Sony HT-Z9RF

Great compact soundbar for an average sized room – I had just paid $5,000 for a brand new Sony OLED TV with super thin screen, a magnificent picture, more connectivity than you can poke a stick at, and best of all, it's a SMART TV (smarter than some people I know). If you're like me, once you turn on your wonderful TV, get it working properly, you're a bit disappointed at the tinny sound it makes. YOU NEED A SOUNDBAR!

UNLucky for me, I already had one. A $1,500 Samsung Series 9 HW-K950. No more Samsung for me, because this only lasted just under two years! It just stopped working. I delighted at the sound of it breaking into three pieces when it hit our concrete driveway, after I threw it out the window.

Now what? I decided to research soundbars thoroughly. I must have listened to dozens. Instead of becoming more informed, I just became confused. Sound familiar? I finally decided to stick with Sony. The SONY HTZ9RF. I bought it from Videopro for just under $1,000. A good price for a soundbar that comes with a subwoofer and two rear speakers too.

It has great connectivity with two HDMI ports, TV in Optical, Analogue in, USB, and LAN port. I used the eARC cable to connect mine. I liked it because I plugged in the speakers, subwoofer and soundbar and it all worked straight away.

What I liked:

It's a compact unit that is easy to mount. The speakers are compact and wireless! The rear wireless speakers actually work, and work well unlike the Samsung ones. Has built-in WiFi which was relatively easy to hook up. Easy to update firmware/software. Has built-in Chromecast which was easy to use. I could cast from my tablet and phone immediately. Has built-in blue tooth which connected to my Sony wireless headphones easily, and NO latency problems. The sound is mighty from such a little unit. No Dolby ATMOS, but I can live with that. The subwoofer is good enough. The on-screen controls, can be a big confusing at first, but once you get used to them, they're a cinch. The remote is easy to use.

What you might consider before you rush out and get it:

If you have a large open-plan lounge/dining/kitchen with your TV, this might not produce a big enough sound. Have a look at the big Bose, or Yamaha soundbars. I was super impressed with them. If your room is average lounge room size, this Sony unit is good. The Sony subwoofer doesn't produce the “chest-thumping” base that the Samsung did. It's okay, but I'm looking into getting a bigger sub.

EDIT: Subwoofer stopped working just outside warranty period. Whole unit is a brick now. Tossed it and bought a Polk Audio instead. So far so good, but all soundbars seem problematic.