[Solved] Affordable External Speakers for Sony KD-55XE9005 TV: Sony Soundbar 5.1 HT-RT3 & HT-RT4 Comparison

Hello,
This week I bought the Sony KD-55XE9005 equipment, but the built-in sound offered is not satisfactory (while watching the 5.1 / 7.1 video materials, the voiceover is too quiet and the dynamic scenes are too loud).
I would like to purchase external speakers.
I did not take into account the purchase of speakers when buying a TV, so my budget is not high (maximum PLN 1000-1200).
Could you please advise me what equipment (maybe a soundbar?) I could buy at this price that would solve my problem with watching movies with 5.1 / 7.1 sound?

I found two Sony Soundbar 5.1 sets:
https://mediamarkt.pl/rtv-i-telewizory/soundbar-sony-ht-rt3
https://mediamarkt.pl/rtv-i-telewizory/soundbar-sony-ht-rt4

Is it a good choice and is it worth getting into soundbars? If so, what equipment would you recommend?

Both soundbars will be a good choice to complement your TV with a set for a better listening experience because the soundbar will give you great sound from the front speakers, the subwoofer will give you the depth of the explosions and the rear speakers will put you in the center of the action.

Before buying, I got acquainted with the reviews of the above-mentioned Sony Soundbar HT-RT3 equipment.
On one of the pages, I found such a review (although it concerns the ST3 model, from what I can see, it offers 4.1 sound):

Quote:

[...] I had to do it with the remote control in my hand. Why? The dialogues could be heard quite poorly, which made the sound much louder. Only until somebody else did not whine the engine, no music started playing in the background, etc. Then you feel the most uneven sound distribution. Very quiet to unacceptably too loud. [...]
Source: https://jotem.in/soundbar-sony-ht-st3-test-opinie-recenzja/

and:

Quote:

Today I picked up the Sony HT-RT3 5.1 soundbar, everything is nice, but the subwoofer makes some additional sound like a fan, such a squeaking. When there is a voice from a TV program or music, it goes on all the time when a break in the sound is like something turned off.
[...]
Okay I already know, the fan is in the subwoofer. I sent the equipment back to the store, I do not recommend it.

- So after buying the HT-RT3 soundbar, there may still be a problem with the "silent reader"?
- Can the operation of the fan in this model be so onerous?

By the way. While browsing other soundbars, I came across 2.1 models that cost PLN 1,500 and were sometimes more expensive than 5.1 soundbars.
Shouldn't it be the other way around? I don't think I quite understand it.

As with cars, one costs 50,000, another 200,000, the same is the wide range of cable prices for loudspeakers from PLN 1 / m.
https://audio.com.pl/testy/stereo/kable-glosnikowe/995-audioquest-mont-blanc

The lack of the correct voice level of the voiceover is caused by the lack of the appropriate number of speakers in the TV, which has only two instead of 6. When you turn on DTS on TV, the voice of the voiceover has nowhere to reach the listener, so it is heard from a distance, attaching a soundbar will allow you to fully use the sound from the TV and the voiceover will be audible for sure. Soundbars of interest are a set of multiple speakers that provide 5.1 sound, not just stereo. I suggest going to the store and asking the staff to allow you to test the listening session.

Thanks for the quote board :)

When it comes to soundbars, I tested a lot of Sony and Samsung equipment. In these comparisons, the Sony came out better, which is cheaper to buy and has a much better bass.

You asked about the RT4, I also tested this equipment and it is quite good as long as you do not mind the cables / sony-ht-rt4-soundbar-additional-speakers-tyl-review /). Be sure to take a look at the HT-CT790 because it is a device that can also be recommended.

Regards,
Jacob

I do not recommend the HT-CT790 soundbar because while the sound quality is at a decent level, unfortunately it is not suitable for DTS 5.1 sound reproduction because it has speakers for the 2.1 system, i.e. stereo with bass enhancement. The only function it is good for is making noise, not making sound as a home theater, and the author of the post is about using the capabilities of the TV and DTS 5.1 quality sound.

I liked the RT4, but I do not know if there will be a place for them in the room, which is why I was interested in the RT3 product (due to the possibility of placing it on the wall) and I was practically ready to buy this equipment, but I was scared off by the opinions about the noise fan. I visited Media Markt in order to "see" the equipment, but the noise that accompanies this place made it impossible to verify whether the fan's operation is really such a nuisance.
I would like to make a purchase tomorrow (I would like to charge the equipment).

So finally:
- Do you think HT-RT3 equipment is a good choice?
- Is the HT-RT4 model better than HT-RT3 in terms of build quality, or is it the same "shelf"? (RT3 = PLN 999, RT4 = PLN 1300)
- Maybe someone from your RT3 had and could express his opinion on the fan?

-edit
I purchased RT3 today.
At home, I connected the equipment with an HDMI cable, the TV itself detected the connected speakers and properly activated the option on the TV, the connection itself was very easy (everything was perfectly color-coded).
I turned on the 5.1 video material for the test, unfortunately, the voiceover, as it was quiet, is true for all my productions.
Hmm .. I must admit that I expected a solution to the problem with the teacher, but perhaps for the price of 1000 PLN you cannot buy equipment that will guarantee a pleasant reception of the film and I am a bit disappointed. I know that the equipment is not very high-end, but I thought it would be good for the voiceover.
As for the fan, it is virtually undetectable, in my opinion users have been exaggerating with its loud work.
Well, I have 3 days to return, I will test it, at most the equipment will return to the store, I am already a bit tired of this fight with the sound.

The problem with the voiceover lies with the soundbar - it does not support DTS. It is a pity that I have not read it before. Well, I blended in a bit with this soundbar.
Is there any way for my equipment to cope with DTS sound? (elimination of the silent reader).
Heard you can buy some external decoder.

Staszicu wrote:

I have 3 days to return,

You have 14 days to return without giving any reason (individual customer).

Grajbelka also has an optical port - have you tried through such a connection?
Perhaps you also need to calibrate them first, set these speakers in the equipment itself ...

KOCUREK1970 wrote:

Staszicu wrote:

I have 3 days to return,

You have 14 days to return without giving any reason (individual customer).

Grajbelka also has an optical port - have you tried through such a connection?
Perhaps you also need to calibrate them first, set these speakers in the equipment itself ...

The equipment was purchased on invoice.
I have not tried through the optical cable. While connecting the sound system, both in the manual and on the TV screen, a message was displayed to connect the equipment via HDMI (exactly HDMI ARC), which I did.
Tomorrow I will check and connect the sound system via the optical cable, but I have read (maybe wrongly) that the optical cable will make the sound much worse. How is it with this?

Quote:

Apart from the limitation which I wrote about in the case of SPDIF (nothing will be except STEREO PCM 192 k / 24 bit, AC3 48K 5.1 lossy, DTS 48K 5.1 lossy) SPDIF has the advantage of an "non-electric" connection ... there is no mass transfer of garbage, there is no possibility of ground loops at this point.

Staszicu wrote:

The equipment was purchased on invoice.

Any purchase for a retailer (private person) - you have 14 days from receiving the parcel to return.

Staszicu wrote:

I read (maybe wrongly) that the sound will be much worse through the optical cable. How is it with this?

How can it be worse if it is sent in its original form and with fiber that does not introduce any disturbances?
It may only be necessary to run this port on tv and what data is to be sent through it.

I myself have a Samsung music bar connected to a computer with an optical cable - it plays flawlessly.

I purchased an optical cable today.
It seems to me that the rear speakers are a bit louder (at least you can hear something from them, although it seems to me that they just reproduce the sound no matter which direction it comes from, but maybe I'm already oversensitive). The lector, unfortunately, as he was quiet, he remained so, the TV also detects the audio system and outputs sound from both the speakers on the TV and from the soundbar (you need to mute the TV manually), should it be?

The issue was resolved after reconfiguring the TV and speaker settings by trial and error.