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 actual 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 provides restricted options.
- Compact design
- Crisp, clear sound with boomy bass
- Constrained Atmos efficiency
- Restricted options
The nice: Sound high quality, bass efficiency and setup
The Theater Bar 5 is essentially the most compact soundbar amongst Sony’s new fashions, measuring simply 35.5 inches large. 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 actual fact, 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 supplies 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-Pressure 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 thrill of F1 vehicles zooming round varied circuits because the Bar 5 does nicely with common motion. The soundbar’s large soundstage, glorious element and booming bass present a point of immersion that doesn’t depend on audio projected overhead. That total 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 fundamental, compact design (Billy Steele for Engadget)
From Kieran Behden & William Tyler’s acoustic/digital 41 Longfield Road Late ‘80s to Thursday’s screamo masterpiece Full Collapse, the soundbar performs admirably. Though with heavier genres, I most well-liked 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 scuffling with 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 state of affairs, and the Bravia Join app guides you thru the preliminary steps. It takes about 5 minutes to rise up and operating and I’d wager even the least tech-savvy individual in your life can most likely determine this out. You too can go for Night time mode (much less bass), Sound Discipline (enhanced audio) and Voice mode (louder dialogue) within the Bravia Join app.
All of this definitely makes the Bar 5 a stable possibility for somebody who doesn’t want plenty 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 observed nearly no simulated overhead noise. The Bar 5’s sonic readability makes it a stable possibility for reinforcing front room audio, simply don’t count on the enveloping results that extra strong (and dearer) 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 high of soundbars don’t get used a lot, however for those who’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. Apart from an influence button on the best facet, your choices for controlling this soundbar are a distant and the Bravia Join app.
The facility button on the best facet (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 accessible to simply beam audio out of your units to the soundbar. There may be Bluetooth 5.3, so that you do have an possibility for music and podcasts out of your telephone or laptop computer for those who want it. Nonetheless, pairing your units to the soundbar through Bluetooth isn’t as fast as choosing the soundbar in your streaming app when AirPlay or Forged are on the spec sheet.
Lastly, Sony doesn’t provide any kind of room calibration on Theater Bar 5. Certain, a smaller soundbar like that is higher in smaller areas, however it could nonetheless be good to have the system dial within the audio for the facets of the room. In any case, not each front room is an ideal rectangle. I can perceive why the corporate left this function out of a $350 mannequin, for the reason that device would require further parts like microphones. That is definitely 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 supplies an entry-level increase to TV audio that can be effective for folks in search of simply that. Whereas there may be help 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 towards the Bar 5. Nonetheless, this mannequin’s glorious audio high quality, particularly the highly effective bass, will suffice for purchasers simply trying to hear their TVs higher.
The Bravia Theater Bar 5’s included subwoofer (Billy Steele for Engadget)
In order for you a compact soundbar that gives respectable Atmos efficiency, the second-gen Sonos Beam is your finest guess. Certain, it’s dearer at $499 and it doesn’t include a subwoofer, however its further drivers, tweeter and passive radiators provide extra strong audio from the soundbar alone. You additionally get Trueplay room calibration and Wi-Fi connectivity there.
The Theater Bar 5 will definitely enhance your front room audio in comparison with your TV audio system alone, however with a number of extra options and improved Atmos virtualization, Sony may’ve had an actual winner.
