Optimization analyses your room's acoustic characteristics, then uses advanced signal processing to overwrite them with those of a movie theatre.
Last updated at 05/06/2026 02:16:27
Sony BRAVIA 7.0ch Theatre Soundbar 9 with Dolby Atmos HTA9000
Free delivery by Mon
Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 - Soundbar, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2, AirPlay, Chromecast
Delivery $344.51
BRAVIA Theatre Bar 7, Single Soundbar, 9 Speaker Units, Surround Sound by Dolby Atmos/DTS:X, 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, Voice Zoom 3 for Sony Smart TV
Free delivery between 16â19 June
originally posted on sony.co.uk
I have to confess that I was sceptical at first as I thought the sound output from our TV was pretty good but wow does the Bravia theatre bar raise the bar (pun intended!!).Iâm always a bit anxious about setting up any new tech especially as the instructions provided were 'brief' to say the least âŠ.basically scan a QR code, download the app and complete each simple step.Within 30minutes the bar was unboxed, connected and ready to go. The next challenge was to decide what to watch. The TV guide offered plenty of quiz shows and sit coms but an endless stream of celebrities wittering on hardly seemed much of a test for this impression looking bit of kit so we settled on a Lord of the Rings DVD. Firstly we watched 45 minutes without the Bravia connected then the same ... MoreI have to confess that I was sceptical at first as I thought the sound output from our TV was pretty good but wow does the Bravia theatre bar raise the bar (pun intended!!).Iâm always a bit anxious about setting up any new tech especially as the instructions provided were 'brief' to say the least âŠ.basically scan a QR code, download the app and complete each simple step.Within 30minutes the bar was unboxed, connected and ready to go. The next challenge was to decide what to watch. The TV guide offered plenty of quiz shows and sit coms but an endless stream of celebrities wittering on hardly seemed much of a test for this impression looking bit of kit so we settled on a Lord of the Rings DVD. Firstly we watched 45 minutes without the Bravia connected then the same 45 minutes (fair testing and all that) with the theatre bar.Wow what a difference! A rich full bodied sound filled the room while the dialogue was crisp and clear.Using the app we could modify the sound quality to suit our particular preferences. It would be an exaggeration to say it felt like being in the cinema, I didnât have an annoying tall person fidgeting and talking in from of me, but boy in terms of the surround sound quality it was close.Next to give it a thorough work out I connected it, via Bluetooth, to my music collection. Now Iâm not an expert on TV and film but I am picky about my music and again WOW! Whether a bit of overblown progressive rock ,sonorous if a little gloomy Leonard Cohen or a touch of high brow classical the room was filled with sound. It even received top marks from my 18 year granddaughter who commandeered the set up with a few friends for musical evening of their own.All in all a really great product. Elegant and well built, easy to set up and control and most importantly it really enhanced the sound quality for TV programmes, film and music.
originally posted on bestbuy.com
This Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 is an incredible all in one sound solution for pretty much any audiophile out there. This high-end soundbar has impeccable design and delivers a premium home theater experience from a single unit right out of the box! This unit boasts an incredible collection of 13 built-in speakers, including dedicated side-firing and up-firing drivers. The unit works with Dolby Atmos and DTS for amazing sound reproduction all around and creates an immersive audio environment for everyone in the room. The unit utilizes Sony's â360 Spatial Sound Mapping technologyâ in order to simulate virtual surround speakers which enhances surround sound without the need for adding rear/surround speakers to the system. Sound quality is simply stunning when ... MoreThis Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 is an incredible all in one sound solution for pretty much any audiophile out there. This high-end soundbar has impeccable design and delivers a premium home theater experience from a single unit right out of the box! This unit boasts an incredible collection of 13 built-in speakers, including dedicated side-firing and up-firing drivers. The unit works with Dolby Atmos and DTS for amazing sound reproduction all around and creates an immersive audio environment for everyone in the room. The unit utilizes Sony's â360 Spatial Sound Mapping technologyâ in order to simulate virtual surround speakers which enhances surround sound without the need for adding rear/surround speakers to the system. Sound quality is simply stunning when considering the size and speaker setup of this bar. Crystal mids and highs and impressive bass response without any actual sub-woofer needed â although true home theater medial setups with probably want to add a sub to this bar to complete the package.I really appreciated Sonyâs Sound Field Optimization, which quickly and effortlessly calibrates the soundbar for the best performance in my specific room space. Pretty neat feature that makes setup so much easier than trying to do it by ear. Makes for a perfect setup everytime.Design-wise the Theater Bar 9 is simple and beautiful. Elegant lines and color to fit seamlessly into any room and setup. This bar is impressively compact and lightweight for the sound it produces. Youâll find yourself looking around trying to find where the âotherâ speakers are, even though there are no more. Again, the overall size and footprint are small making this easy to fit anywhere you need it.For connectivity, the Theater Bar 9 offers a range of options, including HDMI eARC for lossless audio, Bluetooth 5.2, Apple AirPlay 2, and Spotify Connect. Makes this bar perfect for different streaming needs and compatible with a wide array of devices.Overall, this Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 has been awesome. Fantastic advanced audio features, super easy to use especially when integrated with other Sony products. Design is top notch if you enjoy small and sleek appearance.
originally posted on bestbuy.com
The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 is an excellent new entry into the world of premium sound systems by one of the world's premier manufacturers. The setup and sound quality were very good, with a few new things to get used to for owners of previous Sony soundbars. Getting it out of the box, I immediately noticed that it seemed a little more trim than previous systems from Sony. It measures 51.25" wide, 2.5" tall, 4.5" deep, and weighs just over 12 pounds. In the box, there is the soundbar, the power cord, the remote, batteries for the remote, a HDMI cable, a wall mount bracket, a wall mount template, and some paperwork. There have been some changes to the design from past years. Gone is the front display; instead the soundbar is encased in acoustic fabric except for the ... MoreThe Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 is an excellent new entry into the world of premium sound systems by one of the world's premier manufacturers. The setup and sound quality were very good, with a few new things to get used to for owners of previous Sony soundbars. Getting it out of the box, I immediately noticed that it seemed a little more trim than previous systems from Sony. It measures 51.25" wide, 2.5" tall, 4.5" deep, and weighs just over 12 pounds. In the box, there is the soundbar, the power cord, the remote, batteries for the remote, a HDMI cable, a wall mount bracket, a wall mount template, and some paperwork. There have been some changes to the design from past years. Gone is the front display; instead the soundbar is encased in acoustic fabric except for the back. I was able to quickly get the soundbar where I wanted it, hooked up to my TV, and powered on. The back of the soundbar has HDMI IN, HDMI Out (eARC), and a S-Center out. I went with a basic setup and connected a HDMI cord from the HDMI OUT to my TV. It seems like in the past, there were more HDMI options in previous models but this setup will work for most use cases. One critical action I took was to download the Bravia Connect App onto my phone. While there is a basic remote, many of the features and most of the commands can be done via the App. While I am not a big fan of having a soundbar that needs an app to optimize its capabilities, it is quite a nice app and easy to use. One of the features is Sound Field Optimization which takes the characteristics of the room that the unit is in to optimize the sound quality for the conditions. It took some time to get right using the app, but I was able to complete it after a couple tries. The soundbar has 13 speaker units that are facing in many directions under the acoustic fabric, and they do a tremendous job in producing amazing sound. Here are some of the formats that are supported: Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and IMAX Enhanced. It also supports 4K HDR, 8K HDR, Dolby Vision, and HDMI 2.1 gaming features like 4K120, VRR, and ALLM. I was able to verify many of the gaming features with my PS5, and I could tell that they made a difference. One of the new things to get used to is that nothing shows the volume level for the sound bar since the front display panel is no longer there. It can be seen on the Bravia Connect App, but otherwise there is now just a small light on the soundbar that doesn't tell the user much. When it comes to the audio itself, the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 makes everything sound really good. I cranked it up to watch some orchestra music on YouTube and the level of detail I could hear made me smile. With my PS$, game sound was crisp and clear. With movies from Netflix, dialogue was clear and action scenes sounded like I was there in the scene. I have a soundbar in another room that utilizes a subwoofer and I have to say that I think it handles bass a little better but at the cost of clarity. The Theater Bar 9 may not produce the biggest booms I've ever heard from a sound system, but the fidelity is just so good even with the volume cranked up to a high level. I would recommend the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 for any TV watcher, movie watcher, or game player. Make sure you download the app or you won't be able to take advantage of the immense capabilities of this system. It looks good, feels a little smaller and lighter, but still produces a tremendous sound at high quality levels that will please anyone looking to enhance their listening pleasure.
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Sony BRAVIA 7.0ch Theatre Soundbar 9 with Dolby Atmos HTA9000
Free delivery by Mon
Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 - Soundbar, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2, AirPlay, Chromecast
Delivery $344.51
BRAVIA Theatre Bar 7, Single Soundbar, 9 Speaker Units, Surround Sound by Dolby Atmos/DTS:X, 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, Voice Zoom 3 for Sony Smart TV
Free delivery between 16â19 June
I have to confess that I was sceptical at first as I thought the sound output from our TV was pretty good but wow does the Bravia theatre bar raise the bar (pun intended!!).Iâm always a bit anxious about setting up any new tech especially as the instructions provided were 'brief' to say the least âŠ.basically scan a QR code, download the app and complete each simple step.Within 30minutes the bar was unboxed, connected and ready to go. The next challenge was to decide what to watch. The TV guide offered plenty of quiz shows and sit coms but an endless stream of celebrities wittering on hardly seemed much of a test for this impression looking bit of kit so we settled on a Lord of the Rings DVD. Firstly we watched 45 minutes without the Bravia connected then the same ... MoreI have to confess that I was sceptical at first as I thought the sound output from our TV was pretty good but wow does the Bravia theatre bar raise the bar (pun intended!!).Iâm always a bit anxious about setting up any new tech especially as the instructions provided were 'brief' to say the least âŠ.basically scan a QR code, download the app and complete each simple step.Within 30minutes the bar was unboxed, connected and ready to go. The next challenge was to decide what to watch. The TV guide offered plenty of quiz shows and sit coms but an endless stream of celebrities wittering on hardly seemed much of a test for this impression looking bit of kit so we settled on a Lord of the Rings DVD. Firstly we watched 45 minutes without the Bravia connected then the same 45 minutes (fair testing and all that) with the theatre bar.Wow what a difference! A rich full bodied sound filled the room while the dialogue was crisp and clear.Using the app we could modify the sound quality to suit our particular preferences. It would be an exaggeration to say it felt like being in the cinema, I didnât have an annoying tall person fidgeting and talking in from of me, but boy in terms of the surround sound quality it was close.Next to give it a thorough work out I connected it, via Bluetooth, to my music collection. Now Iâm not an expert on TV and film but I am picky about my music and again WOW! Whether a bit of overblown progressive rock ,sonorous if a little gloomy Leonard Cohen or a touch of high brow classical the room was filled with sound. It even received top marks from my 18 year granddaughter who commandeered the set up with a few friends for musical evening of their own.All in all a really great product. Elegant and well built, easy to set up and control and most importantly it really enhanced the sound quality for TV programmes, film and music.
This Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 is an incredible all in one sound solution for pretty much any audiophile out there. This high-end soundbar has impeccable design and delivers a premium home theater experience from a single unit right out of the box! This unit boasts an incredible collection of 13 built-in speakers, including dedicated side-firing and up-firing drivers. The unit works with Dolby Atmos and DTS for amazing sound reproduction all around and creates an immersive audio environment for everyone in the room. The unit utilizes Sony's â360 Spatial Sound Mapping technologyâ in order to simulate virtual surround speakers which enhances surround sound without the need for adding rear/surround speakers to the system. Sound quality is simply stunning when ... MoreThis Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 is an incredible all in one sound solution for pretty much any audiophile out there. This high-end soundbar has impeccable design and delivers a premium home theater experience from a single unit right out of the box! This unit boasts an incredible collection of 13 built-in speakers, including dedicated side-firing and up-firing drivers. The unit works with Dolby Atmos and DTS for amazing sound reproduction all around and creates an immersive audio environment for everyone in the room. The unit utilizes Sony's â360 Spatial Sound Mapping technologyâ in order to simulate virtual surround speakers which enhances surround sound without the need for adding rear/surround speakers to the system. Sound quality is simply stunning when considering the size and speaker setup of this bar. Crystal mids and highs and impressive bass response without any actual sub-woofer needed â although true home theater medial setups with probably want to add a sub to this bar to complete the package.I really appreciated Sonyâs Sound Field Optimization, which quickly and effortlessly calibrates the soundbar for the best performance in my specific room space. Pretty neat feature that makes setup so much easier than trying to do it by ear. Makes for a perfect setup everytime.Design-wise the Theater Bar 9 is simple and beautiful. Elegant lines and color to fit seamlessly into any room and setup. This bar is impressively compact and lightweight for the sound it produces. Youâll find yourself looking around trying to find where the âotherâ speakers are, even though there are no more. Again, the overall size and footprint are small making this easy to fit anywhere you need it.For connectivity, the Theater Bar 9 offers a range of options, including HDMI eARC for lossless audio, Bluetooth 5.2, Apple AirPlay 2, and Spotify Connect. Makes this bar perfect for different streaming needs and compatible with a wide array of devices.Overall, this Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 has been awesome. Fantastic advanced audio features, super easy to use especially when integrated with other Sony products. Design is top notch if you enjoy small and sleek appearance.
The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 is an excellent new entry into the world of premium sound systems by one of the world's premier manufacturers. The setup and sound quality were very good, with a few new things to get used to for owners of previous Sony soundbars. Getting it out of the box, I immediately noticed that it seemed a little more trim than previous systems from Sony. It measures 51.25" wide, 2.5" tall, 4.5" deep, and weighs just over 12 pounds. In the box, there is the soundbar, the power cord, the remote, batteries for the remote, a HDMI cable, a wall mount bracket, a wall mount template, and some paperwork. There have been some changes to the design from past years. Gone is the front display; instead the soundbar is encased in acoustic fabric except for the ... MoreThe Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 is an excellent new entry into the world of premium sound systems by one of the world's premier manufacturers. The setup and sound quality were very good, with a few new things to get used to for owners of previous Sony soundbars. Getting it out of the box, I immediately noticed that it seemed a little more trim than previous systems from Sony. It measures 51.25" wide, 2.5" tall, 4.5" deep, and weighs just over 12 pounds. In the box, there is the soundbar, the power cord, the remote, batteries for the remote, a HDMI cable, a wall mount bracket, a wall mount template, and some paperwork. There have been some changes to the design from past years. Gone is the front display; instead the soundbar is encased in acoustic fabric except for the back. I was able to quickly get the soundbar where I wanted it, hooked up to my TV, and powered on. The back of the soundbar has HDMI IN, HDMI Out (eARC), and a S-Center out. I went with a basic setup and connected a HDMI cord from the HDMI OUT to my TV. It seems like in the past, there were more HDMI options in previous models but this setup will work for most use cases. One critical action I took was to download the Bravia Connect App onto my phone. While there is a basic remote, many of the features and most of the commands can be done via the App. While I am not a big fan of having a soundbar that needs an app to optimize its capabilities, it is quite a nice app and easy to use. One of the features is Sound Field Optimization which takes the characteristics of the room that the unit is in to optimize the sound quality for the conditions. It took some time to get right using the app, but I was able to complete it after a couple tries. The soundbar has 13 speaker units that are facing in many directions under the acoustic fabric, and they do a tremendous job in producing amazing sound. Here are some of the formats that are supported: Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and IMAX Enhanced. It also supports 4K HDR, 8K HDR, Dolby Vision, and HDMI 2.1 gaming features like 4K120, VRR, and ALLM. I was able to verify many of the gaming features with my PS5, and I could tell that they made a difference. One of the new things to get used to is that nothing shows the volume level for the sound bar since the front display panel is no longer there. It can be seen on the Bravia Connect App, but otherwise there is now just a small light on the soundbar that doesn't tell the user much. When it comes to the audio itself, the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 makes everything sound really good. I cranked it up to watch some orchestra music on YouTube and the level of detail I could hear made me smile. With my PS$, game sound was crisp and clear. With movies from Netflix, dialogue was clear and action scenes sounded like I was there in the scene. I have a soundbar in another room that utilizes a subwoofer and I have to say that I think it handles bass a little better but at the cost of clarity. The Theater Bar 9 may not produce the biggest booms I've ever heard from a sound system, but the fidelity is just so good even with the volume cranked up to a high level. I would recommend the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 for any TV watcher, movie watcher, or game player. Make sure you download the app or you won't be able to take advantage of the immense capabilities of this system. It looks good, feels a little smaller and lighter, but still produces a tremendous sound at high quality levels that will please anyone looking to enhance their listening pleasure.
The speaker is awesome, but I spent 3 infuriating hours going in circles trying to log in and/or recover my Sony account. You can't use the speaker without going through the app setup, and the app requires you to merge all existing Sony account IDs (PSN network, etc) but wouldn't let me recover my accounts.You can tell that a lot of thought/effort went into packaging the speaker and the setup experience (after login), but all of that effort gets overshadowed by what should be a painless login experience. I ended up creating an alias account- and after being forced to set 101 passwords, was finally able to get past the login page.The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 is a game-changer for home audio, especially when paired with Apple devices. As an avid user of AirPlay, ... MoreThe speaker is awesome, but I spent 3 infuriating hours going in circles trying to log in and/or recover my Sony account. You can't use the speaker without going through the app setup, and the app requires you to merge all existing Sony account IDs (PSN network, etc) but wouldn't let me recover my accounts.You can tell that a lot of thought/effort went into packaging the speaker and the setup experience (after login), but all of that effort gets overshadowed by what should be a painless login experience. I ended up creating an alias account- and after being forced to set 101 passwords, was finally able to get past the login page.The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 is a game-changer for home audio, especially when paired with Apple devices. As an avid user of AirPlay, I love the seamless integration and immersive sound experience this soundbar delivers.## Effortless AirPlay ConnectivitySetting up the Theater Bar 9 with AirPlay was a breeze. I could stream music, movies, and podcasts directly from my iPhone, iPad, or Mac, without any hiccups or lags. The sound quality is stunning, with crystal-clear highs and deep, punchy bass that fills the room## Cinematic Dolby Atmos ExperienceWhere the Theater Bar 9 truly shines is its Dolby Atmos and DTS:X capabilities. The 13 speakers, including dedicated up-firing drivers, create an immersive, three-dimensional soundscape that transports you right into the heart of the action. Whether watching the latest blockbuster or binging your favorite TV series, the Theater Bar 9 delivers a cinematic audio experience in a thin package.## Impressive Sound MappingSony's 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology is a game-changer. It simulates multiple "phantom speakers" around you, making it feel like the sound is coming from every direction, even without physical rear speakers. This feature, combined with the Dolby Atmos support, creates an incredibly immersive and enveloping audio experience that will leave you in awe.## Versatile Streaming OptionsWhile AirPlay is my primary streaming method, the Theater Bar 9 also supports Spotify Connect and Bluetooth, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of devices and music services. The streaming/connection options really start to make up for the onboarding experience. Whole home audio is a dream with this addition.## Sleek DesignAesthetically, the Theater Bar 9 is a stunner. Its sleek, minimalist design blends seamlessly with any home theater setup, and the included wall-mounting hardware makes installation a breeze. Plus, if you have a Sony BRAVIA TV, the soundbar integrates perfectly, with settings accessible directly from the TV's menu.In conclusion, the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 is a must-have for anyone seeking a truly immersive audio experience, especially if you're an Apple user who values the convenience of AirPlay. With its exceptional sound quality, Dolby Atmos support, and innovative sound mapping technology, this soundbar elevates your home entertainment to new heights.
I've been waiting to see what Sony would be cooking up this year coming from the A7000 and I'm pleased to say there's a number of improvements that makes this one of the best soundbars I've every owned but there's also a number of what I consider backsteps that may not be for everybody.Getting into the design, the Theater Bar 9 comes in a much smaller and slender package than the A7000 did. It's entirely wrapped in an acoustic fabric thats vogue nowadays besides the very back of the bar that gives way to a slim metal bezel. For those that were annoyed by the A7000's reflective glass top this will likely be much more palatable.Unfortunately this is where we come to the first of the downsides. Since the entire front half of the bar is wrapped in fabric, that ... MoreI've been waiting to see what Sony would be cooking up this year coming from the A7000 and I'm pleased to say there's a number of improvements that makes this one of the best soundbars I've every owned but there's also a number of what I consider backsteps that may not be for everybody.Getting into the design, the Theater Bar 9 comes in a much smaller and slender package than the A7000 did. It's entirely wrapped in an acoustic fabric thats vogue nowadays besides the very back of the bar that gives way to a slim metal bezel. For those that were annoyed by the A7000's reflective glass top this will likely be much more palatable.Unfortunately this is where we come to the first of the downsides. Since the entire front half of the bar is wrapped in fabric, that unfortunately means the loss of the front display that has been a staple of sony soundbars for the past few years. In its place, we get an LED dot that has been maligned in the past. Don't expect this LED dot to be useful for providing any sort of info about the source or any other issue, but thats why we have the new Bravia Connect app to save the day.The Bravia Connect app is the new way for both seeing info about your source and also for adjusting settings. Unfortunately, that also leads to the next cut back, no on screen display. Sony has joined the league of products that are fully managed through an app.For some people this is preferred while for other this is a major inconvenience. I personally miss the well designed OSD especially since you could fully control it with your tv remote if you had a bravia tv.Fortunately for Sony, the app is much better than the previous Music Center app. Its well designed with quick, practical placement of settings and source info. Besides some initial connection issues with the app while setting up, I havent had any issues with using it.Moving onto the inputs and supported casting protocols, we get to the last of the negatives of this soundbar. The first of which is that we've moved from 2 HDMI inputs to 1. Especially when Bravia tvs only have 2 HDMI 2.1 ports, reducing the inputs on the flagship bar down to 1 is not ok. In addition, somehow the removal of the 1 HDMi port has made connecting cables harder since the angled gap is much narrower than the A7000.Onto the second cutback, chromecast audio casting has been removed. I cant really forsee any real reason for its removal unless its tied to the removal from the on-screen display since im unsure if products need to actually be able to show visual info for support.With those negatives out of the way lets get to the positives. The audio on this bar is absolutely fantastic. The addition of the sidefiring speakers and the tweeters to fill out the LCR channels lets the bar really sing and fill out the soundstage. For anyone like me, that felt that there was a bit of detail missing from the A7000 in the smaller things like dropped shell casings or wind whistling through the air, the new speakers more than do justice to these more gentle sounds.Onto more positives, I can say that the buzzing that had afflicted previous models when using the acoustic center audio feature is no more. Now you just have a nice, clean sound. Speaking of which, voices have also gotten a clarity boost presumably due to the addition of a tweeter. I've no longer had to baby the volume to balance between intelligibility of dialogue vs loudness of the rest of the soundcape.Trying the voice zoom feature, im somewhat torn. While its supposed to use machine learning now to improve the voice isolation and it does do a much better version than the previous version, it comes at the cost of sounder much more artificially boosted than before. It sounds more like the frequencies voices tend to sit has been raised while the lower end has been lowered rather than any advanced processing to lift voices out of the mix. It definitely works but I do hope that they can somehow work on a version thats more natural and doesnt sound quite as out of place.In conclusion, from a straight audio perspective I think Sony's knocked it out of the park. It's one of if not the best soundbar I've listened to recently and I think it really showcases Sony's current "Cinema is coming home" ethos, I just wish it hadn't come at the cost of the other functionality that Sony has been pretty known for providing.
Inside the post consumer recycled box and packaging, is everything you need to interface the new Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 to your eARC capable TV; AC power cable, remote & batteries, optional feet, wall mount bracket, template, and of course the soundbar.Coming from an existing Sony hime theater system (comprised of at HTA-5000, SA-SW5, and a pair of SA-RS5), I had high expectations for Sonyâs nee flagship sound bar. On paper, the BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 is a nice upgrade to my existing system, packing in more drivers and higher watt amplifiers into a package that manages to be a slightly smaller footprint compared to the HTA-7000 this soundbar seems to replace.Though slightly larger than my HTA-5000, it isnât monstrous and looks at home in front of my modest 65â ... MoreInside the post consumer recycled box and packaging, is everything you need to interface the new Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 to your eARC capable TV; AC power cable, remote & batteries, optional feet, wall mount bracket, template, and of course the soundbar.Coming from an existing Sony hime theater system (comprised of at HTA-5000, SA-SW5, and a pair of SA-RS5), I had high expectations for Sonyâs nee flagship sound bar. On paper, the BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 is a nice upgrade to my existing system, packing in more drivers and higher watt amplifiers into a package that manages to be a slightly smaller footprint compared to the HTA-7000 this soundbar seems to replace.Though slightly larger than my HTA-5000, it isnât monstrous and looks at home in front of my modest 65â TV. The 13 speaker system is wrapped in acoustic fabric, providing a clean look without having a reflective surface or being a fingerprint magnet. Time will tell if the fabric holds up to wear and tear. Following a minimal design the information screen is gone, replaced with a status LED. The remote is a welcome improvement over the previous design, which had a dated and cluttered feel.The Bravia Connect app is required to setup the soundbar, but Sony has really refined the app and setup process with the new BRAVIA branded soundbars. The BRAVIA app is polished with a clean, intuitive interface while simplifying setup by finding and connecting to the soundbar with little interaction. After entering my wifi details, it also automatically detected my existing rear speakers and prompted to update the firmware. I had to manually pair the sub with the sync button on SA-SW5, but for the most part the setup seemed quicker using the BRAVIA app. Sony also utilizes your phone during the sound optimization, quickly tuning the system to your space without the need to walk around waving your phone.I tested the BRAVIA theater bar 9 on its own and it sounds pretty good. Sound is sharp and crisp even at lower volumes. Though I didnât feel the height effects were well pronounced, the soundstage is nice and wide. Dialog is clear and the bubble effect of Sonyâs 360 Spatial Sound Mapping is a great experience for a moderately sized living room or studio. The lows are punchy but I found myself missing the lower frequencies with the bar on its own, but I am used to having a sub in the mix. Listening to music via Airplay is a breeze and provides a nice rich sound, but switch the sound to the DTS: Neural X and it really opens up stereo music.Paired with a set of compatible rears and a sub to lift the low end off the soundbar, the BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 transforms your space in achieving what the marketing promises. Watching Atmos content or similar, that takes advantage of the upper channels, does a convincing job of overhead audio. Previously, I always felt my rears could be louder but when paired with the BRAVIA bar 9 they are more pronounced. I am not sure if it is a combination of the new calibration, firmware, and the bar 9 helping shape the audio but the 360 effects are really good now. The room filling sound does a convincing job of simulating optimal speaker placement, providing an amazing 3D audio experience. I also found music playback far better now, especially when playing through the Apple TV with Neural X. My only gripe is I wish there was an easier way to toggle between the sound field operating modes without needing my phone. I also miss some sort of display that could be used to indicate volume, sound field mode, or even input.The BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 is an outstanding soundbar when paired with a sub and rears, but on its own it I felt the low end was a little thin. As soundbar only it still has great sound, wide presence, and a clean design while also capable of expansion if needs change, making it easy to recommend to those existing and new to Sony home theater products.
Great soundbar, but setup requires mobile phone software that requires a sony account login to use.First of all, I am coming to this review from owning a previous Sony soundbar, the HT-A7000, which has and continues to be a fantastic soundbar.This new soundbar, in my same medium size living room area, definitely sounds better. Not by leaps and bounds, but it does sound better to me. However, you now have to set up everything in an app via your phone. The app unfortunately requires a sony account login. Should you already have a PlayStation account, you can use that same Sony account to log in, but there truly should be no real reason you need to have to be logged in to use the app. Sony has a history of trying to force its customers to make a Sony account, and ... MoreGreat soundbar, but setup requires mobile phone software that requires a sony account login to use.First of all, I am coming to this review from owning a previous Sony soundbar, the HT-A7000, which has and continues to be a fantastic soundbar.This new soundbar, in my same medium size living room area, definitely sounds better. Not by leaps and bounds, but it does sound better to me. However, you now have to set up everything in an app via your phone. The app unfortunately requires a sony account login. Should you already have a PlayStation account, you can use that same Sony account to log in, but there truly should be no real reason you need to have to be logged in to use the app. Sony has a history of trying to force its customers to make a Sony account, and has had many recent controversies with their PC published games forcing users to create Sony accounts. Unfortunately this feels like the same thing PC gamers have been grumbling about in recent weeks. It makes no sense to me as to why they need you to do this. While you can use the soundbar right out of the gate without the app, and it does sound great out of the box, the only way to access some of the features is via the app, including calibrating for your room. The app itself at least is pretty robust, but all of this was previously done on their previous HT-A7000 directly on the soundbar via on TV screen menus. I really wish they had just made using the app optional, and left everything totally usable without an app like the previous models. Once setup via the app however, everything does sound fantastic!!Now, the only other issue I have with this soundbar is that they increased the price for this soundbar, yet took away 1 HDMI input. So you can only have 1 HDMI input on this soundbar versus the previous HT-A7000 that had 2 HDMI 2.1 inputs which was fantastic. Most major TV manufacturers only have 2 HDMI 2.1 inputs on their TVs, and if you have letâs say a PlayStation 5 and an Xbox Series X, you will lose one of those HDMI 2.1 ports on your TV with this soundbar. Because of the high price point on this soundbar, I am disappointed they didnât leave it with 2 HDMI 2.1 ports on the soundbar, this just feels like a step back and not forward at this price point.Ok, so now, now all setup, I do have to say, this soundbar is a CHAMP! It really sounds fantastic, and a setup from my previous HT-A7000 in terms of sound, and even bass. It really gets loud, and most people will not even feel like they need to get the optional external wireless subwoofer, especially in a smaller viewing room. This thing just sounds great with Dolby Atmos 7.1 and DTS-X movies!! Before I was a soundbar user, I only had AV receivers with 5.1 speakers setup, but this is one of those products that I would say I wouldnât even bother considering any more. It sounds better than every traditional wired speaker setups that I have had! There are 13 speakers in the soundbar if you do not add in any optional rear channel speakers, or wireless subwoofer. I recommend that you connect your main HDMI 2.1 device directly to the sound bar for best performance (though I cannot say I had any issues with any HDMI 2.1 devices I tried regardless). In my usage case, I fed my Nvidia Shield directly to the soundbar input, leaving consoles plugged into the TV, and also be sure if your TV has an eARC port to be sure you go from there to the soundbar output port. This is the only way your TV will âpass thruâ Dolby Atmos and DTS-X surround audio to your soundbar.So the question then I guess comes down to what you might be coming from if this is an upgrade. If I were coming directly from a HT-A7000, I would stay there, this isnât quite enough of an upgrade to justify moving to this soundbar. While the sound is better, I think the HT-A7000 sound bar is better as you can customize everything on the TV screen via menus, and doesnât require this BRAVIA app, plus you have 2 HDMI 2.1 inputs. If you are however coming from an older soundbar, or even a lower end one, even though it is a little frustrating to have to do everything via the app, the sheer quality of the sound, and surround track handling makes it very worth the couple minutes of setup, and I would absolutely get this soundbar. Most people likely will not need to go to the app very often after initial setup and can use the included physical remote control for most things afterwards.I would love to have given this a five star rating, but have to take off 1 star for the use of the app for configuration. Otherwise, this thing is an absolutely stellar sound performer!
Presentation âThe Sony Theater Bar 9 arrives in a diminutive, plain brown box. Included is a HDMI cable, a token and virtually limited remote, wall mount brackets, table-top feet to allow for a touch of height in front of a televisionâs stand/legs and the power cord.Once unboxed, the Bar 9 is a big departure from the previous generations of Sony sound bars. No longer are there robust cases & grilles but instead, we are presented with a sleeker design â mostly covered in cloth â with no capacitive touch buttons, no display and a noticeably âlighter on its feetâ monolith. The build quality of the Bar 9 and the stripped-down remote control is the beginning of where the disappointments start.One word sums up the included remote: meagerAesthetics are highly ... MorePresentation âThe Sony Theater Bar 9 arrives in a diminutive, plain brown box. Included is a HDMI cable, a token and virtually limited remote, wall mount brackets, table-top feet to allow for a touch of height in front of a televisionâs stand/legs and the power cord.Once unboxed, the Bar 9 is a big departure from the previous generations of Sony sound bars. No longer are there robust cases & grilles but instead, we are presented with a sleeker design â mostly covered in cloth â with no capacitive touch buttons, no display and a noticeably âlighter on its feetâ monolith. The build quality of the Bar 9 and the stripped-down remote control is the beginning of where the disappointments start.One word sums up the included remote: meagerAesthetics are highly subjective but are indicative of cost cutting â so keep that in mind.Personally, I prefer the build quality & functional features of the HT-S (previous generation) of Sony sound bars. I will cover the smattering of disappointments later in the review but suffice it say, a bar covered in cloth is much harder to keep clean vs. hard & smooth grilles & surrounding surfaces and will likely succumb to looking more tattered with age.There is only 1 HDMI in and 1 HDMI out. Considering the high price for just the bar with no included rears or subwoofer, a second input should have been provided.Initial Setup âThe setup process reveals even more of my dissatisfaction with this new line of Bravia Theater sound bars. New owners are required to set up a Sony Cloud account and initialize the sound bars use via a mobile app. Yuck. I do understand the draw to have more & more devices deemed IoT capable but having no choice is a deal killer in my book. It would have been one thing to provide additional comprehensive device setup & configuration via a handy mobile app, but Sonyâs choice to completely obliterate onscreen configuration pages and functional feedback â like resorting to only LED indicator lights instead of a verbose display & on-screen displays â is a huge mistake.Obviously, some people will be excited to see App control and convenience but that way of controlling something as simple as a sound bar wonât appeal to everyone. Even if Sony had only opted to eliminate the front facing led display, the convenience of the on-screen display confirmations of content formatting and source selection is super handy. The Bravia Theater sound bars no longer provide this essential functionality. Curious what the volume level is per a number value, you have to use a mobile app⊠More yuck! We prefer to enjoy our home theater experience in a very relaxing & immersive way⊠not tethered once again to our phones.Preferences aside, setting up was relatively easy until the step that focuses in on calibrating the 360 sound-field Mapping. This is the area that really ticked me off as the mobile app-based process kept throwing errors that the measurements were too low and left me lacking any confidence that the onboard DSP was providing optimal sound staging. Even more annoying is the way the App reminded me that I needed to complete the calibration steps. No matter if I made the measurements with or without my Galaxy S deviceâs protective case, the measurements never completed. The previous HT-A series didnât have these issues. I had the exact same issues even using my Sony Xperia phone.Iâd like to mention that I have experience with all three primary sound bars of the HT-A series (3000, 5000, 7000) and our main home theater setup includes both the SA-RS5 up-firing rear wireless speakers and the SA-SW3 wireless subwoofer. This is important because it provides a âsystem ecosystemâ whereby all I had to do was to replace the sound bar positioned below our OLED television. This arrangement should have provided a quick & painless setup upgrade experience that, quite simply, didnât happen.During the Appâs guided setup, the syncing of the rears & subwoofer failed at two attempts and required starting the entire setup process over again each time.Not a good customer experience, plain & simple.Some will ask about how the wireless connectivity maintains a stable and quality connection between the bar and rears/sub but I cannot honestly assess any longer-term performance, having owned the Bar 9 for such a short time. Only time will tell.But during the course of one week, the mobile App (LOL) never alerted us to a disconnection issue nor did we hear the rears drop out. Thatâs all I can really say.Performance âI also cannot attest to any improvement in sound staging with respect to width or distortion vs. the previous generation, HT-A series of Sony sound bars but what I do know is that with this new platform shift, Sony has finally fell prey to DSP sound mapping functionality problems. The competitors have issues with providing good performance across the board and is an easy thing to test, especially with Object Based Dolby Atmos and DT-X audio content. What I can easily demonstrate, in a hugely frustrating way, is that critical Dialogue sound objects easily become squashed or smothered by the sound track and/or active environmental Objects â like the sounds of cars, explosions, background music or movie score and crowd noise. Both the mobile App and the remote provide a âVoiceâ function that can compensate for and lift voice Objects but it is far from perfect, and ends up changing the overall fidelity of everything else in the sound field and is typically a function intended for those with hearing disabilities or for lowered listening level situations. A properly configured Object-oriented sound field should not rely on this type of functionality for typical, everyday listening in a properly sized system. Again, in comparison to the prior HT-A series (or competitor offerings...), the voicing of the Bravia Theater bars is messed up. My personal experience with there types of issues has been that these types of flaws are baked into the DSP hardware and cannot be remedied with firmware updates (many have triedâŠ) and this is the primary reason I cannot recommend this new line of Sony sound bars.There are very dynamic scenes in shows like Game of Thrones, Vikings and then a bunch of movies that clearly demonstrate how poorly the Bravia Theater Bar 9 mishandles the dialogue Objects.Both the Voice function and Auto-leveling functions available are ways to try to mitigate the issue but both are not primarily designed to fix problems with DSP issues. So, in other words, donât settle. Loudness or dynamic range compressing algorithms have useful & intended purposes but shouldnât be used a crutch when the actual Object handling process(es) arenât correct.Summary -For first time Sony sound bar customers, the Bravia Theater Bar 9 will provide a sleek looking, system that works â but does it work up to the high âbarâ actually set by Sony on their previous offerings? Absolutely not. With Sony killing off the onscreen display functionality, removing the front-facing display & capacitive-touch âtopâ controls and taking on a Visio like design character or theme with the cloth covering and status LED only functionality, the cost reduction focus is glaringly obvious. When you couple these huge changes in usability/functionality with the barâs inability to always present dialogue, clearly and properly â this bar is a no go.Pros:Lightweight, diminutive design that will appeal to manyItâs nice that Sony included table-top stand offs for those setting their bar in front of their TVCons:App only ecosystemClunky pairing experience with Sonyâs own rear & sub wireless speakersHorrible sound field calibration functionalityNo more onscreen display functionalityNo more touch control on the top of the barNo more front facing display1 HDMI In and 1 HDMI OutCloth coveredCombined with the aforementioned functionality omissions, the included token remote is nearly uselessThe Bravia Theater Bar 9 simply offers very little for how much it costs and I would recommend the prior âvintageâ of sound bars Sony offers. They rock!
I love this sound bar! I was not sure what to expect at first sight as I am used to most sound bars having so many attachments and other speakers to go with it to achieve the "full theater experience".Installation and set up were wonderfully simple with everything being summed up to just one HDMI cable and one power cable, which makes it extremely easy to hide and organize. Even the initial setup is completely simplified with the Bravia app on your mobile device which pretty much walks you through every step with it's very intuitive and easy user interface. The way it automatically detects and programs itself to any rooms layout and size is so very satisfying. After no more than twenty to thirty minutes from unboxing to completely set up I was very eager to hear ... MoreI love this sound bar! I was not sure what to expect at first sight as I am used to most sound bars having so many attachments and other speakers to go with it to achieve the "full theater experience".Installation and set up were wonderfully simple with everything being summed up to just one HDMI cable and one power cable, which makes it extremely easy to hide and organize. Even the initial setup is completely simplified with the Bravia app on your mobile device which pretty much walks you through every step with it's very intuitive and easy user interface. The way it automatically detects and programs itself to any rooms layout and size is so very satisfying. After no more than twenty to thirty minutes from unboxing to completely set up I was very eager to hear the sound bar in action.I started by testing it with the shows my kids watch most since they'll be the ones getting the most use of it. At first I was a bit underwhelmed because it didn't seem very loud, but as I continued to raise the volume I was pleased because the bar was spreading the voices and songs across the room with such clarity without reaching an obnoxious level of sound that makes you feel like you have to yell to be heard.Next I moved on to my personal favorite movies to test sound systems, Star Wars! The difference was incredible! I wasn't ready for what came next. The intro gave me a bit of a jump, since I forgot to turn the volume down from my initial test, but I was very pleased. Then I jumped immediately into a space battle scene which always push any sound system to it's limits. I was instantly amazed! Even without the extra speakers, I was immediately surrounded with crisp, clear sounds from the smallest details in the movies such as wires zapping, laser bolts or other ships whizzing by, and of course my favorite sound is the seismic charges going off. The 360 spatial sound feature is amazing. You can tell when something is coming from behind or off to the side, above, below.Before I finish I have to mention that one of my favorite features isn't even sound related. I love how the bar itself isn't very heavy and the included wall mount brackets are super easy to install. This has been an issue for me in the past because some of the bars I've had felt like they would just fall at the slightest touch which always made me nervous for my little ones. So thank you for removing that fear and providing a wonderful auditory experience.
The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 is a home theater sound bar that takes surround sound to the next level just using a soundbar. Traditionally if you wanted a great surround sound experience you needed multiple speakers place around the room in order to experience cinematic quality sound. Sony has done a great job with the placement of the 13 speakers and in combination with their 360 spatial sound mapping technology are able to deliver theater quality sound that can be optimized to whatever room you have set you soundbar up in. In regards to the setup the soundbar itself can be mounted to the wall under your tv or it can be placed on your console. This sound bar is quite long so it may look strange if you mount it on a wall with a TV that is less than 65 inches. ... MoreThe Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 is a home theater sound bar that takes surround sound to the next level just using a soundbar. Traditionally if you wanted a great surround sound experience you needed multiple speakers place around the room in order to experience cinematic quality sound. Sony has done a great job with the placement of the 13 speakers and in combination with their 360 spatial sound mapping technology are able to deliver theater quality sound that can be optimized to whatever room you have set you soundbar up in. In regards to the setup the soundbar itself can be mounted to the wall under your tv or it can be placed on your console. This sound bar is quite long so it may look strange if you mount it on a wall with a TV that is less than 65 inches. Unfortunately the initial setup must be completed via the Bravia connect app which requires you to register for a Sony account. Once registered you pair the sound bar via the app and are able to customize your listening experience. The sound bar can be optimized for your room via the room optimization feature so that your can have the best possible cinematic experience. The soundbar is compatible with DTS:X, IMAX enhance and Dolby Atmos. It worked flawlessly in conjunction with my Apple TV 4K. The only issue I had when first using the soundbar was attributed to my HDMI cable so make sure you are using a good high quality HDMI cable. One thing that I wish was that SONY placed some sort of display or an embedded dot matrix display similar to my old Samsung soundbar so you can see the current mode of the soundbar without relying on the app. Sony does include a remote centrol and wall mount bracket is the box along with the wall mount template. I decided to place my soundbar on the console since it looked nicer in my setup. I also love that I can stream music from my phone via airplay 2, Spotify connect or a simple bluetooth connection.Hand down this soundbar delivered a truly cinematic experience in my family room. I think I will purchase the SA-SW3 or SW5 wireless subwoofer since I am a sucker for bass. You can also pair SA-RS3R or RS5 rear speakers wirelessly if you are looking for a more traditional setup. Overall if you are in the market for a sound bar that will deliver exceptional sound then you can put your trust in the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9.
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