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Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6: One minute review
The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 lives up to the ‘Theater’ part of its name. If you want to upgrade your TV’s audio but can’t quite go the full home theater route, the next best thing is a soundbar with a separate subwoofer for extended, theater-like bass. As great as the best soundbars are, not all come with, or even support, external subwoofers, and that low rumble a subwoofer delivers makes the biggest difference between hearing a movie and feeling it.
Dolby Atmos speakers for height effects take the theater experience to the next step, and the Sony Bravia Theater 6, along with having a powerful wireless subwoofer, has upward-firing speakers for immersive spatial audio.
While the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 has some shortcomings – there’s a delayed response when using Sony’s Bravia Connect control app, and the soundbar’s soundstage is a bit narrower than I would like – I still think it’s a strong contender for the best Dolby Atmos soundbar.
Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 review: Price & release date
- Released in April 2025
- Price: $649.00 / £449.00 / AU$899
The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 soundbar is widely available for $649.00 / £449.00 / AU$899).
That price is far from budget, though the Theater Bar 6 does include a wireless subwoofer, not to mention a good feature set including some first-party integration with Sony Bravia TVs. The soundbar’s upward-firing speakers, which let it deliver Dolby Atmos and DTS:X height effects without resorting to virtual processing, add to the cost as well.
Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 review: Specs
|
Dimensions (W x H x D) |
Bar: 37.5 x 2.63 x 4.38 inch / 950 x 64 x 110 mm, (Sub) 8.27 x 15.28 x 15.28 inch / 210 x 388 x 388 mm |
|
Speaker channels |
3.1.2 |
|
Connections: |
1x HDMI (with eARC), optical, digital, Bluetooth, USB, IR |
|
Dolby Atmos/DTS:X |
Yes/Yes |
|
Sub included |
Yes |
|
Rear speakers included |
No |
|
Features |
Bravia Sync, DSEE, app support |
Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 review: Features
- Can upmix stereo to spatial audio
- Night mode is clear while limiting audio spikes
- Voice mode is subtle enough not to distort audio
The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6’s feature set is a bright spot. There’s the aforementioned Bravia Sync (along with an enhanced dialogue mode that can be used with Bravia TVs) and it can upmix stereo audio to spatial audio. There’s Bluetooth connectivity, though no Wi-Fi streaming, and a bunch more features that you’ll find digging through the Sony Bravia Connect app.
Most notably, I want to mention the app’s Night Mode and Voice Mode features. The first does a wonderful job of flattening audio so you can hear it clearly, even though almost all dynamic range has been lost. That makes it perfect for watching when someone else in your home is asleep.
The Voice mode boosts the frequency range where the dialogue in movies and TV shows sits. And it does so without distorting the way the audio sounds, which is usually the case with voice or dialogue modes.
Using the app gives you access to a lot more functions for setting up and adjusting the soundbar. However, there seemed to be a delay with every press when I tested the Theater Bar 6. If I turned up the volume or adjusted the bass level, I had to do it slowly so that the app registered and transmitted each press to the soundbar. I don’t quite understand the lag, as the soundbar has Bluetooth 5.3, which is not that old a Bluetooth standard, and should be sufficient to register a control command quickly.
Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 review: Performance
- Good overall audio quality
- Lots of power from subwoofer
- Soundstage is a bit narrow
Now to the interesting part. The Theater Bar 6’s sound quality is very good. It’s full without sounding bloated, and the high-end is crisp and clear. Bass from the system’s subwoofer is massive – I had the subwoofer’s level set at 4 out of 10 and still got quite the punch from it. Most listeners will be more than happy with the Theater Bar 6’s sound.
That said, there is one area where the sound falls a little short. The soundstage is a bit narrower than I would like. I tested with action-packed movies, such as The Batman and Deadpool & Wolverine, and I didn’t sense a lot of movement with sound effects. That’s not to say it’s not there. It’s just not dramatic like one would expect from a sound system with the word “Theater” in it.
The Theater Bar 6’s limited soundstage didn’t quite take me out of the experience, but it is certainly a limitation. At least the subwoofer delivers a nice rumble that you can feel, and the Dolby Atmos speakers add some height to the audio. The effect is subtle, but everything just sounds a little taller.
- Performance score: 4.5 / 5
Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 review: Design
- Soundbar and subwoofer on the big side
- Features upward-firing speakers
- Limited port selection
The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 is essentially two pieces: the soundbar itself and a subwoofer. The soundbar is fairly wide, measuring 37 1/2 inches across, as well as 2 5/8 inches tall and 4 3/8 inches deep (950 x 64 x 110 mm). If you have anything smaller than a 50-inch TV, then this soundbar is too big for it.
It comes in matte black and has a few LED indicators that light up on the lower right side whenever anything is changed. I do prefer an actual LED display that gives more information, but this more minimal way of communicating changes to settings seems to be the norm for most mid-range and budget soundbars.
This is a 3.1.2 system with six total speakers, with five of them in the soundbar itself. The left, center, and right speakers are all, as is expected, front-facing, though I would have expected the left and right to maybe angle out a little. The wo upward-firing speakers align with the left and right ones. Those speakers are angled so that they’ll bounce sound off the ceiling to the listener’s ears.
The port selection is pretty slim here, though that’s not unusual in this price range. Besides power, there’s one HDMI and one optical port. Both ports support quite a few features. For example, the HDMI supports eARC, allowing you to listen to Dolby Atmos and DTS:X content, as well as HDMI CEC, which allows you to use your TV’s remote to control the volume on the soundbar. It also supports Bravia Sync, a feature that requires a Bravia TV.
If you plan on buying the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6, make sure you have enough space for the wireless subwoofer, as it’s quite hefty, measuring 8.26 x 15.28 x 15.28 in (210 x 388 x 388 mm). It comes in the same matte black finish, has one plug for power, a forward-facing woofer, and a bass reflex port (the big hole in the front) to extend bass response.
Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 review: Setup & usability
- Simple setup
- App is straightforward
- Remote control is intuitive
The physical setup of the Theater Bar 6 is very easy, just requiring a screwdriver for attaching the rubber feet that raise the soundbar off the surface it’s sitting on by half an inch. Connecting it to a TV just requires either an HDMI or optical cable (Sony includes an HDMI cable).
Subwoofer setup is even easier. After connecting it to power, it automatically links to the soundbar wirelessly (though there are instructions on how to pair if there’s an issue).
Despite my annoyance with the app’s lagging, setting it up and pairing it with the soundbar is also straightforward. There are a number of screens to go through, but there’s nothing confusing, and you just follow the instructions or answer the questions on the screen.
As far as using the soundbar, you either interact with it via the remote or the app, as there are no physical buttons on the unit. The remote is straightforward in its operation, and the Voice mode and Night mode each have their own buttons.
- Setup & usability score: 5 / 5
Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 review: Value
- Can find Dolby Atmos models with a subwoofer for cheaper
- Priced about right for the quality
- Stiff competition from companies like Samsung
The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6’s price tag of $649.00 / £449.00 / AU$899 is nowhere near budget. Consider the Hisense AX5125H with its current pricing of $299 / £349 (roughly AU$449). It’s a 5.1.2-channel system, so it not only comes with that subwoofer and upward-firing speakers but two rear speakers for surround sound capability. That said, it doesn’t have an app for any kind of EQ or audio fine-tuning. Even worse, the rear speakers can get overwhelmed and distort. That’s a good reminder that sometimes you do get what you pay for. It’s also worth mentioning that the Hisense originally went for $449 / £499 (roughly AU$599) when it was released in 2023.
A better comparison might be the Samsung HW-Q700C, a 3.1.2-channel soundbar system that goes for $549.99 / £599 / AU$899 that can be upgraded at a later date to surround sound, though getting those extra speakers will add $299 / £249 / AU$349 to the cost. It covers a lot of the same ground as the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6, though the Samsung seems to suffer even more from app-related connectivity issues.
Should I buy the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6?
|
Section |
Notes |
Score |
|
Features |
It can upmix stereo to spatial audio and has solid Night and Voice modes |
4.5 / 5 |
|
Performance |
The soundstage is a bit narrow, but the sound quality is very good, especially the low end, thanks to the powerful subwoofer |
4.5 / 5 |
|
Design |
On the bigger side, and there’s no alphanumeric LED display for control feedback |
4 / 5 |
|
Setup & usability |
Everything about using the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 is easy and intuitive |
5 / 5 |
|
Value |
A solid mid-range soundbar. You can find cheaper options with similar setups, but the quality may be less |
4 / 5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 review: Also consider
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 |
Samsung HW-Q700C |
Hisense AX5125H |
Sony HT-A7000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Price |
$649.00 / £449.00 / AU$899 |
$549.99 / £599 / AU$899 |
$299 / £349 (roughly AU$449) |
$999 / £1,299 / AU$1,699 |
|
Dimensions (w x h x d) |
Soundbar: 37.5 x 2.63 x 4.38 in (950 x 64 x 110 mm); Subwoofer: 8.27 x 15.28 x 15.28 in (210 x 388 x 388 mm) |
Soundbar: 46.5 x 18.5 x 10.7 in (1182 x 468 x 272 mm); Subwoofer: 8 x 13.8 x 11.8 in (205 x 353 x 302 mm) |
Soundbar: 36.2 x 18.8 x 3.5 in (920 x 478 x 90mm); Subwoofer: 8.5 x 12.3 x 11.9 in (210.5 x 310 x 300mm); Satellites: 3.6 x 5.7 x 4.3 in (90.1 x 140.5 x 110mm) |
51.8 x 3.1 x 5.6 in(1300 x 80 x 142 mm) |
|
Speaker channels |
3.1.2 |
3.1.2 |
5.1.2 |
7.1.2 |
|
Connections |
1x HDMI (with eARC), optical, digital, Bluetooth, USB, IR |
1 x HDMI input, 1 x HDMI eARC support, digital optical, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
1x HDMI Out (eARC), 1x HDMI in, optical, USB, 3.5mm AUX |
2 HDMI inputs, one HDMI output with eARC support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
|
Dolby Atmos/DTS:X |
Yes/Yes |
Yes/Yes |
Yes/Yes |
Yes/Yes |
How I tested the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6
- I used the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 for several weeks
- Tested with TV, movies, games, and music
I used the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 regularly for several weeks. I watched movies, shows, games, and listened to music with it. I tested all the various features, especially the various audio modes.
After having tested the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6, it’s clear that it’s an ideal soundbar for anyone who wants a somewhat premium, home theater-type experience without having to pay premium prices.
I’ve tested a lot of tech gear over the years, from laptops to keyboards and speakers, and so have been able to use my expertise towards giving an honest and fair opinion, not to mention a critical eye, to any product I test.
Read more about how we test
- First reviewed: July 2024
Read the full article here
