Not everybody wants a $1,000 soundbar. It’s simple to argue the sonic superiority of these flagship fashions from Samsung, Sonos and Sony, however for some folks a easy increase to their TV audio system can present a world of distinction. As a part of its 2026 soundbar lineup, Sony debuted the Bravia Theater Bar 5: a $350 entry-level mannequin that covers the fundamentals and comes with a wi-fi subwoofer within the field. The true query right here is what number of options are you keen to reside with out.
Sony
Sony’s newest compact soundbar can increase TV quantity, nevertheless it has constrained directional audio and gives restricted options.
Professionals
- Compact design
- Crisp, clear sound with boomy bass
Cons
- Constrained Atmos efficiency
- Restricted options
The great: Sound high quality, bass efficiency and setup
The Theater Bar 5 is probably the most compact soundbar amongst Sony’s new fashions, measuring simply 35.5 inches vast. For comparability, that’s nonetheless about 10 inches wider than the second-gen Sonos Beam, however practically 16 inches smaller than Sony’s flagship Theater Bar 9. This stature makes the Bar 5 well-suited for smaller areas with smaller TVs. In reality, Sony says the soundbar will match between the legs of Bravia TVs with multi-position stands. Plus, the Bar 5 is simply over 2.5 inches tall, barely shorter than the Beam, so it received’t block the underside fringe of most TVs.
Regardless of its small measurement, the Bar 5 cranks out some glorious sound. There’s loads of crisp, clear audio from the three.1-channel configuration, and the included subwoofer gives an ample quantity of booming bass. The Bar 5 helps Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, nevertheless it doesn’t have up-firing drivers. As a substitute, the soundbar depends on Sony’s Vertical Encompass Engine and S-Power Professional Entrance Encompass tech to virtualize a lot of the directional and overhead audio. Extra on that in a bit.
Whereas watching Netflix’s Drive to Survive, I skilled the joy of F1 vehicles zooming round numerous circuits because the Bar 5 does nicely with basic motion. The soundbar’s vast soundstage, glorious element and booming bass present a point of immersion that doesn’t depend on audio projected overhead. That general readability and highly effective bass are additionally nice for listening to music, because the Bar 5 can deal with a spread of genres with ease.
The Bravia Theater Bar 5 has a primary, compact design (Billy Steele for Engadget)
From Kieran Behden & William Tyler’s acoustic/digital 41 Longfield Avenue Late ‘80s to Thursday’s screamo masterpiece Full Collapse, the soundbar performs admirably. Though with heavier genres, I most popular to dial down the bass barely. Tucker Rule’s kick drum on Full Collapse, for instance, was a bit a lot for the usual tuning right here.
After fighting the setup on LG’s Sound Suite, I used to be grateful that configuring the Bar 5 was tremendous simple. It’s very a lot a plug-and-play scenario, and the Bravia Join app guides you thru the preliminary steps. It takes about 5 minutes to stand up and operating and I’d wager even the least tech-savvy individual in your life can in all probability determine this out. You can even go for Evening mode (much less bass), Sound Subject (enhanced audio) and Voice mode (louder dialogue) within the Bravia Join app.
All of this actually makes the Bar 5 a stable possibility for somebody who doesn’t want quite a lot of options, however stands to profit from augmenting the sound from their TV alone.
The not so good: Constrained Dolby Atmos and restricted options
Whereas the Bar 5 helps Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive audio, Sony’s virtualization tech was a disappointment. There’s some side-to-side directional sound, however I seen virtually no simulated overhead noise. The Bar 5’s sonic readability makes it a stable possibility for enhancing lounge audio, simply don’t anticipate the enveloping results that extra sturdy (and costlier) soundbars would provide.
There are a number of options you received’t discover on the Theater Bar 5, beginning with the shortage of onboard controls. I’m nicely conscious that these buttons on prime of soundbars don’t get used a lot, however when you’re like me, you continue to attain for them often. There have been a number of instances throughout my testing after I tried to blindly faucet the non-existent quantity controls on the Bar 5. Aside from an influence button on the suitable aspect, your choices for controlling this soundbar are a distant and the Bravia Join app.
The facility button on the suitable aspect (Billy Steele for Engadget)
You additionally received’t discover a Wi-Fi connection on the Bar 5. Which means that AirPlay and Google Forged aren’t obtainable to simply beam audio out of your gadgets to the soundbar. There’s Bluetooth 5.3, so that you do have an possibility for music and podcasts out of your telephone or laptop computer when you want it. Nonetheless, pairing your gadgets to the soundbar by way of Bluetooth isn’t as fast as deciding on the soundbar in your streaming app when AirPlay or Forged are on the spec sheet.
Lastly, Sony doesn’t provide any sort of room calibration on Theater Bar 5. Certain, a smaller soundbar like that is higher in smaller areas, however it might nonetheless be good to have the system dial within the audio for the features of the room. In spite of everything, not each lounge is an ideal rectangle. I can perceive why the corporate left this function out of a $350 mannequin, because the instrument would require additional elements like microphones. That is actually one of many extra noticeable trade-offs for saving some cash.
Wrap-up
Generally the fundamentals are all you want. Sony’s Bravia Theater Bar 5 gives an entry-level increase to TV audio that will probably be superb for folks in search of simply that. Whereas there’s assist for immersive audio, the soundbar’s 3.1-channel setup isn’t one of the best for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X efficiency, and that’s actually the largest knock in opposition to the Bar 5. Nonetheless, this mannequin’s glorious audio high quality, particularly the highly effective bass, will suffice for patrons simply seeking to hear their TVs higher.
The Bravia Theater Bar 5’s included subwoofer (Billy Steele for Engadget)
If you need a compact soundbar that gives respectable Atmos efficiency, the second-gen Sonos Beam is your finest wager. Certain, it’s costlier at $499 and it doesn’t include a subwoofer, however its further drivers, tweeter and passive radiators provide extra sturdy audio from the soundbar alone. You additionally get Trueplay room calibration and Wi-Fi connectivity there.
The Theater Bar 5 will definitely enhance your lounge audio in comparison with your TV audio system alone, however with a couple of extra options and improved Atmos virtualization, Sony may’ve had an actual winner.
