FUTURE of HOME THEATER Sound!! SONY HT A9 – Home Theater System Review

50 Comments

1. David Riek on October 28, 2021 at 10:57 am

   Nice review. Very well done and I am truly enjoying your videos. Have a question for you. I currently have a 5.1 setup (Marantz 7008, Mission Audio Silver RX6 floor standing bi-amped loudspeakers, RX Center, RXFX for surrounds, SVS PB1000 powered sub) in an open floorplan room (14.5 x 19) with ~ 12ft cathedral ceilings (single story house). Just bought a Sony XR77a80j and love it. Had to put the TV mounted in the right corner of the room with my floor standing speakers directly below the TV. Not ideal and I would love to separate the fronts more to widen the sound field. Fireplace sits to the left of the new TV. I realize my ceiling type is not very conducive to Atmos. We use this space all the time to mostly stream movies, shows, some PS5, and some Spotify. Given all this, my question is do you think the A9s + sub would be effective for upfiring Atmos in my situation or should I just go with a pair of down-firing in ceilings speakers with directional tweeters? Replacing my receiver with maybe the Onkyo RZ50 plus two professionally installed Atmos speakers will cost about the same price.

   
   
   
2. Eric N on October 28, 2021 at 10:58 am

   Processing. The average consumer doesn’t want a complicated hassle. They just want it to work and be easy. Machine learning and AI will uncover more techniques for advanced audio processing.

   
   
   
3. li zi on October 28, 2021 at 10:58 am

   Hey Andrew, I am looking into this system but not sure if it fits my needs.
   I like to play games and sometimes listen to music, I don’t watch movies that often, do you thank HT-A9 is suitable for my needs?
   Thanks.

   
   
   
4. Gamerboots on October 28, 2021 at 11:01 am

   What exactly was it about the A7000 you didn’t like? I have a friend that got one and it sounds awesome

   
   
   
5. D Hernandez on October 28, 2021 at 11:01 am

   Just to let you know, today Oct. 19 Sony’s software update for the 900h tv , I’m sure other Sony TVs. You can now use your tv sound settings to control your Hta9 sound settings.

   
   
   
6. Archie Wei on October 28, 2021 at 11:04 am

   Sorry, gotta ask this vs Sonos Arc + Sonos 1s+ Bass. I got LG GX.

   
   
   
7. Eddie Serra on October 28, 2021 at 11:05 am

   Would I be able to use two sw5 subs with the system

   
   
   
8. MySpankster on October 28, 2021 at 11:05 am

   Hi Andrew….awesome reviews by the way ..have watched just about all of them QUESTION : this system with the sub or Samsung Q950A or Sonos set up or Sennheiser Ambeo with SVS SB3000 sub or Bose 900 with 700 sub and rears……which would you recommend? i prefer my movies and tv shows 95% and music 5%…my room will be 12 x 16 and will be on a 85 inch samsung Q90 tv….thx alot cheers from Canada
   OK AFTER WATCHING ALL YOUR VIDEOS I AM DOWN TO 2…..SAMSUNG Q950A or SONY HT-A9 ( what to do what to do lol…i am torn between the two )

   
   
   
9. sadomasothebest on October 28, 2021 at 11:07 am

   2,5k$ $ony vs 1,3k$ $amsung = I’ll wait till black Friday to grab q950a

   
   
   
10. Chief Brodi on October 28, 2021 at 11:08 am

    1 question – which high should the rear placement of the speakers ?? Normally rear speakers should be over ear level at 160-170 meters … should these at these levels too?

    
    
    
11. hartshapedvideo on October 28, 2021 at 11:08 am

    Does this have different sound modes like a receiver might, like replicating Theatres, Arenas, Concert Halls and Bars etc… ? I love those kind of functions

    
    
    
12. Na Pa on October 28, 2021 at 11:08 am

    Hello I have a pitched ceiling or a half vaulted ceiling,. My living room is really weird that on one side it has Arches and the other side windows. I don’t think I will get the sound reflecting properly. Now would these speakers fix that with the spatial mapping?

    
    
    
13. Mark Aguilar on October 28, 2021 at 11:08 am

    If you could pick between the the Sony HT-a9 or the sonos arc with subs and 5s. Thanks

    
    
    
14. Chris Yates on October 28, 2021 at 11:10 am

    Hi, will you be testing the Sonos Beam (Gen 2)?

    
    
    
15. Tory Tanouye on October 28, 2021 at 11:10 am

    The quality of commentary with your wife, at the end, is what brings me back! X95J + A9 . . . sounds like a win.

    
    
    
16. Dang on October 28, 2021 at 11:10 am

    Too expensive in Australia & no where to preview the set up /sound.

    
    
    
17. Kyle Zabelny on October 28, 2021 at 11:11 am

    Thanks for doing this review. Stumbled upon you and found this super helpful. have been back and fourth between a Sonos/Bose and now Sony system and think I’m going to pull the trigger. The only thing I was wondering, as I haven’t been able to find this answer anywhere, is; do you know if it’s possible with this system, or any "soundbar" type system, to mute the "center" channel? I ask this specifically for watching spots. It’s so much better to watch hockey for example, mute the center channel so you don’t have to deal with listening to the announcers. T.I.A.

    
    
    
18. Elmer Deloso on October 28, 2021 at 11:16 am

    I stopped counting the number of times i heard you say "incredibly", i’m sold. Thanks for this review, I’m skipping Klipsch and getting this instead.

    
    
    
19. Robert Helme on October 28, 2021 at 11:20 am

    You Mention how much you were not a fan of the Sony a7000. Could you link your video review to that please I can’t find it.

    
    
    
20. Travel Nutz on October 28, 2021 at 11:22 am

    Nothing in this setup matches colour wise. Boooooo Sony

    
    
    
21. itsmebryang on October 28, 2021 at 11:28 am

    Hey Andrew 👋 first of damn good review , on point and precise – my next update from Phillips Fidelio B5 will be this but you got me thinking my LG oled panel is fried up, let me explain – at all the times when it was showing the individual speakers on this review ( for eg : 1:00 , 2:35 ) there is this color shift on the outside net of the speakers on my display – LG Oled then i had to play this on Samsung zfold2, surface laptop 2 and also ipad pro 11 all showing same effect. is this an oled thing or is it happening with all displays. Damn u made me go through the video many times just didnt want to realise my LG oled panel is fried.

    
    
    
22. asiboy29 on October 28, 2021 at 11:28 am

    HT setup without Centre speaker and Subwoofer for $2K? No thanks!😂😂😂

    
    
    
23. Andrew Robinson on October 28, 2021 at 11:29 am

    ★ *GET IT HERE: **https://bit.ly/3AIoyno**, **https://amzn.to/3kFDjls*
    ★ *QOTD: Is the future of home theater more speakers or more processing (DSP)?*
    ★ CLICK ⌄ “SHOW MORE” in the description for answers to many of your questions*
    ★ *RULES: Please be respectful. NO OUTSIDE LINKS, URLs, email addresses, etc.*

    
    
    
24. Der Red on October 28, 2021 at 11:30 am

    $2000 and no sub. lol. Bye.

    
    
    
25. JAFO-PTY on October 28, 2021 at 11:34 am

    is there a way to add a third party sub?

    
    
    
26. mike Kay on October 28, 2021 at 11:34 am

    ‘A Home Theatre’ system?; can it play FM radio, as conventional amplifiers can?
    Mike in Oz

    
    
    
27. asarwat on October 28, 2021 at 11:35 am

    Do you absolutely need an eARC output (or ARC is enough) from your TV to get the best of the HT-A9 when the source program is not Dolby Atmos? My TV is a 2017 Sony KD-75X9400E.

    
    
    
28. ENVER2510 on October 28, 2021 at 11:35 am

    Andrew, what is it that you didnt like about the TV as a center channel ? In theory it should benefit from this funktion right? I have a sony a80j TV in 77 inch, and i am curious to know if maybe the size of the TV would make any difference and make it better ? Because i would say that the sound of the TV(a80j) itself is very good for an TV. thank you in advance

    
    
    
29. Mark Gruner on October 28, 2021 at 11:36 am

    That heartbeat you hear is done perfectly by Martin Logan motion series speakers. Try a review of these speakers Andrew. You will not be sorry.

    
    
    
30. Kestler on October 28, 2021 at 11:38 am

    “Are you going to ignore the innovative home experience technology just to be a contrarian prick”

    – I initially got A-7000 – disaster “ it really “SUCKS”.

    – HT-A9: watched John Wick 3 -🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

    System needs a SUB🔥

    Appreciate your honest review @Andrew 👍👍

    
    
    
31. Nick Bagliore on October 28, 2021 at 11:38 am

    I purchased an hta9 and I do like it. but i am now looking at buying a Samsung tv. I’m wondering if I should return the hta9 and go with the q950a instead.

    
    
    
32. Chris Chris on October 28, 2021 at 11:39 am

    So this is ATMOS ?
    And you don’t need a receiver ?

    
    
    
33. Michael Marquez on October 28, 2021 at 11:39 am

    You guys definitely know how to hype things up because I’m over here wanting to buy this now haha thank you

    
    
    
34. ROBERT LENGYEL on October 28, 2021 at 11:39 am

    on a scale of 1-10 how would you compare the effect of having sound above you from these sony speakers compared to actually having in ceiling speakers?

    
    
    
35. BotDamian on October 28, 2021 at 11:40 am

    Me and you convinced my father to buy the HT-A9 + SW5
    Can’t wait !

    
    
    
36. MySpankster on October 28, 2021 at 11:41 am

    OK AFTER WATCHING ALL YOUR VIDEOS I AM DOWN TO 2…..SAMSUNG Q950A or SONY HT-A9 ( what to do what to do lol…i am torn between the two ) cheers from Canada

    
    
    
37. Chris Chris on October 28, 2021 at 11:45 am

    Question 🟩🟩
    Can you add your own sub that’s not witless ??

    
    
    
38. Surinder on October 28, 2021 at 11:46 am

    Crisp Review. Any information on when will Sony release the product in other countries(especially India)?

    
    
    
39. DaClaymore on October 28, 2021 at 11:47 am

    What are those wooden speakers in the background? They look awesome.

    
    
    
40. macnfresh on October 28, 2021 at 11:49 am

    I bought the HT A9 and the immersion is excellent, however the phantom center is quite weak – the sound doesn’t seem to be coming from the source (people speaking on screen) and it is distracting. Sony needs to expand to allow non-Sony TVs to act as a center, or sell a dedicated center channel to pair with the brain, otherwise this system cannot achieve HT in a box dominance. Reviewers are not disclosing the glaring hole in this system…

    
    
    
41. pottertja00 on October 28, 2021 at 11:49 am

    I’m honestly surprised about your reaction, I was skeptical as well

    
    
    
42. Cryengine_X on October 28, 2021 at 11:50 am

    sony fanboyism is a disease

    
    
    
43. thekechean on October 28, 2021 at 11:50 am

    I really liked your review but the more I watch your review, the more indecisive I get when coming to making a decision, I am really into movie, but I liked music more.. my local store recommended a pair of B&W 707s2 with bluesound powernode N330. I know that soundbar wont work for me as I value music more.. But does this Sony perform as good as a stereo? while it can also at the same time give me a good movie watching experience ??

    
    
    
44. BushidoKi on October 28, 2021 at 11:51 am

    too bad its all sold out. Do you have any word on when they may be back in stock? thank you

    
    
    
45. Jordy Caicedo on October 28, 2021 at 11:51 am

    It looks like it could’ve been 4 Sonos five setup direct comparison.

    
    
    
46. Andres Felipe Sanchez on October 28, 2021 at 11:52 am

    Please review the Sony ssc5 speakers !

    
    
    
47. Christopher Bolton on October 28, 2021 at 11:52 am

    Andrew if I have a room wired for 5.1 speakers am I better off going with a Sonos Arc (w/sub and SL One Rears), or a Yamaha RX-V6A and Jamo S 809 HCS speakers, or this Sony setup? Right now I have an old Denon AVR-3311CI AVR pairs with a similar vintage Polk Audio 5.1 speaker system with small satellites and a sub. Time wise its mostly used for TV and movies today, but thats mainly because I don’t like how music sounds out of it most of the time. I live in the IOS ecosystem and do have a Sonos Beam in a guest bedroom for that bedrooms TV (doubles as a PC Gaming/Sim room). The Sonos eco system is interesting to me because I can stream music from many devices to it. Right now I don’t do that very often even though I have a Pioneer speaker in my master bedroom, Apple TV 4k in the living room and bedroom mentioned above, that can all use AirPlay. In my living room want good quality sound for music and movies, any you and others often say "nothing can beat the performance of an AVR system for sound quality…." Price wise the Jamo/Yamaha setup is about $1600 vs the Sonos Arc all in is about $2000, and the Sony is $1,800. The Arc would need to sound better than the Jamo/Yamaha system to pay 25% more, for me. But does it? The Sony is closer to the Jamo/Yamaha setup for $$, but lacks the Sonos Eco System benefits. Going Sonos would mean I probably spend even more $$ to get a speaker for the master bedroom etc, but then I get the full benefits of their eco system. Thoughts on my options? Would make for a great video right? LOL

    
    
    
48. Jay Junior on October 28, 2021 at 11:53 am

    Please which is better between bose lifestyle 650 and Sony a9.. I need a recommendation to know the one to buy

    
    
    
49. A Fedora and Cryptos on October 28, 2021 at 11:53 am

    I just purchased the HT-A9 based on this review.

    
    
    
50. Henry Yee on October 28, 2021 at 11:54 am

    Hi Andrew, noticed that Sony HT-A9 could do 4K @ 120kHz, just not sure whether Samsung Q950A works the same?
    Also I bought the Sony A80J, and love it so much, do you think it would be fine if I use Samsung Q950A instead of this Sony HT-A9, since I saw your video saying that the S-Center just do not have any huge impact on the overall sound quality.