Review on 🎵 Sony HT-A9 7.1.4ch High Performance Home Theater Speaker System with 360 Reality Audio and Google Assistant Compatibility by Kendriece Figueroa

I've recently moved to a new location and have fortunately installed a new home theater and music system: Criteria: - 60% Movies - 10% News/TV - 30% Music (Jazz , Rock, Classic, Bosanova, Deep House). Among them the new Sony HT A9 system with SASW5 subwoofer. I have the following systems at home (side by side) for comparison: - System 1: 1x Sonos ARC + 2x Sonos Fives rear + 2x Sonos Sub - System 2: 2x Wharfedale 11.4 Floor Standing (front) + 2x KEF Q100 (rear) + 1x Dali Spector VOKAL (middle) + 1x REL HT1003 subwoofer connected to Denon X3700h AVR - System 3 : Sony HT A9 + SASW5 In short, sale of Sonos home cinema system and Denon AVR. Rating: - WAF: Sonos: 10/10, Sony: 8/10, Denon: 2/10 - Movies: Sonos: 7/10, Sony: 9.5/10, Denon: 10/10 - News/TV: Sonos: 8 /10, Sony 8/10, Denon: 10/10 - Music: Sonos: [5,7]/10, Sony: 8/10 , Denon: 10/10 Looking at the performance values alone, Denon is by system (+ speakers = $3650) wins, except for the WAF category. However, the Sony system is exceptionally close (in most cases indistinguishable) from the Denon AVR. With no cables to run through the room and ceiling, plus a center speaker and large AVR unit on the TV stand, the Sony system takes up a lot less space! Therefore, the WAF factor easily compensates for the slight drop in performance compared to the Denon system. I don't miss the Denon system for Atmos films and other film content with Dolby 5.1+. The Sony system is very capable of producing an immersive and intense sound that cannot (!) be compared to a dedicated system (e.g. Denon) without (!) installing ceiling speakers. The phantom center channel from the Sony system is surprisingly (very) good and leaves nothing to be desired! Dialogues are clear and expressive. For night viewing, the Denon system has advanced night modes and audio compression capabilities. Neither Sonos nor Sony can keep up with their poor implementation. No matter what station, content or format I'm watching with the Denon system, the sound always feels warm, 'round' and 'done'. Sonos and Sony systems can sound harsh or (too) loud when the dynamic range of the content is very high. That's not the case with the Denon system when it's set up the way we'd like it to be. For music, this becomes a slightly more difficult decision (though not too difficult): the Denon wins when I run my music through my stereo pair of floorstanding speakers. For people with a passion for music, this is the only appropriate setting for serious listening. However, for non-audiophile music/party/casual listening, the Sony system more than meets these requirements! Sonos with 2 subwoofers does NOT have better bass than Sony, but has more even bass distribution in the room (obviously when using 2 subwoofers!). With the Sony A9 system calibrated and tuned for the main seating area, the bass is even slightly warmer/deeper than the Sonos. Overall Musical Impression: Sonos is very good when it comes to music when and only when played over 2x Stereo Fives. However, with Sonos refusing to allow a dedicated front left and right setup (with ARC only as a dedicated center channel), music will play through either the entire ARC 5.1 system or just the rear speakers. I would prefer front stereo imaging for serious listening sessions. Sony mimics this with much greater front speaker separation between left and right. Overall, the music is better on the Sony system (to my surprise). To top the Sony system, Sonos would need to make two changes: introduce separate front left and right speakers, and upward-firing speakers like the Sony A9. ARC's Atmos effects are much (!) less exciting than the Sony system. What can be improved on the Sony system? -> 5 things: 1) required color options (black; white). 2) Integration with two subwoofers required. 3) Improved reliability when connecting wireless speakers (occasional but rare problems have been observed). 4) Offer a premium HT A9 setup with an even wider choice of front speakers that match the Sonos Fives in acoustic performance. 5) Implement complex night modes / volume compression algorithms, like the Denon x3700h AVR! Also make sure that a desired setting results in a uniform and consistent sound profile in all use cases (movie, music, news). Nobody wants to change settings based on content! Overall: The Sony A9 wins this battle thanks to its overwhelming performance, easy and quick setup, and small size. The Sonos and Denon system went on sale. It's amazing that Sony could outperform the Sonos system given Sonos' depth of experience and years of leadership in this area. 5 well-deserved stars for the Sony system!