The Voice Mode feature is equally effective, using Sony’s Voice Zoom 3 to enhance dialogue. Like the sound field, it’s not always useful and can create some balance issues between center channel and side channel effects (more on this below), so you may want to keep it off until needed .
Digging into the settings allows you to adjust things like compression to balance volume, add or remove your Sony TV as a center channel, and even adjust the overall height of the soundstage, which is useful if you need to raise or lower the speakers due to power limitations. configuration. I also appreciate the top window that reveals your current sound format (e.g. Dolby Atmos, 5.1 surround sound).
Some features are missing, both in the application and in the hardware itself. On the app side, I was surprised to find no controls for the equalizer or individual channel levels. I think that’s by design, and with so much virtualization, I was happy to let Sony’s software take control of the channel balance. Still, I’d love to be able to tweak the treble or raise the midrange to warm up the sound signature.
Photography: Ryan Waniata
There are many sound sources available, but once again, some pieces are missing. You can stream music over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi with Spotify Connect and AirPlay, but it doesn’t support Chromecast, which is strange for a company that makes Android phones. Sony also ditches the optical port, opting only for HDMI ARC/eARC, and there isn’t a single analog input. There is reasoning behind every decision; Optical is an older digital connection that does not support 3D audio. On the analog side, Sony probably wanted to keep the system completely digital, opting not to add an analog-to-digital converter in the small plastic control box. The bottom line is that you can never add components like a CD player or turntable.
The single HDMI input also seems lacking. Most of the best sound bars have at least two or three, while a traditional receiver may have five. On the plus side, the single input supports HDMI 2.1 for gaming features like VRR (variable refresh rate) in 4K at 120Hz, HDR pass-through and Dolby Vision, and more for connecting modern gaming systems. These features are becoming more common, but the Quad is among the first all-in-one setups to support them.
Hello from the dome
The Quad is the best system of its kind I’ve heard when it comes to reproducing the spherical “sound dome” that 3D audio formats like Dolby Atmos are prized for. It’s particularly good with pitch sounds, which are often the most difficult for smaller speakers to reproduce. The pouring rain in the “Amaze” scene on my Atmos demo disc was astonishingly realistic and seemed to cover the entire room with heavy drops.
Equally impressive is the breadth and precision of the system with 3D effects. Strafings from spaceships and helicopters can be tracked almost perfectly in space. The centralized effects behind me looked like I could reach out and grab them. Sound editors have free rein with 3D formats, meaning they can move “sound objects” virtually anywhere in space, and the Quad makes the most of stellar test films like Ant Man and Mad Max: Fury Road. It’s not on the same level as traditional systems with mounted speakers, but it scratches that itch well.