The Review of the Sony HT-A9 Full-Home Theater System with Subwoofer

I must say that I'm a bit over the moon about the prospect of having the Z9J soundbar system in my home theater, but unfortunately, it's not in my budget. However, with the X95J system, which is less expensive than the Z9J, I'm somewhat underwhelmed. The X95J doesn't have the low-end chops that I've come to expect from a top-tier soundbar system, and it kind of falls flat as a result. To get the most out of this system, I recommend disabling the S Center Speaker feature, which involves just one extra cable and can be done by letting the front left and right speakers create a phantom center. This sounds much better than using the S Center Speaker.

One area where the X95J falls short is in its lack of sub-bass or deep bass impact. Despite the surround effects being impressive and the fidelity being very good, I couldn't help but feel that this system needs a subwoofer to truly come alive. In fact, if it were my call, I wouldn't sell this system without a subwoofer included. If I did sell it with a subwoofer included, I would have to recommend the Sony SW5, which has an active bass driver and a passive radiator, making it a sealed design that delivers remarkably capable sub-bass.

I think the SW5 is remarkably overpriced, but the fact remains that you're locked into one of two Sony subs for this system, and most Sony soundbars come with the SW3. The difference between these two subs is significant, with the SW5 being more powerful and larger in size than the SW3. While the SW3 is less expensive, it's not as powerful, and it will still help add impact to the overall sound of the system. Given the price difference between the two subs and the overall price of the system, I think spending an extra $400 on the better sub is a no-brainer.

With the SW5, the HT-A9 sounds like money. The Dune soundtrack was particularly impressive, as it's a fire soundtrack that really comes alive with this system. The bass is deep and well-controlled, and the whole system truly delivers in terms of sound quality. In fact, I think the sub does better with music than the speakers do, which is a testament to the overall sound quality of this system.

It's worth noting that there are other systems on the market that may offer similar performance for a lower price point. However, these systems often come with their own set of drawbacks, such as less powerful speakers or more complicated setup headaches. The HT-A9, on the other hand, serves its niche well, delivering remarkably good sound quality in a compact package.

One area where the HT-A9 shines is in its ability to deliver 360-degree audio from music streaming services like Deezer and Amazon Prime Music. It also acts as a Chromecast, and it has Bluetooth on board, making it easy to connect with other devices in the home. However, when it comes to movie playback, I would put this system up against other top-tier soundbar systems, such as the Klipsch Cinema 1200 and the Samsung HW290A.

In terms of performance, the HT-A9 is very similar to these other systems, with dialogue location and clarity being particularly impressive. However, in some cases, the soundbar may not be as powerful or as detailed as the other two systems. That being said, the HT-A9 does have a larger footprint than the Klipsch Cinema 1200, which can make it feel more imposing in the room.

Ultimately, whether or not the HT-A9 is right for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences. If you're looking for a system that delivers impressive sound quality without breaking the bank, then the HT-A9 may be worth considering. Just be sure to factor in the cost of a subwoofer, as this system truly shines when paired with one.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: eni wasn't planning on doing a full review on this speaker system but then i paired it with the sony x95j and well i just had to welcome back everyone i'm caleb dennison and today we're going to review the sony hta 9 surround sound speaker package this is a mostly wireless surround sound option that to me seems to try to bridge the gap between soundbar surround systems and conventional surround sound setups with a receiver individual speakers and all the speaker wires and cabling that go with them i think we should talk about how the system looks how it functions what makes it different and in the end how well it works compared to other surround sound solutions out there before we get into it i want to point out that the hta9 currently retails for 1800 and i must point out that it does not come with a subwoofer at that price if you want slash need to add a sub that will cost anywhere from four to seven hundred dollars with that said what's your knee-jerk reaction before you watch the rest of this review let me know what you think down in the comments and while you're down there please take note of the like and subscribe buttons which i would invite you to smash with veracity if you end up liking this video and would like to see more like it thanks for your consideration now let's review this thing so let's start with the looks here is one of the hta9 speakers using me as reference for size here it is on a media stand here it is on a shelf and here it is on a shelf with an elf oh we don't have the elf well imagine the l for now we'll have to work on that anyway my question is do you like the way this speaker looks can you see it in your home with your system how do you think your significant other might feel about it never mind what i think what i think doesn't matter but under no circumstances should you ever simply put up with something you don't like the looks of unless it sounds like the voice of god itself you should never put up with something you don't like just because it sounds good there's just simply too many other options out there now assuming you like the looks well enough we can proceed and i think the next important thing to talk about is convenience because that's the system's big promise right you plug each speaker into power plug in this small black box run an hdmi cable from your tv's arc or er port to the box click a button a few times and bam surround sound does it really work like that yes as a matter of fact it does the speakers which have a forward-facing mid-bass driver and tweeter and an upward facing driver to bounce sound off the ceiling also have two microphones in them when you plug the speakers in they start seeking to connect with the little control box now each speaker is labeled to show you where they should go so you can't just throw whichever speaker wherever but once they're in the right place the system basically sets itself up using this on-screen interface it will make sure all the speakers have wirelessly connected successfully they'll emit test tones one at a time and the microphones will take measurements then the processing wizardry in the little black box will optimize not only the equalization but the volume levels and the mix so that you supposedly get the best possible result without any tools or excessive button clicking now in my experience that process works very well there are two little exceptions i'll cover in a moment but most folks will find this extremely easy and intuitive so simplicity and setup thumbs up next i want to talk about practicality and control how much can you adjust the system to handle personal preferences if you want well you get just enough without being able to ruin anything sony insists it knows it's best for you and your room you can adjust the base level and you can adjust the rear speaker levels on the hole however you cannot adjust the height effects or the upward firing speakers independently and i really wish you could because some folks will just want more and it's nice to be able to tweak things isn't it speaking of control you can set things up manually in terms of general speaker placement and distance if you want that's in the menu but honestly i wouldn't waste your time it's highly unlikely you're going to get a better result with manual data input on this system plus it kind of defeats the whole purpose of simplicity thing as for sound modes you get standard cinema and music along with a dialog clarity option called voice and then there's sony's proprietary processing which is really where the magic comes in and let me make this really simple there was never a time when the system sounded better with this turned off than it did with it on so just turn it on never look back you can trust me on this so how does it sound well that depends on a few things so let's talk about how the system sounds on its own then we'll talk about how it sounds with the tv acting as the center channel which is only an option for certain sony tv owners and then we'll talk about how it sounds with a subwoofer on its own without a sub the hta 9 sounds damn impressive from a surround sound effects perspective the magic this system works will depend on some of the nature of your room for instance if you have super high ceilings or angled ceilings your atmos effects will be a little less present also if you have a very big open room the system may not have as much bass for you as someone with a medium too small closed-in room but on the whole the sony processing is insanely good the surround effects from front to back side to side and from top down are so smoothly integrated and contiguous i just it's amazing how well this system creates that dome of sound i look for in a dolby atmos or dtsx setup now as for base response this will depend on your room but i did run some frequency sweeps and again in this room and my slightly more open room at home i got usable bass down to just above 80 hertz from there it rolls off really heavily so you may get like the faintest whiff of sub bass but it's not enough to be meaningful from a fidelity standpoint i'd say it's very respectable for a cinema system i'm less in love with it for music given its cost but you could do a lot worse with a dedicated receiver and speaker combo and also it blows away the fidelity of many of the soundbar based systems we've tested recently with that said i do hear the speaker enclosure specifically with dialogue i can hear a little bit of boxiness now if you caught my sony x95jtv review then you heard me complaining that it sounded like voices were routed through a tin can and they did at the time but i reset the box and ran the setup routine again and that largely went away so on the whole the fidelity is quite good but we're not talking audiophile grade here just as you can get much worse for the same money in terms of surround sound quality you can also get better fidelity for the same price that leads us nicely into the hta 9 paired with certain sony tvs where the tv's onboard audio system becomes the center channel that's reproducing almost all of the dialogue and many of the surround effects the center channel is the most important channel in a surround system so asking a tv to handle it is asking a lot now if i had the a90j here or the a80j those oled tvs i'd have no worries if i had the z9j here i might be a little bit over the moon frankly but with the x95j i'm less enthused the x95j doesn't have the low end chops and it simply kind of falls flat it is better not to use the s center speaker feature which really just involved one extra cable and just let the front left and right speaker create a phantom center it sounds way better that way so depending on the sony tv the s center can be a huge benefit or a liability now what i have not really addressed is this system's lack of sub bass or deep bass i did say the surround effects were impressive and the fidelity is very good but the fact of the matter is this system does not have the impact it needs to have without a subwoofer added honestly if it were my call i wouldn't sell this system without a subwoofer included and if i did sell it with the subwoofer included it would have to be the sony sw5 and not the sw3 the sw5 has an active bass driver and a passive radiator so it's a sealed design and really this is a remarkably capable subwoofer i also think it is remarkably overpriced but the thing is you're locked into one of two sony subs for this system and indeed most of sony soundbar so it is what it is the sw3 is less expensive it's supported design it's not as powerful but it will help a lot to add impact but given the price difference between the two subs and given the overall price of the system i just think spending the extra 400 bucks to get the better sub is kind of a no-brainer i mean when you get up to this level in price that 400 bucks is probably not a budget breaker right with the sw5 this system sounds money i pulled up dune right away because i just heard that movie a few days ago in a commercial theater and again in my own home theater and it is a fire soundtrack in fact that soundtrack carries the movie in my opinion and this system absolutely brings it you get deep high impact well controlled tuneful bass actually i think the sub does better with music than the speakers do and the whole system really comes into its own but we're talking about a system cost of well over two thousand dollars and that my friend is a good chunk of change in fact there are folks not spending nearly that much on their tv so for a lot of you this system is probably a non-starter but i can think of a number of different systems that used a modestly powered av receiver an atmos speaker and some packages that are going to get up into that price range very quickly and they won't sound much better if as good as this system sounds plus they come with the hassle of speaker wires and a lot more setup headaches now i've only scratched the surface of what this system does outside of movies and tv mostly because that's what i think it's best at though it is worth pointing out it can do 360 degree audio from like deezer and amazon prime music plus it acts like a chromecast and it also has bluetooth on board but when it comes to music love it for the surround effects and it's good enough in the fidelity department as for comparisons to soundbar systems well let's look at the klipsch cinema 1200 and the samsung 290a both of which are of similar cost and both of which sound very good i would put this full hta9 system with subwoofer right up against them i think the dialogue location and clarity is better with a sound bar if you aren't including a sony tv as the center channel and let's be honest the clip sub is a bit more powerful it's also over twice the size so take that into consideration and with the samsung again very similar situation little elements may be slightly better but on the whole we are talking about very similar performance so it looks like somehow the cost is comparable to those soundbar systems the setup is comparable in terms of simplicity and ease of use and the sound quality is comparable as well actually in most cases the hta9 sounds a bit bigger which is owed in most part to its bigger footprint in the end the difference is the form factor so now we're back to well just look at it do you like what you see do you feel like this is a system that would fit into your space and into your lifestyle then buy it you will not be disappointed in how it sounds if you get the subwoofer the ht89 serves a niche space no doubt about it but it serves it very well thanks as always for watching everyone what do you think about spending possibly twice as much on your audio system as you do on your tv leave me a comment about that down below like and subscribe and here's two other videos that i think you'll like\n"