“You still get that great Sony sound, but the Bravia Theater Bar 9 feels like a downgrade.”
- Elegant, small-footprint design
- Powerful, immersive sound
- HDMI 2.1 enter
- Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect
- Expandable through sub and surrounds
- No analog or optical inputs
- No bodily controls/entrance show
- Many lacking options
- Very restricted audio settings
With its 2024 soundbar lineup, Sony hasn’t simply modified its naming conference — it’s additionally modified its method.
Gone are the from the cumbersome mannequin numbers, changed (on this case) with the Bravia Theater Bar 9. And as an alternative of making expandable, feature-rich programs that may complement any TV because it has achieved previously, Sony has chosen to provide simplified and streamlined audio system that carry out at their finest when linked to a contemporary Sony Bravia TV. Perhaps we shouldn’t be stunned — the model Bravia is true within the identify, in any case. And Sony isn’t alone on this method. LG and Samsung even have tweaked their soundbars to be higher companions inside their manufacturers.
If you’ve by no means bought a Sony soundbar earlier than (or any high-end soundbar for that matter), this modification of method could also be nearly irrelevant. In that case, I’ll solely say one factor concerning the Bravia Theater Bar 9: If it’s purely for TV sound, go for it. I believe you’ll be thrilled with the efficiency. It has the facility, punch, and readability wanted to wow you, whether or not you’re watching a full Dolby Atmos blockbuster, or simply binge watching episodes of Emily in Paris. Plus, the provision of Sony wi-fi subs and encompass audio system gives you room to develop.
But when you’re an proprietor of one in all Sony’s earlier soundbar fashions just like the HT-A5000 — or particularly the HT-A7000 flagship that the Bar 9 replaces — and also you’re contemplating an improve, you might want to be a part of me for a deeper dive.
Sony has stripped away far too many options from the HT-A7000 for me to see the Bar 9 as an improve from that mannequin. If something, it’s a downgrade. And on condition that Sony is asking $1,400 for the Bar 9 ($100 greater than the HT-A7000), you’re paying extra for much less. Loads much less.
Sleek and easy
If I had been to explain Sony’s method to the Bravia Theater Bar 9 in a single phrase, it will be “simplify.” Everything about it — from its design to its options — is a simplification of the HT-A7000. Aesthetically, this can be a good factor. The Bar 9 is totally freed from adornments. There are not any textured plastic panels, no glass, and no metallic. The complete speaker is successfully a single, fabric-wrapped black bar. It calls no consideration to itself in any respect.
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It maintains the A7000’s 51-inch width (vital for channel separation), nevertheless it’s shorter and shallower than its predecessor, and far lighter (12 kilos versus 19 kilos). Sony nonetheless consists of wall-mounting {hardware} and a template, nevertheless it additionally consists of two small risers to assist the speaker straddle the legs on some Sony TVs. With its shallow depth, it ought to look nice when wall-mounted.
But that’s the place the advantages of simplicity finish.
Less is … much less
Normally, most soundbars have just a few controls for adjusting the amount and possibly altering the enter with out reaching for the distant. The Bar 9 has none, apart from a lone energy button hidden on the speaker’s proper aspect.
Sony additionally has ditched the massive alphanumeric show that sat behind the grille of the A7000 — a helpful readout that confirmed enter, quantity stage, and confirmed codecs like Dolby Atmos. In its place you get a tiny LED that makes use of totally different colours to speak enter and Bluetooth pairing.
The distant management additionally has been drastically simplified, which you must learn as foreshadowing the shortage of settings and options I’m attending to.
Around the again you’ll discover the ports. It’s a spartan choice: two HDMI ports and an analog output that solely works with suitable Sony TVs for middle channel audio. Gone is the second HDMI enter, the optical port, the analog enter, and the USB port for native music playback.
One HDMI port is for the ARC/eARC TV connection, and the opposite is a devoted enter. Both are HDMI 2.1 compliant and the enter can go by 8K/60 or 4K/120 with Dolby Vision, VRR, ALLM, and SBTM all preserved — key necessities for players even when most non-gamers gained’t care that a lot.
Out of the field, Sony covers the enter with a sticker, presumably to keep away from people by accident utilizing it as an alternative of the eARC port for his or her TVs.
Perhaps you’re studying this and pondering “dude, this all sounds amazing — I never liked all of that extra stuff to begin with!” Well, it will get higher. Sony has ditched a number of different options, too.
From on-screen to app-based
One of my favourite elements of the HT-A7000 (and its smaller HT-A5000 sibling) was its on-screen setup show. As lengthy because the soundbar was linked to a TV whenever you first turned it on, you might lean again and handle the whole lot with the distant. The Bar 9 has ditched this means. In reality, until you personal a suitable Bravia TV, you’ll get no on-screen controls of any variety.
Instead, you might want to use Sony’s Bravia Connect app. It’s very straightforward to finish the setup, together with the necessary room calibration steps that use Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping alongside along with your telephone’s microphone. But I’m not loopy concerning the app’s different necessary step: You must check in earlier than you may start.
I’ve used a number of Sony apps over time, however I’m fairly positive that is the primary time I couldn’t skip a sign-in. Mandatory account creation is sensible in some situations — particularly when a paid subscription is concerned or there’s a must entry the identical setting from a number of units. There’s nothing within the Bravia Connect app that implies both of these items are a consideration with the Bar 9.
Another annoyance: The app talks to the soundbar through Bluetooth LE. That’s a vital step earlier than a soundbar is linked to your community. But when you’ve obtained Wi-Fi enabled, utilizing Bluetooth is sluggish. You discover it most when switching from one other app again to Bravia Connect — it all the time wants a second to determine that BT connection and acquire any adjustments which have occurred to the state of the speaker because it was final used.
Most of the time a mediocre app for a soundbar isn’t a deal-breaker. Remotes present a extra direct and tactile interface. However, Sony has made it a necessary ingredient by stripping the Bar 9’s distant management of all however the barest necessities. It’s been decreased to a glorified quantity management. You can flip devoted sound modes (night time, voice, and sound area) on and off, mute, regulate bass, and swap inputs. Bafflingly, that enter button is just for switching between the 2 HDMI ports. If you need to use Bluetooth, it’s important to use the app. This is the place a devoted button on the bar itself would actually come in useful.
Goodbye Wi-Fi selections
Since we’re on the subject of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, let’s cowl some associated areas. On the intense aspect, the Bar 9 is among the few soundbars that lets Android customers stream hi-res audio over Bluetooth utilizing the LDAC codec. Normally, the recommendation for iPhone customers (who can’t use LDAC) is to make use of Apple’s AirPlay 2, which the Bar 9 helps. However, I’ve not too long ago realized most iPhone apps can solely stream lossy AAC audio over AirPlay 2, which implies that from a sound high quality standpoint, it’s sometimes no higher than utilizing Bluetooth.
This state of affairs was additionally true on the HT-A7000, however that soundbar had a number of nice streaming options: Alexa Cast, Google Cast, and Tidal Connect. All of those protocols let iPhone and Android customers stream losslessly, in as much as 24-bit/96kHz decision. Only Spotify Connect continues to be obtainable on the Bar 9.
This isn’t the primary soundbar I’ve come throughout the place streaming choices aren’t as sturdy as I’d like. Klipsch’s wonderful Flexus 200, as an example, doesn’t do Wi-Fi in any respect. In these circumstances, the straightforward repair is to attach a network music streamer just like the $100 Wiim Mini, which not solely has an amazing app for managing music, it additionally works with Google Cast, UPnP, Tidal Connect, AirPlay, and Bluetooth. But with none suitable digital or analog inputs, the Bar 9 gained’t work with any streamers that I do know of.
Another riddle I’m making an attempt to wrap my head round: The Bravia Theater Bar 9 works with Sony’s model of Dolby Atmos Music, generally known as Sony 360 Reality Audio (360RA). Tidal, one of many solely streaming companies that traditionally supported it, has now deserted it, so possibly the absence of Tidal Connect isn’t such a giant deal so far as Sony is anxious. Amazon Music, nevertheless, continues to keep up a 360RA catalog. And but, the one option to ship 360RA from the Amazon Music app is through Chromecast. Oh wait, the Bar 9 doesn’t do Chromecast. Whoops.
Here’s one I positively didn’t see coming on condition that Sony makes a number of the best wireless headphones you should buy: You can’t join wi-fi headphones to the Bar 9. Once once more, the A7000 had it. But now it’s gone. Perhaps Sony assumes you’ll try this by your Sony Bravia TV. (You do have a kind of, proper?)
Sony’s now the identical
When I requested Sony about its choice to desert so lots of the options that I felt made the A7000 so terrific, its response might be summed up as “this is all standard for the soundbar market today.” (Those are my phrases, not Sony’s.) It’s true: only a few merchandise have on-screen controls. Very few nonetheless provide alphanumeric shows — Bose, Sonos, and Vizio come instantly to thoughts. Remotes have turn into quite simple affairs in favor of app-based controls.
All I can say to that is simply because everybody else is doing it doesn’t imply you must too. I’m dissatisfied that an organization like Sony, which as soon as created soundbars that stood aside, is now seemingly centered on making ones that supply so little differentiation.
At this level I’m compelled to think about the Bravia Theater Bar 9 as a type of Swiss Army Knife that has had all of its further instruments eliminated, leaving simply the primary reducing blade.
Thankfully, that blade (when you’ll forgive the now awkward metaphor) stays excellent at what it does: delivering wonderful sound high quality.
Strong cinema sound
For all of its lacking options, the Bar 9 continues to be a kick-ass soundbar. With 13 drivers, it’s very highly effective — I misplaced my nerve at about 65% on its quantity setting — and regardless of not having a devoted built-in subwoofer like its predecessor, there’s wonderful low-frequency response. Push the bass setting to its most stage and the Bar 9 delivers a really satisfying residence theater expertise. It’s suitable with Sony’s household of wi-fi encompass audio system and subwoofers (I’ll talk about these in a second) nevertheless it doesn’t want them.
In reality, when you dwell in a rental, or your TV room is on the small aspect, you actually don’t want them.
Clarity has all the time been a Sony energy, and the Bar 9 isn’t any exception. Center channel supply of dialogue is exact and properly separated from background sounds. You’ll get a slight enchancment in dialog intelligibility whenever you activate voice mode, however this additionally has the impact of eradicating a number of the ambient sounds in complicated scenes, so I largely left it off. There had been nonetheless moments I wanted for Sony’s exceptional Voice Zoom 3 (House of the Dragon, I’m taking a look at you). But that AI-based enhancement requires a suitable Sony TV. (Are you sensing a development right here?)
It’s additionally a stable speaker for music listening. I’m nonetheless bummed about its lack of streaming choices, however Bar 9 had no drawback delivering punchy, energetic sound through Bluetooth and AirPlay. The finest outcomes, not surprisingly, had been achieved through HDMI: Using an Apple TV 4K to stream Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon was a number of enjoyable, in addition to being a considerably miserable reminder of how good this speaker might be if Sony hadn’t minimize so many streaming choices.
So sure, total, the Bravia Theater Bar 9 sounds nice. However, when you don’t love its out-of-box sound signature, there’s little you are able to do. There are not any EQ choices. This isn’t new — Sony had already ditched these on the A7000 — however now there’s even much less you are able to do.
The cinema and music presets have vanished, and you may’t exert management over channel ranges. The app presents the flexibility to regulate the “height” of its Sound Field impact (decrease, default, or greater) however this isn’t the identical as with the ability to independently enhance the extent of the peak channels. Instead, it seems like Sony is boosting a number of parameters concurrently, together with a number of the greater frequencies.
On some programs you may accomplish a workaround by manually altering the distances between your listening place and the audio system. Not so with the Bar 9 — these measurements are carried out routinely throughout calibration and might’t be adjusted.
There are solely two settings for exerting management over the sound. A 3-level bass adjustment (min, mid, max) and the flexibility to show Sony’s Sound Field on and off.
- 1. With Sound Field on, you get Dolby Atmos …
- 2. … when it’s off, you don’t.
Which brings us to Sony’s subsequent weird selection. Normally when a sound system receives a Dolby Atmos sign, it routinely processes it as Dolby Atmos. Because getting a linked TV or media participant to ship Atmos isn’t all the time simple, there’s normally a visible indicator to verify Atmos is being processed. But you don’t must do something on the sound system itself.
The Bar 9 is totally different. You should have Sound Field mode on to get Dolby Atmos. This threw me for a loop till I figured it out. I began operating by all of my normal Dolby Atmos take a look at clips, and but the Bravia Connect app saved reporting that it was receiving “Dolby Audio 7.1” and thus no top channels and no Atmos object-based sound results. When I turned Sound Field on, instantly, Dolby Atmos was being processed.
In equity, Sound Field mode delivers the Atmos items. Among these take a look at clips, my favorites are the Aston Martin chase scene from No Time To Die, the intro to Mad Max: Fury Road, and the bombing sequence from Unbroken. The Bar 9 effortlessly ricocheted bullets throughout me, offered roaring engines in all of their glory and gave an eerie high quality to disembodied whispering voices.
Dolby Atmos Music proved equally immersive, although that is the place the Bar 9’s lack of EQ begins to get in the way in which. Sony’s tuning strongly favors boosted highs. For motion pictures and TV reveals, this is sensible, particularly for dialogue. For music, it may be an excessive amount of, making a sharpness that makes you need to flip down the amount as an alternative of cranking it up.
Thankfully, two-channel music sounds approach higher. Just be sure you disable Sound Field mode, in any other case you’ll get Sony’s model of spatialized stereo. You might prefer it, however I assumed it sounded wildly over-processed.
Sony was variety sufficient to offer its SA-RS5 wi-fi encompass audio system and SA-SW5 wi-fi subwoofer so I may get the complete expertise. These are the identical audio system that Sony launched with the HT-A7000, and I’m completely happy to report that the impact is identical: mind-blowing sound.
It additionally offers you some much-needed management: including the sub permits you to regulate bass energy from 1-10 (as an alternative of the three ranges on the Bar 9 itself), and including the surrounds offers you an identical stage of management for these audio system. You nonetheless can’t regulate particular person channels, nevertheless it’s higher than nothing.
It’s a package deal that simply competes with a Sonos Arc/Era 300 surrounds/Sub combo or a Samsung HW-Q990D. Just take into account that whenever you add these two equipment, the package deal value can climb as excessive as $2,700.
So the place do I stand on the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9? As I discussed within the intro, I’m conflicted. If this had been Sony’s first premium soundbar, I’d be impressed. From a sound standpoint, it actually delivers, which is why those that are on the lookout for a fast and simple TV add-on ought to significantly think about it.
However, this isn’t Sony’s first premium soundbar, and I can’t overlook the numerous methods during which the Bar 9 is a shadow of its predecessor, the A7000, even when at this time’s panorama of soundbar choices sometimes omits lots of the A7000’s options. I don’t consider that as customers, we must always ever get much less after we spend the identical (or extra) cash.
As I see it, when you agree with my tackle the Bar 9, there are two methods you may go. Spend $500 much less and get Sonos Arc or the Bose Ultra Soundbar. You’ll get equally highly effective sound and enlargement choices, for a smaller funding. Or, spend $100 extra on the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus. It’s a real AV receiver substitute with tons of inputs, very good Dolby Atmos sounds, and and loads of wi-fi streaming choices.