Sony's show of power

Sony HT-A9 - Home-Theatre System - ₹1,97,980 (with SW5 subwoofer)

FOR 360 Spatial Audio Mapping really works, easy to place, consistent sound

AGAINST Can get sibilant in some modes, could do with more transparency, subwoofer is essential

When Sony stumbles on liquid gold, it digs deep enough to leave a mark. The brand is no stranger to history-making tech and they’ve done it in recent times with their ANC headphones, OLED TVs and to a lesser extent, 360 Reality Audio. Finding traction on the same treadmill as Dolby may be hard, but Sony is determined to nudge its way into the Dolby Atmos ecosystem any which way. Enter the HT-A9 home theatre system. It’s a unique system where four identical satellite speakers talk to a control unit wirelessly and aims to drench you in immersive sound. How does Sony achieve this? Thought you’d never wonder…

Just about qualifying as a HTiB (Home-Theatre in a Box) system, the HT-A9 isn’t the most compact, with speakers that are giants by usual satellite speaker standards.

Although the satellite speakers are “wireless”, they still need power, so ensure you have enough power outlets around your room. A total of six outlets will be required to power the speakers along with the subwoofer and the control unit so yes, it’s a bit of an ask if you thought this system is similar to a Bluetooth speaker. No sir. Thankfully, the setup process is very user-friendly, guided by on-screen instructions. The satellites are identical in size, design and driver configuration, but they’re still marked for their intended positions. So you get a FL (Front Left), FR (Front Right), SR (Surround Right) and SL (Surround Left). Messing this up will be flagged during the set-up process, so don’t sweat the little things.