Sony might have created the perfect soundbar for PS5 and Xbox Series X

Sony just announced two new premium home theater audio systems, both of which include HDMI 2.1 passthrough ports that provide full support for features like 8K video, 4K 120Hz gaming, Dolby Vision HDR , eARC, etc.

First up is the HT-A7000 7.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos soundbar. Priced at $ 1,299.99, the soundbar has two HDMI 2.1 inputs, so theoretically you can run both a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X in this thing and play every console to its full potential.

Positioned as Sony’s latest flagship soundbar, the A7000 features dual up-triggering speakers for Atmos, two beam tweeters, and five front speakers for wider surround sound. There’s a built-in dual subwoofer, but if you need deeper bass you can pay extra for a stand-alone subwoofer; Sony sells a 300-watt wireless subwoofer for $ 699.99 or a 200-watt unit for $ 399.99. The company also sells wireless rear speakers for $ 349.99.

Image: Sony

We are still in the early days of the future-proof HDMI 2.1 soundbars, but they are starting to appear: Klipsch has just announced a similar Atmos bar called Cinema 1200. It also has two HDMI inputs. , although the price of $ 1,699 does include a subwoofer and speaker package.

Image: Sony

As has become relatively common for high-end soundbars, the Sony A7000 can adapt to room acoustics, using a microphone on the remote to ‘measure height and width’. a room ”and optimize the sound profile. It supports 360 Reality Audio, high resolution audio, and is compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, and Apple AirPlay 2.

Image: Sony

The second new, more expensive audio system is called the HT-A9 and consists of four wireless speakers and a control box similar in size to an Apple TV. Sony says you can place the four cylinder-shaped speakers just about anywhere in a room, and sound field optimization will take their position into account when tuning audio performance. (The back of each speaker is flat for convenient mounting.)

Along with these, the company also includes what it calls “360 spatial sound mapping technology”, which can supposedly “create up to twelve” phantom “speakers from just four speakers. by synthesizing sound waves based on positional information “. Sounds like big claims, but for a price of $ 1,799.99, I’m hoping Sony can deliver some of this sound field trickery.

Image: Sony

Each speaker is just over 12 inches tall. The A9 only has a single HDMI input rather than the two on the soundbar, but the control box also has an Ethernet jack and an auxiliary port that allows compatible Sony TVs to act as a channel. central. This should allow excellent clarity of the voice.

One downside is that each speaker needs its own power outlet – just like the control box – so you have a total of five outlets. Since this system relies so much on wireless, I’m also curious about any audio latency or sync issues that might arise while gaming. Sony told me that they haven’t encountered such issues, but this is something I would like to be sure of. The A9 is clearly aimed at people who don’t want to bother with wires (except power cords) in their home theater surround setup.

The HT-A7000 and HT-A9 will start shipping between September and October, according to Sony.