Customer Ratings & Reviews

Great unit, just not what I was looking for. Returned and bought Klipsch bookshelve speakers and a head unit. I would only recommend two people If sound is not a priority

I am on my third sound bar. if you put the sound up the speakers seem to blow and get distorted. looks like this one is on its way back too.

I recently moved to a new home that was not suitable for my 7.1 surround system nor did I have the energy to do the wiring myself. I'm married with two kids, travel a lot for work and wanted something easy that the family could use while away, without having to call me for remote tech support. I started researching sound bars as an alternative solution and to be honest this was not the first pick on my list but after reading reviews on the web and testing at my local Best Buy store, I took the jump. I could not be happier with my purchase. Setup: It took me less than an hour to unbox, wire and set up. The system comes with a quick start guide that provides easy installation instructions. The menu is intuitive. My only complaint is that I have a new Sony 4K TV and it should provide better instructions on how to integrate the two. You can do it and the features are nice but I had to fidget around to make it work. Asthetics: The system looks beautiful but my only complaint is that the Sound Bar is taller than my Sony TV Stand so I had to use a whole shelf below the TV to sit the sound bar. Not a big problem but when I bought it, I thought it would sit right in front of the TV, below the stand. I guess Sony did not factor this into overall design. So now the sound bar sits about 2 feet off the ground, but Sony was smart enough to provide two little stands that fasten to the bottom of the sound bar that tilt it up. Problem solved. Sound: For a "sound bar" this system pack a punch. My wife is constantly telling me to turn it down. I use it for TV, movies, video games and music. For music, I have used the bluetooth pairing to connect to my Mac Mini, which works perfectly. The sound is clear and not distorted at all. For video games, it has a preset and it sounds great. Audio voices are not muffled out by explosions or crowd cheers. As for the 7.1, I need to spend some more time watching movies before I make a final judgement. It's not a true surround sound system but I can hear distinctive sounds coming from left and right channels. Overall: I'm happy with my purchase and I would recommend this product to anyone looking for a multi-purpose sound bar. I will note that I also own a Sonos Sound Bar and Sub. I like this product better as it seems to provide more clear sound reproduction, more presets to customize the listening experience, and more inputs. It also passes HD DTS and Dolby HD signals, which the Sonos can't do.

This sound board and subwoofer which was practically impossible to adjust was a very poor example of Sony quality. For that reason this item was returned to my Best Buy store. The only good thing about this purchase was the business like return which helped to overcome my disappointment in the sound quality.

By Sonos much better quality stuff I would not recommend this product by Sonos it's much better for your dollar

You would think for the money it costs it would be like being in the movies, well not true.

For the price my wife and I noticed very little sound improvement over that supplied by the TV set.

I bought this soundbar for TV programming/movies as well as music. As I listen to somewhat conservative genres of music such as classical, adult contemporary, jazz, and K-Pop, I wanted a speaker system suited for music with prominent vocals, i.e., with an acceptable ability to reproduce midrange and low midrange sounds. Most all-in-one systems I’ve tried have overpowering bass and treble, with thinnish sounding midrange. The HT-ST9 has decent midrange, especially considering its physical size, and its treble and bass are prominent without being overbearing. Sound is very natural as a result. I tested the system with various vocalists (Sarah Bareilles, Selena, Bigbang, Lee Seonhui) and a classical song (Moonlight Sonata) at low/mid volume, and found the sound pleasing, with just a bit more thinness of midrange than I prefer. All in all, it sounds nice, but the mids do lack the depth and warmth I experienced with larger 6” freestanding speakers hooked to a conventional receiver. However, living in an apartment I need a compact system, and the HT-ST9 is incredibly compact and good sounding for its size. I found the “Standard” sound field gave best results with music. The “Music” mode emphasizes bass too much for my taste, and the “Clear Audio+” sounded a tad artificial to me. The “Music Arena” mode provides a realistic echo which is fun to use. I did my tests using iTunes 256kbps AAC files playing through an Apple TV connected via HDMI to the HT-ST9. Dialogue of TV shows is incredibly clear, much more so than with the 5.1ch HTIB I replaced with the HT-ST9. The various “Voice” modes do make dialogue even more distinct, helpful for those with hearing difficulties. I particularly like the Night feature, which eliminates most of the deep bass and also compresses the dynamic range, so I can watch shows at night without waking others. The “Clear Audio+” mode and “Movie” mode gave good results. The user manual fails to clearly distinguish between the “Clear Audio+” and “Standard” sound settings. The remote allows one-button access to the “Clear Audio+” and “Football” sound modes. As I rarely watch football, I’d rather Sony allowed the user to customize the buttons to access the user’s two favorite sound settings (e.g., Clear Audio+ and Movie). The user interface is very good. In addition to the small digital screen on the soundbar, there’s an on-screen GUI that enables easy selection of inputs and settings. Being able to choose which inputs are “skipped” when cycling through them via the Input button on the remote is a nice touch. It would be nice if they allowed one to customize names of the HDMI inputs to make them more meaningful. Integration with other AV gear is lacking. When turning on the Soundbar, a Sony BDP-S6500 Blu-Ray player connected to the HDMI-2 input will power up. Unfortunately, when shutting off the Soundbar, the Blu-Ray fails to shut off. Considering both are Sony’s latest and top of the line models, this is unacceptable and will hopefully be fixed via a firmware update. Similarly, when I turn on my Panasonic TC-L47E50 TV (connected to the HT-ST9’s HDMI-1 input), the ST9 turns on as expected. But, when I turn off the TV, the ST9 goes to standby, then after a moment the TV turns back on again, causing the ST9 to also turn on again. This is an issue because the HT-ST9 remote cannot control non Sony TVs. Basic on/off control over HDMI should be compatible with major 3rd party brands of AV equipment, not to mention with Sony branded equipment. Another oddity: The HT-ST9’s remote control’s arrow and play/stop buttons cannot control my Sony Blu-Ray, which was an unexpected deficiency; I’d specifically purchased the Sony brand Blu-Ray player because I assumed I could operate it and the soundbar with a single remote control. I therefore need to use a Panasonic remote to turn on/off the TV, the Sony HT-ST9 remote to control the volume and select inputs, and the Sony BDP-S6500 remote to start/stop the DVD player. I expected better integration from such an expensive flagship soundbar. Bluetooth works fairly well, although I had to repeatedly re-connect (but not re-pair) my smartphone (iPhone 5S, iOS 8.4) after switching the HT-ST9 back and forth between different inputs while the phone was streaming music to the “BT” input. Playing the same songs back to back through Bluetooth (iPhone) and HDMI (Apple TV), it was clear that the Bluetooth audio quality was inferior. Album art does not display when playing via Bluetooth. Further, non-English characters in song titles (e.g., Korean or Japanese) will not display on the TV screen when streaming. Sadly, the HT-ST9 does not support Apple’s Airplay, so it is not possible to stream video from an iPhone to a TV connected to the soundbar; of course, if one has an AppleTV, video can be streamed to it. The USB port is incompatible with my iPhone, so I was unable to try it out. It’s limited to reading songs off of USB sticks. I have not tested the surround sound capabilities of the unit. I do note that it does not have support for external rear speakers, which is a shame considering it can transmit via Bluetooth (to headphones). It’d be nice if they added the ability to pair with two Bluetooth speakers placed behind the listener, enabling transmission of rear channel audio to such speakers for more realistic surround sound. On the bright side, the materials and build quality are superb - on par with Sony’s ES line. The soundbar has a piano-black metal top panel with an embossed Sony logo, and comes with a removable metal grill that affixes to rubber vibration damping fasteners. Inspection of the grill reveals that its subcomponents are held together with screws, as opposed to plastic snaps. The LED display is attractive and legible and has several brightness levels. The subwoofer features the same level of quality, with a piano-black metal top panel, metal front grill, and closely spaced screws securing a sturdy metal rear panel. The system is truly beautiful to look at. Also, the remote control, despite its faults, is of better quality than most others. The buttons click nicely, giving haptic feedback, and are laid out well. For those curious how the HT-ST9 compares to the much cheaper HT-CT780: I bought the CT780 and returned because I didn’t like how music sounded with it. The 780 did an excellent job for TV viewing and basic music use. However, vocals lacked richness - it sounded no better than the HTIB I’d had previously. Other differences between the two: HT-ST9’s speakers are about a half cm larger in diameter. Sound quality is much better. HT-CT780 has plastic cabinet with fabric grill; it’s not bad looking, though. HT-ST9 has 7.1 channel surround sound; the HT-CT780 is a 2.1 channel unit. HT-ST9 remote control is far better - buttons click and there are more media control buttons HT-ST9 allows optional skipping of certain inputs when cycling through them with the “Input” button HT-ST9 has on-screen GUI HT-CT780 has adjustable “bass” and “treble” settings; HT-ST9 lacks these. HT-ST9’s subwoofer has a passive radiator; the sub’s driver is a bit larger, too

This was the worst soundbar ever. Had to be defective for sure. The display in-store model was excellent. The original retail was $1500 and I paid $599 on sale. Had excellent treble and high pitch clear sounds with NO bass {sub-woofer) sounds. I returned it for a JBL Cinema SB450 soundbar on sale at $399. Very good sound and quality !

Sound didnt match the movement of the mouth. I had to keep restarting the system.

Great sound. But this was an Open Box purchase that was supposed to be in Excellent condition. The unit is missing several pieces. No Remote, No screen for front, No stand parts, No Manuals or warranty paper work. I had to go to sony.com download manuals and order a new remote and a screen for front. That indicates poor work in checking this item and rating it as being in excellent condition. I would rate it good condition and list all parts missing.

This unit does have some power and the sound quality is really good after playing with different sound options. It is bit on the expensive side but you do get a lot of features which include 3 HDMI 2.2 inputs and 1 HDMI 2.2 ARC output and a load of other inputs. Paired up quickly on IPhone. It is easy to set up. Pros: - Sound Quality -Ease of Setup -Loads of input options -Several Sound options -Internet ready -Bluetooth Cons: -Cheap Remote -On the expensive side Conclusion: I would recommend this unit even with its hefty price. It does the job.

The good: True 7 channel actual surround sound channels (not simulated). 3 HDMI ports 1 HDMI ARC input, 1 optical, Bluetooth capable 800 Watts of power Sound quality The Bad: Software is prone to defects, depending on the upgrade. TV compatibility is highly variable, depending on the manufacturer, type of connection (i.e. HDMI ARC versus Bluetooth versus optical). Bluetooth often has 1-2 second latency. Lots of complaints with speaker failures, crackling/distortion, and Sony support. We spent over $1,000 USD for this sound bar and worked through most of the setup, configuration, and software issues over the past 18 months. Recently, the audio started delivering static to the outside left/right channels, specific to voice. Oddly, changing to Clear Audio removed the static. However, surround sound is no longer available, making this a very expensive stereo speaker. Highly recommend buying the extended warranty, however, customer reports are consistent that Sony service leaves a lot to be desired. There are other options for sound bars with these capabilities and equal or greater sound quality, so my recommendation would be to pass on this.

This system isn't worth the money. The first system we bought had to be returned because the sound was way off. Best Buy exchanged it for a new setup. The sound drastically improved with the 2nd unit, the 1st unit clearly had a manufacture defect. With both units there are issues with the Sony system working with my Panasonic TV. The system always starts in mute mode. If the system is turned on mid way through a movie all volume mutes for about 10 seconds. The 'surround' quality is poor at best. I wouldn't recommend this sound system.

I purchased this soundbar to go along with my new XBR65X900C TV. It looks good and sounds even better. However, the software seems buggy as it seems to want to jump around between inputs sometimes. Also, I had to turn off some of the 'signal processing' features that supposedly improved sound quality before sending it on to the TV because it seemed to cause lag between the audio and the video. The biggest reason I'm rating it down though is that the internal wireless card has gone bad in my unit. Sony said they'll fix it because it is still under warranty but it is up to me to package it up, insure it and send it back and I've got no idea how long I expect be without it while they repair it. I wish I had gotten the Geek Squad plan to cover it since Sony's customer service has gotten as bad as their quality in my opinion.

If it was only 300 bucks, then it would be a 5 star rating, but its not. Pros; Lots of highs.Crisp voices. Good for watching TV and movies. User friendly remote, many options but without having to be a tech wiz to understand. The easy remote alone makes me want to keep this soundbar. Pairs on its own with sub. Cons; Not as loud as it looks, but still loud. Minimal if any midbass. Bad for music because of the frequency gap that seems to be missing (midbass and lower mids). Starts to roll off only at about 40hz using a tone generator (not surprising from only a 7" sub). Cannot connect to a different sub. The passive sub driver is useless, there should have just been a port for lower bass. The bass isnt very sharp either. I will try to figure out if theres a setting to keep the soundbar from shutting off on its own only after a few minutes of non use, otherwise that alone will make me return this unit. *Sidenote- The Bose 300 soundbar has a deeper/better/bigger separate subwoofer, but this sony has better highs. I have both

Not worth the money you pay for, bought this to replace an older soundbar that cost me $500 less, after about a week I returned it and got a JBL. The sound is really clear but seems to lack power which I wanted because I listen to a lot of action movies. If you are willing to pay this much for great sound I would suggest building you a system instead.

I paired this up with my 4k Sony and it is amazing. I'm glad I got this 7.1 system. It has me feeling like I'm in the movie theaters. Everything from blue-rays and music sound like it should be. The lows on the bass are the best I've heard on a sound bar. Thank you Sony.

I recently purchased the Sony Soundbar along with the Sony ZRS7's. I was told at the store that they would be able to link together to create a surround sound finish. NOPE! the soundbar and speakers would only link when I wanted to play music but wouldn't link to go through the TV. I called Sony and they were no help. The Sony guy at bestbut stated that he would swing and help link them but stood me up after I took half a day off of work. I plan on returning the speakers and hopefully find some that live up to their name. Very disappointed.

First off, thanks to Best Buy for letting me return this out of the return window. I bought a different product at the store. First issue was blinking pink video with my DirecTV DVR HR44/500. After a lot of time with Sony support, they said "that device is not HDCP 2.0, and HDMI 1 on the sound bar only supports HDCP 2.0 devices. Plug it into HDMI 2" Ok that is nonsense on many levels (it worked of course) but it was unacceptable to me. I had a second issue to try and resolve and never did, so I returned the soundbar. The second issue was audio processing issues. No matter what mode I set the soundbar to, when the volume would change in the sound source, the soundbar would mangle and filter some frequencies making the sound either be distant, muted, or muffled. I tried PCM, I tried Dolby Digital, I tried HDMI, I tried optical out of the TV, I tried different HDMI cables, I tried turning off the audio processing on in the settings, and I updated the software several times. Nothing fixed the issue. Other, smaller issues: * HDMI port selection is terrible. You can't just jump to HDMI 3, you have to cycle * There is a faux input named "TV" which tries to be smart and select what you are actually working. This caused a lot of problems with my Samsung TV. HDMI ARC issues, CRC issues, etc. All in all, Sony could not fix the issues, they didn't think these were problems, so I returned it.