Bose Smart Soundbar 700 vs Sony HT-Z9F

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Bose Smart Soundbar 700
Sony HT-Z9F

Tested using Methodology v1.3

Updated Sep 24, 2024 01:19 PM

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Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.1

Updated Jan 12, 2024 08:20 PM

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Amazon.com
Bose Smart Soundbar 700 Picture
Sony HT-Z9F Picture

Our Verdict

Bose Smart Soundbar 700

Sony HT-Z9F

The Sony HT-Z9F and the Bose Smart Soundbar 700 are very different soundbar setups. The Bose is a premium standalone bar that's better built, has a better soundstage, and comes with built-in voice assistant capabilities. You can also upgrade it to the Bose Smart Soundbar 700 with Speakers + Bass Module for better performance. It doesn't support Dolby Atmos content like the Sony soundbar. The Sony has a dedicated sub included, so it can reproduce a more extended low bass.

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Variants

  • Smart Soundbar 700 (Arctic White)
  • Smart Soundbar 700 (Black)
  • HT-Z9F (Black)

Check Price

Black
Smart Soundbar 700
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Amazon.com
Black
HT-Z9F
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Arctic White
Smart Soundbar 700
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
HT-Z9F
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
 
Black
HT-Z9F
SEE PRICE
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Black
HT-Z9F
B&H
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Main Differences for
Mixed Usage

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 

7.2
7.2

Audio Format Support: HDMI In 
 

0.0
10

Stereo Frequency Response 
 

7.6
7.3

Auto-Volume/Night Mode 
 

No
Yes

Audio Format Support: ARC/eARC 
 

6.6
10

Stereo Soundstage 
 

8.0
7.0

Height (Atmos) 
 

0.0
2.0

Full Comparison

Design

Style - Bar  

Style photo - bar  

Bose Smart Soundbar 700 Style photo - bar
Sony HT-Z9F Style photo - bar
Show Text 

Style - Subwoofer  

Style photo - sub  

Bose Smart Soundbar 700 Style photo - sub
Sony HT-Z9F Style photo - sub

Sub Wireless 
 

No
Yes

Enclosure 
 

No Subwoofer
Ported
Show Text 

Style - Satellites  

Style photo - satellites  

Bose Smart Soundbar 700 Style photo - satellites
Sony HT-Z9F Style photo - satellites

Satellite Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Dimensions - Bar  

Dimensions photo - bar  

Bose Smart Soundbar 700 Dimensions photo - bar
Sony HT-Z9F Dimensions photo - bar

Width  

38.4" (97.5 cm)
39.4" (100.0 cm)

Height  

2.2" (5.7 cm)
2.6" (6.5 cm)

Depth  

4.2" (10.7 cm)
3.9" (10.0 cm)
Show Text 

Dimensions - Subwoofer  

Dimensions photo - sub  

Bose Smart Soundbar 700 Dimensions photo - sub
Sony HT-Z9F Dimensions photo - sub

Width  

N/A
7.4" (18.9 cm)

Height  

N/A
15.0" (38.0 cm)

Depth  

N/A
15.2" (38.6 cm)
Show Text 

Dimensions - Satellites  

Dimensions photo - satellites  

Bose Smart Soundbar 700 Dimensions photo - satellites
Sony HT-Z9F Dimensions photo - satellites

Width  

N/A
N/A

Height  

N/A
N/A

Depth  

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Mounting 
 

Bar Mounting Holes  

Bose Smart Soundbar 700 Bar Mounting Holes
Sony HT-Z9F Bar Mounting Holes

Satellite Mounting Holes  

Bose Smart Soundbar 700 Satellite Mounting Holes
Sony HT-Z9F Satellite Mounting Holes

Mountable Bar 
 

Yes
Yes

Bar Brackets Included 
 

No
Yes

Mountable Satellites 
 

No
No

Satellite Brackets Included 
 

No
No

Build Quality 
 

8.5
8.0

Build quality photo  

Bose Smart Soundbar 700 Build quality photo
Sony HT-Z9F Build quality photo
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box photo   

Bose Smart Soundbar 700 In The Box photo
Sony HT-Z9F In The Box photo
Show Text 
Sound

Stereo Frequency Response 
 

7.6
7.3

Stereo Setup  

Bose Smart Soundbar 700 Stereo Setup
Sony HT-Z9F Stereo Setup

Raw Frequency Response  

See details
See details

Frequency Response Small  

See details
See details

Channels 
 

3.0
3.1

Tested Preset 
 

No Preset
Standard

Slope 
 

0.33
-0.41

Standard Error 
 

2.01 dB
2.53 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

53.4 Hz
44.3 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

19.6 kHz
7.9 kHz
Show Text 

Stereo Frequency Response With Preliminary Calibration 
 

7.7
7.3

Frequency Response Calibrated  

See details
See details

Suggested Preset 
 

No Preset
Standard

Suggested Bass Setting 
 

20
6

Suggested Treble Setting 
 

-30
N/A

Slope 
 

0.16
-0.41

Standard Error 
 

1.80 dB
2.53 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

51.9 Hz
44.3 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

19.3 kHz
7.9 kHz
Show Text 

Stereo Soundstage 
 

8.0
7.0

Crosstalk  

See details
See details

Crosstalk Error 
 

1.59 dB
2.20 dB
Show Text 

Stereo Dynamics 
 

7.5
8.1

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details
See details

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

93.2 dB SPL
93.6 dB SPL

DRC @ 90dB 
 

1.08 dB

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.03 dB
1.08 dB
Show Text 

Stereo Total Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.4

THD  

See details

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

0.47

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

3.19
Show Text 

Center 
 

8.1
8.0

Center Setup  

Bose Smart Soundbar 700 Center Setup
Sony HT-Z9F Center Setup

Frequency Response  

See details
See details

Localization 
 

Discrete
Discrete

Slope 
 

0.41
0.40

Std. Err. 
 

1.98 dB
3.63 dB

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

44.7 dB SPL
90.6 dB SPL

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

0.36
0.57

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

1.67
2.34
Show Text 

Surround 5.1 
 

3.7
2.4

Surround Setup  

Bose Smart Soundbar 700 Surround Setup
Sony HT-Z9F Surround Setup

Frequency Response  

See details
See details

Localization 
 

Stereo (Downmix)
Stereo (Downmix)

Slope 
 

-0.54
-1.75

Std. Err. 
 

2.91 dB
8.29 dB

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

45.5 dB SPL
93.1 dB SPL

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

0.47
0.51

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

3.52
3.31

7.1 Rears 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Height (Atmos) 
 

0.0
2.0

Height Setup  

Bose Smart Soundbar 700 Height Setup
Sony HT-Z9F Height Setup

H Frequency Response  

Bose Smart Soundbar 700 H Frequency Response
See details

Localization 
 

Not Supported
Stereo (Downmix)

Slope 
 

N/A
0.75

Std. Err. 
 

N/A
8.11 dB

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

N/A
82.9 dB SPL

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

N/A
2.73

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

N/A
0.90
Show Text 

Sound Enhancement Features 
 

4.2
5.6

Room Correction 
 

Yes
No

Dialogue Enhancement 
 

Yes
Yes

Auto-Volume/Night Mode 
 

No
Yes

Subwoofer Level Adjustment 
 

No
Yes

Bass Adjustment 
 

Yes
No

Treble Adjustment 
 

Yes
No

EQ 
 

No
Presets

Surround Level Adjustment 
 

No
No

Rear Level Adjustment 
 

No
No

Height Level Adjustment 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 
Connectivity

Inputs/Outputs - Bar 
 

Physical Connections Bar Photo 1  

Bose Smart Soundbar 700 Physical Connections Bar Photo 1
Sony HT-Z9F Physical Connections Bar Photo 1

Physical Connections Bar Photo 2  

Bose Smart Soundbar 700 Physical Connections Bar Photo 2
Sony HT-Z9F Physical Connections Bar Photo 2

Optical Audio In 
 

1
1

HDMI ARC 
 

1 (shared)

HDMI Out 
 

eARC
1 (shared)

HDMI 2.1 Class Bandwidth 
 

No

Full HDMI In 
 

No
2

Analog Audio In 3.5mm (Aux) 
 

No
1

RCA In 
 

No
No

USB for Files 
 

No
1

Ethernet 
 

1
1

Subwoofer Output 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Audio Format Support: ARC/eARC 
 

6.6
10

Dolby Atmos 
 

Not Supported
Yes

Dolby Digital 
 

Supported
Yes

Dolby Digital Plus 
 

Not Supported
Yes

Dolby TrueHD 
 

Not Supported
Yes

DTS 
 

Supported
Yes

DTS:X 
 

Not Supported
Yes

eARC 
 

Yes

DTS-HD MA 
 

Not Supported
Yes

PCM Channels 
 

Up To 7.1

5.1 PCM (eARC only) 
 

Yes
Show Text 

Audio Format Support: HDMI In 
 

0.0
10

Dolby Atmos 
 

Not Supported
Yes

Dolby Digital 
 

Not Supported
Yes

Dolby Digital Plus 
 

Not Supported
Yes

Dolby TrueHD 
 

Not Supported
Yes

DTS 
 

Not Supported
Yes

DTS:X 
 

Not Supported
Yes

DTS-HD MA 
 

Not Supported
Yes

PCM Channels 
 

Not Supported

5.1 PCM 
 

Yes
Show Text 

Audio Format Support: Optical 
 

10
10

Dolby Digital 
 

Supported
Yes

DTS 
 

Supported
Yes

PCM Channels 
 

2.0
Show Text 

Audio Latency: ARC 
 

10

ARC Latency Video  

PCM-2.0 ch 
 

29 ms

PCM-5.1 ch 
 

29 ms

Dolby MAT (PCM) Atmos 
 

N/A

Dolby Digital 
 

57 ms

Dolby Digital Plus 
 

N/A

Dolby Digital Plus Atmos 
 

N/A
Show Text 

Audio Latency: HDMI In 
 

0.0
8.1

HDMI Latency Video  

Latency Video  

PCM-2.0 ch 
 

N/A

PCM-5.1 ch 
 

N/A

Dolby MAT (PCM) Atmos 
 

N/A

Dolby Digital 
 

N/A

Dolby Digital Plus 
 

N/A

Dolby Digital Plus Atmos 
 

N/A

ARC 
 

56 ms

Optical 
 

51 ms

Full HDMI In 
 

-47 ms
Show Text 

Audio Latency: Optical 
 

6.9

Optical Latency Video  

PCM-2.0 ch 
 

156 ms

Dolby Digital 
 

165 ms
Show Text 

Video Passthrough To TV 
 

0.0
0.0

1080p Max Refresh Rate 
 

Not Supported

1080p @ 4:4:4 Max Refresh Rate 
 

Not Supported

4k Max Refresh Rate 
 

Not Supported

4k @ 120Hz @ 10-Bit 
 

Not Supported

4k @ 4:4:4 Max Refresh Rate 
 

Not Supported

8k Max Refresh Rate 
 

Not Supported

HDR10 Passthrough 
 

No
Yes

HDR10+ Passthrough 
 

No

Dolby Vision Passthrough 
 

No

HDMI Forum VRR Passthrough 
 

No

4k @ 60 Hz Passthrough 
 

Yes

FreeSync Passthrough 
 

No

G-SYNC Passthrough 
 

No

ALLM Passthrough 
 

No

4k @ 60 Hz @ 10 bit Passthrough 
 

Yes

4k @ 60 Hz @ 4:4:4 Passthrough 
 

Yes
Show Text 

Wireless Playback 
 

10
9.0

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Wi-Fi Playback 
 

Yes
Yes

Chromecast built-in 
 

Yes
Yes

Apple AirPlay 
 

Yes
No

Spotify Connect 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 
Additional Features

Interface 
 

Interface photo  

Bose Smart Soundbar 700 Interface photo
Sony HT-Z9F Interface photo

Display 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 

Bar Controls 
 

Controls photo  

Bose Smart Soundbar 700 Controls photo
Sony HT-Z9F Controls photo
Show Text 

Remote  

Remote photo  

Bose Smart Soundbar 700 Remote photo
Sony HT-Z9F Remote photo
Show Text 

Voice Assistants Support 
 

Amazon Alexa 
 

Yes (Built-in)
No

Google Assistant 
 

Yes (Built-in)
No

Apple Siri 
 

No
No

Microphone Mute 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Check Price

Black
Smart Soundbar 700
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
HT-Z9F
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Arctic White
Smart Soundbar 700
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
HT-Z9F
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
 
Black
HT-Z9F
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
 
Black
HT-Z9F
B&H

Bose Smart Soundbar 700

Sony HT-Z9F

Comments

  1. Comparison

Bose Smart Soundbar 700 vs Sony HT-Z9F: Main Discussion

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