Listen Up: Sony HT-Z9F 3.1 Feature Roundup

Sound bars are a great way to maximize the sound from your TV without taking up considerable real estate in your living room. While many sound bar options are out there, Sony remains a reliable and excellent maker of the technology. Their biggest strength, of course, is their processing, and the HT-Z9F 3.1 is no exception: it boasts incredible sound thanks to its processors.

Sound Quality

The first important consideration when reviewing a sound bar, of course, is the sound quality. This particular sound bar delivers on that front: dialogue is clear, sounds are crisp, and bass is heavy. Whether you’re listening to music or watching action movies, you’ll be impressed by how balanced and undistorted the sound is. You can clearly make out dialogue over rumbling explosions, and sounds have a certain space in between them. All of this, of course, is bolstered by the bar’s excellent surround sound. You can feel the space between events on-screen, or the shape of a room that audio was recorded in. That may all sound a bit confusing, but when you hear it you’ll understand.

Features and Ports

The HT-Z9F 3.1 has ARC HDMI, optical digital audio, 3.5mm and Ethernet ports all available. You can hook pretty much anything into this sound bar and play audio through it, which is excellent. It also has an IR repeater sending signals through, which is great for set-ups that have the bar blocking your TV. Wi-Fi and Chromecast are supported, which makes this feel very modern and high-end.

HT-Z9F 3.1 Pricing and Bottom Line

The HT-Z9F 3.1 costs between $800 and $900, making it a somewhat premium package. However, when compared to full-scale surround systems and some other high-end sound bars, that price is rather impressive. If you’re looking for big sound from a small bar, Sony’s newest entry is a great piece of technology. If you don’t mind paying a bit of money, your living room will sound like a movie theater in no time. All of that from such a little bar is a pretty big deal!