Sony HT-X9000F 2.1-Channel Dolby Atmos Sound Bar with Subwoofer

I bought this about a 3 weeks ago after doing the update too use the arc as a Dolby Atmos is great. The sound is amazing and rich. I think people are missing to keep up with firmware upgrade it works.

Soundbar sound profiles like "Cinema" don't work. Entering modes other than "News" produces muffled sound. I don't want to watch movies on the "News" mode.

Was looking all over for a new soundbar. Previously had a 5.1 vizio soundbar
(VIZIO - SmartCast™ 38" 5.1-Channel Soundbar System with Subwoofer - Black)

I liked the way the vizio sounded it was perfectly fine for me. I needed something simple not super crazy. I bought the soundbar to watch movies and play games. The reason i got a new soundbar was because i needed more HDMI inputs a pass through. My number one request is a 4K HDR pass through. I've seen the adapters and HDMI Hubs but trust me these do not pass full 4K HDR or dolby vision. The only solution was getting a soundbar that does that same.

The reason why i went Sony is because i bought a Sony 930E 65in TV. We all know how great Sony works with one another so i decided to stick with Sony. I have had pretty good luck with them. I was nervous in the beginning not having dedicated back speakers. I'm used to the Vizio's 2 back Satellite speakers.

Long story short. This is a great soundbar! I am literally in Awe of this soundbar. Playing a video game like God of War brings the game to life. Every sound and explosion just shakes the entire house. Amazing Sub and sound quality is superb. The HDMI pass through works great! I can control the soundbar and have a 4K UHD player connected. Both can be chosen and the soundbar, UHD player and TV can all be controlled through one remote! AMAZING how Sony works together. I would highly recommend this soundbar. The 2 back speakers of the Vizio did not matter when compared to this Sony soundbars vertical surround sound. Don't hesitate to get this soundbar you will not be disappointed!

The Sound Bar works great with the DVD player but I have not been able to get the sound to sync with the TV or the PS4. Still waiting on the store to help troubleshoot the issue. The manual is simply horrible!!! It is poorly written and very unclear to aid in issues like this. The only reason I am giving it a fair is that it works with the DVD player.

Purchased this sound bar to use with Sony TV XBR55X800E 4K HDR. The sound is very good, but the timing of the sound does not sync with my TV. I had purchased tech support from the retailer, but they were not able to fix it either.

The sound is fabulous and being able to adjust the sub woofer makes it even better

I bought this soundbar, about 6 months, and i can say its the best for this price. Very important for the best sound is the source and the distance that you can set up from menu. Set up the distance until you heard the best Dolby Atmos. Goodluck. Sorry for my english, is not my mother language.

I bought this soundbar to complement my new Sony 900f TV...The pros: design is great, the set up is quick and it sounds good!
The cons: overpriced, the various modes cannot be seen on-screen when you run internal tv apps so you fly blind, the remote feels cheap, it's confusing on how you actually set up the soundbar to get ATMOS, particularly when you use the internal app of the Tv such as Netflix, and all that is displayed for an ATMOS title is Dolby Vision...the instructions are not clear.
If you really want surround sound, do not buy this soundbar as you cannot add rear speakers...I knew this going in and I did not have the space for anything else.
Overall it is an overpriced, average soundbar!

I'm very happy with my new Sony soundbar. Very good sound quality.

For as expensive this is, and having it be a “4K” soundbar, it should have amazing bass. You don’t even get an option to try and turn it up at all, which merely adds to the disappointment. A soundbar with a name brand coating this much shouldn’t sound like an off brand $50 soundbar.

Had Geek Squad install both TV & sound bar. Volume fades in & out. Some streaming must increase volume. Video & audio not always synced

I'm so happy that I purchased this product the sound is incredible!!! And it was so easy to set up I used the bluetooth feature so i dont even have any wires...the vertical sound feature is outstanding!!!! Would recommend it to everyone

While the sound is good, it was not easy to set up. Really confusing as to whether it actually went through the process or not and I have all Sony products attached. The wireless base is nice as I don't have a bunch of wires to contend with and it gives an excellent base.

Great sound and compact. I needed a small sound bar and this is perfect.

The sound bar brings out all the back ground sounds I normall don't hear on the TV speakers. The Sub woofer is great that it adds to the harder sounds on different movies.

Bought this at a Best Buy customer appreciation day

$400 IS A LOT TO PAY FOR AVERAGE SOUND OUT OF A SOUND BAR AND SW.

The sound it produces is quite good; maybe audiophiles wouldn’t be satisfied but I am. The problem, though, is the delay between the picture on the TV and the sound from the sound bar. I have tried many things to fix the problem but nothing has worked. I am considering returning it.

This setup causes an annoying sound delay and you are unable to adjust it out. Good sound and bass out of speakers but frustrating when the words don’t match people speaking.

I just bought this today from my local Best Buy and the set up was super easy. Plug in everything and then turn it on. I played Star Wars Rogue One and it sounds AMAZING! So much better than the samsung KW950 and it was more than half the price! It also fit perfectly in front of my TV stand.

great sound things don't seem to stay in sink all the time

It's not showing Atmos logo on the Native Netflix app on 2017 bBravia models even high end models it's working only with 2018 Bravia
And the sound volume if I set volume more than 35 like 40 or 45 or 50 max I will hear static sound or buzzing sound
Hope you Sony take care of this problem at least make update to be compatible with 55x930E

I don't like that it doesn't show the volume level of the product on the TV. Do you leave the sound up on the TV and on the Soundbar???

This makes watching Movies exceptionally great. The sound is like being in a movie theatre. You experience the feeling without leaving your own home.

I have a 4G Bravia purchased in 2015 in a 16/20 room, so I did not need a larger and more expensive unit. I thought about Sonos options, but opted for the Sony because of it's excellent sound, seamless integration with the TV, and Bluetooth connectivity which allows playing anything from my phone or laptop. I already have a B&O system in the house, including in this room, but B&O does not make a comparable product. Very happy with the purchase.

Just hooked this up with my 900F Sony 4K TV using HDMI/ARC connection. I also have my 900F hooked to my Cable Box via TVs HDMI1 port. For some reason a number of actions using the SB remote dont work, i.e. Display, changing the Pic mode to Cinema, etc., dont work. I realize some capabilities of the SB are not available w/o having a 4K input stream but not sure why some basic remote commands dont work or you see ALL the indicator lights flash. Cannot always see the indicator lights on top - would have preferred the lights to show partly down on the front/top of the SB.

This compliments my 65 inch 850 f. Both are great. Can’t beat Sony.

I bought this to go with my new x850 65 inch tv.no matter what sound funtion button is pressed the sound is the same.a good 300 dollar soundbar but not a 600 dollar one.

Bought this about 2 months ago. Very disappointed. Base level is very weak. Voice is terrible.

Bought a new x850f tv so I thought I would upgrade the sound.Read about other soundbars not syncing with the voice coming from TV so I decided against the Sonas and bought the Sony...Much more costly..After every adjustment in the book it still looks like you are watching a forgien film that is dubbed...NO, I would not advise this purchase ...Save your money and go with anything else...

Bought a new x850f tv so I thought I would upgrade the sound.Read about other soundbars not syncing with the voice coming from TV so I decided against the Sonas and bought the Sony...Much more costly..After every adjustment in the book it still looks like you are watching a forgien film that is dubbed...NO, I would not advise this purchase ...Save your money and go with anything else...

I bought this about a 10 days ago evrything is great expect movies from HDD have low dialouge but too loud efects and anything csnt fix this maybe some update...Please consider this

I bought this about a 10 days ago evrything is great expect movies from HDD have low dialouge but too loud efects and anything csnt fix this maybe some update...Please consider this

This Sony Soundbar has great sound. Furthermore, when listening to a British show, I can understand what the actors are saying. Before, I had to increase the volume so much in order to understand the actors that my wife complained about the sound.

Great sound and super clear! Suitable for family uses.

Although I am somewhat satisfied with the purchase of this sound bar, I’m disappointed with the constant readjustment of the tv sound lags behind the image. Additionally, the sound from my tv (Sony Bravia XBR55A1E) occasionally skips. The owners manual recommended fix does not work to fix the problem. But overall this is a good but not great premium sound bar.

I like the sound of this product easy setup and easy to use good sound from music and movies

Bought for HDMI ARC to work with new Sony TV. Most important to me was to have one remote at my chair... Was able to program DirecTV remote to work TV, Sound bar and TV Input through the HDMI ARC port connection.

I bought this almost a month ago to upgrade from a HT-CT260 and wow does this sound great!

We have had this over a month. Never thought a soundbar would make that big of a difference!

THIS IS THE BEST SOUND I EVER HAD. LOVE IT.
THE SOUND FLOW IS FROM TOP LIKE SURROUND SOUND

The following instructions apply to Software/Firmware v001.344 (factory).

Sony has admitted to me that the factory released firmware for the HT-X9000F does not (yet) recreate the 2 areas of rear soundfield ATMOS as coming from *behind* the listener.

The BEST that I can wring out of the HT-X9000F's "7.1.2" Dolby ATMOS effect is *5*(=7-2rear).1.2.

Within that 5.1.2 frontally dioramic ATMOS soundfield, I do get very sharply defined vectored sounds, excellent Doppler effects, and nearly vertically overhead L-R/forward-overhead ATMOS.

None of that happened out-of-the-box for me. I had to tune the MANUAL settings that Sony has exposed for us to use in order to maximize the net ATMOS effect.

Your smartTV and the HT-X9000F need to be properly HDCP2.2/HDMI2.0a connected. The HDMI audio output needs to be set to Bitstream/Dolby Digital Plus so that it can transmit ATMOS object sound data to the HT-X9000F.

PREP 1 - obtain access to reliable sound sources

You will need a predictability reliable sweep tone and equally predictable Dolby ATMOS sound sources.

On YouTube I found: 1) "60-6,000 Hz Audio Sweep" and 2) "Dolby ATMOS Test: Sound Effects - Ultra HD H999."

Be sure to listen to the Dolby ATMOS Test using decent stereo headphones, so that you know what it is *ideally* supposed to sound like to *your* ears. Fully 360° ATMOS can be heard through good headsets.

PREP 2 - HT-X9000F soundbar aiming

The sweetspot for ATMOS will always be directly between the two drivers of the soundbar, with the 0° on-beam $projection of those drivers aimed directly at the *height* of your ears. If your normal listening position is not centered and directly on-beam of those drivers, make it so. Center the soundbar and prop/tilt its resting angle to achieve this.

PREP 3 - baseline HT-X9000F settings

Turn off Voice enhancements and Night mode until tuning is complete.
Enable MUSIC mode and Vertical S.

Make sure Advance Settings | Speaker Settings | Manual Speaker Settings | Level are 0dB for both Front and Subwoofer.

Measure the linear distance from the soundbar to your sweetspot and from the subwoofer to your sweetspot. Subtract 2' from each measurement and plug those adjusted numbers into Advance Settings | Speaker Settings | Manual Speaker Settings | Distance: Front and Subwoofer.

Make sure Advance Settings | Audio Settings | Sound Effect: is set to "Sound Mode On.‘

Turn the volume of the subwoofer down to zero.

BALANCING SOUNDBAR AND SUBWOOFER LEVELS

With MUSIC mode selected and Virtual S enabled, play the Dolby ATMOS Test and set the desired volume level for the soundbar, while keeping the subwoofer volume at 0. Listen to the Dolby ATMOS Test as long as you need to, because you are choosing what will be your nominal soundbar level for tuning purposes.

Once the nominal soundbar level is set, play the 60-6,000 Hz sweep tone and gradually bring the subwoofer volume up from zero. Replay the 60-6,000 Hz sweep tone, paying attention that the loudness of the sweep is even from beginning to end.

If the low end sounds softer than the high end, boost the subwoofer volume until an even sweep tone volume is achieved. If the high end sounds softer than the low end, cut the subwoofer volume until an even sweep tone volume is achieved.

An even loudness sweeptone means the soundbar and subwoofer balance is set.

MAXIMIZING ATMOS EFFECT

Now select CINEMA mode and maintain Vertical S: On.

Play the Dolby ATMOS test, listening not only for a wide soundfield, but also for distinct directionality of all ATMOS sound objects within the soundfield. The Dolby ATMOS Test is a long loop with many cycles of repetition. Listen for two or three cycles.

All low frequency objects should be as distinctly clear from one another as mid and high frequency objects. Nothing should sound "muddy" or muddled.

Now, go back to Advance Settings | Speaker Settings | Manual Speaker Settings | Distance: and increase the distance values for Front and Subwoofer by 0.25'.

Return to playing the Dolby ATMOS Test and listen for any sharper/clearer positional sense of the moving ATMOS sound objects. Listen long and patiently for as many cycles as you need to make a decision.

Return to Advance Settings | Speaker Settings | Manual Speaker Settings | Distance: and continue to increase the distance values for Front and Subwoofer until playback of the moving Dolby ATMOS objects becomes less positionally clear/distinct. #

Once the overshoot Distance is reached it's time to back the Distance values off by 0.25' until the positionality of the moving ATMOS objects regains maximum positional clarity. Trust your ears, you will hear it when that maximum positional motion clarity returns.

TUNING THE OVERALL TONE OF ATMOS/VERTICAL S IN YOUR LISTENING ENVIRONMENT

Now that nominal listening volume is set and the ATMOS effect clarity is maximized, it's time to evaluate the overall TONE of ATMOS/Vertical S.

If trebles/highs sound too hot or tinny, it's time to tweak Advance Settings | Speaker Settings | Manual Speaker Settings | Level: Front and/or Subwoofer.

Sony intended the Level setting to be used primarily by Gamers, to heighten sonic clues in game play. But, when maximized ATMOS and/or Vertical S makes trebles/highs too hot, you can try dropping Front Level by 0.5dB increments and/or raising Subwoofer Level by 0.5dB increments.

Level Front is not only about highs and Level Subwoofer is not only about lows. They are about tuning ATMOS/Vertical S overall *clarity* (which is also a function of the Distance values). In this case, we're tackling tonal fidelity.

THE NET EFFECT

The rear-less 5(=7-2).1.2 ATMOS hemispheric "surround" is still impressive. Significantly more immersive than ALL other physical 2.1 soundbars I auditioned, including ones >>US$599. And this works by direct, frontal projection to the listener, regardless of room geometry.

Sony tells me that they are working on the two missing rear surround vectors. My fingers are crossed hard for that.

I don't know why Sony has not written up their own Troubleshooting Guide for optimizing ATMOS on the HT-X9000F.

I know that by using this methodology, I was able to reduce (but not entirely eliminate) the tinny-ness of Vertical S on DTS Master 5.1 source audio, too. (Again, Sony has more work to do there.)

What would greatly simplify this would be if/when Sony replaces the generic White Noise, found at Advance Settings | Speaker Settings | Manual Speaker Settings | Test Tone, with an *ATMOS* White/Pink/Brown Noise for more quickly finding the optimum Distance values. (Sony says they're working on that, too.)

YMMV...

If/when Sony buffs out the outstanding 7.1.2 *implementation* rough edges, the HT-X9000F will merit a solid 5-*s, across their rating board.

For some time, I was thinking about upgrading my Sony 60 inch TV with a soundbar. Enter, the Sony HT-X9000F. Overall impression: AWESOME. This soundbar was a snap to hook-up. Super easy installation and set up instructions. Comprehensive owners manual and a start up guide written in plain English, that will get you up and running in a few short minutes.

If your smart TV has an HDMI ARC input jack your all set. No other cables are needed. If you set does not have this jack, you will need to purchase an Optical Digital Cable in order to utilize this product. Once connected you just fire up the TV and it works. The paring (connection) to the Subwoofer was automatic. NICE!

Sound quality you may ask. Fasten your seat belts, as you will experience some sweet sounding surroundsound,. Sound immerses you from every direction. The soundbar has several sound mode settings for your listening pleasure, such as cinema, music, game, news, sports, and of course the standard setting. The sound is clean and crisp. You will have fun trying each setting and you will be able to quickly decide on your favorite one.

I purposely did not bore you with specifications of the soundbar, as I believe that once you hear and immerse yourself with the awesome sound of the Sony soundbar you'll be hooked. This product is definitely on my highly recommended list. Amazing.

Before ordering this product, I was little sceptical initially about the quality of it as the price was less. But after using this for more than a week, I realized that the product sounds premium for the price. Sound quality is good and perfect match for a TV. It sounded much better than my Bose 5.1 home
theater in certain areas.As usual best quality by SONY.

I bought my Sony Sound Bar system a week ago and it sounds great. I have it connected through my Sony XBR-49X900E television and the setup went well without any glitches. The remote on the sound bar functions as expected, however, when pressing some buttons, the mode selected does appear on the TV screen as promised in the operating manual. This leaves the operator "flying blind" as to which mode the sound bar is active. I have found this issue with "Voice", "Night" and "Display" modes for example. I did note that some mode selections do activate the lights directly on the sound bar is what appears to be a sequence of "flashes" which probably indicate the change in modes...these are not documented by Sony. I hope this review is helpful and in spite of the issues I've noted, I would recommend this sound bar.