In the audio thread I read that some people here have a Dolby Atmos soundbar. Currently I'm eyeing the Sony HTX 9000f. Affordable and according to some YouTubers really good. Anyone here with that soundbar? In general would you say a Atmos soundbar is worth it? I mean with a lot of these soundbars there are no additional rear speakers.
I bought the HT-X9000F a few weeks ago. It's the most impressive soundbar I've ever used, but whether you should buy it or not depends on your situation. I basically just use it with my PS4 Pro, OTA Digital HDTV and then Netflix/Kodi/Youtube/VLC through my TV.
Positives
- Sound capacity is really impressive - even at default it's just a lot better than a traditional, cheaper bar like the CT-290 or whatever.
- Near perfect ARC/HDMI-CEC with Sony TVs. Boots up fast, syncs fast.
- Not cheap but still cheaper than the Z9F
- Boomy wireless sub
- Obviously fits perfectly under the X900F, since that's what it was designed for
Worth Noting
- If you end up not hearing the difference between Atmos and Stereo, it can link to your TV through bluetooth. (Sony TVs can, dunno about LG). I haven't tried this at home but the IT show demo unit I played around with worked identical to ARC. Turning the TV on also turned on the soundbar, TV remote controlled the volume, etc.
- HDMI 2 passthrough. So if you want something with 100% access to the soundbar and can't lose the HDMI input on your TV, this does the job. On my Sony TV the passthrough device shows up on the input list, which is cool. YMMV on other sets.
Drawbacks
- 2.1 unit only. If you want a center channel go for the Z9F. Personally if I really need enhanced voice clarity I just press the VOICE button on the remote, but ultimately more speakers is better. I would say the drawback on a center channel with soundbars is ultimately that they are all so squished together. I guess it adds some clarity but I used to own one of those 20+ channel Yamaha monsters and this sounds worlds better.
- I believe you also need the Z9F to go with the optional surround back speaker pair (which are an additional cost, by the way, listed as $200 on Sony's website, dunno about Amazon)
- I wish I could say ARC is bulletproof but I did lose it once. Ended up just unplugging the TV and soundbar from the wall for 30 seconds and then everything behaved after. Not sure if it was the bar or TV, but power pull did the trick.
- Last thing on the "you should buy the Z9F list" is that the Z9F supports 3x HDMI, while this supports only one* (1 port is ARC in, the other is for the passthrough device, Z9F is 1 ARC + 3 out). Again, not a big deal for me because I don't want to attach 3 more HDMI devices and juggle two remotes to do all of the input switching. But in theory it's there.
