ac3knight
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Thought I'd start a thread on Atmos and DTS-X soundbars since these are the headline features of newer 2018 & 2017 soundbars.
Just got the 2018 Sony Z9F 3.1 soundbar + Z9R wireless pair.
- In reality, it's a 5.1 setup but the vertical sound engine enables upmixing to virtual 7.1.2 Atmos and DTS-X.
- Supports loseless and HiRes codecs (DTS Master Audio HD, DD+ etc).
- HDCP 2.2 and supports HDR10, Dolby Vision pass through, etc.
- Pressing Display button on the remote enables a pop-up on your TV showing the virtualizatuon mode (Atmos, DTS-X, Neural:X, etc) and format (DTS-HD MA, DD+, Dolby Audio, etc) of the audio stream playing
Below are some initial thoughts -
Just bought it yesterday from Sony days promo. Called several retailers like harvey norman, courts, best denki and gain city.
At present, only Sony stores carry the rear speaker pairs (Z9R).
Couple of key points to consider -
- $1'199 list price and $999 Sony days promo price (i.e. Sony days $200 off until 1 July).
- Island-wide, only Sony stores carry the rear speakers at the moment. List price is $459 for the pair but $409 during Sony days promo.
- However, at Sony stores, there is a purchase-with-purchase offer available during Sony days promo (only in July), which allows you to get 30% off the Z9R rears (i.e. $321 vs. $459 list price!) when you buy it together with the Z9F.
- If you want more prounced height effects, then you MUST get the rear speakers (you'll get more pronouced overhead rear L/R effects)
- If you wish to only get a sound bar without rears, I'd still suggest getting the ST5000 (think it's around $1'999 at present after promo) given that it has many more speakers in front and sound effects appear more "weighty" due to the larger, front-heavy speaker setup. The Z9F relies more on the subwoofer to deliver the low frequency effects.
- However, if you want true surround, then the ST5000 can't beat the Z9F + ZR9 combo (true surround + virtual 7.1.2 Atmos & DTS-X) due to having real rear speakers.
Does virtual Atmos work without upfiring speakers? The answer is yes as the Sony DSP is able to virtualize overhead sound and cleverly trick your ears into hearing thinking that sound is coming from above. Obviously, sound separation wise, it won't beat a real in-ceiling speaker setup but I think the Z9F worth it for such a compact set.
In order to truly appreciate the vertical height effects of the Z9F + Z9R, you should try the DTS-X speaker call-out demo below -
https://www.demolandia.net/downloads.php?id=87980801
Note in particular the Overhead front L/R and overhead rear L/R to experience the Sony virtualization prowess.
Will post some pics when I have the time.
Just got the 2018 Sony Z9F 3.1 soundbar + Z9R wireless pair.
- In reality, it's a 5.1 setup but the vertical sound engine enables upmixing to virtual 7.1.2 Atmos and DTS-X.
- Supports loseless and HiRes codecs (DTS Master Audio HD, DD+ etc).
- HDCP 2.2 and supports HDR10, Dolby Vision pass through, etc.
- Pressing Display button on the remote enables a pop-up on your TV showing the virtualizatuon mode (Atmos, DTS-X, Neural:X, etc) and format (DTS-HD MA, DD+, Dolby Audio, etc) of the audio stream playing
Below are some initial thoughts -
Just bought it yesterday from Sony days promo. Called several retailers like harvey norman, courts, best denki and gain city.
At present, only Sony stores carry the rear speaker pairs (Z9R).
Couple of key points to consider -
- $1'199 list price and $999 Sony days promo price (i.e. Sony days $200 off until 1 July).
- Island-wide, only Sony stores carry the rear speakers at the moment. List price is $459 for the pair but $409 during Sony days promo.
- However, at Sony stores, there is a purchase-with-purchase offer available during Sony days promo (only in July), which allows you to get 30% off the Z9R rears (i.e. $321 vs. $459 list price!) when you buy it together with the Z9F.
- If you want more prounced height effects, then you MUST get the rear speakers (you'll get more pronouced overhead rear L/R effects)
- If you wish to only get a sound bar without rears, I'd still suggest getting the ST5000 (think it's around $1'999 at present after promo) given that it has many more speakers in front and sound effects appear more "weighty" due to the larger, front-heavy speaker setup. The Z9F relies more on the subwoofer to deliver the low frequency effects.
- However, if you want true surround, then the ST5000 can't beat the Z9F + ZR9 combo (true surround + virtual 7.1.2 Atmos & DTS-X) due to having real rear speakers.
Does virtual Atmos work without upfiring speakers? The answer is yes as the Sony DSP is able to virtualize overhead sound and cleverly trick your ears into hearing thinking that sound is coming from above. Obviously, sound separation wise, it won't beat a real in-ceiling speaker setup but I think the Z9F worth it for such a compact set.
In order to truly appreciate the vertical height effects of the Z9F + Z9R, you should try the DTS-X speaker call-out demo below -
https://www.demolandia.net/downloads.php?id=87980801
Note in particular the Overhead front L/R and overhead rear L/R to experience the Sony virtualization prowess.
Will post some pics when I have the time.
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