Nov 22, 2019
Read MoreSony HT-Z9F vs JBL Bar 5.1 review
JBL Bar 5.1 review
Looking at JBL Bar 5.1 vs Sony HT-Z9F its first strong point is connected with a real wireless subwoofer (up to 300 W) and a 25-cm speaker. The second plus of JBL Bar 5.1 is based on its removable surround speakers, working wirelessly for 10 hours. The soundbar is equipped with three pairs of 6 x 5.7 cm bass midrange speakers and three 3.2 cm tweeters distributed across the three front channels (left, right and center). Each channel is amplified by a special power module with a total peak power of 300 watts. This corresponds to a peak of 50W per channel or continuous power of 20 watts, good enough for this type of speaker. 
Sony HT-Z9F review
Usually Dolby Atmos-enabled soundbars have integrated high-pitched speakers (pointing up), but the Sony HT-ZF9 deviates from this concept. Its design is 3.1-channel, based on sound processing by a digital processor (DSP), a soundbar with an extension of the sound field to a volume of 7.1.2 channels. Concerning the comparison Sony HT-Z9F vs JBL Bar 5.1, its power is 400W and it features 3.1 built-in channels. There is DRC (dynamic range compression), but it is better not to use it. 
JBL Bar 5.1 pros & cons
Pros
- Can easily be overpowered by the subwoofer which is awesome
- It may not be super high end, but it functions like true 5.1
- Instruments sounded great and did not sound muted, and voices sounded very clear through the center channel
Cons
- Mid-range issue was frustrating
Sony HT-Z9F pros & cons
Pros
- Great for the everyday person who appreciates fantastic sound but just wants an easy living room setup
- There's a very noticeable difference with or without the rears
- The level of immersion in these speakers is completely magical
Cons
- Awful for large spaces, those who want huge amounts of volume, those expecting tower-level performance out of a soundbar
Sony HT-Z9F vs JBL Bar 5.1
Sony and JBL
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Common
Product
Sony HT-Z9F
JBL Bar 5.1
Model
HT-Z9F
Bar 5.1
Brand
Sony
JBL
Reviews
349
3060
General
Placement type
table-top, wall-mountable
table-top, wall-mountable
Connection to source
wired, wireless
wired, wireless
Soundbar buttons
power, input, Bluetooth, music service, volume down, volume up
power, volume down, volume up, input
Audio features
Built-in channels
3.1
5.1
Amplification type
active
active
Output power, W
400 (overall)
510 (overall)
Separate speaker (in package)
0
2
Separate speaker connections
has not
wireless
Subwoofer
Built-in subwoofer
Separate subwoofer (in package)
Separate subwoofer connections
wireless
wireless
Streaming services
Apple Music (AirPlay)
AirPlay
Amazon Music
Spotify
Other streaming services
Chromecast
Pandora, Tuneln, Deezer, Chromecast
Connectivity
WI-FI
Bluetooth
Ethernet (RJ45)
1
0
NFC
HDMI input/output
2/0
3/0
HDMI ARC
HDMI eARC
HDMI CEC
Optical digital input/output
1/0
1/0
USB
1 (USB 2.0)
1 (USB 2.0)
Coaxial digital input/output
0/0
0/0
Analog audio input/output (RCA)
1/0
1/0
Headphone output
0
0
Subwoofer output
0
1
Features
Voice control
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant
Amazon Alexa
App control
Microphone
Remote control
Multi-room
Multichannel surround
Dolby Atmos
Dolby (other)
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II
DTS:X
DTS (other)
has not
has not
Dimensions
Size (Wx H x D), cm/in
100 x 6.4 x 10/39.4 x 2.5 x 3.4
114.8 x 5.8 x 9.3/45 x 2.3 x 3.7
Weight, kg/pounds
3.1/6.6
3.9/8.6
Other
Release year
2018
2017
Soundbars CHooseratoR comparison rating
- 7.2Sony HT-Z9F
- 7.2JBL Bar 5.1
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