Sony HT-ZF9
£650
FOR Well-balanced spacious sound; impressive upmixing
AGAINST Gets muddled during complex scenes What does a Dolby Atmos soundbar look like? Long and thin? Check. Multiple inputs? Check. Up-firing drivers? Hold on! Though the Sony HT-ZF9 soundbar has only three front-facing drivers, Sony claims it can produce a 7.1.2 surround sound by ‘virtually’ processing audio so it appears to be coming from around you.
Gaining weight
The HT-ZF9 sits about a metre long, with a removable grill to hide its drivers, while on the back are two HDMI inputs and an HDMI output with ARC support so it can receive sound from your television. There is also a separate subwoofer with a 16cm driver to add low-frequency weight.
The Sony is 4K and Dolby Vision compatible, so you’ll be able to plug your Blu-ray players and games consoles in. There are USB, 3.5mm and optical inputs as well as an ethernet connection. Spotify and Google Chromecast are here too, as is Bluetooth, which has been boosted with Sony’s LDAC technology for a claimed higher-quality playback from compatible sources.
The soundbar’s interface, controlled by remote or the buttons on top of the bar, is clearly laid out. Hitting the home button takes you to a menu screen, divided into Watch, Listen, and Setup.
The first one switches between TV and HDMI inputs, while the second lets you select between Bluetooth, USB, 3.5mm analogue, Spotify and Chromecast audio. In the Setup menu, you can swap between Sony’s own vertical sound modes and Dolby’s ‘speaker virtualizer’. Both perform well, although we prefer Sony’s settings – it has a better tonal balance than Dolby’s and gives you access to Sony’s EQ settings (which are disabled by Dolby’s virtualizer).
These modes are worth trying out, but personal preference will dictate how much you use them. Switching to ‘Music’ bolsters the midrange on Daft Punk’s Get Lucky, but also makes the song sound more condensed and focused.
In the wings
We play the Dolby Atmos soundtrack to Justice League and the HT-ZF9 does a solid job at placing elements. As the parademons fly around, you can clearly make out where the hum of their alien wings is coming from. It doesn’t place the sound overhead as well as some soundbars, such as the Sony HT-ST5000 – but that has dedicated upfiring drivers and costs around £1000 more.
Although there is a good sense of height and width, in comparison to other soundbars, zooming heroes flying overhead seem to be coming from the top of the TV rather than from above.
Dialogue comes through clearly in the midrange without being overloaded by bass when a superhuman punch from the Man of Steel shoots Aquaman into a nearby building.
Playing Avatar, there’s an impressive weight to the panther-like beast Thanator as he chases the marine through the forest. Each pounce is punchy, and the rumbling sound as the creature smashes through trees is conveyed well.
However, during bigger battles (whether playing Dolby Atmos or a more conventional stereo mix) the sound becomes a little muddled. It is difficult to make out where sounds are coming from, as the soundtrack clashes with rocks tumbling and monsters roaring.
We’d also like more subtlety when it comes to dynamics; before the action sequence begins, the small horns and whispering leaves that set the mood struggle to convey any tension – leaving the scene comparatively flat and lifeless. While this soundbar moves from the quiet to the loud smoothly enough, the tiny changes in sonic intensity that make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end could do with some refinement.
A sub-£700 soundbar with impressive Virtual Sound technologies, a subwoofer, intuitive control system and decent sound quality is not to be sniffed at. Those looking for ‘true’ Dolby Atmos might consider Sony’s HT-ST5000 bar, but for those on a tighter budget, the HT-ZF9 gets the job done.