Question Sony Ht_zf9 soundbar

if you want real atmos then you need physical overhead speakers, or at the very least speakers pointing upwards to bounce the audio up and back down.

no soundbar is going to give you "real" atmos though.
real atmos takes many speakers, so unless you have a cinema you aren't really going to get that.

you get a simulated experience but you need to keep your expectations in relation to your cost outlay and the amount of physical speakers you have.

the rears just give you rear audio, they are not doing anything "vertical".

Though the rears do contribute to the bubble effect you get surrounding you with sound. And by increasing volume on the rears, depending upon source they massively improve the sound quality.

When I compare to my other older Sony 5.1 seperates system, I do notice the difference on the zf9. With you being immersed on sound compared to the 5.1 separates.
 
Thing with atmos is people sometimes expect things buzzing overheard 24/7 when it's just not like that, there will be specific moments when overhead effects really kick in to the point you actually notice them. There is such a moment in IT Chapter One where Pennywise appears from the projector, on my K850 (which does not have rear speakers) the overheard effect is nothing short of stunning, every single time you get the defined overhead effect of Pennywise crashing down while on the ZF9 which I tried it on there's nothing there except a loud sound from the bar nothing from overhead.

So I go back to the point I made earlier about how in theory ceiling mounted speakers would be the definitive way to experience atmos BUT having a home theatre or soundbar system with dedicated upfiring speakers and a decent flat ceiling is going to get you some excellent results. I'd say a good system be it home theater or soundbar that uses upfiring drivers can get you 60-80% of the experience while something without those dedicated upfiring speakers it'll be closer to 0.

The ZF9 (with the rears) is a good 5.1 system as it can decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio but it's atmos/dts:x performance is about the same as the inbuilt TV speakers on my LG C9.
 
I agree, Sony advertises this as "hear sound from above you" I paid a lot of money for this with the rear speakers.I have not once felt any sense of overhead effect. Its a great sounding system but why advertise something that's not capable of delivering.

It's just marketing nonsense, the only Sony soundbar capable of putting sound above you in the Sony ST-5000. Sony are the ones who capitalised on the fact that people wanted Atmos but couldn't afford to pay the big money for it that's why they lead the way in releasing a range of soundbars that can decode atmos (so can be labelled as being atmos soundbars) without actually having the physical hardware to play atmos.

ZF9, X8500, XF9000, G700 are all models listed as being able to do atmos yet not one of them has the physical hardware to take advantage of that fact. The ZF9 was the very first one they released claiming it could do atmos and it was very decent seller so they knew the acid test had been passed and they continued down that route. Instead of designing a replacement for the ST-5000 they got to work on making cheaper and cheaper soundbars while slapping on the 'atmos' tag.
 
Most of that I can get my head around but db and soundmeter would confuse me. I will try to experiment with different tracks and see how I get on.
So I measured the speaker distances, used a soundmeter app that shows db levels between 45(quieter scenes) 70-75 louder scenes but on the bar settings for main and rears only goes from minus 6 to plus 6 db.Not sure what that's about.
 
Are you using the inbuilt white noise generator to meausre the db level.

Don't use a film as you will not get a constant sound level to calibrate all of your speakers.
I think you maybe took my analogy to a vu meter too literally.

By using the the white noise tone that the soundbar has, this sets a consistent sound volume to allow you to adjust the level up or down in the SB level settings.
By using the sound meter app in conjuction with this you can ensure all speakers will output the same sound level.

Set main volume to level you normaly listen to a 4k disk at.
Then follow steps in the guide i created.

in SB menu as descibed in guide, put generator on, then in menu go to level choose front speaker note what db level is.
You can switch between speakers in level menu to adjust the 2 rear and sub levels.

Then for each of the rears, whilst having rear volume set to 5, adjust db level up or down in the level menu to make the sound meter match the leveL you recorded on it for the front speaker.

Sub is more personal taste, but set sub volume on remote to 5.
Adjust level to be at the same or lower db level than front speakers.

Note when I say db level, I mean the level that you recorded on the sound meter app on your phone.
Using the SB level setting from the menu you can adjust level up or down to checking the reading on the soundmeter to get it to be the same as the front speaker.

Do the adjustment whilst sitting where you normally sit watch your tv.
 
i mostly understand what your instructions are meant to say, but even at times i get lost in the db level, volume level etc etc.

maybe a suggestion is to create a youtube video walkthru of the process?

if only the SB used the same method as amps do where it essentially calibrates itself using a mic.
 
Are you using the inbuilt white noise generator to meausre the db level.

Don't use a film as you will not get a constant sound level to calibrate all of your speakers.
I think you maybe took my analogy to a vu meter too literally.

By using the the white noise tone that the soundbar has, this sets a consistent sound volume to allow you to adjust the level up or down in the SB level settings.
By using the sound meter app in conjuction with this you can ensure all speakers will output the same sound level.

Set main volume to level you normaly listen to a 4k disk at.
Then follow steps in the guide i created.

in SB menu as descibed in guide, put generator on, then in menu go to level choose front speaker note what db level is.
You can switch between speakers in level menu to adjust the 2 rear and sub levels.

Then for each of the rears, whilst having rear volume set to 5, adjust db level up or down in the level menu to make the sound meter match the leveL you recorded on it for the front speaker.

Sub is more personal taste, but set sub volume on remote to 5.
Adjust level to be at the same or lower db level than front speakers.

Note when I say db level, I mean the level that you recorded on the sound meter app on your phone.
Using the SB level setting from the menu you can adjust level up or down to checking the reading on the soundmeter to get it to be the same as the front speaker.

Do the adjustment whilst sitting where you normally sit watch your tv.
That clarifies things, I will try that.
 
i mostly understand what your instructions are meant to say, but even at times i get lost in the db level, volume level etc etc.

maybe a suggestion is to create a youtube video walkthru of the process?

if only the SB used the same method as amps do where it essentially calibrates itself using a mic.

Thanks, Ive tried to clarify the points in the guide, maybe it makes more sense now?

I could maybe try and do screenshots when I get time to do it.
 
Thanks, Ive tried to clarify the points in the guide, maybe it makes more sense now?
Indeed you have thanks. Since I have now put the rears on stands at ear height I am seeing different opinions on whether they should be facing each other or at angles. I will experiment with both.
 
Indeed you have thanks. Since I have now put the rears on stands at ear height I am seeing different opinions on whether they should be facing each other or at angles. I will experiment with both.

Thanks for letting me know it makes more sense now.

How to set rears is probably a matter of choice/experminatation. I have mine propped up on boxes facing towards where I sit.
 
Indeed you have thanks. Since I have now put the rears on stands at ear height I am seeing different opinions on whether they should be facing each other or at angles. I will experiment with both.

they should definitely not be "Facing each other".
they should be directed towards where you are sitting.

ideally you would be sitting in the "middle", with the fronts and rears being equi-distance away from you, although most home rooms probably don't allow that.
 
Hi. Wonder if anyone can help and apologies if posted in wrong thread. Got one of these online from Sony centre refurbished. Got it delivered as grade A and the piano black top had 4 lots of finger marks I couldn’t get off and really scratched (probably scratches easy with being that piano black) and the speakers also crackled when changing the sound modes. Rang Sony and they were great, said speakers should but crackle and apologies about the finger marks and sent out a replacement. Got it today and set up now and looks just like new. However this one does the same When you change sound setting. Can anyone confirm if this is normal. Maybe it’s just the speakers readjusting for the different modes. Really pleased with it for the price but hope this is normal and not a fault. Cheers.
 
How would I calibrate the SB if I don't have the rear speakers? Is it just a case of using the meter set to 75db?
 
Hi. Wonder if anyone can help and apologies if posted in wrong thread. Got one of these online from Sony centre refurbished. Got it delivered as grade A and the piano black top had 4 lots of finger marks I couldn’t get off and really scratched (probably scratches easy with being that piano black) and the speakers also crackled when changing the sound modes. Rang Sony and they were great, said speakers should but crackle and apologies about the finger marks and sent out a replacement. Got it today and set up now and looks just like new. However this one does the same When you change sound setting. Can anyone confirm if this is normal. Maybe it’s just the speakers readjusting for the different modes. Really pleased with it for the price but hope this is normal and not a fault. Cheers.

mine makes no crackles or noises when changing sounds settings.
 
Hi. Wonder if anyone can help and apologies if posted in wrong thread. Got one of these online from Sony centre refurbished. Got it delivered as grade A and the piano black top had 4 lots of finger marks I couldn’t get off and really scratched (probably scratches easy with being that piano black) and the speakers also crackled when changing the sound modes. Rang Sony and they were great, said speakers should but crackle and apologies about the finger marks and sent out a replacement. Got it today and set up now and looks just like new. However this one does the same When you change sound setting. Can anyone confirm if this is normal. Maybe it’s just the speakers readjusting for the different modes. Really pleased with it for the price but hope this is normal and not a fault. Cheers.

How do you have it connected?

Could you try different leads as may be lead causing it? (hdmi or optical)
Is the hdmi a high speed one if its hdmi?

Im guessing you have used arc if connecting to tv via hdmi?
 
Thanks for replies. I did end up getting it returned for an exchange. I had it connected via hdmi using clearer audio. I did try another couple of spare hdmi cables and it did the same. Got the replacement and this even though not as noticeable did crackle when changing sound modes. Returned for money back. I wonder if these had this problem and that’s why they were returned in the first place. Back to the drawing board as to what to buy next.
 
I have tried that, and I am not really getting surround sound, even just basic 5.1 not sure what I am doing wrong.
 
Just got an ota update, the notes mention

Benefits and improvements
  • Fixes an issue where an abnormal sound is heard in TV functions when connected with ARCand Opt
 
My soundbar won't change any sound settings, it just keeps displaying "not in use" on the Sony app it is grayed out, anyone have any idea what i could try to fix this? Even pressing Vertical S. gets the same response.
 
might be an idea to factory reset the soundbar and set it up again.
 
It is the Sony music center app. Even when i pressi display on the remote the screen says not in use.
 
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I have a strange issue, I also have a Sony TV with this soundboard, so if I goto the Sync Menu, choose Control Audio System, there is a setting called Standby, it currently says Audio System is Powered Off, but the TV and Soundbar are both on!!! If I change the Standby option to on, it switches to the TV speakers, anyone have an idea why this is happening?
 

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