Sony soundbar tested: handy, elegant and with Dolby Atmos
31.8.2018
Translation: machine translated
Sony's HT-ZF9 is a 3-channel soundbar and comes with a subwoofer. Its most important feature: it supports Dolby Atmos. Reason enough for me to try it out and find out what the sound revolution at home is capable of.
Sony's new 3.1-channel soundbar - the HT-ZF9 - doesn't actually look spectacular. While I'm at home thinking about how to connect the soundbar to my TV, I can hardly keep still for sheer curiosity.
"What's that nice thing you've got there," my friend asks me.
"Dolby Atmos," I reply with a wry grin, "or at least a soundbar that supports Atmos."
Dolby Atmos. A sound technology that is set to revolutionise the world of cinema. At least in terms of sound. It ensures that the sound now also comes from above - not just from the left, right, front or back. In addition, all people and things in the film that make a sound can be assigned to dynamic audio objects. They move in a virtual sound dome and can therefore be localised more precisely and better distinguished from background noises.
"I'm curious to see if this is really any good," I say before I get started with the setup.
Lush equipment for maximum compatibility
The soundbar has two HDMI inputs for external devices and an HDMI ARC output for passing on the video signals from the external devices. As an alternative to the HDMI ARC output, the soundbar can be connected to the TV via the optical audio output. A USB interface is also on board, as is a 3.5mm socket. Although the soundbar is WLAN-compatible, there is also a LAN port.
But I won't connect it to the optical output. I rely on the HDMI ARC output for Dolby Atmos from streamed content; the bandwidth of the optical cable is not sufficient. On the other hand, I connected my 4K Blu-ray player directly to the soundbar.
To be on the safe side, I only used HDMI cables with a transmission rate of 18 gigabits per second. This reliably transmits UHD HDR content from the soundbar to the TV and Atmos content from the TV to the soundbar.
Speaking of which: the interfaces support all common HDR formats, namely HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision.
Let's take another look at the specifications. The soundbar has an output power of 400 watts, supports the most important audio formats apart from Atmos and can connect to my mobile or other Sony speakers via Bluetooth - such as the subwoofer, which weighs around eight kilos and is included. Thanks to the integrated Chromecast, music can be easily streamed to the HT-ZF9.
Yep, Sony has really made sure that the soundbar is maximally compatible.
Beautiful to listen to, but also beautiful to look at
A soundbar must not only sound good, but also look good. After all, it's hard to hide in a bookshelf. In most cases, soundbars sit just as prominently on the TV cabinet as the TV itself. Sony seems to know this: The soundbar has been given a rather simple, but all the more elegant look.
A big plus is the grid-shaped cover, which is snapped on with magnets in front of the drivers. Why is that? It can be removed by hand. Underneath is a matt, glossy surface that makes no attempt to hide the three drivers. A great feature for technology nerds like me.
At just under three and a half kilos, the relatively lightweight soundbar is also easy to handle. It contains three drivers. The middle driver ensures clear dialogue, while the other two provide stereo sound from the left and right, as is usual with such systems.
Once everything is plugged in, I switch on the TV. If the soundbar is connected via HDMI ARC cable, the HT-ZF9's on-screen main menu opens automatically, where I carry out a quick setup including a firmware update.
Black Panther with Dolby Atmos: It sounds marvellous
Rumpus. That's what I want. I have a very specific scene in mind. It's from Marvel's "Black Panther" and shows Prince T'Challa fighting his challenger M'Baku for the throne of the imaginary utopia "Wakanda".
The drums in the background get the blood pumping, the waterfall on the precipice thunders menacingly and M'Baku's deep voice rumbles over me. I am surprised at how voluminous the sound of the rather small Sony soundbar feels. The DSP processing does a good job in the background.
I keep switching between the two English soundtracks - namely Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 and Dolby Digital Plus 7.1. First realisation: nothing comes from above. I didn't really expect that either. If I want sound from above, I either need real ceiling speakers or drivers in the soundbar that are orientated upwards. Their function would be to fill my ceiling with sound so that the sound is then reflected back to me.
The HT-ZF9 has nothing of the sort. There is a Vertical Surround Engine that can be activated on the remote control, which is supposed to simulate the sound from above. It doesn't really work, and the sound often sounds too overloaded. That's why I usually leave it deactivated.
The dynamic audio objects that move around in the virtual sound dome that is my living room are clearly noticeable. T'Challa's battle cries, the clanging of clashing spears or shields, the splashing of water during battle - it all sounds crystal clear and stands out clearly from the background noise representing the mighty waterfall or the roaring crowd. A real added value - I'm already a little enthusiastic.
Then I watch another scene from the film. This time it's the car chase in Busan, South Korea.
The sound is complex: there's rattling, squeaking and rumbling everywhere. Compared to the Dolby Digital Plus soundtrack, Atmos makes the dynamic audio objects stand out clearly from the background noise. Incidentally, this also has a positive effect on the dialogue during the action scene.
About halfway through the chase, the evil Ulysses Claw unpacks his kinetic hand cannon and fires at the car of his pursuers with a dull roar. Thousands of pieces of debris fly in all directions. It sounds brutal, and the subwoofer makes the walls shake - regardless of the soundtrack. But in the face of such a cacophony of sound, I would have expected more of a feeling of being in the thick of it, such as a startled ducking away because the sound would have suggested that parts of the wreckage had missed me by a hair's breadth.
The limits of the soundbar, which is just a 3.1-channel mix without surround sound, become apparent. The system can be expanded with two wireless rear speakers, which we don't currently have in stock.
Small damper: the music playback
Then I listen to music. For Sony, the soundbar is ultimately the centrepiece of what a Sonos-style multi-room speaker system is. My first choice is "Another Day of Sun" from the film "La La Land".
The song is perfect. I love how the numerous instruments create a complex sound: The double bass hums along pleasantly, a piano reinforces the harmonies and the drums drum and swirl in the background while trumpets celebrate the incoming melody.
Typical jazz music.
I've heard this song a hundred times. That's why I know exactly how each passage should sound, where the bass should swell, where I want to feel a "Hmpf" punch - at minute 0:08, for example - and how clearly the nylon brushes that caress the drums should stand out.
The soundbar works well - but not well enough for my taste. I feel that the music playback is not voluminous enough - as if it lacks punch. The HT-ZF9 is too often too thin, even when music mode is activated. Perhaps my expectations are too high. I compare the soundbar with my Sonos Playbar, which is similarly priced. The Sonos Playbar has a total of nine drivers - six mid-woofers and three tweeters. The difference is noticeable when playing music: If I close my eyes, it sounds as if the band is playing live in front of me. Not so with the Sony soundbar.
I try out something else. "Where you are" from the film "Moana". I want to know how the soundbar's processor copes with even more complexity, how it processes and reproduces the numerous soundtracks.
What works well: The processor fills the room, my living room sounds like I'm attending a music festival in the middle of Polynesia. A smile flits across my face. The rhythmic drums, the harmonious ukulele, the electrifying bass - everything sounds crystal clear, but lacks punch.
This time I turn up the bass via remote control to compensate for the lack of "punch". At minute 0:12 there is a sequence where the bass should create a cosy hum. It does now, but other sequences in the song vibrate too much or sound overloaded. The balance is not right when I experiment with the bass manually and as I see fit. What a pity.
Conclusion: Great for watching films and series, not so much for listening to music
The HT-ZF9 is a soundbar that packs a punch. It is not too big and, thanks to its low weight, is pleasant to handle. Numerous connections ensure maximum compatibility with any home cinema system. The soundbar supports all major audio and video formats - from Dolby Atmos and DTS to HDR10 or Dolby Vision. Thanks to the included remote control, the HT-ZF9 is also easy to operate.
Not only does it look great - thanks to the removable cover - but it also sounds fantastic. At least when you're watching films and series. The HT-ZF9 supports Atmos and therefore scores big points: Although no sound comes from above, the clear separation of dynamic audio objects from general background noise has a more positive effect than I would have expected before testing.
Only the music playback disappointed me a little. That's right, I'm complaining at a very high level. But I am complaining. The soundbar isn't cheap, so I expect a certain flawlessness. Compared to the Sonos Playbar, which costs a similar amount, Sony's HT-ZF9 comes up short when it comes to music.
In the end, Sony's soundbar is no substitute for a complete system with 5.1 channels or more. However, if you're looking for a comparatively small system with decent volume and clear sound, you can go for the HT-ZF9 without any worries. <p
Luca Fontana
Senior Editor
Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.chI'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.»
