Bought after purchasing a Sony KD-55XE9305 a few months earlier. The upgrade is well worth it. The addition of Dolby Atmos had to come and is absolutely present for our living room, where the soundbar hangs on the wall.
There are several reviews on the internet that indicate that the sound does not come from the sides and tops. This is certainly the case in our living room. We are ±5 meters from the soundbar and the subwoofer is next to us in a stair cupboard). The sound quality with Dolby Vision films is amazing, and with the accompanying subwoofer we feel the bass in the couch.
We are still considering purchasing the optional rear speakers for the full experience, but the price will have to wait a while. And since we are already satisfied beyond expectations, it is not yet necessary to have the rear speakers.
Sound quality when playing music is also very good. The Hi-Fi certification is not a lie and is clearly present. Clear sound from all sides, and the subwoofer does an excellent job, even at higher volumes.
When it comes to the design, it is a sleek soundbar. The subwoofer is fine in size and design, but the vent opening shouldn't have been glossy. This attracts dust and looks cheap.
The glossy also applies to the top strip on the soundbar. This is made of some kind of plastic and leaves scratches easily (even if accidentally run over with a nail). Very bad for a product of this price range.
We currently play music via BlueTooth (iPhone/iPad/Mac). Although this works unexpectedly well and the sound is quite clear, it is annoying that Sony has not (more supported and) Apple AirPlay built in. Certainly AirPlay 2 should actually be present as standard, since other streaming services / protocols are present (including Spotify Connect, Google ChromeCast) and Wi-Fi is present in this soundbar. Sony's choice not to add Apple AirPlay is really incomprehensible. This should really be added through a firmware update.
As simple as can be, especially in combination with a current Sony television. In our case, both the television and the soundbar are perfectly matched. Playing music via BlueTooth is also easy. Just connect to the soundbar via (in our case) an iPhone, iPad or Mac and the soundbar turns itself on automatically. It also switches itself off automatically when no more sound is played (after ±5 minutes, to be set).
