Customer Ratings & Reviews

Had to turn up volume half way to actually hear any audio

This didn't have the sound I was hoping for. I returned it

It stopped working 3 weeks after i purchased it...

I am not happy with the sound. Advised best buy to look into this matter

If your limited in space or just do not want an overbearing number of speakers, this soundbar at 39 inches is a great option. The sound quality is superior for a soundbar this size, and the included base isn’t lacking in its power. Of course, the main feature of this unit is its ability to play the latest surround sound technology, Dolby Atmos. Overall, the unit does a good job simulating the 3-dimensional sound Dolby Atmos is known for creating. Even though it’s not a true recreation of Atmos 3D spatial sound, because the soundbar is lacking upward firing speakers, the simulated 3D sound this system offers is impressive given it’s small footprint. Pros: Quality Sound, Strong Base, 4K HDR Pass Through, Compact Size, Wireless Rear Speakers Sold Separately Cons: Wireless Interference, Lacks Upward-Firing Speakers, Wireless Rear Speakers Sold Separately (The rear speakers being sold separately can either be a Pro or a Con, depending on if you want them or not. If you do not want them because you’re trying to keep the number of speakers down to a minimum, then this set is perfect. However, if you like the option of having wireless rear speakers, then you may be disappointed that they’re not included.) Note: The instructions clearly state to keep a distance of at least 3 inches between the soundbar and the bottom of the TV. I didn’t follow these instructions at first and was having wireless connectivity problems between the soundbar and subwoofer; the sub would drop-out often. Once I moved the soundbar away from the TV to the proper distance, the sub started working properly.

If you want a good sound bar go with Sonos this sucks!

I do not recommend this product. It does not work...

The Sony HT-Z9F soundbard is an awesome experience. It will surround and encapsulate you in amazing musical sounds like no other. The HT-Z9F offers Vertical Sound which if you have not experienced breaks the sound mold which everyone has been accustomed to. The HT-Z9F differs from other soundbars as it creates the illusion of height and a wide open space. This soundbar is not reliant on your living room ceiling space (or the lack thereof) to create the Vertical Sound effect. The Vertical Sound capability in a nutshell is very SPACIOUS sounding. Super pleasing to listen to. My soundbar is used for YouTube music videos, TV and watching movies. Design wise, the HT-Z9F is neat, simple and pleasing to the eye. The soundbar is around 3 feet wide and has 3 drivers which are concealed by a metal grill. The soundbar has a solid feel to it and is weighty (a good thing). Interesting is the soundbar grill is held on via the use of magnets. I see no viable reasons why the grill is detachable. Is there a need to dust beneath the grill? The HT-Z9F comes stadard with a remote control. Yes, yet another remote to add to your table top. I am not getting into the specifications or capabilities of this soundbar, rather I am focusing on its sound. If you see one on display, put it through the paces while in the store. Go ahead and compare it. Sony is the one to buy. The subwoofer produces deep sounds. The subwoofer does not have a metal grill, rather it has what feels like some sort of synthetic fabric cover.. I would suspect that the fabric is easily damaged, so it is advisable to be careful with it especially if you position your subwoofer on the floor where children and pets can gain access to it. Is the Sony HT-Z9F worth the money? I compared the Sony HT-Z9F to my Sony 2.1 Channel 2.1 soundbar system. which I have owned for approximately 9 months. To my audiophile ears, the sound quality was quite similar, but overall the HT-Z9F won out in the long run, especially since I coupled the HT-Z9F with the Sony SA-Z9R speakers. Overall, another great Sony product!

Sony Sound Bar and Wireless Subwoofer: Fast delivery, and easy installation (a hallmark expected of Sony). But the sound is unexpectedly fantastic. Sounds like a full surround sound system without the need of wireing up a whole system. Couldn't be happier. Excellent sound quality for music as well as dialogs. Could be a bit louder, but for its size its perfect. We're still waiting to receive delivery on the matching Sony wireless rear speakers and will update this review after getting them and installing them.

The soundbar and subwoofer were very well packed in the box. The wireless subwoofer paired instantly as soon as it was plugged in. The bar itself only has 3 small speakers but somehow through sorcery and magic, Sony has created a speaker system with great and expansive sound. Like the first reviewer Chris said, I'm not convinced that the Atmos effects are all that remarkable, but as for the rest the sound is crystal clear and the bass is definitely powerful but not overpowering. There are a few adjustments possible for speaker size, subwoofer level, and sound mode (movies/sports/music etc.). I don't have the rear speaker kit yet but will probably invest in that as well. MUCH better sound than the JBL I had bought earlier in the year. Overall a great, simple system.

Bought the sound bar and hook up was very easy, sub paired instantly when plugged in. The sound was great but wasn't giving that surround feeling or the overhead Atmos sound. Went back the next day and bought the wireless surround speakers and these really made the system sound complete. I'd say if you can get the rear speakers with the bar, the sound is amazing. The rears also connected instantly when plugged in. Again the overhead sound doesn't seem to be there but very happy with it.

Normally, when one thinks of a soundbar - the first thing to pop in your head is that they are a cheap, poor-man's version of a home theatre system. Is that the case with this Sony model? Read on... The system came packaged in the standard L-shaped box, I guess to minimize box material. Inside is the soundbar (roughly 39" long) and the (hefty!) wireless subwoofer. The setup was straight-forward and easy. The unit provides hdmi ports, and an optical port. Also included are aux, and ethernet ports. From this perspective, it really was plug and play. There are many different sound modes as well as a night-time mode which evens out the soundfield. The "verticle surround engine" TRIES to achieve what is said on the box. There are some shortcomings - it works. But it doesn't "wow" me. To test this bad-boy out, I utilized one of my favorite band's blu-ray performance releases. The sound? It blew me away! The bass was deep and thumping, the mids and highs perfectly reproduced. This is all without utilizing the (sold seperately) wireless rear speakers! In saying all this, keep in mind I had a 5.1 sony surround sound system prior to this which was rather old.. But still 5.1. In my opinion, this product completely knocked the old system out of the ballpark! So, as to answer the first part of this review - Sony has completely shattered the negative preconception regarding soundbars! This model is the one for you if you want to upgrade your home-theatre system from no seperate sound system, or if you are like me, a decades old speaker system.

There's a lot to like about this system when combined with its rear speakers. Setup is a breeze and it takes up very little space. It comes with only 1 HDMI cable, so you may need more depending on your system. Of course, if you're like me, you have lots of them lying around. The dolby atmos works if set up properly (don't block the top of the soundbar). I won't say it's as obvious as a full surround system with speakers in the ceiling, but it's decent. The subwoofer is very pleasing and adds tremendously. The rear speakers (bought separately) are another story. They're downright weak. I ended up parking them immediately behind me and cranked the volume to the max. Once that was done, though, I loved the result. The soundbar volume can be improved by using something under either end to raise it up over whatever it's setting on. The system sounds great for movies and TV. Extremely clear voices and the settings are easy to use. It's perfect for small homes or apartments that don't have a lot of space for speakers. My only disappointment was how it handled music. It's very hit or miss. Some music (especially lower tones and cinematic pieces) sounds somewhere between okay and good. Other pieces? They can sound lousy, especially if you need high tones. My computer does a better job with Audioengine A2 speakers. So it's not just the CD. Overall, if you want to use this for music, keep looking. It's not for you. But if you mostly want to use it for TV and movies, the sound bar is a fabulous choice. The size and small footprint alone make it a great deal because you can always switch it to a bedroom TV if you decide later to upgrade your main system to a full surround sound system.

Overall, a good sound bar. However, after a couple years, its having connectivity issues.

WOW. I just recently purchased a 75" x900F and had been searching and searching for sound that could match the greatness of the TV. This is it. I spent more than a week constantly reading reviews going back and forth over wiring in full theater sound (I was super against this as it would have been overwhelming in our living room space) or looking for a soundbar/sub combo compatible with rear speakers. I had finally narrowed it down to this bar with the rear speakers, the Sonos system ( I wasn't a huge fan of what you got for the prices, not knocking the system, it just didn't match precisely what i was looking for), and lastly the Sony HTST5000. I chose the 9F based on the fact that you atleast got the rear channels, however I was still a little skeptical, and had already planned on taking it back to try out the 5000. UNTIL!!!!! I got it home had it all setup and cranked it. This sound bar is more than enough. We love the bass and it adds an entire new viewing experience. 100% satisfied with the system so far, everyone who has stopped by to check out the new setup has loved it and been blown away by it. This is perfect for the "amateur" who doesn't want the hassle of speaker wires, and just want's decent sound at a decent price. In closing I would say, the price is a bit steep, when factoring in the rear speakers (which are a must in my opinion), however if you're seriously considering a decent setup (regardless of full surround or soundbar) you'll quickly find that this price point is about middle of the road. All in all 5 out of 5 great buy.

I replaced my Bose Soundtouch 300 with this. The Bose offerend great clear sound, but there were so many issues with it I have to cross my fingers every time I turned it on hoping it would work the way I wanted it too. The bar on the other hand offered easy set up and no hassle. It decodes every meaningful audio track and the Atmos compatibility is a great extra feature. $900 is a little steep for a 3 channel sound bar. But this system, along with the rear speakers is a worthy buy for anyone not looking to invest in a traditional home theater set up. Wait for a sale and then buy with confidence.

this a great product, the sound is very good. would definitely buy.

Just bought this soundbar and I could not be happier. It instantly paired with my Sony TV as soon as I powered on the sound bar. In addition pairing it with my Amazon Echo was a snap as well. I have played with my new toy for a day now and I really enjoy how simple it is to use and make slight modifications. My only ding is the price, but I guess I can say that for many of my prior purchases. All and all I recommend this mainly to Sony TV owners as I do not have first hand experience with other TV brands with this soundbar.

First off, almost all of the reviews I've read, describe Sony's branded discription. You can change the wording, but it's still the same sentence. This really bothers me!! With that said, I'm going to be the first to give a real user review from someone who is very familiar with high-definition 24-bit sound and Dolby Atmos. I have owned it all. Whether you own a Sony TV or not, the number one reason to buy this Soundbar is the Virtual Sound Engine. When this feature is enabled, by pressing the Vertical-S button, all audio signals are upscale to 7.1 virtual surround. To me it sounds like the audio is firing from every direction. Without this option the audio fires directly at you. Something I'm sure we're all used to. I bought this Soundbar to play 24 bit or greater audio, whether it be TV, movies or music. I was ready for the next big step in audio development. The Sony HT-Z9F is the best sounding Soundbar I have ever owned. I've had sound bars from JBL, Samsung, Klipsch and LG. The htz9f is the first Soundbar that sounds like a REAL sound system. The Z9F has true 3.1 sound, equivalent to any independently powered left, right and Center Channel setup. This is thanks to Sonys S-Master HX amplifier which allows each speaker to act independently in true 3.1 fashion. This is something completely revolutionary and new to Soundbars in general. As I'm sure everyone wants to know, the subwoofer is excellent. Installation was as simple as plugging in the power source and turning the system on. The subwoofer has incredibly impressive bass tones which hit the very lowest of decibels. Playing rap music with very deep bass was not an issue at full volume. I also positioned my subwoofer behind my couch. The bass is Amplified correctly throughout the entire room. Thanks again to the Sony rep that just happened to be in the store when I made the purchase. I really appreciate the extra discount! If you're using a Sony TV, make sure to go into your advanced audio settings and select compressed audio as well as Auto 2 for compressed multi-channel audio.

I purchased this sound bar and the rear speakers that come with it years ago. I’m talking at least 3-4 years ago. From the beginning it became an issue with connectivity. The sub and rear speakers CONSTANTLY cut out. It is %100 my fault for not returning this product during the time frame I had to return it. The reason I didn’t return it was because I kept researching how to fix the problem and trying different solutions and then the return deadline passed. Turns out the issue is all Sonys fault. Thr soundbar creates an EM channel for the sub and rear speakers and sometimes it can be on a noisy channel which disrupts connections. The only way to fix this is switch RF channel on and off until it chooses a channel with less interruption. You need to use a wifi style scanner to see this by the way. Sony can fix this issue with an update but it’s been YEARS and no update for the soundbar. All they need to do is make the soundbar create its own independent channel for the wireless items like the sub and rear speakers. From this day on I refuse to ever buy another Sony product. I’ve called customer service many times and nobody is helpful. I’m not an idiot when it comes to electronics either. I’ve done countless hours of research and posted on forums and had discussion with other users with the same issue. I hope someone from Sony sees this and actually does something for once.