Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 review: Great sound, greater frustration

Engadget

5 hours ago

Unlike two of its biggest rivals , Sony waited until April to unveil its latest soundbars rather than debut them at CES in January. And even then, the two most premium options in the company's 2025 lineup remain untouched. Instead, Sony gave us the Bravia Theater Bar 6 ($650) : a 3.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos soundbar that comes with a wireless subwoofer and a modest set of features. However, the caveats here are real headscratchers, especially on a soundbar launching this year.
Sony's midrange soundbar offers impressive audio that pushes the limits of its 3.1.2-channel configuration. However, the lack of Wi-Fi leaves major features off the spec sheet. $548 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $648 at Macy's$648 at Best Buy What's good about the Bravia Theater Bar 6?
Overall sound quality has never been an issue on the Sony soundbars I've tested, and the Theater Bar 6 continues with that trend. You can expect crisp, warm sound with excellent clarity and solid directional audio. Even over Bluetooth, this speaker-sub combo is great for music, doing justice to the subtle details of Miles Davis' Mies '54: The Prestige Recordings. Classic jazz is a great way to judge a speaker's merits, and on the Bar 6, this recently remastered album is dynamic and inviting throughout all 20 tracks.
The soundbar also delivered great audio in movies and TV. I was sucked into battle scenes during the second season of Andor, even though the limitations of the Theater Bar 6's 3.1.2-channel configuration quickly became apparent. Its five-driver arrangement does well, thanks to three front-firing units and two angled up-firing speakers. Those latter two components really help with filling the overhead space during the action in shows like Andor , compensating for the limited number of drivers (and their positioning) as much as possible. And all of that makes the Theater Bar 6 a solid option for smaller spaces, especially if you have lower ceilings and won't be sitting far from the TV.
The Theater Bar 6 won't win any design awards, but that's okay. There are plenty of people, myself included, who don't really want their soundbar to stand out on the TV stand or mantle. The focus should be the display, not the speaker. This model is quite plain, but it also has a relatively low profile, so even if your TV has a short stand, the Theater Bar 6 won't block the picture. What's not so great about the Bravia Theater Bar 6? The subwoofer that comes with the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 is large. (Billy Steele for Engadget)
The first strike against the Bravia Theater Bar 6 is the lack of Wi-Fi connectivity. If you want a wireless connection to the soundbar, Bluetooth is your only option. What's more, no Wi-Fi means no AirPlay, Chromecast or Spotify Connect — all of which should be standard on a $650 model in 2025. Sony did make it easy to switch from the HDMI input over to Bluetooth in the Bravia Connect app, and that change happens quickly after you've paired your phone with the soundbar once.
Speaking of the app, it doesn't actually help you install firmware updates to the Theater Bar 6. Instead, it prompts you to transfer the files from a computer to a thumb drive to get them to the soundbar. Yes, really. Sony says the lack of Wi-Fi is why this workaround is required. No matter the reason, having to dig a thumb drive out of your junk drawer to install updates is a big inconvenience, and it shouldn't really be a thing in the mid 2020s.
In the sound department, the only real knock against the Theater Bar 6 is more about the constraints of 3.1.2-channel audio. Even with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X content, this system will be limited in its abilities to deliver immersive sound. Sure, Sony's S-Fore Pro and Vertical Surround Engine do well to virtualize a more robust living room setup, but that tech only goes so far.
You might think a pair of rear speakers would bolster the sound, and Sony does offer the Bravia Theater System 6 ($770) as a 5.1-channel all-in-one package. However, it doesn't include the Theater Bar 6 and its subwoofer. Instead, that bundle comes with a different soundbar that doesn't have up-firing drivers, which means it might lack overhead sound and dampen the impact of immersive content. Unfortunately, if you want to add rear speakers to the Theater Bar 6, you're out of luck. None of Sony's currently available options are compatible with this soundbar.
Lastly, and this isn't a huge issue for most people, but the Theater Bar 6's included subwoofer is big. Bigger than most of the competition? No, but it's large nonetheless. I'll admit I've been spoiled by the QS700F that I recently reviewed, thanks to its subwoofer's compact design. But if speakers in this category start trending smaller, the one that accompanies the Bar 6 will definitely end up being one of the chunkier models. Wrap-up The up-firing speakers assist with Dolby Atmos. (Billy Steele for Engadget)
From a pure sound quality standpoint, the Theater Bar 6 excels at both its music and TV duties. Sure, it's limited by its 3.1.2-channel configuration, but there's a definite use case for that type of setup — especially if you're short on living room space. The audio is crisp and clear, and it's also warm and inviting, which makes this soundbar well-suited for all kinds of content.
Despite my heaping on all of that praise, the Bar 6 simply has too many drawbacks that I can't overlook. The lack of Wi-Fi on a $650 soundbar is absurd, mostly because it strips users of the convenience of AirPlay, Chromecast and other wireless connection options. I also can't get over the need to use a thumb drive for updates when OTA downloads for new firmware have been the norm on soundbars for years.
For those reasons, the Samsung QS700F is the better option in this price range since it combines great sound with an orientation feature that automatically recofigures the output direction based on placement. Sony and Samsung are in a tight race in regards to audio performance with the Theater Bar 6 and the QS700F, but only one of those 2025 soundbars will save you from some headaches.