Sony just released their new BRAVIA theatre bars, the HT-A8000 and the HT-A9000( or the Bar 8 and Bar 9). In this review, we’ll look at the Sony HT-A9000 which features Dolby Atmos, room calibration, and so much more. We have also reviewed the Sony HT-A7000 soundbar on our website and were very impressed by it. The new Bar 9 takes the technology of this soundbar and makes it even better.
Specs
| Dimensions(mm) | 1300 x 64 x 113 |
| Weight(kg) | 5.5 |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.2 |
| Color | Black |
| Passive Radiator | 2 radiators |
| Number of Channels | 13 |
| WiFi | Yes |
| Power Requirement | 120V |
Review
Setting up the Sony HT-A9000 and calibrating it is very easy on the new BRAVIA Connect app. The app will take into account where the soundbar is located, it will check if you’re using an additional subwoofer or surround speakers, and it will conduct a series of tests from your phone’s microphone. It will calibrate the system to make it sound perfect for your room’s acoustic characteristics. The app also has additional features such as night mode, voice enhancement, and sound field calibration, which changes the height of the sound field.
The Bar 9 has 4 woofers on the front, a big tweeter in the center, and two smaller tweeters on the edges. It has 2 drivers on its sides and two up-firing drivers. It also has two beam tweeters on the front for a wider soundstage, and quad passive radiators facing upwards for more bass.
The Sony HT-A9000 features Sony’s 360 Spacial Sound Mapping Technology. The Bar 9 uses this technology to create five different phantom speakers before you. These speakers reflect the sound off the ceiling and walls, enabling cinema-style sound and creating a wider soundstage. Two phantom speakers are created right above you, and one is created right at the top of your TV, making it sound like that cinema-style sound is coming right from your TV.
Although the Bar 9 works perfectly on its own, you can also add Sony’s wireless rear subwoofers, which add up the total number of phantom speakers to 11, and allow sound to come from behind you as well. These additional subwoofers will give you more bass, and make your entire home theatre system sound much better.
The Sony HT-A9000 supports Dolby Atmos and DTS: X. Also, when you add the rear subwoofers, the soundbar becomes compatible with IMAX-enhanced. If you play movies or videos that aren’t compatible with Dolby Atmos, Sony’s new upmixer will extract and distribute audio objects around you, and produce 3D sound. While upmixing, the AI Sound Separation Processing will detect human voices and will make them sound clearer.
The soundbar has an HDMI IN port, an HDMI OUT port that supports ARC and eARC, and an S-CENTRE OUT port. The soundbar has Bluetooth 5.2, and it supports Spotify Connect and Apple Airplay.
These soundbars are a huge step up from their predecessors, the side-firing speakers work well and you will hear more details from your left and right. The bass was very good for a soundbar, and the radiators took some of the strain away from the other drivers.
We recommend using the HT-A9000 with a Sony TV as the soundbar works seamlessly with these TVs. With a Sony TV and the Bars 8 and 9, you can use the Acoustic Centre Sync feature. This will produce the sound from your TV and soundbar in unison from a center channel, and make it sound much better. Also, you can control your soundbar’s settings right from your Sony TV.
What’s in the Box
- HT-A9000 BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 with Dolby Atmos
- AC Power Cord
- Remote Control
- HDMI Cable
- TV Center Speaker Mode Cable
- Wall Mounting Bracket
- Wall Mounting Template
- Reference Guide
Verdict
The Sony HT-A9000 impresses in every field. Its sound mapping technology takes your system to a whole new level, and the setup and calibration process is very quick and easy. The BRAVIA app offers more features and settings to tweak. Right now, this is the best soundbar in the market and we recommend buyers to take a look at it before spending money on other soundbars.
The Sony HT-A9000 retails for $1400, and you can buy it here.