I guess the A9 as I am would love to know what the differences are as well as the Q990C and Sonos Arc. It's not gonna compete against the dragon. One thing ive noticed about the A9 is that you have to put the volume pretty loud to hear the dialog and then the surround sound is too loud. Don't know if this is because of the virtual center or if thats just the way the sound mix was recorded. Seems to happen on most movies.
I have more of a curve ball. I am planning on a fall purchase for the Sony A95L. That's pretty much locked down. Now what I am trying to figure out is what sound system to pair with this. Initially I was wowed by the Sonos Arc and 300s + sub system. I went to Best Buy to listen to this setup. Soon after being herded into their theater room I was basically shamed for lack of knowledge and told I needed a 'real audiophile' system to pair with the A95L. Soon I was mesmerized by the 10k sound system they were sampling for me. I left Best Buy with my tail between my legs. Discouraged, but not knocked out, I am now trying to understand if the original Sonos plan was a solid plan, or if I should go with a budget friendly component setup ala Klipsch, Yamaha or Jamo for example. What setup wins in this? Soundbar systems with subs, or component packages at similar price points. I would really be most interested in this comparison.
@robertj7834 I used to have a 5.1 wharfdale system w yamaha receiver about 5grand. Now I have the Samsung 990. The richness of the sound was clearly better with the floorstanding wharfedales, but it ate my lounge room and I rarely got the volume up above 10% of its ability. The samsung works well for my space, especially the atmos effects since my roof is quite low. I find the rear speakers need to really close to the back of the couch to create that "dome" effect. Lacks finesse but good value for money.
Please please do a comparison with the Q990 Vs new Sony soundbars with and without sub/surrounds!! 🎉 Also, no one has reviewed the new Sony sound bars by themselves and with/without a Sony tv vs a non Sony tv. 🎉 please. Thank you. Oh ps, also if just the soundbar No sub, Vs say the Ambeo soundbars etc 🎉
@@neverenoughtechjust out of curiosity, will you be buying the new A9 system? You are the only TYer I know that buys so much, in your case ALL, the products you review. That’s a lot of cost, and a lot of sound systems to have. Most reviewers have the system for a couple weeks then ship it back and they don’t really “live” with the system like you do and experience all the issues and firmware updates. Thanks for what you do!
Can't wait for your review of the quad. I only purchased the HT-A9 in November after watching your comparison videos as I had the choice to also pick up the sonos ultimate package. Now they have gone and released an upgraded version 5 months later. Would be good to know how it compares to the A9.
My sense is if the A9 sticks around for a 1000 less the Quad will have a bit of trouble on its hands … it may be that new technology and the extra driver - and the improved connectivity really makes it shine in a new way. I’ll have to test it out
I hear some saying the pricing on Sony stuff is ridiculous for lack of a better word. Well, my thoughts are: I paid $3500 for a 1080P 15 years ago and it still works nicely. So, last week I went and bought the 77” A95L which adds up to my car and house insurance for a year. Spend your money and enjoy life because the other entities will take as much as they can from you!
I was excited about the new Sony Quad but, investigating further, I find that it has only a 1 year warranty. Most other audio separates have 3-5 years warranty
@neverenoughtech bought bar8 to add to my new XR93L ... i spent $750 plus tax on soundbar (open box excellent condition) I am not sure if i'm impressed with sound (tv on the other hand is mind blowing). This was my first upgrade in a very long time (8-9years) coming from old Vizio M65-C1 tv and SB4051 CO 5.1 system (sub included) ... I am quite sure i have to add SA-SW5 and maybe the back speakers.. thoughts?? that's quite a ticket . Should i go for it and be amazed or should i return bar8 and go different route. I have to say my full vizio setup sounds better then just bar8 but that's because of all the speakers i think?
I am looking very much forward to your Sony Bravia Home Theatre Quad review. My finger is just hovering above the Buy trigger... But just need to hear your review on it first. I also have a high ceiling in my home at about 16 feet. Not sure how Quad will perform ...
The NS7 has its place for moms or dads who want to crank up the movie while the kids are asleep and still be able to hear the kids if they get up. Part of being a responsible parent is not wearing headphones and ignoring the kids. Honestly, I compared my NS7s to the Apple AirPods Max and the NS7 is a better experience; even when using Apple TV
As a former owner of the OG A9 and now a current owner of the quad, I can say without a shadow of doubt this system is definitely better. Not sure any new 2024 system is worth a $1 more than its predecessor, Sony definitely killed it with this upgrade. I am definitely looking forward to your future review, as I appreciate your no BS honest non bias thoughts.
I got the new Klipsch flexus core 200 soundbar, I like it plus I got the new Klipsch PR subwoofer to hook into the sub out input on the back of the sound bar
I’m the happy owner of Samsung N950, but I’m starting to think about upgrade. It would be lovely if you would compare Samsung 990D and Sony Bar 9. Really curious how the Bar 9 ( especially with added Subwoofer SA-SW5 and SA-RS5 rears. I know, with extras, Sony is at the entirely different price point, but it would be great to check if it’s really worth it to go this “extra mile” or just stick with 990D.
Great review, to be honest I am underwhelmed with both Sony and Samsung latest offerings (single frame) and sony prices, lack of soundbar and additional sub requirement, apart from resolving connection issues there appears to be minimal sound improvements....
Don't know if you will read this or not but I trust your reviews more than others out there!! Hoping that you get your hands on the Bravia theater quad soon and review it... Gerry
@@neverenoughtech Thanks- currently have a Sonos Arc with 2 subs and a pair of ERA 300s. Waiting for Sonos to implement your suggestion of a center channel of sorts and two ERA 300s upfront (like your illegal setup 😜)! I want wider separation upfront. However, I don't think this is going to happen unfortunately 🤢. Kind of looking around for possibly a different option.. Gerry
Thanks for the review. My use case is a bit more specific. This is not for stereo (as I have 2 channel stereo system for that). What I’d like to know is how the A9s/Quads perform for multi-channel surround music mixes like quadrophonic and 5.1 channel surround music. I’m guessing they would upmix 5.1 surround music eg Pink Floyd/Herbie Hancock, in comparison to dedicated 5.1 channel music setup? Also, I bought a Samsung 950T to listen to the post-2021/2022 Atmos and Sony 360 object-based audio formats, and frankly was very disappointed. How do these compare to a dedicated 7.1.4 system for immersive music (not for movies or gaming). I know it’s quite a specific use case…but just wondering if you had any thoughts on that? Thanks!
And two comments below … another says inputs don’t matter. Like civil war out here. But I agree inputs matter … most obviously if tv does not support eARC
Would the wearable be a decent alternative for my Father who is hard of hearing which leads him to listen to his tv at uncomfortable levels for my mother. If not, recommendations?
I think that is one of the main use cases. Typically headphones are what people use. There are many headphones for TV products. This makes more sense for people that do have trouble hearing and think headphones are uncomfortable
It’s unfortunate Sony kindve pooped the bed with home theatre items this season. Unless they have something hidden coming out later. Sounds like I’ll be getting the Q990D 🤷🏻
I just wish Sony added an extra speaker for ther centre instead of using the tv or creating a phantom. No one would really mind an added small sleaker centre speaker so i dont understand all the unnecessary workarounds.
The use the tv that’s already there is elegant in that it’s already there … but not perfect because it’s probably not a good speaker … they would have bought themselves a lot of good will offering a center … seems they are leashing this system a bit for domestic purposes … which is kind of disappointing.
@@neverenoughtech The new Bravia 9 TV speakers sound incredible. The beam tweeters I heard on the 75" are the best TV speakers I've heard to date. While expensive I believe paired with the quad it will be a very good system, especially when the new update lands in June that also calibrates the TV so it works in unison rather than the old version where each of the devices worked independently.
Hello. I own a Sony HT-A9 influenced by your reviews. I mainly use the system to watch movies. Two weeks ago I bought a Blueray player and the Dolby Atmos sound is much better expressed on the discs compared to a movie offered by a streaming platform. Could you please explain to me what this is due to thanks
I do mention this in some reviews but not all. Disk is lossless - higher quality audio than streaming. If you want to most out of your system, get physical discs … could be the gain/loss function is steeper on the A9s
I was hoping to find a quad open box or return eventually, however even at a big discount, dropping Chromecast support, if true, is abysmal and DOA for me.. shocking because both the higher price and Sony TV'S are all Google! Bizarre. Unless these are reviewed with jaw dropping amazement by the likes of you, I won't bother looking at these.
I got my new BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 sound bar I don’t like about the design is no protection for the tweeters speakers. you get the feeling you can damage tweeters speakers by accident Specially, when you handle it. Or have a cat or a child like to touch everything
Why on earth didn’t they just keep the same design and correct all the issues the original A9 had? A completely new design doesn’t make sense for many level excepta little more wife friendly.
I think they are valuing wife friendly more than you. It seems they think they figured out how to do more with less space this round. Guess we’ll find out.
@@neverenoughtech Yes you are probably correct. Funny my wife actually liked how they look. Then again she is comparing much larger speakers that we own to these. What I meant was it takes a lot of R&D to get the initial product up and running and working properly. A complete redesign seemed unnessaceary and very costly. Have you seen the videos on how much R&D went into building the Apple home pod? The original A9 wasn't exactly an eye soar. Im not a fan of the new design, and were do you put the AC wire, looking forward to your review.
What would be the better pick between ht a9+sw5 vs sonos arc+sub + era 300 pair in the terms of 3d bubble as well as music? By the I've watched your year ending video on dragon, a9, arc, 990c.
I try the sony theater quad in Sony shop disappointed by the vocal voice sounds like coming from the left speaker not like sony ht a9 vocal sounds like coming from the center and sony ht a9 sounds better too..
Crazy pricing and i think the design is kinda awkward. I would have rather seen a more updated A9 in black. Plus i think my cats will like the fabric very much😅
Sony has left Sonos behind and is now competing on a price point with itself. That strategy obviously worked too well in TV business, so they decided that sound department should not miss all the fun.
WTF! Sony did you dirty. I won't succeed, but if I could, I would make the Sony exec who signed off on only one HDMI port on their bar personally stand by and do the switching for you. Actually, that is a dick move for everyone. Two has been the bare minimum and I hoped Nakamichi's three would catch on, but it looks like Sony is going in the wrong direction. Honestly, I found their entire product line sliding backwards. This isn't what you want to see from a big name like Sony. I will say, the wearable speaker does speak to me, but it is definitely for a specific use case. I get constant migraines with headphones, with anything putting pressure on my head or my ears, such as ear buds. Being able to wear the speakers around my shoulders as I work around the house will be quite nice. That is one reason I love surround sound; I can enjoy a loud, bass heavy, Atmos movie without getting a migraine. Brains are weird.
Apparently, the beam tweeters that are on the Bravia 9 TV are the same ones used on the soundbars so using the TV with the quads will work really well but seriously hurt your wallet at the cost of it all together 😅
Seems like a center sync could go the bar and not the tv … would have to really rethink the role of the two front quadlings and maybe there would need to be some significant recalculation on the spatial mapping side
Thanks. I didn't realize you were reviewing the Quad without actually having one. I look forward to your opinion. I bought the Sony A9 a month ago (nicely discounted to $1200). Even though I was impressed, I returned it. I ordered the new Quad directly from Sony. It has to be improved....but how much is the question.
Other than the missing input and Chromecast - I don’t see the features being less - rather the hardware being shrunk as the primary concern. But kind of funny that Samsung improved their inputs and added Chromecast and Sony did the opposite
@@neverenoughtech Sorry I didnt mean misled the price. Was surprised how expensive the system is, when you add the much needed subwoofer. It's up in the receiver and speaker range. I wanted to tell you, I went and bought the original A9 & SW5 Sub, this is a very good system, and if you are coming from just a TV or a low end Sound Bar, then this is a huge step up. However, because I have Kef towers and a very powerful 12" ported subwoofer, the fidelity is not as good when compared. Most folks will just love it, it does feel extremely cinematic, and I definitely heard sounds on movies like National Treasure and Back to the Future that ive never heard before, my wife even noticed (and she loathes HT gear). The biggest downside I noticed was, at times the dialog was difficult to hear, I don't know if the system was perhaps experiencing a small drop out or if thats just the way it sounds at times. This was a huge let down as I really love the system, its like your wearing headphones, thats what I kept thinking. The A9 does not have that oommff you get from full range towers and a proper subwoofer (well almost full range). Am really looking forward to hearing your review on the New A9 system. Thanks
I know I have not broken any speed records with that one … took a detour on this as I sensed it was more time sensitive and I wanted to address it as it was a substantial announcement
This is a downgrade to the HT-A9, the remote is missing so many functions, lack of connectivity options no chromcast or Alex's, just because of the 'voice zoom 3' this doesn't warrant a £1000 price hike for a half baked successor to the HT-A9. Plus it's going to look hella weird on stands. It looks like wifi routers. They should have kept them looking like speakers.
These prices are insanity. More expensive than a similarly spec’d Sonos system? With Sonos’ excellent ecosystem, unless the Sony sounds massively night/day better, it seems they’ve just priced themselves out of the market.
So…downgraded look, $.50 controller, $1000 more than my original A9, plus I now have make adjustments in the required app? No thanks Sony. I’ll enjoy my perfectly fine and great sounding OG A9
@@neverenoughtech I’m holding out until either Sony, Samsung or Sonos builds a soundbar that allows me to pair front and rear surrounds + subs. Like your illegal Sonos setup only intentional. For the amount of money these systems cost, I want zero compromises… and it seems we’re nearly there with the wireless technology. Thanks as always for the great content.
Why is that so hard for them to do? It seems like all the manufacturers would want to do that so they can sell more products. This is a software/firmware update. So it’s not a large cost for Sony to make expense wise.
What I just can not understand the 3 main big name competitors Sony Lg Samsung LG 9.1.5 Samsung 11.1.4 Sony 7.1.2 Last year and this year Why dose both the LG AND SAMSUNG bars comes with a subwoofer and rear speakers both are above 5.1.4 anything that is above this and has rear speakers that has upwards firing drivers is a good thing and both have 2 HDMI INPUTS both come under Australian $2,000 that’s the whole package no more money to spend on extra components like subwoofer or rear speakers so why on earth is Sony not doing the same thing ? I mean, for the same goddamn price of $1,699 you can get the HTA-7000 you can get the LG S95TR For just $296 more you can get the Samsung Q990D Too get the Sony bar and a subwoofer and rear speakers you will be spending More than the Cost of the SENNHEISER AMBEO soundbar max and that’s $3,999 for that price you can buy both the new LG and Samsung and still have money left over
@@neverenoughtech yeah still if I was going too spend that much I’ll get the SENNHEISER but even spending $2,000 is a bit much like I have the TCL 65 “ c845 I would like too get the newer TCL soundbar so I am running the same brand but I am not sure if the NEW bar has the same features, okay? Capabilities. Of the newer Samsung or LG so I would like help on what one too buy The tv sitting in my lounge room is an old top of the rage Samsung tv (well it was back in 2016) At the time I wanted one remote that control them all and both PS4 pro and Xbox 1x had just came out I got the 4K ultra HD Blu-ray player and one of the very 1st 5.1.4 Dolby Atmos soundbars HW-K950 My current tv has it all Dolby Vision Dolby atmos IMAX certified DTX ALLM 144 VVR My only real problem is that sound bar mentioned above on the older Samsung TV mentioned above and the HISENSE A7K if I had the volume between 35 and 45 was way too loud I am guessing because the ARC/EARC was on one of the 120 HDMI 2.1 ports On my TCL the ARC/EARC port is on the 4th HDMI port not one of the 2.1 HDMI ports and the soundbar has too be over 55 or even on 70 too hear it I am guessing that the tv is automatically selecting arc and not earc because the sound bar is only arc Hey NeverEnoughTech could you see if you can help me with this problem like trying the new Samsung 990D 11.1.4 or the newer LG 9.1.5 soundbar with my TCL tv and see if the same problem occurs as I would like too buy the correct soundbar
Love your videos, always entertaining, but your logic is flawed. Why do you, and many other AV reviewers, want multiple HDMI inputs on your audio device? That makes no sense whatsoever. The TV should handle all of your video sources, and as long as you have eARC on the audio device, that’s all you need. Example; why would you change your video source input on your soundbar? That makes no sense. You change your video source input on the video device, and no matter what source is playing, it sends the audio signal to the audio device. Adding multiple HDMI inputs on your audio device only complicates source switching, not to mention the probability of having to use more remotes.
It absolutely makes sense if your tv does not support eARC. If you have an Apple TV and Blueray player it gives you a way to play lossless audio. Other wise the tv sends a degraded signal. In addition sometimes extra inputs are needed and Normally source switching is automatic on the bar. And sometimes plugging into the bar is just logistically easier - maybe makes it easier to hide wires
I also switch on the soundbar. The soundbar sits on top of a TV/AV cabinet and the TV is wall mounted. Easier to hide wires when the wires go to the soundbar.