Sony tear up the home cinema rule book and tempt audiophiles. Here is how they did it with the A9 HT
We didn’t get hands on for a full review with the A9 HT however here is what we know
What we liked
- Draw dropping Dolby Atmos experience
- No need for a center speaker
- Speakers can be placed anywhere
Things of note
- Subwoofers are sold separate 2 in the range
- Speakers are re-assuringly large, bookshelf size
RRP 10,000 aed
Fresh from 007 No Time To Die in a Dolby Theater no less, the A9 HT made our ears tingle with familiar delight not just with the Dolby Atmos demonstration but from real content with Venom and Mother
We didn’t have long with the A9 HT however what we heard made for a terrific first impression. We are fresh from 007 No Time Do Die which we saw in the Dolby Theater Dubai Mall. When we heard the Dolby Atmosphere demo on the A9 HT (the same used in Dolby Theater) our ears tingled with familiar delight. We also watched actual movie clips such as Venom and Mother which sealed our first impressions as the best you will find outside of a dedicated home cinema room or a Dolby Theater.
Sony has very much thought the A9 HT through and with TV’s coming flat to the stands this leaves no room for a center speaker. Phantom speakers have been around for a while, phantom rears in 6.1 systems being the most popular and not the most effective. The A9 HT had us tied to the screen with no complaints with its phantom center reproduction
Moreover these speakers produce up to 12 phantom speakers from the existing 4. You can place them where they fit around your living space and clever sound mapping allows the A9 HT to adjust itself to its positioning
Most audiophiles have been asking themselves. How can I get the new immersive audio formats into my house when mounting speakers into the ceiling is not an option and sound bars are still too much of a compromise? The Sony A9 HT to us sounds like a bold step in solving the dilemma and we will know more when we have one for full review.
