Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 Review: Great Sound, Greater Frustration

Unlike 2 of its biggest rivals, Sony waited until April to unveil its latest soundbars alternatively than debut them astatine CES successful January. And moreover then, nan two astir premium options successful nan company’s 2025 lineup stay untouched. Instead, Sony gave us nan Bravia Theater Bar 6 ($650): a 3.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos soundbar that comes pinch a wireless subwoofer and a humble group of features. However, nan caveats present are existent headscratchers, particularly connected a soundbar launching this year.

What’s bully astir nan Bravia Theater Bar 6?

Overall sound value has ne'er been an rumor connected nan Sony soundbars I’ve tested, and nan Theater Bar 6 continues pinch that trend. You tin expect crisp, lukewarm sound pinch fantabulous clarity and coagulated directional audio. Even complete Bluetooth, this speaker-sub combo is awesome for music, doing justness to nan subtle specifications of Miles Davis’ Mies ‘54: The Prestige Recordings. Classic jazz is simply a awesome measurement to judge a speaker’s merits, and connected nan Bar 6, this precocious remastered medium is move and inviting passim each 20 tracks.

The soundbar besides delivered awesome audio successful movies and TV. I was sucked into conflict scenes during nan 2nd play of Andor, even though nan limitations of nan Theater Bar 6’s 3.1.2-channel configuration quickly became apparent. Its five-driver statement does well, acknowledgment to 3 front-firing units and 2 angled up-firing speakers. Those second 2 components really thief pinch filling nan overhead abstraction during nan action successful shows for illustration Andor, compensating for nan constricted number of drivers (and their positioning) arsenic overmuch arsenic possible. And each of that makes nan Theater Bar 6 a coagulated action for smaller spaces, particularly if you person little ceilings and won’t beryllium sitting acold from nan TV.

The Theater Bar 6 won’t triumph immoderate creation awards, but that’s okay. There are plentifulness of people, myself included, who don’t really want their soundbar to guidelines retired connected nan TV guidelines aliases mantle. The attraction should beryllium nan display, not nan speaker. This exemplary is rather plain, but it besides has a comparatively debased profile, truthful moreover if your TV has a short stand, nan Theater Bar 6 won’t artifact nan picture.

What’s not truthful awesome astir nan Bravia Theater Bar 6?

The first onslaught against nan Bravia Theater Bar 6 is nan deficiency of Wi-Fi connectivity. If you want a wireless relationship to nan soundbar, Bluetooth is your only option. What’s more, nary Wi-Fi intends nary AirPlay, Chromecast aliases Spotify Connect — each of which should beryllium modular connected a $650 exemplary successful 2025. Sony did make it easy to move from nan HDMI input complete to Bluetooth successful nan Bravia Connect app, and that alteration happens quickly aft you’ve paired your telephone pinch nan soundbar once.

Speaking of nan app, it doesn’t really thief you instal firmware updates to nan Theater Bar 6. Instead, it prompts you to transportation nan files from a machine to a thumb thrust to get them to nan soundbar. Yes, really. Sony says nan deficiency of Wi-Fi is why this workaround is required. No matter nan reason, having to excavation a thumb thrust retired of your junk drawer to instal updates is simply a large inconvenience, and it shouldn’t really beryllium a point successful nan mid 2020s.

In nan sound department, nan only existent sound against nan Theater Bar 6 is much astir nan constraints of 3.1.2-channel audio. Even pinch Dolby Atmos and DTS:X content, this strategy will beryllium constricted successful its abilities to present immersive sound. Sure, Sony’s S-Fore Pro and Vertical Surround Engine do good to virtualize a much robust surviving room setup, but that tech only goes truthful far.

You mightiness deliberation a brace of rear speakers would bolster nan sound, and Sony does connection nan Bravia Theater System 6 ($770) arsenic a 5.1-channel all-in-one package. However, it doesn’t see nan Theater Bar 6 and its subwoofer. Instead, that bundle comes pinch a different soundbar that doesn’t person up-firing drivers, which intends it mightiness deficiency overhead sound and dampen nan effect of immersive content. Unfortunately, if you want to adhd rear speakers to nan Theater Bar 6, you’re retired of luck. None of Sony’s presently disposable options are compatible pinch this soundbar.

Lastly, and this isn’t a huge issue for astir people, but nan Theater Bar 6’s included subwoofer is big. Bigger than astir of nan competition? No, but it’s ample nonetheless. I’ll admit I’ve been spoiled by the QS700F that I precocious reviewed, acknowledgment to its subwoofer’s compact design. But if speakers successful this class commencement trending smaller, nan 1 that accompanies nan Bar 6 will decidedly extremity up being 1 of nan chunkier models.

Wrap-up

From a axenic sound value standpoint, nan Theater Bar 6 excels astatine some its euphony and TV duties. Sure, it’s constricted by its 3.1.2-channel configuration, but there’s a definite usage lawsuit for that type of setup — particularly if you’re short connected surviving room space. The audio is crisp and clear, and it’s besides lukewarm and inviting, which makes this soundbar well-suited for each kinds of content.

Despite my heaping connected each of that praise, nan Bar 6 simply has excessively galore drawbacks that I can’t overlook. The deficiency of Wi-Fi connected a $650 soundbar is absurd, mostly because it strips users of nan convenience of AirPlay, Chromecast and different wireless relationship options. I besides can’t get complete nan request to usage a thumb thrust for updates erstwhile OTA downloads for caller firmware person been nan norm connected soundbars for years.

For those reasons, nan Samsung QS700F is nan amended action successful this value scope since it combines awesome sound pinch an predisposition characteristic that automatically recofigures nan output guidance based connected placement. Sony and Samsung are successful a tight title successful regards to audio capacity pinch nan Theater Bar 6 and nan QS700F, but only 1 of those 2025 soundbars will prevention you from immoderate headaches.