HT-A7000 w/SARS5 compared with HTA9 and Q990B

I update my review of the HT-A7000 review with the 360 spatial sound mapping rear speakers SA-SW5. I also bring in the Samsung Q990B and Sony HT-A9 to put its performance in a context

Chapters
0:00 Intro
4:24 A7000 system design overview
10:34 Specs and Features
13:00 A7000 Cinema
16:28 A7000 Music
17:33 Q990B Cinema
20:26 Q990B Music
22:03 A9 Cinema
25:00 A9 Music
26:47 Wrap-up

Samsung Q990B Review:

Samsung Q990B v. Sonos Arc System v. Sony HTA9 w/ SASW5 v. Klipsch Cinema 1200 Review:

Buy

Related Reviews

[gb]

Thank you for this! Now waiting for the Nakamichi Dragon review... :)

[paulefc]

I had the A9s with SW5 sub and sold them, got the Q990b instead and have absolutely no regrets, to my unturned hearing, the sound (both music and cinema) is much better with the Q990b

[TheDashitha]

I purchased A700/SR5/SW5 + A95K almost a year ago and been using. I have no regrets at all. Sound mapping and surround sounding is been amazing. I would give this system 8 out of 10. Simply amazing ❤

[devandevil]

The rare reviewer that doesnt stand on the fence, thank you for speaking your mind!

[GPigTV]

I was lucky to sample these and the Bose 900 and Arc in a department store, with full intention of buying the Bose. That was until I heard the Samsung Q990B! The difference can only be described as going from a great enhancement to your TV sound, to experiencing something very close to going to the cinema. No contest for me personally and I’m now enjoying the Q990B at home with my Panasonic UB820 sending a dedicated True HD sound channel.

[cesarperez]

Thank you, I have been waiting for a good comparison video between the HT- A7000 and HT-A9. You have helped me make my decision 👍

[Gubers]

I have the Sony ht-a5000, sw3 sub and rs5 surrounds. I have to admit that it doesn’t quite sound right out of the box. But once I updated firmware, nailed the settings and completed the 360 spatial mapping, it was fantastic. My living room is not huge, maybe 15x30 and the volume is more than enough for my space. The best part about the setup is how magical the spatial sound mapping is. Despite my 77” Sony OLED being tucked flat on a wall into a corner with another wall opposite that comes out 2’, I still experience what seems like a perfect sphere of sound from Atmos and 360 music. It is kind of incredible, really. The volume gets way louder than I need for the space as well. And the sound field feature somehow melds together the sound coming from all the sources including the sub. I mean, there’s still separation. The sound just seems to be synced perfectly and flows around and between different frequencies. I don’t know how they do it, but it is impressive. Even the much smaller and cheaper SW3 sub is amazing. Like, seriously, I’ve never experienced a sub of that size that was so responsive and punchy but also capable of going deep and shaking the walls.

Sony does some kind of sorcery with their spatial mapping tech. And I totally recommend the a5000 setup. I know nothing about the a7000 though. Perhaps it’s just an inferior soundbar despite being the flagship 1up. I dunno. I have been blown away with the setup. Every time I put on a UHD Blu Ray with a solid Atmos or dtsx soundtrack or play a surround mastered game, I an so pleased. The Ghosts of Tsushima wind for example blew me away with the wind effects. No pun intended.

I have to wonder if maybe there was something wrong with certain firmware or even batches of the Sony soundbars. I have seen so a lot of positive and negative feedback on those bars.

That all said the Sony ht-a5000 is on sale right now at Costco for $500. It is steal IMO. But I do very much recommend the RS5’s and SW3 to get the full spatial tech impact. Without the spatial tuning the system definitely does not sound as good as others. But with it on, the surround effects are very good and probably too dog in that realm.

[michaelbeckerman]

One thing that isn't touched on here about the HT-A9 is its unique ability to be entirely optimized even when you can't place all four speakers into an idea position within the room. With the Sony, because of its simple optimization sequence that can be run at any time, you have the flexibility to reposition those speakers based on the need to do so as room arrangement/conditions change. One speaker can be placed higher or lower than another and one can be closer than the others and it won't even matter. You don't need to have optimal physical placement with the HT-A9 to get optimal speaker performance. Now, you may not think that's not important, but with the HT-A9, having that flexibility means that you can easily repurpose that entire setup into a different room within your home in a matter of minutes, if needed, at any time - even one where you don't have the ability to put the speakers into an idea position with respect to height and distance from the viewer/listener. I know no one ever likes to think of these types of audio systems as being "portable" but they really should, at least when thinking about the HT-A9. Having the ability to quickly and easily relocate the entire HT-A9 system into a different room within the home in just a matter of minutes (or to even take it over to a friend's house for the night) without any loss in audio performance or spacial imaging at all due to different placement of speakers adds a tremendous about of value-add that other systems just can't even come close to offering. The more you look into the capability and flexibility of the HT-A9, the more you realize that it's just simply in a category (and a class) all by itself. Is it expensive? Absolutely. Is it worth every single penny of what you pay for it? Unquestionably.

[oralmd]

I have no idea what peer reviewed certifications you have obtained prior to becoming an internet product expert, but you are the funniest person on the internet. If tech wasn’t your passion, you could easily write for SNL, at least the Weekend Update segments. Godspeed.

[CarlosPerez-eber]

Thank you for another entertaining and informative review. Why does it have to be so complicated? And expensive. I am of a certain age and 0:02 all I want is clear naturally sounding dialogue. Been through at least half a dozen sound bars with no luck. Did hear the Sony A95K tv on its own and was shocked at well it performed on its own. Headphones and subtitles till the next great revolution. Hope I’m still here.

[jasmadahar]

I just love these reviews. Personally I think the A9’s are just something else. I demoed these at my local store and was just impressed immediately by them. I run a Ambeo and, whilst certainly louder and fuller, if I replace the Ambeo, I’ll purchase the A9’s. I totally get what your saying about the integrated sound and the difference it gives you.

[WillPlato]

This is awesome and thank you for doing this comparison. A few weeks ago, I went and purchased the full A7000/SR5/SW5 setup and have been completely underwhelmed with the immersion in a very modest living room setup. Interestingly enough as I get closer to the return cutoff date, I took the system outdoors for a project movie night and was very pleased with the performance to the point where it seemed like I was getting more "atmos" and rear sounds watching the same content outdoors versus inside. Regardless, I am looking for that 360* sound field but have been fighting between the HT-A9 and the 990B so thank you for providing your opinion and persuading me. Sony thanks you.

[JagadishTalluri]

Great and rare Video. I agree with you. I have Sony A95k and Sony A7000 + SW5 + RS5. The Tv is awesome but the sound bar system is just above average. I thought together they would rock due to Sony's ecosystem but No. And the centre channel on TV is a gimmick. It works but not great, no synergy. I tried both A9 and A7000, I noticed the A7000 is 25% more louder.

[markdyer]

My new Q990B will be delivered tomorrow. Looking forward to setting up, having a play, then sitting back to watch a movie... and hopefully being blown away with the sound experience

[Eric-lwih]

i was very bigly in anticipation for this video

[jason_mc]

I have the HTA-7000 system you describe and I really think it was designed to only play nice with Sony TV's. It sounds great on the Sony A90J but hearing it hooked up to my Samsung QN90A or LG G1 just sounds awful, even after a complete reset with multiple HDMI cables used; it just sounds tinny, sibilant, and hollow. Conversely the Samsung Q950A bar sounds fine on the LG and of course the Samsung, but not great on the Sony TV. I really think it's the chipset used in the Sony bar and I'd be curious to see if a different one was used in the HT-A9.

Edit: I do think the Ambeo MAX is still the best sounding bar out there, though, I am curious to experience the new Nakamichi Dragon surround sound system

[michael-k]

Set up
The Q990c last night, this was technically my first sound bar, I did have a couple of Bose life style systems and this sound bar blows them away. It is not as good as my Kef Q750’s and 5.1.2, as the bar, as all bars I’d imagine, lack the mids of a full range speaker. The Q990c is an amazingly fun and engaging sound bar, it shines with an Atmos sound track.

[vamshi-eb]

I was waiting for this comparison thank you so much sir

[driveby]

Really nice review and follow /round up of all that you’ve learned

[rafars]

Man, not to sound weird, I am married and all that stuff. I don't know what it is, but I watch your videos and I feel so comfortable, like when I was a kid watching some tv shows, like if you were my best friend, I don't understand. I think is your sense of humor and your editing, those little music clips hehe