Sony just released a bunch of new speakers, but the main big ones are the HT-A9, a home theater setup, and the HT-A7000, their flagship soundbar. With some hefty price tags, these speakers are ambitious with their 360 surround sound support and smart features.
HT-A9
The HT-A9 includes four separate speakers that can be placed individually across the room. It has Sound Field Optimisation, which uses dual microphones in each speaker to measure their relative height and position.
The A9 also has 360 Spatial Sound Mapping Technology that uses sound binaural methods to make it sound like there are 12 phantom speakers. Sony claims that this technology provides everyone in the room with the same sound.
The four speakers connect wirelessly so you can place them anywhere in the room. Due to the dual microphones in each speaker, the positions can be versatile and the sound is meant to stay consistent.
The A9 features a cylindrical design with a flat side so the sound can be heard from most directions. The flat side makes it fit nicely against a wall and the light grey colour is neutral enough to blend in with the interior of your room.
It also comes with 360 Reality Audio and DSEE Extreme, and AI technology that restores the high-end in compressed audio. Users can also use voice activation with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa.
HT-A7000 Soundbar
A7000 is a 7.1.2-channel soundbar with two overhead speakers, two beam tweeters, and five front speakers, with a dual subwoofer. It supports surround sound codecs such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.
The A7000 also comes with Sound Field Optimization, using internal microphones to measure the dimensions of your room. Like the A9, this soundbar includes 360 Reality Audio and DSEE Extreme to restore the quality of compressed audio.
The design consists of a long black block with rounded edges. It also has voice activation support.
You can connect the HT-A7000 to your TV with either USD, optical and analogue audio in, or HDMI. It also supports Spotify Connect, Chromecast, and Apple AirPlay 2.
If you want more bass, Sony also sells wireless subwoofers that you can connect to the setup. The SA-SW5 has 300W of power and a 180mm driver, but they also have a 200W model (SA-SW3) and a 100W model (SA-RS3S).
Pricing and Availability
All of the products below will be available in Malaysia starting mid-October 2021.
HT-A9 – RM7,299 MSRP
HT-A7000 – RM5,399 MSRP
SA-SW5 – RM2,799 MSRP
SA-SW3 – RM2,799 MSRP
SA-RS3S – RM1,299 MSRP
