When a truly neat mathematical product comes out , I chance myself straddling two oppose schools of cerebration . On one hired man : If it ai n’t die , do n’t fix it . On the other : Let ’s take what ’s capital , and make it even better . So when Sony update its wildly popular HT - A9 abode theater audio arrangement , I had mixed notion .
When I first saw it , I had headache . Then I hear it , and those concerns disappeared .
This is the Bravia Theatre Quad . THEATRE . The boxwood features the British spelling of theatre , but strangely enough , it ’s spell both ways on Sony ’s own website . Go flesh . Anyway , as I ’m not British and my accent is quite poor ( despite having live in the UK for a whole three whirlwind months when I was much young ) , I shall further relate to it as most Yanks will : Theater Quad . You may also find this organization listed as the Sony HT - A9M2 . That ’s relevant because theSony HT - A9was so wildly popular and so outstandingly good , it ’s impossible to do this review of the Theater Quad without bring up to the good example it exchange .
My goal here is to make this the only follow-up you need . Part of that will let in a little personal story , but I ’m leaving that for the ending , because there ’s a lot I ask to share with you about this system .
The original Sony HT - A9 was an awful organization . Groundbreaking , as a matter of fact . What made it so exciting and desirable is that it could do things that soundbar - based systems could n’t — like provide veridical stereophony interval while also providing very well-defined dialogue , despite not having a center speaker . And it could provide an extremely immersive spacial audio sound field of view despite using just four speakers . It was also awesome that the system could be driven by one lilliputian short box that you could easily blot out .
As far as I ’m concerned , the HT - A9 only had 2.5 things choke against it . One : The arrangement was prostrate to wireless signal dropouts — sometimes you ’d lose sound from one of the loudspeaker system . Two : the speakers , while not monolithic by any stretch , were still somehow larger than one might expect from a one - corner family theater sound recording arrangement . And 0.5 : it was expensive .
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The good news is that while the Theatre Quad is more expensive , you get a lot more for your money here .
With the Bravia Theatre Quad , Sony has turn to two of those way out . The speakers have ask on a raw shape , and the wireless audio signal system has been vastly better . That 0.5 strike against , though ? Well , the price has actually gone up . The HT - A9 come out at $ 1,800 . The new Theatre Quad costs $ 2,500 . And that price does not include a subwoofer ( more on that in a bit ) . The good intelligence is that while the Theatre Quad is more expensive , you get a lot more for your money here .
That extra $ 700 gets you rock’n’roll - unanimous wireless stability , significantly improved performance , and far more flexible and interior decoration - friendly speakers .
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Video review
What’s here, and what’s missing
In the boxful , you get not only attractive and stable stands for the speakers , but also rampart - mounting hardware . The speaker system are easier to place — both functionally and much — which makes this a much more various and exploiter - friendly system ( perhaps the most user - friendly audio organization on the market right now ) . you’re able to place the speakers almost anywhere and the system is go to sound tremendous . If it seems like I ’m undersell that compass point right now , I ’ll come back to it .
Bravia Connect is a command component for go down up this organization . While I do have complaint about the app , I must admit it is vastly improved over the old version . And it declare oneself Sonos - like simplicity and functionality . That ’s a big compliment — or at least it was before Sonos went and screw up its app .
The Bravia Connect app is essential because it is what allows the Theater Quad to be calibrated and tune up to offer an almost otherworldly sonic experience in your home , while also enabling you more flexibility over where you put the speakers than any other one - box answer on the marketplace . That capability is thanks toSony ’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping engineering .
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Now you might have point out I ’ve call the Theater Quad , and the HT - A9 predecessor , a one - boxful solution . But have me be very clear here — this arrangement does not occur with a subwoofer . Some kinsfolk consider that is a fault , because ( and this is true ) you really do need a subwoofer with the Theatre Quad .
But I ’m on Sony ’s side regarding its choice not to practice bundling a subwoofer in the loge , because , first of all , there are some folks who will want to expend this system without one , even though they ’ll leave out out on a prominent piece what the Quad can do . But more important , Sony makes two subwoofer you’re able to mate with the Quad ( or any of its other soundbars , for that affair ) , and if I ’m Sony , I do n’t want to dictate which subwoofer my customer get . There ’s the modest , less powerful , and less expensive SW3 , and the bigger , more powerful , and more expensive SW5 . Finally , some folks already are going to have one of those Sony subwoofers , and there ’s no reason they should be forced into buying another .
For this follow-up , I pulled in the SW5 because it is the superior subwoofer and I know I like it very much . That say , there are stack of reviews that admit the SW3 and praise it for being a very capable subwoofer in its own right field .
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What it’s like …
So , with all of that out of the way now , let ’s talk about what kind of experience you’re able to ask from the Theater Quad organisation , and why I guess this is the most subject , versatile , user - friendly , mostly - one - box place theater sound organization you’re able to buy .
As I already write , you ’ll need the Bravia Connect app on your earphone . The app is going to take the air you through every step needed to get the best out of this system . It postulate about where the TV is located relative to the speakers and how far away the subwoofer is , it test your HDMI - ARC connection , and it use the microphone in your headphone to measure verbaliser distance , determine speaker levels , and set up the 360 Spatial Sound Mapping that makes this system sound so astonishing .
For as improved as the app is , it still frustrates me at times . As I was testing , I repeatedly acquire just a blank white blind as I was assay to get at the product . Also , there are important options in here that are buried or just not face front and centre like I think they should be . Like the wakeless - single-valued function option , for instance . Or what lets you toggle between Sony ’s 360 mapping , Dolby ’s version , or the DTS version . And if you ’re a tinkerer — one who loves to play around and optimize things — you may find that you want to readjust the control boxwood and start clean . you could do that , but you must go into your Bluetooth setting and cancel the Theater Quad from the list of devices . If you do n’t , you will not be able to set up the system anew . I will not pair to the box and you ’ll be dead in the water . That ’s a problem , and one I ’ve asked Sony to fix .
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The good news is that ’s really all I have to complain about . I signify , the enthusiast in me wish well you could pair more than one subwoofer to the system — but I also allow in that the kinfolk who want multiple subwoofer are probably not face the challenge this system of rules direct to address . It would be nice , but I ’m not buy the farm to dong Sony points for that .
The Theater Quad was capable to calibrate itself so well that it could pull off great speech sound with challenge speaker positioning in a way that no other system I ’ve try ever has .
I figured the most valuable thing I could do for this reexamination was test the system with the speakers placed in as many locations as I could . So I did that . I placed the principal speaker system well above ear peak . I placed them on the same cabinet as the TV . I even placed one right next to the television set and one well off to the other side .
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I identify the surrounds in a traditional environment speaker location . I placed them behind me as if they were mounted on a wall . And I placed them at drastically different aloofness and heights from each other . No matter where I placed the utterer , I got a remarkably immersive , contiguous surround sound experience . Sure , some position choice go somewhat better than others , but the primal takeaway here is that the Theater Quad was capable to calibrate itself so well that it could pull off nifty sound with challenge verbaliser placements in a mode that no other system I ’ve tested ever has . And that includes manage the sound - sop up ceiling in our review space .
I go for that hammer home just how implausibly flexible this scheme is . If you have a thought-provoking room , the Theater Quad is not only going to be a top choice in terms of a one - box solution , but it will execute respectable than nearly any other organization in its cost class — unless you utilize a Sony A / Little Phoebe pass catcher with Sony ’s 360 spacial sound mathematical function tech .
But it is n’t just flexible auditory sensation — it ’s really bully sound . The fidelity of this speaker system is open , affecting , punchy , dynamic , and exciting . It ’s got grit and grunt , but it ’s never harsh , nor did I never regain it weary . It ’s unquestionably good for motion-picture show , but it ’s also slap-up for music — whether it ’s Dolby Atmos medicine or stock stereo euphony . The Theater Quad will always habituate all four speakers . But rather than do the all - channel stereo thing or endeavor to wedge some sort of fake - go digital sign processing ( DSP ) surround on you — like “ Hall ” or “ Stadium ” or whatever — it uses the rearward speakers to lightly enhance the front - of - way soundstage . This direction , the surroundings are n’t a beguilement . They ’re a round-eyed and tasteful enhancement .
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Perhaps the Theater Quad ’s most valuable trick , though , is its power to create a phantom shopping centre distribution channel through which dialogue and voices are exceptionally clear . The system does a corking job of make it seem like voices are coming from the screen door . And that ’s straight even if you have the covert well above or below the speaker plane . Sony has a setting for the height of the sound field , which does a great line matching the sound to the screen location . It does alter the phone in other ways , but I think it is a nett positive .
Sony’s special sauce
That brings me to some of the exclusive characteristic that some Sony idiot box owner can enjoy if they get the Quad . When paired to a Sony Bravia TV , many of the control for the Quad will be accessed through the quick - configurations menu on the idiot box CRT screen . That includes Voice Zoom , which makes even the most unmanageable - to - hear dialogue distinctly hearable . ( notice , however , that if your Sony TV does n’t support Voice Zoom , you ’ll see it as an option , but you wo n’t be able to engage it . )
There ’s also Sony ’s acoustical center sync . This appropriate you to connect what is basically a headphone cable from the Theater Quad control boxful to compatible Sony TVs and practice the TV speakers to enhance the center sound . Now , on Sony TVs that are outfitted with a robust onboard speaker system , like the Bravia 9 andA95L OLED , it crop nicely . But I think the Quad does better without the economic aid of the idiot box , no matter how good the TV ’s speakers are . I ’d just skip that connection , if I were you . But sense loose to try it out . You ’ll just have to spend some time experiment .
You do n’t need a Sony TV to revel the in effect capabilities of the Quad . In fact , the Quad can help you enjoy DTS strait if you own a Samsung TV . At one point , I connect my Magnetar 4 K Blu - ray player directly to the Quad ’s HDMI input so that I could get DTS sound , since Samsung TV ’s do n’t support it through their ARC connections .
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utter of that HDMI stimulus , it ’s HDMI 2.1 - friendly , so 4 K , 120Hz , variable refresh rate ( VRR ) , and motorcar low rotational latency style ( ALLM ) are all choice . Feel free to plug in your biz console to the Quad control box if you like . ( And manifestly , Sony would choose if it was a PlayStation 5 . )
Expensive, but worth it
I just ca n’t say enough groovy things about this system . But perhaps the best second is that I care I could give one to so many of my Quaker and kin . For my brother , who has nightmarish wireless signaling dropouts with all of the soundbar - based surround systems he ’s sample , the Quad would work and sound better than anything he ’s tried . I have several friends who have been wanting better audio systems , but just ca n’t do the large - system thing in their household . The Theater Quad is the perfect solution for them .
That brings up the price . The Theater Quad is expensive . I wish it be a little less so that more hoi polloi could afford it . But I call up Sony has every right wing to charge as much as it does because this system bring that big - system sound . And you ’d pay just as much — maybe more — for a open receiver , speakers , and subwoofer . But it brings it to folks who will never be able-bodied to put a big system in their homes . And it brings that sound to folks who ca n’t put schematic speakers where those ceremonious speakers demand to be to get that kind of speech sound .
That ’s where the value of the Theater Quad comes in — big system sound for tribe who otherwise only could not have it . The Bravia Theater Quad pee-pee home theatre pipe dream issue forth true .
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