Sony HT-Z9F vs Yamaha SR-C20A review

Votes 1 1
Rating 5 5

Sony HT-Z9F vs Yamaha SR-C20A comparison chart

Sony HT-Z9F vs Yamaha SR-C20A review

Sony HT-Z9F
vs
Yamaha SR-C20A

An affordable soundbar is always a good option to consider, so Sony HT-Z9F vs Yamaha SR-C20A comparison definitely makes sense. Based on our rating, HT-Z9F has a total rating of 7.2 out of 10 versus 3.8 for SR-C20A. The competitors' control buttons are different: power, input, Bluetooth, music service, volume down, volume up and power, source, demo, volume down, volume up, respectively.

Audio features

Both soundbars have active amplification type. A significant difference between the units in the number of channels, the Sony HT-Z9F has 3.1 versus 2.1 for the Yamaha SR-C20A. The output power is different and equal to 400 (overall) W for the HT-Z9F versus 100 (overall) W for the SR-C20A. Only the Yamaha SR-C20A has a built-in subwoofer. The Sony HT-Z9F got our rating of 7 out of 10, and the Yamaha SR-C20A 5 for its audio features and specs.

Streaming services

Soundbars do not have AirPlay support. Spotify support is available on the HT-Z9F.

Connectivity

Only the Sony HT-Z9F can connect to the Internet via WI-FI. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. The Sony HT-Z9F has 2/0 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 0/1 of the Yamaha SR-C20A. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. Both soundbars have a USB connector. For connectivity, the HT-Z9F received a rating of 8/10 versus 4/10, respectively. Compared soundbars have no app control. None of the models under consideration have a built-in microphone. Multi-room is only available for the Sony HT-Z9F.

Multichannel surround

Only the HT-Z9F has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the HT-Z9F. For multichannel surround Sony HT-Z9F got a rating of 8, and Yamaha SR-C20A 6 out of 10.

Advantages Sony HT-Z9F over Yamaha SR-C20A

  • Separate subwoofer in package
  • Spotify support
  • WI-FI enabled
  • Multi-room support
  • Compatible with Dolby Atmos
  • Compatible with DTS:X

Advantages Yamaha SR-C20A over Sony HT-Z9F

  • Built-in subwoofer
Add soundbar to comparison
We didn't find anything to show here

Common

Product

Sony HT-Z9F
Yamaha SR-C20A

Model

HT-Z9F
SR-C20A

Brand

Sony
Yamaha

Reviews

349
28

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, source, demo, volume down, volume up

Audio features

Built-in channels

3.1
2.1

Amplification type

active
active

Output power, W

400 (overall)
100 (overall)

Separate speaker (in package)

0
0

Separate speaker connections

has not
has not

Subwoofer

Built-in subwoofer

Separate subwoofer (in package)

Separate subwoofer connections

wireless

Streaming services

Apple Music (AirPlay)

Amazon Music

Spotify

Other streaming services

Chromecast
has not

Connectivity

WI-FI

Bluetooth

Ethernet (RJ45)

1
0

NFC

HDMI input/output

2/0
0/1

HDMI ARC

HDMI eARC

HDMI CEC

Optical digital input/output

1/0
2/0

USB

1 (USB 2.0)
1 (USB 2.0)

Coaxial digital input/output

0/0
0/0

Analog audio input/output (RCA)

1/0
0/0

Headphone output

0
0

Subwoofer output

0
0

Features

Voice control

Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant

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

User manual

Manual

Dimensions

Size (Wx H x D), cm/in

100 x 6.4 x 10/39.4 x 2.5 x 3.4
60x6.4x9.4/23.5x2.5x3.7

Weight, kg/pounds

3.1/6.6
1.7/3.9

Other

Release year

2018
2020
Sony HT-Z9F
Yamaha SR-C20A
Sony HT-Z9F
Yamaha SR-C20A

Soundbars SoundStrokes Art comparison rating

  • better
  • worse
  • 7.2
  • 3.8
  • 7.2Sony HT-Z9F
  • 3.8Yamaha SR-C20A

Sony HT-Z9F competitors

Yamaha SR-C20A competitors