Best Soundbar in India-Zebronics 9500 vs Sony HT S20R

The two options that instantly come to your mind; when you think about a good 5.1 soundbar between Rs 15,000-20,000 are- Sony S20R and Zebronics 9500 Pro. But which one is the Best Soundbar in India among them both? Which one has an amazing sound signature? Which one has the best separation along with fantastic vocal clarity? This is what we will discuss in this article.

“We bought the latest model of Sony S20R. After we consumed the burn-in period of these soundbars, we tested them in different room sizes. Then we recorded 5 different songs, 2 movie clips on the same volume with the same recording device and 4 microphones. Later after syncing them, we uploaded them on the drive. You can listen to them from here.”

1. A Brief Introduction – Best Soundbar in India

Zebronics 9500 Pro soundbar comes with 3 drivers on front, 1 subwoofer & 2 wireless surround channels. Both surround channels must be connected via wire and a power connection must be given to one of the two surround channels. This will automatically pair them to the subwoofer and that’s it.

Sony S20R has 3 front drivers, 1 subwoofer, and 2 wired surround channels. Surround channels and soundbar must be connected to the subwoofer with a wire and that is it.

2. Specifications-

The maximum output of the Sony S20R soundbar is 400W whereas that of the Zebronics 9500 Pro is 525W. Zebronics’ remote control is of cheap quality whereas Sony’s remote looks premium and is slim.

3. Result of the Audio Tests – Best Soundbar in India under 20000

After listening to the audio tests, it is obvious that you will be confused. You will find Sony’s vocals amazing and that of Zebronics as bad. But this is not the truth. Sony’s vocals have more bass than slightly heavy vocals. You should go for Sony if you have a small room or a rectangular-shaped room. Sony S0R is the best soundbar for small rooms. Its vocals, and clarity is amazing, but for small rooms.

Zebronics have no stand in this aspect. It can fill the sound in the room but it is a Sony soundbar that gives clarity. Zebronics 9500 Pro soundbar can’t be enjoyed in small rooms.

4. The Comparison – Best Soundbar in India

 In a frequency graph, first comes lower bass, then upper bass, and then comes vocals. When the frequency is matched perfectly between the crossover of vocals and upper bass, then heavy vocals can be produced. Sony has done that. Zebronics has a different DNA. It doesn’t work on very heavy vocals. Their DNA is of clarity and not of more highs.

Moreover, Zebronics support Dolby Audio i.e surround sound feeling. The surround sound soundbar is not good for small rooms as you will always be disappointed with the music produced by it. You will never feel the sync in surround channels. You can feel the difference coming from the surround channel & soundbar. You will understand the lag between them even when there is no lag at all.

Buy Zebronics 9500

Buy Sony HT-S20R

5. Comparison of Bass | Zebronics 9500 | Sony HT S20R

The best thing about Zebronics is its strong lower bass. Zebronics never give much upper bass (not in their DNA) and this is the best thing. Lower bass is felt more. Sony has more upper bass. Its lower bass is lesser in comparison to the upper bass. Upper bass produces a ‘boom boom’ sound which is preferred by many. If this is what you like, then you must go for Sony.

6. Sound Stage – Best 5.1 Soundbar in India

With Zebronics, a wider sound stage is mandatory. Unless surround channels are kept afar, they will never produce the surround effect as per their capability. Sony doesn’t require that. Sony soundbar can fill both small as well as big rooms with its audio. You will not feel the surround effect in the Sony S20R soundbar.

7. Surround Effect – Best Soundbar in India

In Sony, the surround effect is not as per 400W but Zebronics’ 525W soundbar will give little surround effect. Zebronics 9500 Pro soundbar must be placed in bigger rooms to enjoy the effect of surround channels as these drivers are different from Zebronics 9400.

“Zebronics 9500 and Zebronics 9400 are completely different soundbars. We bought and tested both these soundbars. Their drivers are absolutely different. Zebronics 9500 is a certainly better soundbar than Zebronics 9400.”

8. Why should you trust what we say? –

Exactly! Rather than blindly trusting what we say, you should hear the sound yourself and then decide. We recorded two movie clips-

(1) Spiderman and,

 (2) Avengers.

The clip of the Spiderman movie was recorded in a small room so that you can get an exact idea of what you get.

Avenger’s clip was recorded in a big room and with a good sound stage. A 12 ft-15ft gap was necessary to create the surround stage for the surround effect. Surround sound can’t be experienced in small rooms. Do listen to the clips carefully.

9. Separation – Best soundbar in India under 20000

Neither Sony S20R nor Zebronics 9500 Pro gives separation. In fact, no soundbar in Rs 17,000- Rs 18,000 price range would give amazing separation. However, a little separation can be felt in both soundbars. Zebronics 9500 Pro offers more separation as compared to Sony S0R due to its good delivery of high notes which is only possible as it has more highs. Sony has lesser highs and thus lesser separation. You will feel the sound coming from here and there but not as good as one feels in surround sound. You will not get the proper separation. Don’t keep wrong expectations.

10. Which is the best soundbar for music?

Sony S20R soundbar is the answer to this question as it is far better than Zebronics. Zebronics give good highs and Sony comes with more bass or vocals, which we want in our songs. We all like this kind of high-bass audio. Everyone likes songs with more bass. If you listen to songs with low bass, or for a wide room where a 12-15ft surround stage can be created, go for Zebronics 9500 Pro. It will give you the exact audio as was recorded in an audio or sound studio.

Rather than buying a soundbar to watch movies, you must purchase a 2.1-channel system. It will give you good separation and better clarity of dialogue.

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I am Rachita Jain, a content writer with VM-One Technologies. Apart from travelling on a budget, I love to dig deep into the world of content. With the power of words at VM-One Technologies, I design and transform Vineet Malhotra’s tech reviews into blogs for people who love to read.

Rachita

Disclaimer: Please note that the prices mentioned in the article were recorded on the publishing date. Prices may change with time.