In contrast to two of its , Sony waited till April to unveil its newest soundbars quite than debut them at CES in January. And even then, the within the firm’s 2025 lineup stay untouched. As an alternative, the : a 3.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos soundbar that comes with a wi-fi subwoofer and a modest set of options. Nonetheless, the caveats listed below are actual headscratchers, particularly on a soundbar launching this 12 months.
Sony
Sony’s midrange soundbar provides spectacular audio that pushes the boundaries of its 3.1.2-channel configuration. Nonetheless, the shortage of Wi-Fi leaves main options off the spec sheet.
- Clear, low-profile design
- Full sound with nice readability
- Devoted middle speaker for enhanced dialogue
- Doesn’t help AirPlay, Chromecast or Spotify Join
- Subwoofer is a bit hefty
- Updates require inserting a thumb drive
What’s good concerning the Bravia Theater Bar 6?
Total sound high quality has by no means been a difficulty on the Sony soundbars I’ve examined, and the Theater Bar 6 continues with that development. You may anticipate crisp, heat sound with glorious readability and strong directional audio. Even over Bluetooth, this speaker-sub combo is nice for music, doing justice to the delicate particulars of Miles Davis’ Mies ‘54: The Status Recordings. Traditional jazz is an effective way to evaluate a speaker’s deserves, and on the Bar 6, this not too long ago remastered album is dynamic and alluring all through all 20 tracks.
The soundbar additionally delivered nice audio in films and TV. I used to be sucked into battle scenes throughout the second season of Andor, despite the fact that the restrictions of the Theater Bar 6’s 3.1.2-channel configuration shortly grew to become obvious. Its five-driver association does properly, thanks to a few front-firing items and two angled up-firing audio system. These latter two elements actually assist with filling the overhead house throughout the motion in exhibits like Andor, compensating for the restricted variety of drivers (and their positioning) as a lot as potential. And all of that makes the Theater Bar 6 a strong possibility for smaller areas, particularly when you have decrease ceilings and received’t be sitting removed from the TV.
The Theater Bar 6 received’t win any design awards, however that’s okay. There are many folks, myself included, who don’t really need their soundbar to face out on the TV stand or mantle. The main focus ought to be the show, not the speaker. This mannequin is sort of plain, nevertheless it additionally has a comparatively low profile, so even when your TV has a brief stand, the Theater Bar 6 received’t block the image.
What’s not so nice concerning the Bravia Theater Bar 6?
The subwoofer that comes with the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 is giant.
(Billy Steele for Engadget)
The primary strike in opposition to the Bravia Theater Bar 6 is the shortage of Wi-Fi connectivity. In order for you a wi-fi connection to the soundbar, Bluetooth is your solely possibility. What’s extra, no Wi-Fi means no AirPlay, Chromecast or Spotify Join — all of which ought to be customary on a $650 mannequin in 2025. Sony did make it straightforward to change from the HDMI enter over to Bluetooth within the Bravia Join app, and that change occurs shortly after you’ve paired your cellphone with the soundbar as soon as.
Talking of the app, it doesn’t really assist you set up firmware updates to the Theater Bar 6. As an alternative, it prompts you to switch the information from a pc to a thumb drive to get them to the soundbar. Sure, actually. Sony says the shortage of Wi-Fi is why this workaround is required. Regardless of the explanation, having to dig a thumb drive out of your junk drawer to put in updates is an enormous inconvenience, and it shouldn’t actually be a factor within the mid 2020s.
Within the sound division, the one actual knock in opposition to the Theater Bar 6 is extra concerning the constraints of three.1.2-channel audio. Even with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X content material, this method will likely be restricted in its skills to ship immersive sound. Positive, Sony’s S-Fore Professional and Vertical Encompass Engine do properly to virtualize a extra sturdy lounge setup, however that tech solely goes up to now.
You may assume a pair of rear audio system would bolster the sound, and Sony does supply the Bravia Theater System 6 ($770) as a 5.1-channel all-in-one package deal. Nonetheless, it doesn’t embody the Theater Bar 6 and its subwoofer. As an alternative, that bundle comes with a distinct soundbar that doesn’t have up-firing drivers, which implies it would lack overhead sound and dampen the affect of immersive content material. Sadly, if you wish to add rear audio system to the Theater Bar 6, you’re out of luck. None of Sony’s at present accessible choices are suitable with this soundbar.
Lastly, and this isn’t a enormous difficulty for most individuals, however the Theater Bar 6’s included subwoofer is huge. Larger than many of the competitors? No, nevertheless it’s giant nonetheless. I’ll admit I’ve been spoiled by that I not too long ago reviewed, due to its subwoofer’s compact design. But when audio system on this class begin trending smaller, the one which accompanies the Bar 6 will certainly find yourself being one of many chunkier fashions.
Wrap-up
The up-firing audio system help with Dolby Atmos.
(Billy Steele for Engadget)
From a pure sound high quality standpoint, the Theater Bar 6 excels at each its music and TV duties. Positive, it’s restricted by its 3.1.2-channel configuration, however there’s a particular use case for that kind of setup — particularly in case you’re quick on lounge house. The audio is crisp and clear, and it’s additionally heat and alluring, which makes this soundbar well-suited for every kind of content material.
Regardless of my heaping on all of that reward, the Bar 6 merely has too many drawbacks that I can’t overlook. The dearth of Wi-Fi on a $650 soundbar is absurd, principally as a result of it strips customers of the comfort of AirPlay, Chromecast and different wi-fi connection choices. I can also’t recover from the necessity to use a thumb drive for updates when OTA downloads for brand spanking new firmware have been the norm on soundbars for years.
For these causes, the Samsung QS700F is the higher possibility on this value vary because it combines nice sound with an orientation characteristic that routinely recofigures the output path primarily based on placement. Sony and Samsung are in a decent race with regard to audio efficiency with the Theater Bar 6 and the QS700F, however solely a kind of 2025 soundbars will prevent from some complications.