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Rating:

7/10

Sony’s soundbar revamp over the last few years has brought a cleaner, more streamlined aesthetic to the lineup, but also an unfortunate loss of connection options and extras, even in premium models, like the flagship Bravia Theater Bar 9. There’s certainly nothing superfluous in the more affordable Bravia Theater 5, with a layout and feature set that make it feel more like a budget model than a mid-tier option.

In signature Sony fashion, the Theater Bar 5’s sound performance does a lot to make up for its shortcomings, pairing a surprisingly powerful subwoofer with a well-balanced three-foot bar for more cinematic thrills than its size suggests. A dedicated center speaker ensures clear dialog across content, while virtual surround software plus support for advanced sound formats, like Dolby Atmos, effectively zhuzh up action-packed films and TV shows.

At $350, you’re not exactly getting off easy here, but if all you want is a plug-and-play system to upgrade your TV and stream some music, the Bravia Theater Bar 5 is a solid option with more spunk than you’d expect.

One, Two, Go

The Theater Bar 5’s simple two-piece design and limited connection options make it remarkably easy to set up, even for tech novices. Inside the L-shaped box you’ll find a matte-black bar and rectangular wireless subwoofer tower, power cables for each, and a stubby remote for basic playback controls. The minimalist package frustratingly does not include connection cables, so you’ll have to supply your own HDMI or optical cable to connect to your TV.

Most folks will want to connect via the HDMI port, which syncs up with your TV’s HDMI eARC/ARC input for high-quality sound transference and the ability to control power and volume with your TV remote. The optical input is a backup for (much) older TVs, or even a CD player, but there’s no spare HDMI port for connecting a Blu-ray player or game console directly, let alone an analog input for legacy audio gear like a turntable.

You won’t want to go much further without downloading the Bravia Connect app, which walks you through the full setup process and is the only way to access to settings like Bluetooth pairing so you can stream music from your phone. A single power button at the bar’s left flank is the sole onboard control key, while a two-dot LED system up front provides a basic visual display.

The Bar Necessities

Sony’s app picks up where the hardware leaves off, including a handy function that identifies your current sound format and resolution quality. The app's uncluttered layout makes it easy to swap between the limited input options, adjust the bass, or even power up the bar from sleep mode to stream music. The Twix-shaped remote is essentially redundant, but it’s nice to have a backup when your phone is out of reach.

The bar offers a few sound mode options, including voice mode, which I never felt the need to employ; night mode to chill out the bass for late-night listening; and sound field mode, which uses Sony’s virtual surround software to enhance surround sound and 3D audio formats.

Speaking of audio formats, that’s one place where the Theater Bar 5 doesn’t skimp, supporting all the top high-resolution options from Dolby and DTS, including Dolby Atmos spatial audio and its rival, DTS:X. The bar’s 3.1-channel configuration means you don’t get surround speakers or the kind of upfiring drivers found in the best Dolby Atmos soundbars that provide overhead sound immersion. Even so, the bar's virtual audio trickery impressed me with its ability to expand sound from its sides.

For all of its stengths, the Bar 5 leaves plenty of options on the table. Its lack of Wi-Fi support means no smart assistant or voice-control options, limited streaming quality over Bluetooth, and no fancy features like the ability to sync with other speakers in a group à la Sonos and Bose soundbars. Apart from the bass controls, there’s no proper EQ (equalization) to futz with and no calibration capability to adjust the sound to your room. Luckily, the soundbar is so well-tuned, you probably won't feel the need to adjust things much anyway.

Over the first week of testing the Theater Bar 5 by watching TV each day, I was generally satisfied with the audio performance. It did a solid job providing equal parts keen detail and extra oomph to sitcoms, drama, and sports, easily outdoing your average TV speakers.

Throwing on some action films really ramped up the experience, thanks in large part to the mighty thump of that 16-inch-tall subwoofer. The space-chase scene in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 sounded appropriately rambunctious, giving muscle-car bravado to the Guardians' starship, the Milano, as it blasts through the quantum asteroid field while Star-Lord and Rocket bicker. Similarly, the dirt bikes ripping through the bazaar in the intro of Skyfall emitted enough gravelly buzz to make me nearly feel like I was smelling the fumes. The balance between the bar and sub is key to the immersion, as the sub’s upper bass hands off seamlessly to the bar’s lower midrange so you barely notice the transition.

With the sound field mode engaged, you’ll get some impressive side-to-side expansion, especially noticeable in swirling Dolby Atmos content, like the first shrink scene in Ant-Man. The swirling vortex of the antique vacuum in which our hero clumsily finds himself trapped is particularly engaging, with sound spilling out well past the bar’s frame as he’s tossed around in circles.

I usually kept sound field engaged, even for more basic content. While it's not always additive, it expands the soundstage where it's needed, without muddying the waters with the kind of hollow or echoed effect common in digital surround processing from most cheaper bars.

The exception was when streaming stereo music. When I first started jamming to my carefully curated yacht rock playlist, I was surprised at how squishy and muffled everything sounded. Turning sound field off was like lifting an invisible veil, tightening the stereo image while exposing instruments and vocals with much more clarity and precision. The downside is you’ll need to remember to turn it off when switching inputs, but considering how hands-off the Theater Bar 5 is in most other ways, I’ll give it a pass there. You may also want to go into the settings and toggle on Sony’s DSEE codec, which can improve clarity for lower-quality audio tracks.

The Theater Bar 5 seems a little chintzy on paper, lacking many of the conveniences we’ve come to expect from a soundbar at this price. On the other hand, its hefty subwoofer provides plenty of punch, something you won’t find in even pricier rivals like Bose’s feature-rich Smart Soundbar. If you’re after a stripped-down bar that puts all its marbles into punchy performance, the Bravia Bar Theater 5 is a great choice.

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