Sony - Theater Bar 9

I find the Sony bar 9 (HT-A9000) with sub to be best without rears IMO, but only if you get it on sale, otherwise it's too expensive for what it is.

I should add that the Quads or Theater Bar 9 would obviously be even better with all the same benefits. It just comes down to how much money you are willing to spend. Any of these will be easy to setup and use.

I personally wanted the better integration that comes with the Theater Bar. I don’t want to be traveling and needing to do tech support for my wife. It sounds great. I am sure the Sonos does too though

I had one and liked it. It was paired with the SW3 subwoofer and the RS5 rear speakers, and the combination of those gave me nice surround sound. I ended up replacing it with the Theatre Bar 9, which has the additional advantage of side-firing drivers. I'm not sure that makes all that much difference. The main advantage of the Theatre Bar 9 is that you get louder sound out of the rear speakers. With the 5000 I had to turn them all the way up to get what I considered adequate sound out of them, which isn't necessary with the Bar 9. That being said, with the rears turned up all the way I felt it was a good system, more than adequate for my needs.

bravia 9 went ahead and got the theatre 9 bar. and then subwoofer and rears (amazing what you can get on the used market...!) the sound is awesome yes, maybe putting together a speaker system with components could be better.... but this was plug and play and just works. and it sounds pretty darn awesome.

sony bar 9 has been great. added subwoofer - even better added rear speakers - nice, but not needed (bought everything on ebay for less than half the usual selling price - makes it all sound that much better). i'm no audiophile, and didnt want to deal with wires all over. this just works. and compatible with airplay too. and super easy - turn on tv, and everything turns on. and off. at the same time with one button.

I just picked the Q990D up two weeks ago after returning a terribly disappointing Sony Bravia 9 soundbar and man is it amazing

I rather get the bar 9, just because the sonos doesn't do dts-hd and dts:x.

Sonos app just went south this year. I went the bar 9 because of it.

Sony Bar 9 sounds great ! Even on its own. I guess that's the best sound you can get. And you can get it for less than 900€. Expansive like every Sony stuff but not that expansive 😂

What, Sony did U have ? I mean I have compared Bar 9 and q990d ? I did and as Samsung is great for your bucj I still think Bar 9 sounds better in terms of clearness and clarity. Of course it is really expansive with rears and sub. But the whole system of Sony is better than the Samsung for me. And Sony quality is always better than Samsung. Moreover you will get updates with Sony. Samsung will just sell q990e next year...

I am listening music with Sony Bar 9 and it sounds great !

I had the same choice to do and I went with the Bar 9. Dont regret as it sounds really good when settings are done correctly. Good integration with thé TV too and the app is actually working 😅Sony's quality 🤷🏼‍♂️

Height of sound on Up, Auto Volume on ON. Very important to get a good sound from the Bar.

Sony Bar 9 and SW3 are a great combo. Got the sub open box at Best Buy for cheap.

the bar 9 setup you have is more than enough. yes it can get better, but you're at the place where getting a bit better is much more expensive.

I previously had the Sony HT-A7000, SW5, and RS5’s. Overall I gave the system a 7/10. The soundbar was very forward and dominated the sound. Rears (even at MAX volume) weren’t very present (Bladerunner 2049 is the exception). The system was very unbalanced. As of three weeks ago, I replaced the Sony HT-A7000 with the Sony Bar 9. The system is very balanced now. Vocals sound clear without being in your face. The rears are powerful now. As I’m writing this, I’m watching Pacific Rim on my ATV4K (purchased on iTunes). System volume at 25%, rears and sub at MAX. I can hear all of the atmos effects clearly and the experience is exceptional. Not the case when the HT-A7000 was the soundbar. The sub is good for what it can do and plenty for my needs.

In conclusion… HT-A7000, SA-SW5, and SA-RS5 system: 7/10 Bar 9, SA-SW5, and SA-RS5 system: 9/10

I recently replaced my HT-A7000 with the Bar 9. I know it’s not the Bar 8, but thought it could be helpful nonetheless. I also have the SA-SW5 and SA-RS5’s which I used with both bars. From my experience, these are the differences that stand out the most when the entire system (soundbar, sub, and rears) is being used. 1. The sound from the A7000 is very forward and in your face compared to the Bar 9. I noticed the soundbar significantly more than the rears even though I was only a few feet from the rears. The A7000 made itself the star of the show, and I don’t think that’s a good thing. Some may, but I don’t. 2. Vocals from the Bar 9 are clearer than the A7000. Not by much, but enough to notice. Mind you, I use(d) the S-Center Sync feature on my 65” A95K with both bars. 3. I don’t know what caused this, but ever since adding the Bar 9, the SA-RS5’s have become more present when watching movies. With both soundbars I always set to rears to MAX volume, but now I can actually hear them while using the Bar 9. They’re powerful at MAX volume and their sound is clean. System volume for movies I usually set anywhere from 50-70 depending on the movie. The other night I watched A Quiet Place Part II. Rears were set to MAX but system volume was set to 30. I could still hear the rears loud and clear. This is with the Bar 9 in the system. When using the A7000, there’s no way at 30% system volume that I’d be able to hear the rears. Sony did something. I don’t it’s firmware, but the RS5’s are amazing now. 4. The complete system with the Bar 9 sounds very balanced and clean. The complete Bar 9 system now sounds like one. This was not the case when the A7000 was being used in the system. The A7000 dominated the sound every second it could. From a home theater perspective, this was not ideal for me. The rears were quiet and only came always during certain films (especially Bladerunner 2049). 5. The SW5 subwoofer sounds more or less the same regardless of which soundbar was being used. I will though that the system as a whole has ever so slightly less bass with the Bar 9 than with the A7000. Those are my thoughts. Let me know if you have any questions or if I can clarify anything. Also, at the time of writing this, the Bar 9 is on sale for $898 on Amazon brand new. I received the Price Match with Best Buy this morning.

I bought the Bar 8 and SW3 - the bar sounded so thin and hollow, the sub only kicked in at what seemed like a certain threshold so there was always what sounded like a huge gap in the freq response of no low mids, then a boom or rumble during louder instances. The ppl who like that sub call it “punchy” but I call it uneven. Got the Bar 9 and SW5. Much better. The sub is way more even and more natural across the lows. The actual bar is decent. Returned the 8 and SW3 and kept the higher models. $600 off on sale otherwise I wouldn’t have. I didn’t like the look of the Samsung at all, but that was important enough to me to not consider it. I thought the Sonos sounded the best, so full just on its own and then the sub added to it, while the Sony bars are so anemic and *require* a sub. I primarily game on my Bravia 8 so I opted to keep it in the Sony ecosystem and have that extra 2.1 port since all my HDMIs are used now - just couldn’t do that conveniently with the Sonos. No real customization of the settings but I’m happy with it. Hope that helps a little, at least knocking the 8 out the list.

From my experience of owning a bar 9, at that value you cannot beat it. You will want to get the sw5 subwoofer if you want good bass. By itself the bass is okay. In the future for surrounds definitely go for the rs5. While it may seem like I’m just only recommending the best they have you really lose out on a lot by not matching up the their best bar with the upgraded components.

550 for the Sony is a good price. You can upgrade it in the future with a sub and rears.

I have the theater bar 9 and tried the Sonos ultra. Both are really good but if the Sony is on sale for around the same price I think the Sony is the better buy. The arc ultra has a really nice wide soundstage (a bit wider than the theater bar 9 in my room) and very detailed, forward projection. That sound motion driver also really does make bass thump, not just marketing. At its price it’s the best all in one assuming the other competitors aren’t on sale. The theater bar 9 imo has better atmos/spatial effects and sounds more balanced/accurate to my ears. That plus the additional hdmi port and support for more audio codecs makes the Sony the winner if prices are essentially equal.

Get the Sony Theatre Bar 9. If you want the sub and rear-speakers right now buy it. SA RS5 and SA SW5 If you can wait, hopefully this year will Sony release a new sub and rear-speakers. The new sub/rear-speakers should sound better I think. The SA SW5 sounds better than the other subs imo. Q990D just over hyped. Yes it’s sounds great but it’s really just the Samsung name. Why people want it #nohate The Sonos Arc Ultra is just really good but you need to love the typical Sonos sound. I can’t really describe it but if you hear it you will know. I strongly recommend the era 300’s and the new big Sub4.0. The other soundbars you listed did I not hear yet, so I can’t comment on them.

I’m looking for some advice on setting up a sound system for my second home’s living room and feeling a bit torn between a few options. At home, I have a full-blown 5.1 AVR system with dedicated amps for the LCR channels and high-end LR speakers—easily costing 20-30 times more than most flagship soundbars. Needless to say, I’m used to high-quality sound! For this setup, I want to keep things compact while sticking to a $3K budget (or less, if possible). However, I also need something that will genuinely satisfy me for daily use. If the sound is too dull or has overpowering frequencies, I know I’ll start looking for a replacement within days—I’d like to avoid that! What I’ve Listened to So Far: **Sonos Arc Ultra** – Tested in-store with the Sub 4, both engaged and disengaged. Unfortunately, I only got to hear music through it, and the experience was very disappointing. Without the sub, bass was almost nonexistent; with the sub, it was slow and lacked control. Compared to reviews online, I feel like I got the worst Sonos Arc Ultra demo ever. **Sony Theatre Bar 9** – Demoed with Sony’s curated Atmos tracks (bar only, no sub or rears). It was seriously impressive but leaned towards an artificial sound. I assume everything was mixed with Dolby Atmos, so it made full use of its speakers. **Bose Smart Ultra** – Listened to Bose’s demo tracks in-store. It had an incredibly wide soundstage—I even looked around to see if rear speakers were playing (they weren’t). However, it sounded even more artificial than the Sony, which made it a no-go for me. If I Had to Choose Right Now: Based on my in-store experiences, the Sony Bar 9 would be my pick. It was immersive, nothing stood out in a negative way, and overall, it sounded quite decent. My Current Options: **Sennheiser Ambeo Plus** – Read great things about it, but the lack of rear speaker options is a downside. **Klipsch Core 300** – Supposedly great, especially with Dirac Live. **Sony Bar 9** – Solid in-store impression, immersive, and well-balanced. Go AVR with compact 5.1 speakers – Something like the Focal Sib Evo Atmos, but my space limits front speakers to max 20cm in width, which makes AVR options tricky. I’d love to hear from anyone who has switched from AVR to soundbar (or vice versa) or has experience with the soundbars I’m considering. Any recommendations, experiences, or insights would be hugely appreciated! Thanks in advance for your help!

The Bar 9 is overpriced, regression at its finest. Compared to the previous Gen, the voicing sucks and the app is a train wreck.

I wouldn't have said all that if I hadn't.

Compared to the last Gen bars, that auto leveling feature isn't the solution. Tried it. Did it help - yeah - a little - sure. The Bar 9 is massively gimped for $1400 as a price of entry. The App ecosystem vs. what use to be available on-screen is also a cost cutting measure. The mobile based sound field calibration function is also an utter train wreck. Sony messed up bad with this refresh. They essentially went 'Visio' mode..

We can agree to disagree. I've reviewed the full line of Sony bars, last Gen, and none of them required Auto-leveling or "Voice" mode to fix dialogue issues. It's a common sound bar DSP issue and was one Sony engineers avoided... until now. And for the record, I own a Sony Sub and rear 'up firing' surrounds - so when I A-B compare, I can get a really good evaluation of performance - all else being equal; room configuration, demo material, etc. Auto-leveling and Voice compensation modes are intended for specific purposes but the 360 Mapping performance paired with the producers intent is something Sony lost the recipe on - this go around. It's blatantly obvious for a reasonably trained ear, especially with people grasping at solutions like Auto-leveling mode, which is just another Loudness compensation algorithm that boosts gain in a major way. So do you really want to talk about 'producers intent' vs controlled experiments? That's a rabbit hole best avoided... There are many reference materials that can demonstrate dialog smothering during playback, most notably key soundtrack phases & major battle scenes in Game of Thrones on both bluray & 4k.

I think you missed my point about GoT. It's not the production in its entirety that suffers from dialogue smothering, it is particular sequences/scenes. On a sound bar system with proper Object Oriented, packet handling implemented correctly, particular scenes will present both an uplift in Immersion without losing focus on the dialogue. It's all about Balance. Samsung struggled with this 'mapping' issue up until the 90R sound bar and I'm not entirely sure LG ever overcame it. Point being, Sony had dominated in this area of sound reproduction until now. The HT-A3000, A5000 and A7000 all had high performing DSP processing that resulted in near perfect 360 Mapping, with or without the addition of up-firing rears. I'd also like to address the misnomer about what is traditionally defined as Center channel functionality. In modern sound bar systems that deploy some type of 360 mapping in conjunction with true, Object Oriented sound streams - - dialogue is no longer pinned or reliant on the center channel in the traditional sense. The whole goal of Atmos and DTS-X (as well as ALL the virtualization methods floating around...) is to generate & present the dialogue 'objects' where they naturally are supposed to fall, in relation to the screen and surrounding sound-scape or 'field'. That's the power of Object package audio vs. stuff like Dolby Digital or even Pro Logic - if you're old enough to remember that. Circling back, the Bar 9 discussed here is suppose to replace the HT-A7000 and in a setup that leaves a sub and true Atmos capable rears the same - all one has to do is A-B swap the 7000 vs. the Bar 9 to realize that Sony either completely dropped the ball or rushed the release on this Generation.

LG and Samsung both had issues with dialogue and never really rectified the issue with software updates. Far too often the mapping issue is baked into the DSP hardware. I suppose owners will have to wait and see how Sony addresses it.. All three of the last-Gen top model are still available - so anyone looking for a Bar that isn't reliant on an app and wanting 360 Mapping that actually works, should opt for one of those. They are a helluva lot less expensive and present better build-quality as well.

Keep the 7 until you stop seeing complaints about dialog smothering and app problems relating to the Bar 9.