---
title: "Fixing SONY HT-A9 sound issues (part 1)"
canonical: "https://dmitry-dulepov.com/fixing-sony-ht-a9-sound-issues-part-1/"
language: "en-US"
content_type: article
---

# Fixing SONY HT-A9 sound issues (part 1)

How to fix sound issues with SONY HT-A9: sound drops and speaker connection issues.

This is part 1 of 3 in the SONY HT-A9 series on this web site. It describes how to solve one of the most annoying problems.

Part 2 documents how we came to this conclusion.

Part 3 shows an attempt to install an external antenna to HT-A9, why this is not needed and what can go wrong with it.

![SONY HT-A9 sound field (image is generated with AI)](/fileadmin/_processed_/a/3/csm_sony-ht-a9-generated-with-ai_502fc78360.webp)

## Quick fixes for those who do not want to read the in-depth story

SONY HT-A9 is a spatial "4.0.4ch" sound system. It has a control box and four wireless speakers. If a compatible SONY TV is used, HT-A9 can provide a center channel. It can also connect wirelessly to a subwoofer.

The system has speakers oriented to the front and upwards. It creates a "bubble" of sound between all speakers. It also has dual microphones in each speaker to measure their exact position and room geometry. This makes the sound more tuned to the room.

The sound is really great. Well, when you have it, because sometimes you do not. I believe at least one of these problems is purely in the firmware and could be fixed quite easily. Unfortunately, it was not fixed despite multiple complaints on the Internet about them.

## Problems

There are two main problems with HT-A9:

1. Sound drops. The system randomly loses sound in one or more speakers.
2. Speakers cannot connect to the control box regardless of what you do.

### Sound drops

Sound drops seem to be a problem without a solution. During the investigation we found that drops do not depend on:

- Wireless networks around the box and speakers
- Position of the box relative to the speakers
- Temperature of the box
- Movement of people
- Turning other electrical appliances on and off

Drops can start randomly and cure themselves. If drops happen for a long time, a cold reboot (a clean state) can solve them.

Drops usually happen only on some speakers, which can suggest that the problem is actually with the speakers, not with the control box. Even speakers with the strongest wireless signal can have drops.

### The box cannot find speakers

This is the problem you can solve. I believe it is a firmware issue of the control box.

The exact reason for the problem is described in part 2 of this series. If you are not interested in technical details, below you can find step-by-step instructions.

You must ensure that all four speakers are connected (green). If you have a subwoofer, it must be connected too (green).

If they are not green, do not try this but make sure they are connected:

- Reset the box by holding the power button at the back of the box for 10 seconds. Note: this returns the system to factory settings!
- Turn off and on all speakers immediately and quickly using the larger button at the bottom of each speaker. You have about 20 seconds for this to work! Start with the subwoofer because it is optional and has less chance to be discovered.
- If speakers did not connect, reset again and repeat until it works.
- Go through the normal sound optimization procedure.

The next steps make the box work stably with the speakers:

- While speakers are green, go to the "Advanced Settings"
- Select “Speaker Settings”
- Select "Wireless speaker settings"
- Find the "RF channel" setting
- Turn it from "On" to "Off"

Do not worry, you are not turning it off. The option is named vaguely, but after reading part 2 you will understand why.

That's it. Now the box will keep the connection to the speakers until it loses power. Speakers will reconnect if you use the remote control, but losing power to the box may lose their connection. If this happens, wait until "HELLO" disappears, then turn the box off using the remote and turn it on again a couple of times. It may help. If it does not, then disconnect and reconnect the box again, then run quickly around turning speakers off and on with the button. You have about 20 seconds for this while the box says "HELLO". They will come on after you see "PLEASE, WAIT".

## Conclusion

Part 1 of this series describes how to fix some sound issues on SONY HT-A9. If you are interested in technical details about this, read part 2 (upcoming).