Sony - Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 with Speakers + Bass Module

Second that. Had to go with the bar 9/sw5/rs5 route but my first option was the quad with a sub

They are reversed. Sony is known for its tvs and Samsung for their audio. I paired my Bravia 9 with the Q990D and it’s been an awesome experience.

Hey there! Just my two cents but my girlfriend and I recently purchased a Bravia 7 85' and the full Theater Bar 9 set up with SW5 sub and SA-5 rears and we are very happy with our purchase, although admittedly I did spend a fair amount of time messing around with the system's different sound settings including using acoustic Center sync. After following the advice of others here, I have to agree that the ACS feature is kind of a gimmick as it kind of makes the sound a bit treble heavy. Moreover, you can tell that the TV speakers are being used just because of the difference in timbre between the TV speakers and the soundbar's. In short, it's a great home theater solution WHEN SET UP CORRECTLY. I've never owned a Sonos system, much less the Arc Ultra although it was on our radar through deals at Costco but to our ears, the Sonos sound reproduction just sounded a little hollow whereas the Theater Bar 9 always sounds very full and encompassing. Granted I know reviews for it are always through the moon so take my anecdotal experience with a grain of salt and try it out for yourself. In my experience though, I've owned a Samsung soundbar for a long while as well and I've always been very happy with their offerings. You can snag the Q990D on a deep discount right now on Amazon as well.

Sony bar 9 sounds amazing!

Accoustic Sync makes almost no difference for the sound (I own Bravia 7 and Bar 9+rears). It makes sense for good integration. Same remote control, settings on TV screen and no problem of connexion. Everything works perfectly together. But for the sound it doesn't bring much, really.

Bye the way Bar 9 sounds great, not sure Sonos (which has a shit app) or Samsung sound better... I think they all sound great.

Sony Bar 9. Very clear dialogues as well.

Sony Bar 9 +RS5 would complete the set up! It sounds great.

Sony Bar 9 is great you know 😉

Bar 9 sounds great to me. Clear and clean. Without Sub the bass is quite good from the Bar I think. Accoustic Synd doesn't bring much (but I still have it on ON all the time) and RS5 sound also really good and bring a lot to the surround sound (of course). Also you will get extra on-screen menus with Bar9. Then you don't need the app all the time. It's just a pity that Sony's products are so expansive. But Bar9 sounds really good 😉

Theater Bar9+RS5 (paired with Bravia 7) here. I tried Samsung q990c and it was very good (of course for the price...) but don't forget Samsung is shit company that has bricked their own Bar with an update... Ask these people if it was good value for the price they paid... Sonos is also in deep shit with their app now. Sony sounds great and fits well with Sony TV. The only problem is that there is the Sony tax. But if you can get Bar9 with a discount I would choose it. The sound is clean and clear! Surround and atmos sound great as well with RS5. And music sounds also good for a Bar. I don't know why but rtings is wrong with some notes. Some testing are just irrelevant and don't match with the reality.

Bar 9 with the mode DTS neural-X sounds great for music! Very impressive I think. It makes a kind of surround sound with stereo music.

Accoustic Sync is not worth it. It's a gimmick. But you should still consider to buy a Sony Soundbar with your Sony TV. You will get some settings on-screen without using the app (that is a bit buggy). Also you will be able to use only one remote for everything. I think it's really easier to stay in the same brand. By the way the Bar 9 sounds great n it's own (I guess the Sonos too)

It seems you all didn't try quads and Sub or Bar 9+RS5 + Sub. You wouldn't say Sony is not top notch for soundbars.

Why not Bar 9? Paired with SW7, SW3, SW5 and RS5? RS5 makes the difference!

I bought it and it sounds good enough for my room. If you don't need huge boomy basses to shake your entire house you should definitely check SW3 or SW7. I thought SW7 would lack power but I have to say that I am surprised (for the price its really a good value). The Sony tax is too big on SW5 I think. The Bar9 itself is already quite powerful. The Sub brings more depth but that's the rear speakers RS5 that really make the difference and bring the Sony bubble. Hope it helps.

I had the Bar9 alone for a year first and I have to say that it has already good basses on its own. But of course not very boomy and it will not shake your house but it was already quite good. Why not buy the Theater Sub 7? It brings a bite more boom Hitout shaking everything and it's not very expansive (at least here in Belgium).

Q990 serie is louder but I still think Bar 9 is cleaner. In the shop the Sony sound mapping isn't working good. At home the sound mapping really makes the difference. The Samsung has good speakers throwing sound to you while the Sony has a great algorithm. And I can assure you that music sounds great on the Bar 9. RS5 are also great rear speakers. The SW5 works better with Bar 9 compared to S2000 which is a bad soudbar. Sound is not just about how deep a Sub goes you know... Of course Samsung wins the value for price but Bar9+Sub+RS5 sounds gorgeous with music and movie.

I have the same TV and paired it with the Bravia 9 soundbar and sw5 Sony sub. Not cheap but bought them on sale before Xmas. The 9 is excellent and adding the sub brings it to a new level. Took me a bit to calibrate it and the sub location made a big difference. I couldn’t be happier with the sound. Blows my old Bose system out of the water. People will recommend other brands but I do believe pairing the same brand is beneficial

Everyone agrees that the TV sound is inadequate for watching quality movie content. Below are some observations for sound system newbies - this is NOT for audiophiles: If you really like managing your audio menu options with your Sony TV remote, you can add a Sony Soundbar or Home Theater In a Box system - these get heavily criticized but IMHO they are not bad for most average users. You don’t need to get caught up in gimmicks like virtual surround, virtual Atmos, etc. If you have a cozy space less than 15ft x 15ft and you’re just trying to enjoy life and have a simple elegant looking set, you will have a very solid stereo sound experience and excellent bass from the economical Sony HT-S400 2.1 system with subwoofer included. If your space is larger than 15ft x 15ft and you want movie sound effects and swooshes across the room to come from the rear of your seating position, you can get the HT-S40R for affordable powerful sound, again with subwoofer included. For Music, 5.1 is NOT good; you are better off investing in an awesome 2.1 configuration with a set of large active bookshelf or floor standing speakers (ideally with 4 to 6 inch mid-range cones and a subwoofer output) AND maybe also get a powered subwoofer. eg Klipsch Fives with a Klipsch 10 sub. This will produce an amazing musical performance while still letting you enjoy your movies. The only downside is that you will need to use the speaker systems remote to make adjustments to bass, treble, balance, etc. Thanks to HDMI, you will still be able to adjust the volume level with the TV remote. It’s all plug and play. The whole 5.1 speaker concept was designed for watching movies so the main sound would come from the front three speakers while the ambient sound effects like background street noises, door knocks and laughter would come out of the rear speakers. The subwoofer is meant to carry all the weight of thunder and deep bass from the sound tracks - its location is usually in a corner of the room. If you are value-minded Ignore the hype about Atmos, virtual surround, etc. Of course if you have larger than 15 x 15 feet of space, and you can afford to splurge, you can upgrade to the HT-A5000 or HT-A7000, Bravia Bar 7 or 9. You could even get a higher-end systems such as a Sony HT-A9 or Sony Quad with a wireless subwoofer like the SW5 to give you true spatial seperation. And of course, if you have more refined taste with a desire for absolutely real cinema sound, then you can spend the money to get a full-blown receiver and component speakers with real Atmos speakers mounted in the ceiling. All of the extra effort and spending on the premium sound systems will improve your listening experience by 5 to 10% at every step and is only worth it if you have the ear for it. For most average people there is no need to go overboard, just stick with basic 2.1 (if Music is priority) or 5.1 (if Movie is priority). All the best!

The Sony Home Theater systems sounds really good. Atmos is overrated for causal viewers tbh. Everyone agrees that the TV sound is inadequate for watching quality movie content. Below are some observations for sound system newbies - this is NOT for audiophiles: If you really like managing your audio menu options with your Sony TV remote, you can add a Sony Soundbar or Home Theater In a Box system - these get heavily criticized but IMHO they are not bad for most average users. You don’t need to get caught up in gimmicks like virtual surround, virtual Atmos, etc. If you have a cozy space less than 15ft x 15ft and you’re just trying to enjoy life and have a simple elegant looking set, you will have a very solid stereo sound experience and excellent bass from the economical Sony HT-S400 2.1 system with subwoofer included. If your space is larger than 15ft x 15ft and you want movie sound effects and swooshes across the room to come from the rear of your seating position, you can get the HT-S40R for affordable powerful sound, again with subwoofer included. For Music, 5.1 is NOT good; you are better off investing in an awesome 2.1 configuration with a set of large active bookshelf or floor standing speakers (ideally with 4 to 6 inch mid-range cones and a subwoofer output) AND maybe also get a powered subwoofer. eg Klipsch Fives with a Klipsch 10 sub. This will produce an amazing musical performance while still letting you enjoy your movies. The only downside is that you will need to use the speaker systems remote to make adjustments to bass, treble, balance, etc. Thanks to HDMI, you will still be able to adjust the volume level with the TV remote. It’s all plug and play. The whole 5.1 speaker concept was designed for watching movies so the main sound would come from the front three speakers while the ambient sound effects like background street noises, door knocks and laughter would come out of the rear speakers. The subwoofer is meant to carry all the weight of thunder and deep bass from the sound tracks - its location is usually in a corner of the room. If you are value-minded Ignore the hype about Atmos, virtual surround, etc. Of course if you have larger than 15 x 15 feet of space, and you can afford to splurge, you can upgrade to the HT-A5000 or HT-A7000, Bravia Bar 7 or 9. You could even get a higher-end systems such as a Sony HT-A9 or Sony Quad with a wireless subwoofer like the SW5 to give you true spatial seperation. And of course, if you have more refined taste with a desire for absolutely real cinema sound, then you can spend the money to get a full-blown receiver and component speakers with real Atmos speakers mounted in the ceiling. All of the extra effort and spending on the premium sound systems will improve your listening experience by 5 to 10% at every step and is only worth it if you have the ear for it. For most average people there is no need to go overboard, just stick with basic 2.1 (if Music is priority) or 5.1 (if Movie is priority). All the best!

Everyone agrees that the TV sound is inadequate for watching quality movie content. Below are some observations for sound system newbies - this is NOT for audiophiles: If you really like managing your audio menu options with your Sony TV remote, you can add a Sony Soundbar or Home Theater In a Box system - these get heavily criticized but IMHO they are not bad for most average users. You don’t need to get caught up in gimmicks like virtual surround, virtual Atmos, etc. If you have a cozy space less than 15ft x 15ft and you’re just trying to enjoy life and have a simple elegant looking set, you will have a very solid stereo sound experience and excellent bass from the economical Sony HT-S400 2.1 system with subwoofer included. If your space is larger than 15ft x 15ft and you want movie sound effects and swooshes across the room to come from the rear of your seating position, you can get the HT-S40R for affordable powerful sound, again with subwoofer included. For Music, 5.1 is NOT good; you are better off investing in an awesome 2.1 configuration with a set of large active bookshelf or floor standing speakers (ideally with 4 to 6 inch mid-range cones and a subwoofer output) AND maybe also get a powered subwoofer. eg Klipsch Fives with a Klipsch 10 sub. This will produce an amazing musical performance while still letting you enjoy your movies. The only downside is that you will need to use the speaker systems remote to make adjustments to bass, treble, balance, etc. Thanks to HDMI, you will still be able to adjust the volume level with the TV remote. It’s all plug and play. The whole 5.1 speaker concept was designed for watching movies so the main sound would come from the front three speakers while the ambient sound effects like background street noises, door knocks and laughter would come out of the rear speakers. The subwoofer is meant to carry all the weight of thunder and deep bass from the sound tracks - its location is usually in a corner of the room. If you are value-minded Ignore the hype about Atmos, virtual surround, etc. Of course if you have larger than 15 x 15 feet of space, and you can afford to splurge, you can upgrade to the HT-A5000 or HT-A7000, Bravia Bar 7 or 9. You could even get a higher-end systems such as a Sony HT-A9 or Sony Quad with a wireless subwoofer like the SW5 to give you true spatial seperation. And of course, if you have more refined taste with a desire for absolutely real cinema sound, then you can spend the money to get a full-blown receiver and component speakers with real Atmos speakers mounted in the ceiling. All of the extra effort and spending on the premium sound systems will improve your listening experience by 5 to 10% at every step and is only worth it if you have the ear for it. For most average people there is no need to go overboard, just stick with basic 2.1 (if Music is priority) or 5.1 (if Movie is priority). All the best!

You can get a cheap soundbar that a matches your TV brand. Even the cheaper ones are still quite amazing for watching movies and for enjoying music casually. There is almost universal agreement that TV sound is inadequate for watching immersive movie content like Godzilla or Jurassic Park or Avatar and it is equally bad if you intend to listen to music with any mount of bass. You need a speaker system with a subwoofer to enjoy the thumps aka the bass. Each step of spending on the “next level” up will improve your listening experience by 5 to 10%. The key is that you must match your system to your listening usage and the size of your entertainment space. For Music enthusiasts, the SOURCE of the music is way more important e.g playing audio tracks on highest settings on Apple Music (or Tidal) via an Apple TV device is the best way to enjoy high quality music. WHAT COMES NEXT IS NOT FOR HARDCORE AUDIOPHILES. ABOUT 90% OF CONSUMERS WON’T NOTICE OR APPRECIATE THE DIFFERENCE IN HIGH-END AUDIO. Below are some observations based on 20 years of fiddling with many different sound systems: A 2.1 setup is the best format to enjoy MUSIC and for that purpose you will be better served with a powerful 2.1 configuration with a set of large active bookshelf or floor standing speakers (ideally with 1.5 inch tweeters, 4 to 6 inch mid-range cones and a subwoofer output or perhaps decicated 6 or 7 inch cones for bass) - optionally get a powered subwoofer. As a basic example, you could get a pair of Klipsch Fives (they have an HDMI connection!) with an optinal Klipsch 10 sub. This will produce an amazing musical performance while still letting you enjoy your movies with phenomenal sound. The only operational downside is that you will need to use the speaker systems remote to make adjustments to bass, treble, balance, etc. Thanks to HDMI, you will still be able to adjust the volume level with the TV remote. It’s all plug and play. The 5.1 and 7.1 speaker concept was designed for MOVIES - the primary sounds are delivered from the Front Left and Front Right speakers, speech dialog from the Center speaker, while the faint ambient sound effects like whispers, chatter, applause, street noises, door knocks, laughter, etc come from the Rear Left and Rear Right speakers. Look up an online diagram for ideal placement of speakers. The subwoofer is meant to carry all the weight of thunder and deep bass from the sound tracks - its location is usually in the front corner of the entertainment space. If you really like the simplicity of managing your audio menu options with your TV remote (e.g. Sony or another similar brand), you can add a same brand soundbar or Home Theater In a Box system. These systems get heavily criticized but IMHO they are not bad for most average users. You don’t need to get caught up in gimmicks like virtual surround, virtual Atmos, etc. If you are value-minded ignore the hype about these technologies - they are just designed to extract maximum money from your wallet. Focus on your space: If you have a cozy space up to 15ft x 15ft and you’re just trying to enjoy your downtime with a simple elegant looking setup, you will have a VERY solid 2.1 stereo sound experience and excellent bass from something like the economical Sony HT-S400 2.1 system which comes with the subwoofer included ($200 USD in 2025). If you still want movie sound effects and swooshes to come from the rear of your seating position, you can get something like the HT-S40R for affordable but powerful 5.1 sound, again with subwoofer included ($280 USD in 2025) If your entertainment space is larger than 15 ft x 15 ft, or if you have a large open living space, and you can afford to splurge, you can upgrade to something like the HT-A5000 or HT-A7000, Bravia Bar 7 or 9 and pair them with wireless rear speakers and an efficient subwoofer like the SW3. Truth is that you don’t really need expensive virtual Atmos rear speakers, the height channels don’t actually work as well as advertised in real world usage. If you want even higher quality sound for great Movie and Music all in one, you could get a higher-end system such as a Sony HT-A9 or Sony Quad with a wireless subwoofer like the SW5. This will give you true spatial seperation since each speaker is physically separate. The performance is mind blowing (upwards of $1500 USD as of 2025) Finally, if you have more refined taste with a desire for absolutely realistic cinema sound, you can spend the money to get a full-blown receiver and component speakers with real Atmos speakers mounted in the ceiling. Most consumers find full AV systems overwhelming to setup and manage. It’s a never ending quest and people can get really obsessed with things just to get slightly better sound. IMHO it’s not worth the effort for most casual viewers. BOTTOMLINE: For most people with an average small to medium entertainment space there is no need to go overboard, just stick with basic 2.1 (if Music is priority) or 5.1 (if Movie is priority). All the best!

You can get a cheap soundbar that matches your TV brand. Even the cheaper ones are still quite amazing for watching movies and for enjoying music casually. There is almost universal agreement that TV sound is inadequate for watching immersive movie content like Godzilla or Jurassic Park or Avatar and it is equally bad if you intend to listen to music with any mount of bass. You need a speaker system with a subwoofer to enjoy the thumps aka the bass. The key is that you must match your system to your listening usage and the space available to you. Each step of spending “more” will improve your listening experience by 5 to 10%. WHAT COMES NEXT IS NOT FOR HARDCORE AUDIOPHILES. ABOUT 90% OF CONSUMERS WON’T NOTICE OR APPRECIATE THE DIFFERENCE IN HIGH-END AUDIO. Below are some observations based on 20 years of fiddling with many different sound systems: MUSIC: A 2.1 setup is the best format to enjoy music - a set of large active bookshelf or floor standing speakers with HDMI support - ideally with 1.5 inch tweeters, 4 to 6 inch mid-range cones and a subwoofer output with a powered subwoofer(optional). As a basic example, you could get a pair of Klipsch Fives with an optional Klipsch 10 sub. This will give you phenomenal sound for Music as well as Movies. The only operational downside is that you will need to use the speaker systems remote to make adjustments to bass, treble, balance, etc. Thanks to HDMI, you will still be able to adjust the volume level with the TV remote. It’s all plug and play. For Music enthusiasts, the SOURCE of the music is way more important e.g playing audio tracks on highest settings on Apple Music (or Tidal) via an Apple TV device is the best way to enjoy high quality music. MOVIES: The 5.1 and 7.1 speaker concept was designed for movies - the primary sounds are delivered from the Front Left and Front Right speakers, speech dialog from the Center speaker, while the ambient sound effects like whispers, chatter, applause, street noises, door knocks, laughter, etc come from the Rear Left and Rear Right speakers. The subwoofer is meant to carry all the weight of thunder and deep bass from the sound tracks - its location is usually in the front corner of the entertainment space. Look up an online diagram for ideal placement of speakers. If you really like the simplicity of managing your audio menu options with your TV remote (e.g. Sony or another similar brand), you can add a same brand soundbar or Home Theater In a Box system. These systems get heavily criticized but IMHO they are not bad for most average users. You don’t need to get caught up in gimmicks like virtual surround, virtual Atmos, etc. If you are value-minded ignore the hype about these technologies - they are just designed to extract maximum money from your wallet. Focus on your space: If you have a cozy space up to 12ft x 15ft and you’re just trying to enjoy your downtime with a simple elegant looking setup, you will have a VERY solid 2.1 stereo sound experience and excellent bass from something like the economical Sony HT-S400 2.1 system which comes with the subwoofer included ($200 USD in 2025). If you have the room for it, and want some sound effects and swooshes to come from the rear of your seating position, you can get something like the HT-S40R for affordable but powerful 5.1 sound, again with subwoofer included ($280 USD in 2025) If your entertainment space is larger than 12ft x 15ft, or if you have a large open living space, you can upgrade to something like the HT-A5000 or HT-A7000, Bravia Bar 7 or 8 or 9 and pair them with wireless rear speakers and an efficient subwoofer like the SW3. Truth is that you don’t really need expensive virtual Atmos rear speakers, the height channels don’t actually work as well as advertised in real world usage. If you want even higher quality sound for great Movie and Music all in one, you could get a higher-end system such as a Sony HT-A9 or Sony Quad with a powerful wireless subwoofer like the SW5. This will give you true spatial seperation since each speaker is physically separate. The performance is mind blowing (upwards of $1500 USD as of 2025) Finally, if you have more refined taste with a desire for absolutely realistic cinema sound, you can spend the money to get a full-blown receiver and component speakers with real Atmos speakers mounted in the ceiling. Most consumers find full AV systems overwhelming to setup and manage. It’s a never ending quest and people can get really obsessed with things just to get slightly better sound. IMHO it’s not worth the effort for most casual viewers. BOTTOMLINE: For most people with an average small to medium entertainment space there is no need to go overboard with gimmicks like virtual Atmos, etc, just stick with basic 2.1 (if Music is priority) or 5.1 (if Movie is priority). All the best!

Honestly, it might be a pain to exchange but for a $100 more I would do it. The Bravia 8 and 9 are very similar in performance but from what I see in reviews the Bar 9 is the superior choice for a wider sound stage and dialogue reproduction and separation. I am one of those people who if I didn’t switch, I would constantly be thinking how much better would things have sounded if I had switched.

I mean buying one of the best consumer TV's on the market today and then pairing it with a discount sound bar doesn't seem logical to me. If you really want the total package you'd get real speakers, but at a minimum i'd get a Bravia Bar 8 or 9 for the compatibility with the center channel feature.

I would say that as long as you have something that tries to create the height information of Atmos and DTS:X, you're good. Of course you can always pay more. But a soundbar with rear speakers, subwoofer, and upfiring tweeters will at least give you discrete channels for all or most of the sounds contained on the disc. As such, the Bravia Bar 9 with sub and rears is totally fine, very good even. I have the Sony HT-A9 with the same sub, and I feel no need to upgrade. When it comes down to it though, anything external is better than the TV's internal speakers.

Hell no, the bar 9 is absolute crap. And for that price for the bar alone? HELL NO