Good deal – The Sony HT-ZF9 “4-star” soundbar at €599.00

During its presentation at CES 2018, the Sony HT-ZF9 soundbar made an impression thanks to two characteristics: its compatibility with the two main 3D sound formats (Dolby Atmos and DTS:X) and its ambition to reproduce the voices of height of these formats without dedicated loudspeakers, not even in reflection on the ceiling!

Convincing Dolby Atmos/DTS:X with a compact soundbar: impossible, do you think? Let Sony convince you otherwise. Its HT-ZF9 soundbar offers a surround amazing virtual which, yes, includes many height effects that are certainly discreet, but present and indisputably beneficial for sound immersion. Its rendering certainly lacks musicality, but on the other hand it benefits from a hair-raising dynamics, which makes it a product of choice for lovers of great auditory spectacle.

Strong points

• Dolby Atmos AND DTS:X compatible!
• Big dynamics and power reserve.
• Remarkably contained distortion.
• Responsive subwoofer.
• Excellent quality virtual surround.
• Verticality of 3D audio formats discreet, but present and immersive.
• Two HDMI inputs, Dolby Atmos compatible output on ARC channel.
• TV interface.
• Small footprint.

Weak points

• Sharp sound, not very musical.
• “Sweetspot” for the narrow virtual surround (need to be seated facing the bar).
• No UPnP/DLNA compatibility.

Alternatively

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is certainly only a very minor evolution of the first Beam of the name, but it does not need more to remain one of the most recommendable compact soundbars on the market. Its remarkably musical and immersive sound (despite anecdotally Dolby Atmos compatibility) combines with a connected audio ecosystem of unparalleled completeness and maturity to form a very attractive whole. Beware, however, of its ultra-minimalist connectors, which could be a source of frustration in certain installations.