I just purchased this system with the SW5 and I'm blown away by the dynamic these little cans offer. Yes, a fully fledged multi speaker setup with AV receiver will still sound better if set up properly. But if you are looking for a plug and play system that sounds great and can easily be integrated into your living room I wholeheartedly recommend this product.
@@kayodefashola9226 what's medium sized? If you want earth shattering sound then no, this is not what you are looking for. This great for everyday use and movie night if you don't expect high end multichannel surround. If this is what you are looking for I'd say go for it.
Spot on 👍 I had a 5.1 high end set up (along with a huge amount of spaghetti wiring). The sound from this Sony HT-A9 is not as good, no, but it’s very close & I am loving it, just loving it 😍. No stands, spaghetti wires, set up by me (not an expert) in 10 minutes. You are not even aware the speakers are there. You forget there is no centre speaker at all. So glad I bought it
to my ears there's hardly any difference. the reviewer can definitely hear the differences. I'm going to try out in the store. I mean it's above $2 and getting close to 3 grand out the door.
Follow Up Sony X95J as Center: ONLY in Sony Sound Mode (not Dolby Speaker Virtual, not DTS Neural:X) can you use the X95J as Center! In the other 2 modes, X95J is not active even if the setting shows TV as Center "on". It may be fixed in a future update, but currently the sound difference between TV center on/off are identical when in Dolby and DTS. I'll reach out to Robert for clarification from Sony.
What about the A80J/A90J as a center channel? Did you not have a Sony OLED on hand to test? I’m surprised there isn’t a UA-cam review out there yet on this combo.
@@DanVanDamme Yes, I do have it, but my 65" A90J is currently up high mounted on my wall and I need to bring it down, switch out the X95J - this will be compared in November for sure!
I also just picked up the system, with the big speaker after watching (your included) a bunch of reviews. Really appreciate the effort you went through. This helps in speaker placement.
Thank you FOMO! I was going to get a sound bar for my A80J 77 inch because I live in an apartment. Then with your help I went with these instead. They just arrived today and I know they are going to be awesome. No FOMO
The most immersive wireless speakers at the moment! Sold my bose 900 setup for this and its worth it! I had more drop outs and problems in bose than this, tip for the dropout issue, connect directly the devices to hdmi in of the a9 receiver, just use an hdmi switch if you have more device, you will most likely experience drop out if you will rely from the tv , and also make sure the 4 speakers have a clear line of sight from the receiver for a solid connection!
Hi. This is my big dilemma in fact: do you lose a lot in terms of sound quality coming from a Bose 900? Because ok how much you earn in terms of spatial audio, but also the quality of the Bose is an important factor for me to take into consideration. Thank you very much for your availability if you answer me
I’m reading your story mine is similar. I also returned the Bose 900 with it 700 sub . I am hooking mine up to a sony A90J .I Hurd mixed reviews on using it as the center channel. I’m not going to but I have to pick up the subwoofer. I am going to wire it the way you said to so I don’t have any drop outs. That was the reason I was a little concerned about purchasing this I heard about drop outs. Thanks again for the information on the set up.
after a year of using it daily, i am still amazed on it, i just recently upgraded to the sw5 coming from the sw3 and it made such a big difference! Highly recommended.!
@iLGuRG i didn’t feel the lose in terms of sound quality, although i still think for music alone bose 900 is still the best for me , but the rest goes to a9. A9 is also more fun and immersive.
I'm picking this up today to compare to my full A7000 setup. Gonna keep whichever sounds better. Have you used the TV as center channel? I use it with 77"A80K and feel it completely elevated the A7000 system. So I'm sure I'll like the A9 system utilizing it was so
Brother, you are 1000% correct on the difference between DTS: Neural X and Dolby Virtual Atmos. 👏 it applies to full Atmos and DTS:X as well. DTS is significantly louder, especially on the center channel and height channels. Atmos is softer but also has a wider soundstage that gives a spaciousness. It's really a matter of personal preference and taste as to which you prefer. There is no wrong choice. I myself constantly switch between them depending on what I am watching. For standard TV, gaming and streaming apps like UA-cam I prefer DTS:Virtual X. But for movies and live sports, I prefer Dolby Virtual Atmos as the spaciousness of the wide soundstage really immerses you and gives you a "You are right there" feeling.
The sw5 is critical and must be purchased with this system. I cannot imagine keeping it without the sw5. The full 5 piece set sounds incredible and gives an amazing sense of physical surrounding sound. It's brought my oled TV to life and everyone who walks into my living room is blown away. Makes TV watching a real serious and new experience. Must experience it for yourself.
Can you please tell me the size of your room, cause all of them are saying subwoofer is a must and that too SW5, which is way out of my budget, I have a budget for SW3.
Everything I've heard so far about the A9 in regards to sound is indeed amazing. But my main concern is the ability for the unit to stay connected. There are some reviews out there (Best Buy, Amazon) stating their is dissatisfaction with connectivity. Some have a connection for a few days than have to re calibrate the unit, others cannot get at least one of the speakers to connect during the initial setup. I do agree this is a great unit, and produces a great movie experience, but reliability is major factor in the decision making, especially for a unit that costs $2500. I hope a reliability test video can be made so this way we become more confident in purchasing this unit.
I’ve experienced some drop outs, about twice a week. Easily remedied by going into settings/wireless speakers/ RT off then ON. Whole process takes 2 minutes. For whatever reason this seems to occur only when using the Netflix internal app. Going to try Netflix through my Apple TV 4K and see if it makes any difference.
I got that problem for over 2 years with Pioneer fayola (wireless surround), It drive me crazy. Find out that my router was the problem - same channel, around ch 50 on 5 GHz, changed it to ch 100 and problem solved. My router still jumps sometimes to ch 50, have something with planes to do, but I know what to do. Maybe it's the same cause
For those who has a lot of wifi and Bluetooth units connected in the living room. My suggestion when installing the A9 is to turn off internet and all wifi/bt units before installing the A9. After installed wait 5 min before you turn on the wifi and nternet units, this will ensure the A9 2.4 GHz signals to be used without disturbance as the wifi will see these channels already being used by the A9 and use other channels for your wifi and Bluetooth units instead. Also, try not to use the 2.4 GHz signals of your routers, the 2.4 signals clash against each other constantly and that's why you get disturbance, instead use your 5g wifi and you won't get more problems. Also, Dont keep usb 3 drives close to any wifi or BT or the A9, usb 3 drives have a tendency to disturb 2 4 GHz signals, IBM wrote a paper about this a couple of years ago. I had the HTzf9 for years and learned a lot from using them. The same installation values applies to the A,9 but even more so because the A9 connects to 5 units while the Zf9 connected to 4. I hope this helps anyone with wifi/2.4 ghz clashing or disturbance. Cheers!
@@joeyspalding4276 i would buy it if adding my own sub was an option. not buying it because of this. would have been very easy to add an LFE out on the main unit.
I think the big question now is: "Is it better than Samsung's HW-Q950A? And if so, is it good enough to justify the price difference?" Would love to see those questions answered along with a review using a Sony X9*J as the center channel!!
Both are excellent, I like the A9 because I don't like the soundbar look. If you don't mind the soundbar, go with the cheaper one as they are both good enough.
@@stopthefomo I can’t speak to Samsung‘s sound bar, but I can say that the A9 is, IMO better than the Sonos Arc, and much much better than the Sony HT-A7000.
@@stopthefomo I dont really care about looks and the q950a looks pretty bad with that cloth on it. I would like to know from you based on soundstage and quality (i.e. Atmos implementation) would you prefer the A9 over any soundbar today?
Fantatic review, specially putting the speakers in these awkward positions to see what does and doesn’t work. But I have to ask, you tested Dolby vs DTS upmixing, but what about those 2 againt Sony’s own upmixing?
Great review which answered a lot of my questions. One thing it didn’t cover is whether your seating position makes a difference ? I always find with my existing AV calibration that it sets it up for one persons seating position but anyone else in the room gets a suboptimal experience.
Would of been nice to see one close to the ceiling, like on a bookshelf behind you rather than being behind something. No one would do that. Up on things behind is very common. Especially with kids where you don't want speakers sitting on tippy stands.
What about placing the speakers a bit far from or closer to the optimal position? Does the DSP and Sound Field Optimization can compensate the asymmetric placement well enough? It's the main selling point for me, comparing to standard soundbar system with surround satellites.
What a useful review! Great job ;) You can tell there is a lot of work to give us a quality review. I really appreciate it. A quick question to anyone who could help me. I don't have a TV, instead, I have a projector. Any issues if I buy the A9 to use it with the projector? Thanks in advance. Again, this is a really really good review. Chapeau!
it would be perfect if it has a sub out and attached a monolith or HSU using svs sound path, but im glad we are starting to see good wireless speaker options
Thank you so much for this video. I am looking into the perfect placement for these speakers for a future dedicated media room for myself. And I want to build my room to where it’s perfect for virtual Atmos surround to bounce off the walls and ceiling.
Get the Nakamichi dragon for $3900 and never look back. It is better sounding than a lot of hundred thousand dollar systems. The problem is is that it is usually sold out.
That is mostly at the source level depending on who's mastering, less to do with the format but I will be reviewing movie surround quality and comparing them when they're available.
Why would anyone want to block their speakers? 🤔 Actually I wanted to know whether I can place my speakers two or three feet above my tv and what impact it will have on ATMOS, as it is closer to my ceiling.
I would really like to know if I can get the desired effect from these speakers, because my tv is in the corner of the living room. I cannot change where my tv is, and I am worried that my speaker placement would be so offset that I would be disappointed! What does anybody think about a corner tv setup?
Yes, and then I realized why not: these speakers would be unable to get loud enough to match the SPL of 2 stacked subwoofers stacked! If the 2nd sub was added for "even" bass, then it's no problem, but if you stacked the subs for more bass power/depth at higher SPLs the speakers will not get as loud! What we need is a more powerful A9 system for rooms over 4500 cubic feet, then we can have multi-sub!
If Sony makes an option for this HT-A9 original series to get away from drop outs like option trade in or selling the newer black magic box to sell seperated would be nice . i own it now for about four months and more than happy . April May 2024 at a superb price around 1200 USD in South America .do not own the SUB SW3 / 5 yet even the SW 5 not possible to buy in Colombia .
It's a great idea for a product but i wonder how long it will last because it very depended on the software. When the set up box ages or breaks down you can throw away the entire system.
What I’m wondering (re: placement) is if it’s ok to actually have them against a wall _next to_ the fireplace which itself extends a bit. This would block the front speakers’ line of sight to each other but not to the viewers. Presumably this is fine in that respect, but not sure (nor if it induces weird echos or anything). 🤔
Anyone know what speaker stands to use with these? I need 2 for my rear speakers. I found Vebos ones that are color matched or offered in black and designed for this, but they’re European only and would have to pay nearly $100 for shipping. Wondering if there are any USA speaker stands that work well.
Which speaker placement are you planning? The option of putting them on the floor is a game changer for many! Also check out VE's $200 discount because it's good until the end of 2021 bit.ly/3mJMukw
Do you have to manually choose between Dolby atmos and DTSX? Doesn’t the system automatically change the format based into he source for movies ?! Thank you
What if the room is small and speakers are placed next to the wall because of space constraint. How much that would affect the sound quality in such scenario.
IN your first HT-A9 review video, you said that you were going to compare the center channel effect with and without using the Sony A90J center channel feature. Which video has that comparison?
Can you recommend a Soundbar only System which has great Dolby Atmos and eArc but costs under 1000$/€ ? I always find something with a subwoofer but I don't have the space for that, I only need a Soundbar 😊
Great review thank you! Question; I have a fairly high (10-13’ vaulted) ceiling. Do you think the atmos tech will be effective with this ceiling config?
I got lucky and was able to order from Sony this past week even though on backorder with expected delivery next week along with the SW5 sub. What is the ideal placement / spacing? I’m pairing with a Sony 77” A80J and plan to use it as the center speaker. Are these speakers supposed to face forward or should they be pointed inwards to the center of seating area? Also, should the height be adjusted to account for seating distance from the speakers? Since atmos up-firing speakers are 45 degree angle, thinking it might be ideal to determine the speaker height at which the refraction from ceiling hits seating area listening height. The front speakers will end up around 8ft apart with the A80J mounted between them. I sit about 15 feet away from the tv and front speakers, and about 8 feet in front of where I plan to put the rear speakers (about 23 feet between front and rear speakers total, but I can move rear speakers as close as 1-2 feet back from seating area if better). I can also either line up the rear speakers with the front, or expand the distance a bit more between them to have rears a max of 10 feet apart. Some Sony promotional materials seem to show a trapezoid setup where fronts are closer together and rears are wider apart, but then again they also show tons of irregular setups too, so trying to determine what’s ideal if I can support it.
No. No, no no, no....NO! I had just convinced myself I was going to wait on this setup until next year for possible price drops and competition. My rears are on stands in good location, but back of viewing area is open living area into living/dining space. I'd love to be able to move the rears to the sides and possibly remove stands and still have good sound experience. Sounds do-able with this system. Question, can you use non-Sony sub with this setup? Guessing that's a no.
I'm also struggling to find reviews on the surround experience with speakers placed at the side rather than rear. If anyone can comment, it'd be a big help.
Would love to know opinion how these would work or have one more scenario tested... rear speakers at an elevate level: ie 9' off floor mounted to rear wall with a void below and ceilings 12'.
I recommend it after listening to both and now owning the HT-A9. While I was impressed with the Q950, the A9 made a big difference for Atmos. The extra $700 difference in cost was worth it for me.
In terms of of sound quality in movies and music . Is it better than the Samsung hw950a and sono arc? Please rate these three from better to worse . And take inconsideration that they are all with the subwoofers thanks
Hi :-) How to place the speakers if the sofa is directly on the wall? And what about watching movies on a beamer - I wouldn’t have the Sony TV as a center then? 🤷🏻♂️
Great review. I am definitely considering a purchase specially because with young kids at home I cannot place the rear speakers on a stand and I cannot have many wires around the room. I have a question about the placement thought. I have an open space living room with the kitchen behind the main sitting area. If I purchased this system, I would place the rear left speaker on the kitchen counter. Over the counter there is a cabinet and the speaker top driver would not have a direct sight of the ceiling but the front drivers have no blockages. Which brings me to my question… Do you expect the huddle to be affected but this setup, especially the phantom ceiling speakers?
I would love to see the reply to this! Same potential issue where I have to place the 2 front in a shelf with potentially the upper mic partially blocked by the shelf… i wrote to Sony to see if might be a problem…
I have a sloped ceiling and a wood beam running down the length of the ceiling. Would the HT A9 be able to produce credible Dolby Atmos sounds in this environment ?
Unfortunately these reviewers are leaving out important information about DTS neural X being selected as the sound option on the A9. When you choose DTS neural X as the sound option, you will not get Dolby Atmos when watching Dolby Atmos content. You will get Dolby True Hd 7.1, but not Atmos. The only way to get Atmos is to select Dolby Virtualizer or leave it at the default setting aka sound mode on. For some reason they leave this information out of their comparison videos or they just don’t know it.
Hi great comment - just to clarify, leaving the system on auto sound mode automatically switch between audio source atmos / DTX? I just got mine and try to understand. It would be a little disappointing that we have to manually select the source for each content ….thanks
Enjoyed the video! The HT-a9 will only work with one of the two Sony subs? No option for your own sub? is this the best surround with atmos for under $2500
Remember the Atmos effect is very much ambient, so this is as good as it gets for all the soundbar systems that bounce audio off the ceiling. It's not the "best" at everything because there are other options that have more subwoofer power (Klipsch) or can get louder, BUT it is the ONLY option if you don't want a soundbar under your TV, and is top 3 in sound quality.
Love your channel! Getting A95L 65 soon. Room is 10 by 12 listening area (tiny house). Sony A9 or Sennheiser Ambeo Max with SVS pb2000 pro? Must have subwoofer! Or save money and hope Sony tv audio is sufficient?
Ambeo Max + SVS gives you the best movie impact! Surround will be lacking BUT I believe the sub action will elevate your entire movie watching experience. No, A95L at best will give you clear dialogue but not close to immersive
What’s with the setting only on compared to the other two (Dolby and dts x) ?? Its normally only set to on with my ht a9. - And what about if I must wall mount the back speakers in a high of 1,6 meters? Does it make a big difference if the back speakers are at ear level compared to higher wall mount? Thanks a lot 🤗
I just purchased this system with the SW5 and I'm blown away by the dynamic these little cans offer. Yes, a fully fledged multi speaker setup with AV receiver will still sound better if set up properly. But if you are looking for a plug and play system that sounds great and can easily be integrated into your living room I wholeheartedly recommend this product.
Agreed, key words here are: plug n' play easy setup, and for me, no awkward soundbar under the TV!
Can the system be used in a medium size room or is it overkill?
@@kayodefashola9226 what's medium sized? If you want earth shattering sound then no, this is not what you are looking for.
This great for everyday use and movie night if you don't expect high end multichannel surround. If this is what you are looking for I'd say go for it.
Spot on 👍 I had a 5.1 high end set up (along with a huge amount of spaghetti wiring). The sound from this Sony HT-A9 is not as good, no, but it’s very close & I am loving it, just loving it 😍. No stands, spaghetti wires, set up by me (not an expert) in 10 minutes. You are not even aware the speakers are there. You forget there is no centre speaker at all. So glad I bought it
Nice to know these were so well engineered that you don't absolutely feel like you're missing out if you can't afford the sub.
Well.... your missing out.... but, the core system is just awsome by itself.
to my ears there's hardly any difference. the reviewer can definitely hear the differences.
I'm going to try out in the store. I mean it's above $2 and getting close to 3 grand out the door.
Follow Up Sony X95J as Center: ONLY in Sony Sound Mode (not Dolby Speaker Virtual, not DTS Neural:X) can you use the X95J as Center! In the other 2 modes, X95J is not active even if the setting shows TV as Center "on". It may be fixed in a future update, but currently the sound difference between TV center on/off are identical when in Dolby and DTS. I'll reach out to Robert for clarification from Sony.
What about the A80J/A90J as a center channel? Did you not have a Sony OLED on hand to test? I’m surprised there isn’t a UA-cam review out there yet on this combo.
@@DanVanDamme I would like to know as well.
@@DanVanDamme Yes, I do have it, but my 65" A90J is currently up high mounted on my wall and I need to bring it down, switch out the X95J - this will be compared in November for sure!
Was it fixed maybe?
Is this still the case?
I also just picked up the system, with the big speaker after watching (your included) a bunch of reviews.
Really appreciate the effort you went through. This helps in speaker placement.
Thank you FOMO! I was going to get a sound bar for my A80J 77 inch because I live in an apartment. Then with your help I went with these instead. They just arrived today and I know they are going to be awesome. No FOMO
Please let us know on this thread how you like it!
The most immersive wireless speakers at the moment! Sold my bose 900 setup for this and its worth it! I had more drop outs and problems in bose than this, tip for the dropout issue, connect directly the devices to hdmi in of the a9 receiver, just use an hdmi switch if you have more device, you will most likely experience drop out if you will rely from the tv , and also make sure the 4 speakers have a clear line of sight from the receiver for a solid connection!
Hi. This is my big dilemma in fact: do you lose a lot in terms of sound quality coming from a Bose 900?
Because ok how much you earn in terms of spatial audio, but also the quality of the Bose is an important factor for me to take into consideration.
Thank you very much for your availability if you answer me
I’m reading your story mine is similar. I also returned the Bose 900 with it 700 sub . I am hooking mine up to a sony A90J .I Hurd mixed reviews on using it as the center channel. I’m not going to but I have to pick up the subwoofer. I am going to wire it the way you said to so I don’t have any drop outs. That was the reason I was a little concerned about purchasing this I heard about drop outs. Thanks again for the information on the set up.
after a year of using it daily, i am still amazed on it, i just recently upgraded to the sw5 coming from the sw3 and it made such a big difference! Highly recommended.!
@iLGuRG i didn’t feel the lose in terms of sound quality, although i still think for music alone bose 900 is still the best for me , but the rest goes to a9. A9 is also more fun and immersive.
I'm picking this up today to compare to my full A7000 setup. Gonna keep whichever sounds better. Have you used the TV as center channel? I use it with 77"A80K and feel it completely elevated the A7000 system. So I'm sure I'll like the A9 system utilizing it was so
Brother, you are 1000% correct on the difference between DTS: Neural X and Dolby Virtual Atmos. 👏 it applies to full Atmos and DTS:X as well. DTS is significantly louder, especially on the center channel and height channels. Atmos is softer but also has a wider soundstage that gives a spaciousness.
It's really a matter of personal preference and taste as to which you prefer. There is no wrong choice. I myself constantly switch between them depending on what I am watching. For standard TV, gaming and streaming apps like UA-cam I prefer DTS:Virtual X. But for movies and live sports, I prefer Dolby Virtual Atmos as the spaciousness of the wide soundstage really immerses you and gives you a "You are right there" feeling.
Dude mad respect for the effort you put in to this review. I'd love to get my hands on this system.
Sony should make a wireless module to hook to any sub for people that already have or want to add more bass to this system.
Totally agree. Sat here in Sweden & waited for relse, but probably jumps for their poor selection of subwoofers.
The sw5 is critical and must be purchased with this system. I cannot imagine keeping it without the sw5. The full 5 piece set sounds incredible and gives an amazing sense of physical surrounding sound. It's brought my oled TV to life and everyone who walks into my living room is blown away. Makes TV watching a real serious and new experience. Must experience it for yourself.
Would you say the subwoofer is a room shaker or no?
On the fence and need help;
SONY HTA9 or NAKAMICHI 7.2.4
90% Movies (4K disc) and Netflix 4K
HELP PLEASE...WHICH ONE
@@nealivers7479 nakamichi doesn't have earc
I would suggest the sw3 for those living in condo and apartments though , its good enough to not cause trouble against your neighboors lol.
@@jaywheretwo1424 screw neighbors, dude stomps all over the ceiling like he pays my rent lmao. Like a gorillas sometimes
Catch these wubs neighborino
I've literally just got this and I got the SW3. People need to talk about it more. My largish room shook, hard when I turned it up.
Can you please tell me the size of your room, cause all of them are saying subwoofer is a must and that too SW5, which is way out of my budget, I have a budget for SW3.
Everything I've heard so far about the A9 in regards to sound is indeed amazing. But my main concern is the ability for the unit to stay connected. There are some reviews out there (Best Buy, Amazon) stating their is dissatisfaction with connectivity. Some have a connection for a few days than have to re calibrate the unit, others cannot get at least one of the speakers to connect during the initial setup. I do agree this is a great unit, and produces a great movie experience, but reliability is major factor in the decision making, especially for a unit that costs $2500. I hope a reliability test video can be made so this way we become more confident in purchasing this unit.
I’ve experienced some drop outs, about twice a week. Easily remedied by going into settings/wireless speakers/ RT off then ON. Whole process takes 2 minutes. For whatever reason this seems to occur only when using the Netflix internal app. Going to try Netflix through my Apple TV 4K and see if it makes any difference.
@@kojak99100 Hopefully this is an issue that can be resolved through an update. I'll wait I while to see if these issues resolve.
We haven’t experienced this problem yet…
I got that problem for over 2 years with Pioneer fayola (wireless surround), It drive me crazy. Find out that my router was the problem - same channel, around ch 50 on 5 GHz, changed it to ch 100 and problem solved. My router still jumps sometimes to ch 50, have something with planes to do, but I know what to do. Maybe it's the same cause
The only dropouts I'm having is not with the HTA9 but with the HBO Max app.
Andrew Robinson did a pretty good review on these as well
He did, first one I saw and got me interested in this system.
@@patb5266 Sony should compensate Andrew, bought one myself cause of his review. Glad I did, just watched Dune on HBO Max, and wow !.
@@dhernandez1679 Dune on these speakers just sounds like it would be amazing.
@@dharambasi1928 It should. Dune sounds amazing even in normal home theaters
@@umeshnair05 it sounds amazing in normal home theater speakers, really good.
Now with the release of 2023 receivers with this processing available for all your own speakers its going to get interesting.
Waiting for ur review of the quad . Especially comparing to a9.
Best channel thanks for helping us 👍
For those who has a lot of wifi and Bluetooth units connected in the living room.
My suggestion when installing the A9 is to turn off internet and all wifi/bt units before installing the A9.
After installed wait 5 min before you turn on the wifi and nternet units, this will ensure the A9 2.4 GHz signals to be used without disturbance as the wifi will see these channels already being used by the A9 and use other channels for your wifi and Bluetooth units instead.
Also, try not to use the 2.4 GHz signals of your routers, the 2.4 signals clash against each other constantly and that's why you get disturbance, instead use your 5g wifi and you won't get more problems.
Also,
Dont keep usb 3 drives close to any wifi or BT or the A9, usb 3 drives have a tendency to disturb 2 4 GHz signals, IBM wrote a paper about this a couple of years ago.
I had the HTzf9 for years and learned a lot from using them. The same installation values applies to the A,9 but even more so because the A9 connects to 5 units while the Zf9 connected to 4.
I hope this helps anyone with wifi/2.4 ghz clashing or disturbance.
Cheers!
*This guy has the best reviews hands down*
I am really thankful that i did find your channel because you made fire videos, kudos.
A dual sub option would take this over the top !
Or a standard subwoofer interface to add your own
@@joeyspalding4276 i would buy it if adding my own sub was an option. not buying it because of this. would have been very easy to add an LFE out on the main unit.
Yes, TV toslink output to DA converter. Amazon has the perfect unit, $40. Add any sub to this or any system.
@@bigbeard6676 brother it can be done easily as I said in my other post, I'll add a link to what you need.
@@patb5266 Thank you. Very interested in how this will work and integrate. I hope i can understand.
Been waiting for this, thank you.
I think the big question now is: "Is it better than Samsung's HW-Q950A? And if so, is it good enough to justify the price difference?"
Would love to see those questions answered along with a review using a Sony X9*J as the center channel!!
I was thinking about the 950A , but read too many peeps having problems with the stability of the connection of the rear speakers
Both are excellent, I like the A9 because I don't like the soundbar look. If you don't mind the soundbar, go with the cheaper one as they are both good enough.
@@stopthefomo I can’t speak to Samsung‘s sound bar, but I can say that the A9 is, IMO better than the Sonos Arc, and much much better than the Sony HT-A7000.
@@stopthefomo I dont really care about looks and the q950a looks pretty bad with that cloth on it. I would like to know from you based on soundstage and quality (i.e. Atmos implementation) would you prefer the A9 over any soundbar today?
Fantatic review, specially putting the speakers in these awkward positions to see what does and doesn’t work. But I have to ask, you tested Dolby vs DTS upmixing, but what about those 2 againt Sony’s own upmixing?
Good question, I'll play with Sony's own and let you all know!
The gloves make you look like a real bad ass!
Great review which answered a lot of my questions. One thing it didn’t cover is whether your seating position makes a difference ? I always find with my existing AV calibration that it sets it up for one persons seating position but anyone else in the room gets a suboptimal experience.
No one?
Would of been nice to see one close to the ceiling, like on a bookshelf behind you rather than being behind something. No one would do that. Up on things behind is very common. Especially with kids where you don't want speakers sitting on tippy stands.
Great review lots of options there for us to try out, just need to see your review now using a compatible Sony TV as a centre channel
Coming up!
@@stopthefomo Great looking forward to it 👍🏻
What about placing the speakers a bit far from or closer to the optimal position?
Does the DSP and Sound Field Optimization can compensate the asymmetric placement well enough?
It's the main selling point for me, comparing to standard soundbar system with surround satellites.
Any idea how this setup compares to the Q990B?
What about using an A90J for the TV? In the first video you said you would use it in your second video but you didn't mention it.
Yeah would love to see a A90J used as the centre channel
Thank you for your great job Fomo!
What a useful review! Great job ;) You can tell there is a lot of work to give us a quality review. I really appreciate it. A quick question to anyone who could help me. I don't have a TV, instead, I have a projector. Any issues if I buy the A9 to use it with the projector? Thanks in advance. Again, this is a really really good review. Chapeau!
i love your review that really help my decision of purchase HT-A9. i would like to know what speaker stand do you use?
it would be perfect if it has a sub out and attached a monolith or HSU using svs sound path, but im glad we are starting to see good wireless speaker options
Hi, just a question regarding 7:13 -- 4 Placement Options: was the auto-calibration re-done for every placement option? Thanks!
Is this system better than 7000 soundbar?
Thank you so much for this video. I am looking into the perfect placement for these speakers for a future dedicated media room for myself. And I want to build my room to where it’s perfect for virtual Atmos surround to bounce off the walls and ceiling.
Get the Nakamichi dragon for $3900 and never look back. It is better sounding than a lot of hundred thousand dollar systems. The problem is is that it is usually sold out.
Nice Review like always, how about the center channel if you have a Sony TV as a center channel, do you also check DTS X vs Dolby Atmos?
That is mostly at the source level depending on who's mastering, less to do with the format but I will be reviewing movie surround quality and comparing them when they're available.
Hello Fomo you are really enjoying that system huh? Good for you buddy.
I put my speakers on the wall using command stickers 😂😂
Question: Did you recalibrate the system between your moving speakers tests?
Fomo you think this is better than the sony Ht-7000 ? I will like to see a vs video
Amazing review, thank you answered many of my questions. If only there was stock available :)
Hi FOMO, can you please do an update review with the Sony A95L OLED?
Why would anyone want to block their speakers? 🤔 Actually I wanted to know whether I can place my speakers two or three feet above my tv and what impact it will have on ATMOS, as it is closer to my ceiling.
I would really like to know if I can get the desired effect from these speakers, because my tv is in the corner of the living room. I cannot change where my tv is, and I am worried that my speaker placement would be so offset that I would be disappointed! What does anybody think about a corner tv setup?
Can you imagine if Sony would allow us to add more subs and extra speakers to this system !.
Yes, and then I realized why not: these speakers would be unable to get loud enough to match the SPL of 2 stacked subwoofers stacked! If the 2nd sub was added for "even" bass, then it's no problem, but if you stacked the subs for more bass power/depth at higher SPLs the speakers will not get as loud! What we need is a more powerful A9 system for rooms over 4500 cubic feet, then we can have multi-sub!
i have the htz9f complete set-up lpcm/neural:x is very crisp,louder over Dolby night/day difference love it.
I have a Sonos home theater setup with a beam, 2 ones, and a sub. Would the A9 be worth the upgrade, because I’m liking what I see and hear!
If Sony makes an option for this HT-A9 original series to get away from drop outs like option trade in or selling the newer black magic box to sell seperated would be nice .
i own it now for about four months and more than happy . April May 2024 at a superb price around 1200 USD in South America .do not own the SUB SW3 / 5 yet even the SW 5 not possible to buy in Colombia .
i was watching Masters of the Air before and after i bought the set and wow !
It's a great idea for a product but i wonder how long it will last because it very depended on the software. When the set up box ages or breaks down you can throw away the entire system.
Please keep up the reviews associated to audio man(Not only tvs)! I love your style!
What I’m wondering (re: placement) is if it’s ok to actually have them against a wall _next to_ the fireplace which itself extends a bit. This would block the front speakers’ line of sight to each other but not to the viewers. Presumably this is fine in that respect, but not sure (nor if it induces weird echos or anything). 🤔
Anyone know what speaker stands to use with these? I need 2 for my rear speakers.
I found Vebos ones that are color matched or offered in black and designed for this, but they’re European only and would have to pay nearly $100 for shipping. Wondering if there are any USA speaker stands that work well.
Which speaker placement are you planning? The option of putting them on the floor is a game changer for many! Also check out VE's $200 discount because it's good until the end of 2021 bit.ly/3mJMukw
To me a subwoofer is the meat and potatoes of a sound system.
Well thought out review. I still think these are silly but I like his review.
Is the sub better then the Bose 700 sub
@@thomassiegers3007 you cannot connect any other sub than sony
I know
Do you have to manually choose between Dolby atmos and DTSX? Doesn’t the system automatically change the format based into he source for movies ?! Thank you
What if the room is small and speakers are placed next to the wall because of space constraint. How much that would affect the sound quality in such scenario.
How close can the rear speakers be to the optimal seating position? Is having a shelf just behind the sofa possible?
And if one of the surround speaker placed up close to the ceiling how it would sound?
Exelente video, saludos saludos desde Costa Rica...
awesome review.
may I know where can I get the speaker stands that you are using from?
IN your first HT-A9 review video, you said that you were going to compare the center channel effect with and without using the Sony A90J center channel feature. Which video has that comparison?
perfect review, thanks
Can you recommend a Soundbar only System which has great Dolby Atmos and eArc but costs under 1000$/€ ? I always find something with a subwoofer but I don't have the space for that, I only need a Soundbar 😊
How does it sound with the Sony A90J as a center speaker vs none?
Hey man, love the videos. Can you do a video on the LG S95QR? I have their previous version but I’d like see a review done on it.
Great review thank you!
Question;
I have a fairly high (10-13’ vaulted) ceiling. Do you think the atmos tech will be effective with this ceiling config?
Please compare this to the sonos arc with sub and ones Same price point. Does it have the same clarity and clean base?
I got lucky and was able to order from Sony this past week even though on backorder with expected delivery next week along with the SW5 sub.
What is the ideal placement / spacing? I’m pairing with a Sony 77” A80J and plan to use it as the center speaker. Are these speakers supposed to face forward or should they be pointed inwards to the center of seating area?
Also, should the height be adjusted to account for seating distance from the speakers? Since atmos up-firing speakers are 45 degree angle, thinking it might be ideal to determine the speaker height at which the refraction from ceiling hits seating area listening height.
The front speakers will end up around 8ft apart with the A80J mounted between them. I sit about 15 feet away from the tv and front speakers, and about 8 feet in front of where I plan to put the rear speakers (about 23 feet between front and rear speakers total, but I can move rear speakers as close as 1-2 feet back from seating area if better).
I can also either line up the rear speakers with the front, or expand the distance a bit more between them to have rears a max of 10 feet apart. Some Sony promotional materials seem to show a trapezoid setup where fronts are closer together and rears are wider apart, but then again they also show tons of irregular setups too, so trying to determine what’s ideal if I can support it.
No. No, no no, no....NO! I had just convinced myself I was going to wait on this setup until next year for possible price drops and competition. My rears are on stands in good location, but back of viewing area is open living area into living/dining space. I'd love to be able to move the rears to the sides and possibly remove stands and still have good sound experience. Sounds do-able with this system. Question, can you use non-Sony sub with this setup? Guessing that's a no.
I see my answer in the comments. Must use one of those two Sony subs. Too bad. I already have high quality sub.
@@cbenson513 I was also hoping you could use any sub...I have a pair of svs pb300s😩
I'm also struggling to find reviews on the surround experience with speakers placed at the side rather than rear. If anyone can comment, it'd be a big help.
Would love to know opinion how these would work or have one more scenario tested... rear speakers at an elevate level: ie 9' off floor mounted to rear wall with a void below and ceilings 12'.
I see a lot using these with stands. How does the system sound, if speakers are wall mounted beside the tv ? 🙂
What about listening to music via Tidal Master Quality and 360/Atmos ? 😁
Hi Fomo! Do you recommend upgrading from samsung q950a to HTA9?
Not for 3x the cost
I recommend it after listening to both and now owning the HT-A9. While I was impressed with the Q950, the A9 made a big difference for Atmos. The extra $700 difference in cost was worth it for me.
Sony should allow you to use one of their sound bars as a center channel
The newer Sony TVs are the sound bar.
@@RedLeo-pf9yo No they are NOT!
Thanks for the video! Is it the best to use a apple tv 4k or the native LGos on my tv? I do have the LGCX. 🙏🏼
Hey thanks for that lucid presentation. I just wanna know how do these speakers fare when streaming content with Dolby atmos, like Netflix.
i got this system with the subwoofer sw3 :( the sony center in Ecuador doesn't import the sw5
In terms of of sound quality in movies and music . Is it better than the Samsung hw950a and sono arc? Please rate these three from better to worse . And take inconsideration that they are all with the subwoofers thanks
When oh when will there be an HT-9A review with A90J center channel? Please 🙏
What speaker stands do you recommend?
Hi :-) How to place the speakers if the sofa is directly on the wall?
And what about watching movies on a beamer - I wouldn’t have the Sony TV as a center then? 🤷🏻♂️
did you have any problems with the sound cutting in and out and "glitching". I'm having a hell of a time with these and not getting this problem.
Great review. I am definitely considering a purchase specially because with young kids at home I cannot place the rear speakers on a stand and I cannot have many wires around the room. I have a question about the placement thought. I have an open space living room with the kitchen behind the main sitting area. If I purchased this system, I would place the rear left speaker on the kitchen counter. Over the counter there is a cabinet and the speaker top driver would not have a direct sight of the ceiling but the front drivers have no blockages. Which brings me to my question… Do you expect the huddle to be affected but this setup, especially the phantom ceiling speakers?
I would love to see the reply to this! Same potential issue where I have to place the 2 front in a shelf with potentially the upper mic partially blocked by the shelf… i wrote to Sony to see if might be a problem…
I’m sure I am not the first one to ask this, but did you recalibrate the speakers before every placement?
What about dialogue clarity? Using tv as center channel does not resolve issue. Are you saying the 4 speakers by themselves resolve this issue?
What’s the furthest away can you put the speakers? And what the highest you can wall mount them?
What if my couch directly to a wall and i can't put the speakers behind? Will i loose some 3Dness?
GOD I wish I could get these already! RELEASE THEM TO US, SONYYYYY. And a PS5 while you're at it, k thx bai x
I think the most likely non-optimal layout would be blocking one or both of the rear speakers and on the floor. So why didn't you try that.
I have a sloped ceiling and a wood beam running down the length of the ceiling. Would the HT A9 be able to produce credible Dolby Atmos sounds in this environment ?
Unfortunately these reviewers are leaving out important information about DTS neural X being selected as the sound option on the A9. When you choose DTS neural X as the sound option, you will not get Dolby Atmos when watching Dolby Atmos content. You will get Dolby True Hd 7.1, but not Atmos. The only way to get Atmos is to select Dolby Virtualizer or leave it at the default setting aka sound mode on.
For some reason they leave this information out of their comparison videos or they just don’t know it.
Hi great comment - just to clarify, leaving the system on auto sound mode automatically switch between audio source atmos / DTX? I just got mine and try to understand. It would be a little disappointing that we have to manually select the source for each content ….thanks
Enjoyed the video! The HT-a9 will only work with one of the two Sony subs? No option for your own sub? is this the best surround with atmos for under $2500
Remember the Atmos effect is very much ambient, so this is as good as it gets for all the soundbar systems that bounce audio off the ceiling. It's not the "best" at everything because there are other options that have more subwoofer power (Klipsch) or can get louder, BUT it is the ONLY option if you don't want a soundbar under your TV, and is top 3 in sound quality.
Love your channel! Getting A95L 65 soon. Room is 10 by 12 listening area (tiny house). Sony A9 or Sennheiser Ambeo Max with SVS pb2000 pro? Must have subwoofer! Or save money and hope Sony tv audio is sufficient?
Ambeo Max + SVS gives you the best movie impact! Surround will be lacking BUT I believe the sub action will elevate your entire movie watching experience. No, A95L at best will give you clear dialogue but not close to immersive
What’s with the setting only on compared to the other two (Dolby and dts x) ?? Its normally only set to on with my ht a9. - And what about if I must wall mount the back speakers in a high of 1,6 meters? Does it make a big difference if the back speakers are at ear level compared to higher wall mount? Thanks a lot 🤗
Worth the upgrade if I have the Sonos arc setup with rears?
Nope, too close in quality/effect. Best upgrade for you would be to add the Sonos sub or discrete 5.2.2 with overhead ceiling speakers
Is ht A10 versiom of latest home theatre coming in 2023
March 1st
Wow, great content 👍
Hey man... can you recomend me the best speakers to bring out the full potential of the denon avr s760h? Price/performance wise...
I can't seem to find it right now maybe they pulled it because of all the drop out issues.
do u still recommend these if my sofa is against a wall. does this affect the rear speakers sound quality? thanks
Could we have reviews of the best budget soundbars please.