Customer Ratings & Reviews

Was happy to match this sound bar with my Sony tv, couldn’t use the center option don’t a lot of hissing, trouble shouted everything and just used it without that option. Have to keep the Bass at minimum because speakers can’t handle it and cracks and pops . It is pretty loud but sucks without the Bass

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 is a top-tier soundbar delivering exceptional sound quality, easy setup, and seamless integration with Sony BRAVIA TVs. It features Dolby Atmos and DTS support for immersive, three-dimensional audio and S-Force PRO Front Surround for simulated surround sound without additional speakers. The soundbar offers high-fidelity audio with rich bass and crisp highs, perfect for movies, music, and gaming. Setup is straightforward, thanks to a comprehensive quick start guide, and it includes wireless connectivity options like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. HDMI ARC/eARC simplifies TV connections, allowing control with a single remote. It also supports voice assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa for hands-free operation. With its sleek, minimalist design and durable construction, the BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 fits well in any home decor. While it comes at a higher price point, its advanced features and performance make it a worthwhile investment for enhancing your home theater experience.

Not what i expected, Best Buy sales team wasn't honest.

You can't set it up with out the app. You aren't allowed to adjust the sound bar and there is no center channel. The only thing that sounds ok is music and that is not counting the vocals which sound horrible without a center channel. You have to but an entire system to even use the sound bar including and equalizer two suds and two base as well a a dedicated center. It is not worth the money.

The BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 provides a rich, crisp, and room filling audio with deeper bass than I expect from a soundbar. Design This is not a small sound bar, but that's not a bad thing. The extra width over some other sound bars should give it better left to right separation for audio positioning. It still doesn't extend beyond the sides of my 65" TV. Centered beneath it, there are a few extra inches that would be needed on each side to match the width of my TV. It's connected via HDMI eARC to my TV and even features an HDMI 2.1 pass-though port that means you could connect a device to the soundbar, making up for the HDMI port you lose on your TV. This may even have the advantage of being more accessible than the HDMI ports on the TV, making it easier to work with for connecting laptop for instance. There are feet included, but not required. It says they're included so the soundbar can go over the TV's stand, if it's sitting on a table. I didn't need them for my install but actually put them on anyway. I like the way the front left and right of the soundbar are rounded. Most of the soundbar is wrapped in fabric, not surprising since they're hiding 13 speakers are aiming in different directions to provide better positional and room-filling audio. The look is very clean. You'll see at least one LED lit at the front bottom right on the soundbar when it's turned on. It will be blue when the soundbar is in Bluetooth mode. It also comes with a simple remote. Features - It seems to supports a lot (maybe all) of the current audio standards including Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and IMAX Enhanced. When using it with one of my devices I saw it supports Liner PCM 5.1 uncompressed audio (not sure if that's a subset of one of the others). - The "BRAVIA Connect" app is required for setup and updates. I found it easy to use. You can use it to change a number of settings, inputs, or adjust the Bass. - It also has "DSEE Ultimate" which is upscaling of compressed audio - You can adjust the height of the sound field (I'll talk more about the sound field later) - Night mode, Voice mode, and "Sound field" options that can be turned on or off - "Audio DRC" is set to "Auto" by default, supposed to make soft sounds easier to hear - Sound Field Optimization and Temporary viewing position adjustment Audio Quality Since this is a soundbar, the most important question is really, how does it sound? The short answer is the BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 puts out some amazing audio! I was impressed with the highs, the lows, and the projection of the audio. The volume was excellent too! It can be very quiet, but audible, or very loud but still sound good. Here are three ways I'm impressed with the audio quality. 1. The sound in general was crisp and rich. Highs were crisp, not tinny. Sound reproduction sounded accurate. I tested with different audio sources including my music on my phone via Bluetooth (using Sony's LDAC protocol for high quality Bluetooth playback), a Blu-ray movie, and at least three different network video apps on Google TV. All sounded excellent and I didn't notice any problems. Voices sound clear and natural. All sounds seemed to be reproduced accurately. 2. I don't know what is due to very high quality speakers in the BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 (my guess) or "Audio DRC", but it seems easier to hear audio at low volume, specifically voices. I've had times where I need to turn the volume up louder than I want with other audio systems to hear what people are saying in the audio/video. With this soundbar it seems easier to hear voices at lower volumes. 3. The bass is excellent! I did turn it to max in the app, but wow, with it set to max I am really impressed. I'm not saying this is as good as having a separate sub woofer (which you can buy separately for this soundbar), but I'm not sure if better bass is possible on a soundbar, as least of this size. With the different audio I played , none sounded like the soundbar struggled at all with the bass and it sounded great to me! Surround Sound The surround capability's of the BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 are very impressive to me for only using the soundbar. Having those 13 speakers aiming different directions really helps it project. I think part of the reason it's so good is the way it optimizes the sound field of the room by playing sounds and listening to them with built-in mics. It even uses your phone, via the app, to listen for some of the tones and figure out where you are listening from. I think that's a very innovative solution to get the best audio positioning possible for any content viewing/listening experience. I wouldn't say it's as good as having rear speakers but, like the bass, I'm not sure you could get better without rear speakers. There is definitely a room-filling depth to the audio and I was able to hear objects moving around the room. I struggled to perceive that they were behind me, but I could notice them getting closer or farther. Optional Add-ons If you want to improve the bass or the surround, Sony does offer two different sets of wireless rear speakers to choose from as well as two sub-woofers to choose from. Also, if you have a Sony BRAVIA TV that supports "Acoustic Center Sync" (Produces audio directly out of the display), you can actually have that TV configured as a center channel. Summary If you are looking for a high end soundbar I think you should consider the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9! The sound quality is excellent, it produces a rich, full sound, and it has some great features that can improve the overall experience. Even the fact that you don't need to lose an HDMI port could be a very helpful features. The fact that you can improve the bass or surround down the road by adding additional speakers is great!

Very frustrating experience so far. Device will not register to Bravia Connects. Fails while “registering a device to your account”. Tier 2 Sony advises known problem and says keep trying. No way to bind SW or RS without that registration. Poor architecture decision by Sony. 4 hours wasted so far. Any one else seeing this?

Neaver buy again didn't work really good waste of time

Worked great for about 1 month with our Sony Bravia TV. Great sound, I was impressed. But then, it became very muted when I initially turned on the TV, and now I have to turn the TV off, and back on to get it to work. Of course, it is too late to return. I reinstalled the soundbar, didn't help. Now what?

In recent years, with the advent of object based codecs, the home viewing experience continues to improve at an accelerated rate. It is because of this that, for many audio enthusiasts, the home theatre is an important aspect of their entertainment lives. However, for others who desire an exceptional audio experience but do not have the allurement or ability to purchase multiple speakers, are unfortunately hindered. Thus, soundbars have become somewhat of a perfect solution for such a predicament, allowing you to save space and enjoy better sound than typical TV speakers. As such, I was extremely excited to compare the newly released Bravia 9 Theatre Bar and see how it performs as a main speaker. Upon receiving the Bravia 9, I was surprised that it seemed much larger than expected. At roughly 51.5 inches in length and about 5 inches in depth, I strongly recommend that you plan your measurements accordingly. In addition, the Bravia 9 was much heavier than expected; clocking in at 12 pounds, the bar is massive and definitely feels like a premium product. In the box, the soundbar comes with an HDMI cable and an analog cable for the S-Center feature. It also includes two wall mount brackets and two feet so you can raise the soundbar if your TV feet are in the way. As for setup, unfortunately the Bravia 9 requires the Bravia Connect application along with a Sony account. In addition, your device and soundbar will need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi router for you change any settings. Furthermore, the Bravia 9 only has two LED lights: one for source input and the other is the status indicator. Personally, I think it would have been beneficial if they would have included a small screen on top to display the modes and various inputs. As for setup, while I was not excited about being force to use the application, it did find the bar relatively fast. Once I created my account and attached my Wi-Fi to it, I was ready to go. Once I completed setup, I was ready to test the Bravia 9. Before I begin, I do want to caution you that what I observed here will differ from your experience as our audio perception differs. However, it should provide some idea of its performance. For my test setup, I used two Audioquest Cinnamon 48 Gbps rated cables, both of which are 5 ft in length. The Bravia 9 was connected to my Sony A90J OLED TV via its HDMI 2.1 eARC port; my Sony X800-M2 4K bluray player was connected to the TV's other HDMI 2.1 port . Furthermore, I made sure eARC was enabled on the TV (should be by default); digital output on the X800 was set to bit stream audio sources with secondary audio set to off. You will need double check your particular equipment and adjust accordingly. On the Bravia connect application, eARC should be enabled by default. Connectively, I tried to refrain from changing the sound settings in the application so I could preserve an out of box experience but I did turn DSEE ultimate and Audio DRC off. For the sound field option, I only tested the 360 spatial setting (default). Additionally, I left the bass at medium and the system volume was capped at 30. Lastly, I picked two movies: one with Dolby Atmos and the other with DTS:X; for music I only used my personal FLAC/WAV collection of which has been scanned via spectrogram and verified for proper lossless quality. For my first movie, I decided to watch The Mummy (1999) which features an engaging DTS:X mix that makes effective use of my main home theatre system. As such, I was curious to see how this translates to the Bravia 9 soundbar and for the most part the results are stellar. Upon firing up the movie, you should notice the DTS:X logo at the top of the application's home screen so that you'll know that it is seeing the correct metadata. With the sound field option off, I think the Bravia 9 sounds quite natural; voices are centered perfectly and are crisp and clear. Additionally, the opening battle sequence has some nice bass rumbles throughout. Another good example is at the 9:34 mark when the sword is thrown into the air. On my main setup, that section is isolated specifically on my Atmos speakers, so it was nice to hear that the Bravia 9 positioned up on the top left speaker and shifted it to the right. When you turn on the sound field option at this same section, the background music is pulled way up to the forefront and still manages to position all the sounds accordingly. In addition, the sword is drastically louder and much more aggressive in the mix. The sound field option was quite surprising to say the least. While I normally do not like to add any additional processing to the audio, I was quite shocked at the immediate difference at the 1:00:57-1:01:14 mark where the background brass instruments are brought up front and center and is much more noticeable. When you disable the option in the same section, the music completely shifts further back into the mix and drops significantly in volume. For most, I think most will be quite pleased with the results; even dialogue seemed to improve a bit with the sound field setting. Overall, I was quite surprised at how well the sound field enhanced the audio and was able to provide a much more encompassing sound experience. For my second movie, I decide to use Lucy (2013) which has a robust Atmos track that is certainly demo material; throughout there are some fairly good use of low bass tones. As noted before with DTS: X, you should see a Dolby audio source logo indicating it sees the correct codec, though surprisingly this time around the codec logo changes to an Atmos logo when the sound field is toggled on. I do believe it is still picking up the lossless signal as the X800 overlay still showed TrueHD as its output. Beginning with the sound field off, the discussion that begins at 15:48 really stood out to me as the dialog was perfectly positioned on the top and center speakers. Additionally, you can make out nice echoes on the far left and right top speakers. Another section that caught my attention is the start of Mozart's Requiem at 38:18, where the violins and choir come together. When you enable the sound field setting here, the sound instantly becomes much louder and more encompassing. Violins are pulled much closer to the front and hit some nice frequencies. Another highlight worth noting is the car scrape at 1:01:51; it becomes exponentially louder with the sound field setting on. The same thing occurs again at 1:02:01 when you see the car flip into the air. Lastly, during all of the CGI effects around 1:20:00-120:37, the Bravia 9 performs exceptionally well here: lows and highs are all clear and separate from each other and is quite the experience. Overall, Bravia 9 performs exactly as expected. Shifting to my music test, the Bravia 9 handled every genre that I tested. Bass response was better than expected; some tracks, however, did slightly distort when the bass was set to max, but that was easily remedied by dialing back the setting to medium. As for classical and jazz, the Bravia 9 really stretched its legs: high frequencies were quite detailed including vocals. Overall, the sound stage was quite exceptional. Rock and metal genres, despite some bad compression in the mastering, also played fairly well. One thing I did notice was that using the sound field option here did not sound as good as it did during the movies. It dialed everything back and seemed to overly process and restrict the sound. In addition, all of my files played perfectly, though I do want to mention that on Hi-Res LPCM 2 channel sources at 96KHz and 192 KHz, the output to the soundbar was limited to 48 KHz; this, I assume, is a limitation of the eARC as oppose to bandwidth (or it could possibly be a Sony limitation). While disappointing, this should not affect most people unless you have a fairly large hi resolution collection that exceeds these sample rates. Interestingly, when I tested one of my Bluray Audio discs, both 192 KHz/5.1 and 96 KHz/7.1 DTS MA-HD tracks played with the correct sample rate and channel count as noted within the Bravia application. Connectively, Hi-Res over Bluetooth via LDAC codec also played as intended. The Bravia 9 automatically selected the codec in the application, though I went ahead and manually changed the output setting to quality preferred on my Sony Xperia 5 III. Overall, I think the Bravia 9 performs exceptionally well. If you are coming from basic TV speakers, this will certainly be a revelation. In conclusion, the Bravia 9 soundbar performs exactly as it was intended to do. It provides an exceptional audio experience for those who do not have the space or desire to build a complete home theatre system. In addition, it supports all of the current audio technologies such as Dolby Atmos and DTS: X and supports 4K and 8K signals. I was also quite happy with the 360 sound mapping effect; it certainly enhanced what was already an excellent listening experience. While it is somewhat disappointing that an application is forced on you (as well as an account login) to change its settings, it does seemingly work as intended and felt rather responsive. I was also surprised that LPCM was capped to 48 KHz, though again this should not be much of an issue as the Bravia 9 will more than likely be used primarily for movies. Nonetheless, it was worth a mention given the Bravia 9 price point and its position as an enthusiast oriented product. Overall, if the budget allows, the Bravia 9 soundbar is an excellent choice and I have no doubt most will be satisfied. Thus, the Bravia 9 soundbar comes highly recommended.

More often than not, it just sits and does nothing but displaying a slow flashing white light. Would not recommend this soundbar to anybody.

Could not get sound bar to connect to the tv. Geek squad was no help and wouldn't even come to house to help.

No sound is coming out of the sound bar. Technician never came back to fix after one week of multiple promises.

Might as well not even have a sound bar. Does nothing to enhance sound.

My item never arrived. The delivery driver illegally signed for me. And Best Buy is still charging me. Best Buy is refusing to refund me, because the delivery driver illegally signed for me.

Sound quality is good, but compatibility is challenging. Not user friendly.

very bad sound. honestly says i got just trash for 849 dollers.i have lg tv and tv had much better quality sound. just returning.

Item was returned. It wasn’t compatible with my Samsung TV.

I will just start right off by saying that it is in fact a great soundbar. For those who require amazing sound and don't already own an amazing multi-channel soundbar (more that they typical 5 or 7 channels like back in the day), then this might be a good buy for you. But!!! There is absolutely no need in spending a lot on a soundbar if you are not going to get an accompanying subwoofer. Soundbars, including this one, can produce great sound... great surround sound... but you're not getting bass. So the truth is, you do not need to spend this much if you do not intend on at lease getting a subwoofer as well. With all that said, this soundbar is the typical weight of a soundbar... heavy, but carry-able. It's width is 51 inches, so be prepared for that length. It can be set down (like on your entertainment stand/center) or it can be wall mounted. It comes with what you need to do either. You're probably thinking, 'what do I need to set it down?' Well, one cool thing is that it comes with these feet that you can put on it (under it) and that is helpful if your tv is sitting on the same stand. If your tv is sitting on a stand (as opposed to wall mounted), it comes with its own feet because that's what allows it to stand. Well there are feet you can put under this soundbar if you intend on putting it directly under a standing tv. It allows the bar to sit over top of the tv's feet. Moving on... the setup. The setup is annoying. The fact that I had to go downloading yet another app to set this thing up is a huge inconvenience. I don't want your app. All you had to do was allow set up with either the remote or on top of the bar. But nope. The only thing that shows up on the front of the bar is a lighted dot when you turn it on. And then a blinking dot when you push a button on the remote, such as volume, bass level. The app gives you more features, but let me decide if I care enough about them to download the app. The app takes you through a setup that utilizes bar placement and placement of where you would sit. I would say the setup was not long. There are other settings on the app. Getting to the quality of sound. Honestly, it sounds great. The surround sound really surrounds you and you can hear crisp sound as though you have surround and rear speakers. I believe this bar is 13 channels. You also have the option of 3 bass levels. I put it on max. But, don't buy this for the bass because it is just not happening. The thing is this bar is great to grab good sound from your tv and other devices connected to your tv. I would easily recommend it if you are in the market for great crisp amazingly surround sound. But, again, for the price, it is not worth it for just a bar. If you don't care about a subwoofer, then I would not recommend this bar because there is no point. Another weird thing is that when you first turn up the volume, you may think that the volume buttons are not working. But if you keep holding it down to increase the volume, it will eventually start to get louder. It's almost like you have to go up 10 numbers just to feel like you increased by 1 number on a different unit. That is not a deal breaker, but I don't like it. Ahhhh... immersive! That is the word I was looking for. The soundbar produces crisp sound, surround sound, and fully immersive sound. You may not notice how amazing it can sound if you only watch regular things. But if you watch something with Dolby Atmos, you will truly see. If you have a previous great Sony model soundbar, you may not need this. If you are not intending on getting a full package (subwoofer at minimum, and if you can get rear speakers), then I would not recommend this. Also, if you do not watch 4k video or dolby atmos video or things of that nature, then you really don't need this expensive soundbar. Otherwise, if different than what I put in this exact paragraph, then get it. Peace.

The speaker is awesome, but I spent 3 infuriating hours going in circles trying to log in and/or recover my Sony account. You can't use the speaker without going through the app setup, and the app requires you to merge all existing Sony account IDs (PSN network, etc) but wouldn't let me recover my accounts. You can tell that a lot of thought/effort went into packaging the speaker and the setup experience (after login), but all of that effort gets overshadowed by what should be a painless login experience. I ended up creating an alias account- and after being forced to set 101 passwords, was finally able to get past the login page. The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 is a game-changer for home audio, especially when paired with Apple devices. As an avid user of AirPlay, I love the seamless integration and immersive sound experience this soundbar delivers. ## Effortless AirPlay Connectivity Setting up the Theater Bar 9 with AirPlay was a breeze. I could stream music, movies, and podcasts directly from my iPhone, iPad, or Mac, without any hiccups or lags. The sound quality is stunning, with crystal-clear highs and deep, punchy bass that fills the room ## Cinematic Dolby Atmos Experience Where the Theater Bar 9 truly shines is its Dolby Atmos and DTS:X capabilities. The 13 speakers, including dedicated up-firing drivers, create an immersive, three-dimensional soundscape that transports you right into the heart of the action. Whether watching the latest blockbuster or binging your favorite TV series, the Theater Bar 9 delivers a cinematic audio experience in a thin package. ## Impressive Sound Mapping Sony's 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology is a game-changer. It simulates multiple "phantom speakers" around you, making it feel like the sound is coming from every direction, even without physical rear speakers. This feature, combined with the Dolby Atmos support, creates an incredibly immersive and enveloping audio experience that will leave you in awe. ## Versatile Streaming Options While AirPlay is my primary streaming method, the Theater Bar 9 also supports Spotify Connect and Bluetooth, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of devices and music services. The streaming/connection options really start to make up for the onboarding experience. Whole home audio is a dream with this addition. ## Sleek Design Aesthetically, the Theater Bar 9 is a stunner. Its sleek, minimalist design blends seamlessly with any home theater setup, and the included wall-mounting hardware makes installation a breeze. Plus, if you have a Sony BRAVIA TV, the soundbar integrates perfectly, with settings accessible directly from the TV's menu. In conclusion, the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 is a must-have for anyone seeking a truly immersive audio experience, especially if you're an Apple user who values the convenience of AirPlay. With its exceptional sound quality, Dolby Atmos support, and innovative sound mapping technology, this soundbar elevates your home entertainment to new heights.

wasn't easy to set up since the hdmi cord that came with it would do the arc stuff