Test conclusion: you need to know that
The rather unclear controls give the Sony A9 a “very good” rating. He deserves that for the image quality alone: colors, contrast, sharpness and clarity, even in movements, leave nothing to be desired. The Sony is also one of the best of all televisions when it comes to sound. In the size class around 1.20 meters it is the absolute exception.
Per
- Very good image quality
- Unadulterated sound with good speech intelligibility
- USB recording function
- Large selection of apps
Cons
- Operation takes getting used to
W.How big should your next TV be? Most buyers currently choose 55-inch models with a screen diagonal of 140 centimeters. Only a good 5 percent prefer televisions over 65 inches, around a third prefer sizes between 40 and 50 inches. If you want an affordable television, the choice is huge. Top televisions are rarely found in these sizes. The new Sony Bravia A9 is one of the few exceptions. It is one of the first televisions with OLED screens in the new 48-inch format with a screen diagonal of 124 centimeters. But that is by no means the only highlight with which the Sony KD-48A9 stood out in the test.
The best TVs: 46 to 50 inches (117 to 126 cm)
Sony KD-48A9 with a small OLED screen
Sony gets the screen for the Bravia A9 from LG Display. This is still the only manufacturer of OLED screens in TV-compatible size. The same screen is in the LG OLED 48CX, but the two televisions differ considerably in terms of their control with their own image processor via the operating systems and the connections. In this case, however, this has no noticeable impact on the image quality in the end result. Sony is also teasing the best possible out of OLED technology. It is characterized by very accurate color reproduction and a huge contrast range.
The Sony A9 works with the Android TV operating system in the current version 9.
Sony A9 in the test: the picture quality is so good
At least as important as playing with light and dark are accurate color rendering and consistent image sharpness, even with fast movements. And the Sony doesn’t miss anything. The A9 shows movements sharp and free of streaks or juddering. OLED televisions work with a frame rate of 100 to 120 Hertz. Speaking of burning: the Sony did not show any burn-in effects, i.e. visible traces of long-term still images, during the test. The colors are almost perfectly matched at the factory, from rich basic colors to precisely balanced intermediate tones, it showed a flawless image. Perfectionists can use Calman software from
Portrait display Push the color deviations below the measurability threshold, the Sony makes this particularly easy with its app for the Autocal function.
The best picture settings for the Sony A9
The image quality of the Sony A9 is already good ex works and less exaggerated than with other makes. It can, however, be improved with a few changes in the settings menu: The picture mode offers the best setting user. Air an HDR film, the Sony switches to automatically HDR users, users don’t have to take action. For movies with Dolby Vision, the mode is Dolby Vision Hell the best choice, even in dark surroundings. For normal film material without HDR, the ambient light sensor is switched on at the factory, which adjusts the image brightness accordingly. It works well and can therefore remain activated. However, it is not available for HDR films, since the Sony can make full use of it regardless of the brightness of the room.
The Sony A9 delivers the best image quality in the “User” image mode.
In the “Clarity” submenu, “Reduce random noise” reduces annoying grizzling, the automatic setting is the best choice. On the other hand, at a high setting there are strange pumping artifacts. Finally, in the “Movement” submenu, Sony owners can choose whether and how much the television should smooth jerky movements. In the automatic setting of “Motionflow”, it shows movements in TV programs in a fluid and trouble-free manner; in movies the jerking is less severe than without processing. The “Clarity” option (also called “X-Motion Clarity” in Sony’s description) ensures sharper contours when moving quickly, but costs a bit of maximum brightness. However, this did not result in disturbing flickering in the test.
Under the menu item “Motion Flow” you can set whether and how much the Sony A9 smooths movements in the picture.
The Sony A9 is not perfect for gamers
The connection panel of the Sony A9 is well equipped, and there is also a headphone output and an analog AV input. Thanks to the double receiver, TV recordings on USB hard drives are possible regardless of the program set.
This is how good the Sony A9 sounds
One of the highlights of the Sony A9 is the above-average sound quality. Two conventional loudspeakers are built into the back, but they are only responsible for the bass. The screen itself serves as an essential sound generator. Sony provides it with two special loudspeaker drivers on the back that use the screen as a membrane (“acoustic surface”). This is possible thanks to the extremely thin design of OLED screens. The Sony A9 generates a very realistic and genuine sound that spreads very well in the room. Of the six selectable settings in the sound menu, the standard setting is unspectacular and good, the Sony sounded a bit more powerful and spacious in “Dolby Audio” mode. In principle, the television can master the three-dimensional Dolby Atmos surround sound, but only in virtual form and thus more tangible than actually spatial. The new acoustic calibration in the sound settings works very well: after the calibration has started, the television plays back special test tones, the remote control records them and sends the data back to the television. Based on these measurement results, the television adjusts its sound setting so that it sounds as authentic as possible in the respective environment. In the test it worked great and gave the sound a touch more warmth while maintaining excellent speech intelligibility. This means that the Sony is currently one of the best sounding televisions.
In the sound settings, the Sony A9 adapts its sound to the respective environment with the automatic acoustic calibration.
The Android TV also likes Apple
Users can configure the menu for the quick settings themselves so that only the setups that are really needed can be accessed more quickly.
Operation has to be learned
The Android operating system includes the Google Assistant including voice input. This allows you to find YouTube or Netflix videos, for example, without typing. However, the Google Assistant does not find anything on most other platforms, so the use of voice input is limited. Thanks to the well-made remote control, this is not a problem; the Sony reacted quickly to inputs in the test. Users have to dig into the many functions and possibilities of the television. Because the setting menu is confusing with its opening and closing windows, explanations are omitted, the instructions available online on the television are not well linked. Other operating systems are far more user-friendly. On the start screen, users can find frequently used apps, including the so-called Android channels. They show, for example, recommendations from Amazon Prime Video and Netflix or frequently watched TV programs. There, too, other Android televisions offer less.
Sony supplies a handy remote control with the Bravia A9. It also contains the microphone for voice control.
Test conclusion Sony Bravia KD-48A9
The rather unclear controls give the Sony A9 a “very good” rating. He deserves that for the image quality alone: colors, contrast, sharpness and clarity, even in movements, leave nothing to be desired. When it comes to sound, the Sony is also one of the best of all televisions. In the size class around 1.20 meters it is the absolute exception.