"The A9 and A7000 represent a new and powerful era for Sony's home audio products," says Daisuke Kawaguchi, Vice President of Home Entertainment & Sound, Sony Electronics. "With best-in-class surround sound that boasts unique optimization features, these new products give anyone the ability to create immersive cinematic experiences without ever leaving their living room."
Offering an updated take on home-theater-in-a-box solutions, now with support for immersive audio formats, object-based and multichannel decoding, the new Sony wireless speakers and soundbar are complemented with optional SA-SW5 and SA-SW3 wireless subwoofers and SA-RS3S wireless rear speakers. All now feature updated drivers and processing with lessons learned from smart speakers.
The new Sony HT-A9 Home Theater System supports 360 Spatial Sound and Sound Field Optimization. With Sound Field Optimization, the A9 uses dual microphones in each speaker to ingeniously measure their relative height and position. Sony's 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology then creates up to twelve "phantom" speakers from just four speakers by synthesizing sound waves based on positional information. Thanks to the phantom speakers, Sony's widest ever sound field fills every part of the living space, so everyone gets the same sound experience, wherever they are in the room.
The A9 also supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, so users can experience cinematic surround sound from the comfort of their home. There's no need to rearrange furniture or precisely position the speakers because Sound Field Optimization allows users to place the speakers at different heights and distances. To activate Sound Field Optimization, users just need to perform Easy Setup at any time from the TV's home menu.
The A9 home theater system is also ready to go straight out the box. Users just plug it in, connect it to the TV using an HDMI cable and power on. The surround sound system consists of four speakers that are connected wirelessly with the control box, so there are no cables across the living space. The A9 features Sony's latest Omnidirectional Block Design, providing 360 spatial sound. All speakers fit perfectly against the wall with a flat rear surface and its light pearl grey color is designed to seamlessly blend with interiors.
The inside of the speakers features rectangular X-Balanced Speaker Units to maximize the diaphragm area for richer bass and sound pressure. They also offer a new Wide Directivity Woofer that has reduced cavity effect by minimizing the depth of its concave shape. The speakers' beveled edges help to further reduce sound diffraction.
Sony's 360 Reality Audio allows users to enjoy spatial audio music streamed from services such as Amazon Music HD, TIDAL, nugs.net and Deezer. The A9 also features DSEE Extreme, which add "sparkle" over compressed digital music in real-time. Easy access to popular music services like Spotify, support for streaming using Chromecast, Apple AirPlay 2 or Spotify Connect are also included. The home theater system also features voice activation and works with both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. In addition, users can easily add the A9 to their speaker group using the Google Home app.
For movies and gaming these systems also support the latest formats such as 8K HDR, 4K 120fps passthrough and Dolby Vision to create a best-in-class entertainment experience.
The Immersive Soundbar
The flagship HT-A7000 Soundbar is a complete 7.1.2-channel design, featuring two up-firing speakers for overhead sound, two beam tweeters and five front speakers for wider surround and a built-in dual subwoofer for deep bass. Coupled with Vertical Surround Engine and S-Force PRO Front Surround, the A7000 creates virtual surround sound so users can fully enjoy the thrill of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X content.
Sony's Vertical Surround Engine positions sound in vertical space to create overhead audio without the need for in-ceiling speakers. With S-Force PRO, the soundbar can virtually reproduce the surround sound field, with audio coming from both horizontal directions. Additionally, the A7000's Sound Field Optimization feature utilizes built-in microphones to intelligently measure the height and width of the room, as well as the position of an optional subwoofer and rear speakers, and perfectly optimizes sound to the room's layout.
Like the A9, the A7000 also features High-Resolution Audio and 360 Reality Audio while offering Chromecast, Apply AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect support. The soundbar also features voice activation and works with both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. The A7000 supports HDMI eARC and passthrough of all the latest formats such as 8K HDR, 4K 120fps and Dolby Vision and total configuration automatically appear when paired with Sony Bravia TVs. With USB, optical and analog audio inputs, as well as HDMI in and out (eARC), users have all the connections they need to enjoy a full surround sound system. For even deeper bass, users can add the Sony SA-SW5 wireless subwoofer ($699.99) with a 180mm driver with passive radiator, or opt for the SA-SW3 wireless compact subwoofer ($399.99) with a 160mm driver.
The Sony HT-A9 system has a suggested retail price of $1,799.99, and the Sony HT-A7000 has a suggested retail price of $1,299.99. Both systems will be available to order in September/October 2021 at authorized dealers.
www.sony.com
