Earlier, Japan’s Sony released a home theater system consisting of only 4 wireless speakers. Through powerful sound field calculation technology, it can create a surround sound effect with up to 12 speakers, and more importantly, the speaker placement is not limited. , It can also make the same positioning effect as the whole living room, which is very suitable for families who can’t set up traditional surround sound system. And this set of HT-A9 also has the opportunity to come to Hong Kong for sale. At the same time, there are two sets of high-end and entry-level Soundbars newly launched, all equipped with wireless rear speakers.
The biggest difference between HT-A9 and Soundbar is that there is no need to place a large Soundbar system in front of the TV. Just connect the TV and DVD player (or game console) to the HT-A9 transmitter — an STB device about the size of Apple TV — — You can connect 4 speaker speakers wirelessly, and the 4 speakers only need to be connected to their power sources, without signal cables or speaker cables.
The 4 speakers of the HT-A9 only need to be placed at the four corners of the audio-visual space. They do not have to be symmetrical or consistent in height. For example, one can be placed on the front of the TV and the other can be hung on the wall. . The system will use Sony 360 Reality Audio and Sound Field Optimization technology. Each speaker has two microphones to measure the relative height and position of the speakers, the distance between the speakers, and the space and ceiling height data. Calculate a 12-channel surround sound space, and the family members sitting in different positions can hear the same sound effect as the “emperor position” in the middle.
Each HT-A9 speaker has two long X-Balanced speaker units, in order to use up the unit area in a limited space, one of which will reflect to the sky. In addition, each speaker also has a Wide Directivity Woofer (Wide Directivity Woofer), which helps reduce low frequency reflections in indoor spaces. However, if you want more bass, you can also equip with SA-SW5 or SA-SW3 wireless subwoofers, but the price is not cheap. They cost $5,990 and $2,990 respectively, making the whole system cost-effective for mid-priced traditional surround sound combinations.
HT-A9 audition evaluation
Although the time to listen to the HT-A9 is short this time, I have also experienced the surround sound technology calculated by Sony Black Technology 360 Reality Audio Mapping. The movement of objects in the sound field is quite obvious, which is more than that of AV amplifiers with more than 10,000 yuan. 7.1.2 Channel speakers are better. The surround sound performance of Soundbar is even more different. Friends who like watching movies and listening to sound moving effects will surely scream.
However, the HT-A9 has limited speaker space, the speaker unit is also dominated by full range, and the treble extension and details are slightly insufficient. In contrast, traditional AV home theaters can be equipped with speakers with different characteristics. Only the center channel can be compensated by the intervention of Sony TV speakers, making the dialogue sound powerful and rich.
The HT-A9 is definitely a weapon for simply playing surround sound. The only consideration is that the woofer accessories are more expensive. A SA-SW5 with a 300W output power costs nearly $6,000, making the entire HT-A9 cost $20,000. Playing home theater sound effects at such a price. There are actually many good choices.
HT-A7000 flagship 7.1.2 Soundbar
If you don’t want to spend too much budget and want to play with 7.1.2 surround sound effects, the traditional Soundbar HT-A7000 is Sony’s flagship model this year. You can use the Soundbar with 7 built-in front units (2x beam tweeter + 5x front speakers) ), plus two upward sounding units and dual woofers to form a soundbar with a total of 11 channels, which can output a loopback sound effect that simulates 7.1.2.
The HT-A7000 is the same as the HT-A9 previously tried. It can be easily connected to game consoles such as PS5 through 4K 120Hz HDMI signal. It can also be used with Sony TV to enhance the center channel sound effect and operate in conjunction with the TV operating system.
If you want to enhance the sound-circling effect, you can add the two subwoofers mentioned above. The HT-A7000 can also be equipped with SA-RS3S wireless rear speakers to enhance the effect of the rear channel, but you should pay attention to adding SA- After RS3S, the HT-A7000 also outputs 7.1.2 sound effects, but it enhances the feeling of envelopment without becoming 9.1.2 sound effects.
5.1 Entry-level HT-S40R
If you have a limited budget and want to hear real surround sound, Sony will add an HT-S40R 5.1 model to the entry-level 5.1 Soundbar HT-S20R this year. Compared with the S20R, the biggest difference is that the rear speakers of the S40R use a wireless receiver, and then use a speaker cable to connect the two rear speakers to reduce the cable restriction of the front and rear speakers.
Specifications
HT-A9
Output power: 540W
Amplifier channel: 12 channels
HDMI input/output: 1/1
Video support: 4K 120Hz, Dolby Vision, HLG, BRAVIA Sync
Speaker layout: 4.0.4
Virtual surround sound technology: 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, Dolby Surround Sound, Neural: X
HDMI input audio format: Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital plus, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Dual mono, DTS, DTS-HD high-resolution audio, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS ES, DTS 96/24, DTS:X, LPCM
Song: $ 14,990 (HT-A9), $ 5,990 (SA-SW5), $ 2,990 (SA-SW3)
HT-A7000
Output power: 500W
Amplifier channel: 11 channels
HDMI input/output: 2/1
Video support: 4K 120Hz, Dolby Vision, HLG, BRAVIA Sync
Speaker layout: 7.1.2
Virtual surround sound technology: S-Force PRO, Vertical Surround Engine, Dolby Surround Sound, Neural: X
HDMI input audio format: Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital plus, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Dual mono, DTS, DTS-HD high-resolution audio, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS ES, DTS 96/24, DTS:X, LPCM
售 價: $ 9,990 (HT-A7000), $ 5,990 (SA-SW5), $ 2,990 (SA-SW3), $ 2,690 (SA-RS3S)
HT-S40R
Output power: 600W
Amplifier channel: 5.1 channel
HDMI input/output: 0/1
Image support: none
Audio input: analog audio input (mini stereo), USB typeA, FAT32 / NTFS, optical audio input
Speaker layout: 5.1
Audio format: Dolby Digital, Dolby Dual mono, LPCM 2 ch
Price: $2,990
Enquiry: Sony (2833 5129)