Customer Ratings & Reviews

This is the second Sony Bravia Theater Bar I own. My other one is a Theater Bar 6. The major difference between the two is that the Bar 5 is a 3.1 system and the Bar 6 is a 3.1.2 system (which includes two upfiring speakers that act as reflective Atmos speakers). While the Theater Bar 5 does claim Dolby Atmos/DTS:X, it doesn't include any upfiring dedicated speakers for this purpose, so what you hear with the Sound Field turned on is a more spacial effect, and maybe Sony does use these signals in some way to mimic overhead sounds. Both of these systems are solid performers. When comparing the sound between the two, the Bar 6 has noticeably larger sound, meaning fuller and more spacious. It's geared for a larger room and can fill it with sound easily. The Bar 5 on the other hand still does a remarkable job at filling a smaller room with sound. This is the perfect size for a smaller living room or bedroom. The Theater Bar 5 is a nice looking system. It's a matte black finish on both the bar and wireless subwoofer. It's meant to blend in and not be noticed. The subwoofer is narrow but deeper and provides adequate low end to the system. A great feature of the subwoofer is that it's wireless, meaning you can put it anywhere in the room you like. It is a powered sub so it does need to plug into the wall. The Bar 5 itself is a great sounding speaker system. You get plenty of volume, so you can really turn it up on movie nights. It has enough power for a smaller sized room. It would be perfect in an apartment or a bedroom. I really liked the the eARC/ARC connection. This allowed me to use my TV remote and control the sound bar volume. It also has a TOSLINK fiber connection if you need to connect it that way. If you want you can use the included remote control instead (both the included remote and the TV remote worked well for volume). The soundbar has three speakers inside. A left, right and center setup. The speakers are clear and clean sounding with lots of separation. The subwoofer really rounds out the low end and gives the sound a punchy feel. The included remote gives you extra control over the sound. For example, you can control the subwoofer volume separately, and it has a Sound Field button that widens the... well, soundfield an incredible amount. I actually set the Sound Field to “on”, and never looked back. It just sounds great for movies and shows and gives the illusion of a much larger system. It's pretty cool the way the sound does fill the room and seems to come from more speakers than what's included. Dialog is very clear from the center speaker. I don't have a Sony Bravia TV so I wasn't able to try out the Voice Zoom feature. This system also includes Bluetooth (selected by using the Input button on the remote). This allows you to play music from your phone or other Bluetooth devices (tablets, computers, streaming devices) right to your Theater Bar 5 system. Music sounds good, and takes advantage of all speakers. The system does have a free app that can be used to control the system, but it also includes a fine tuning adjustment for the distance you sit away from your TV. It uses this information to fine tune the sound and tailor it to your primary viewing/seating location. It took several tries for the app to find the Theater Bar 5, but eventually it did find it and I was able to set up the distance correctly. The sub volume and the Sound Field I pretty much just set once and forget it. Which I'm sure is the way most people do it. I have the Sound Field on and the subwoofer all the way up. All in all I'm quite happy with the system. I have it in a bedroom and it does very well in a room that size. The Bluetooth is a nice feature to include, so that you can play music from the same speakers. Great for a bedroom or an apartment. The footprint is relatively compact and will fit in most rooms without any trouble. I feel the price is very fair for the sound quality you get and the addition of a stand alone remote. The app is also a nice feature, and once you get it to connect, it works very well. The sound quality should make most people very happy, especially if you don't currently have a soundbar and you're just using the TV speakers. I like the ease of use with both the Bar 5 and Bar 6 systems. Both sound great and are very easy to use.

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 5 is an all-in-one soundbar and wireless subwoofer combo. Having the more advanced Bar 8, I was interested in what essentially is a value-priced soundbar system with Dolby Atmos and DTS-X digital capabilities. I was impressed with the sound field from a basic setup of three speakers (left/right and center) along with a wireless subwoofer that performed arguably betting than the optional add on I had to buy with my Bar 8 Sony Bravia soundbar. Although this bar does not have Wi-Fi (which means no Airplay 2 or Chromecast music casting), Bluetooth is an option. For a basic tier soundbar it sounds impressive with an effective Dolby Atmos sound field, sounding more immersive then I expected. Since this soundbar also has an optical input, you can also connect to your TV via fiber, which will utilize Dolby Digital 5.1, just not Dolby Atmos (which requires an HDMI eARC connection from your TV. The Optical Input handles: Dolby Digital, Dolby Dual mono, DTS, LPCM 2ch, LPCM fs: 96kHz/24bit. The more advanced HDMI eARC handles: Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Dual mono, DTS, DTS HD High Resolution Audio, DTS HD Master Audio, DTS ES, DTS 96/24, DTS:X, LPCM: 2ch/5.1ch/7.1ch, LPCM fs: 192kHz/24bit. So for the price point there are some good decoding options. For my use case, the Bar 5 works perfectly as my A/V Receiver is primarily for advanced formats such as Atmos or DTS X and when I want a loud movie house like experience using multiple specific use standalone speakers, a subwoofer and Atmos surrounds. For general TV usage the Bar 5 is a competent substitute as the default sound solution. Setup isn’t overly difficult using the BRAVIA Connect mobile app, but you can also “just plug things in”. The performance of the soundbar is impressive, when decoding a Dolby Atmos stream. In addition, the soundbar has a few settings which really are useful, including a late night mode which reduces the dynamic range (also good for apartment dwellers), a woofer volume setting, a Sound field and dialog enhancer feature. Some of these can be accessed by the provided remote control. However, the Bravia app is best to adjust these settings, and I found the remote control mostly unnecessary to control the soundbar.. Overall, this is a very good soundbar and provides a rich audio experience in an integrated all-in-one package which includes an effective wireless subwoofer. Pros >>> Good immersive surround experience, Dolby Atmos and DTS-X compatible, Good bass and low end with the dedicated subwoofer. Easy setup process via the BRAVIA Connect mobile app, Has an optical port for some digital connectivity. <<< Cons << No indicator lights other than power on the soundbar.

The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 5 is good as an entry-level soundbar for a small room you want to add a little more sound to. Given that it’s a 3.1 system, the soundbar’s speakers are small, and therefore couldn’t fill the larger room I wanted it in. The subwoofer is front-firing and wireless and requires no additional setup other than to plug it in and turn on the power. The soundbar has both eARC and optical connectivity for Dolby Atmos and DTS surround sound, but if you mostly stream content like I do, you’re probably not going to notice any difference in sound quality using eArc. The included AI-powered Voice Zoom 3 software does seem to work to raise voice levels somewhat, and sound quality can be improved slightly by adjusting the settings using the remote or Sony’s app. I don’t like that the soundbar itself has no physical buttons so the only way to control it is with the remote or app. And it doesn’t have any operation status indicators other than a barely visible LED light for power and one that blinks when the volume or bass is being adjusted. The app is needed to take fully control all of the sound settings. If you have a small room or are looking for a first-time soundbar, then the Sony Bravia 5 may work for you. But if you’re looking for true immersive sound, this would not be one I’d recommend.

Very powerful and smooth sound for a compact unit.

Sound is very clear and sharp great value quality is very good great value for the money

An excellent sound I am very satisfied I recommend it 100%

Perfect for us to use the Voice Zoom 3!! We are so happy with this soundbar and woofer!!

For the money this is well worth it. Sounds great.

Perfect for my Sony Bravia 75"! An easy install on the wall and to the TV. Still getting used to the controls and setting though.

Get bundle with the tv they give discount when you buy Sony tv and Sony sound woofer

It was easy to hook up and it work great , it definitely makes a difference

Works good with my Sony Bravia tv have it in bedroom and it’s just the right size

Pros: Great Sound Quality: The soundbar has 3 speakers (left, middle, and right), which results in greater voice clarity—and it gets even louder with the available voice option. Power Output: 250 watts total, split between 150W for the soundbar and 100W for the subwoofer. Deep Bass: Features a deep, low-rumbling subwoofer. Volume: Plenty loud enough for a small- to mid-sized place. Multiple Audio Sources: Supports HDMI ARC, Optical Cable, and Bluetooth. Multiple Sound Profiles: Includes options like Sony Vertical Sound, Dolby Atmos, night mode, and voice booster. Format Support: Supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X formats. Sony Integration: Offers additional features and ease of use if paired with a Sony Bravia TV. Cons: No Display: No display unit on the bar to show the volume level, source input, or current sound field. Limited Ports: Only 1 HDMI input, so you will have to sacrifice an HDMI port on your TV. App Reliant: The Sony Bravia Connect app is required to view current settings or make adjustments like changing the sound field or checking the current volume. (You can, however, adjust some basic settings from the remote control, like volume, power, and switching between voice and night mode.) Setup & App Experience Setup was a breeze. In total, it took around 20 minutes, including unpacking. The subwoofer synced right away with the soundbar the first time it powered on. At first, I went with the optical cable, but after a quick viewing to test the sound quality, I noticed I was missing out on Dolby Atmos. It still sounded great even with just regular Dolby Digital 5.0 surround sound, but to take full advantage of Dolby Atmos, HDMI ARC is a must. In addition to unlocking Dolby Atmos, using HDMI ARC means your TV can manage powering on your soundbar and adjusting the volume. For my LG C5, I was able to power the soundbar, but when I adjusted the TV volume, it did not display the current numerical volume level. Because of this, the Sony Bravia Connect App is a must to view in-depth details. From the app, you’re able to do a firmware update (which, as of this review, there was one available). I highly suggest taking the time to adjust the viewing distance for the soundbar and subwoofer placement in the app. With this info, it allows Sony to dynamically adjust the sound field based on your room parameters. Make sure to enable DSEE to enhance the quality of compressed low quality streaming over Bluetooth. Performance & Daily Use Once you have everything set up, fire up a TV show that is in Dolby Atmos. There are two settings you should play around with: the volume level (which is under the sound settings) and switching back and forth between Sony Vertical Sound and Dolby Atmos. I ended up staying with the Sony Vertical Sound stage since it sounded much wider for my area. You can also adjust the bass level if you want louder, rumbling, low-sounding effects. I left it at the default 0, and did the same for the main volume level. The default settings were plenty loud for my mid-size townhome; adjusting it any higher would have resulted in noise complaints! Final Verdict Pairing this with my LG C5 was the missing piece to enjoy movie watching. The LG C5 brings a beautiful picture, and the Sony Theater Bar 5 brings that much-needed home theater sound compared to the stock TV speakers. It’s a great soundbar that you should definitely consider.

I have tried a lot of different soundbars over the past few years and that's why I come away decidedly unimpressed with Sony's new Bravia Theater Bar 5. While it boasts some fairly new features, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support and AI-powered Voice Zoom3, it is a Sony's entry-level soundbar in this year's lineup. So it is not too surprising that the sound coming out of this thing is not going to blow anyone's socks off. Oh sure, it sounds a lot better than the built-in speakers on most TVs these days. But almost any soundbar can easily vault that low bar. The subwoofer is the strongest performer in this setup, producing prominent, well-balanced bass. Sadly, the small soundbar speakers are barely up to the job. The have a tough time producing the kind of clean mid- and high-range frequencies that are necessary for a good listening experience. The overall effect is pretty muddy, bass-heavy sound most of the time. You can make marginal improvements by tweaking the bass, Voice Zoom and sound field settings but sound quality never gets any better than just OK in my view. The Theater Bar 5 is a 3.1 system. That means the soundbar has on one small speaker each for the left and right channels and one for center voice channel. A standalone wireless front-firing subwoofer provides the bass. Special sound field software built into the soundbar is supposed to the simulate DTS and Dolby surround sound. This system does add height but I never heard anything approaching surround sound. To be fair, I was running this on an older Sony TV, which came out before the widespread use of eARC, which is supposed to push through better uncompressed sound. Theater Bar 5 supports eARC. But that probably would not make much difference if you spend most of your time watching cable or streaming content, since that sound is compressed at the source and cannot be improved by eARC. That said, Sony's Voice Zoom 3, does work to some degree. It is powered by AI and is designed to boost voice frequencies to keep dialogue from being washed out by loud soundtracks, a common problem with almost all streaming content these days. Voice Zoom and the simulated surround sound can be turned on or off from the included small remote, or Sony's soundbar app. Both can be also used to adjust bass levels, but not treble, for some odd reason. There is no treble control. The other annoying oddity associated with this soundbar is the lack of indicator lights to provide feedback on what is going on with the various controls. There are only two little white LEDs on the front of the soundbar. One turns on and off with the power. The other blinks off and on when volume or bass are adjusted up or down. You can't tell how where you are on the volume or bass scale, or whether the sound field or Voice Zoom are on and off unless you are looking at the app. Sadly, this is a growing trend among all soundbar makers, along with a design approach that makes the device as nondescript as possible, devoid of any physical buttons or switches or displays. Sony embraces that design ethic with the Theater Bar 5. Both the soundbar and subwoofer cabinets are featureless black plastic from top to bottom. If good sound is important to you, you can probably find better options than the Bravia Theater Bar 5.

It definitely does the job. The subwoofer is a good size and the combo can put out a lot of sound. It would be nice if the bar had an LCD display to indicate what level the volume is at. Connecting the Bravia app to the soundbar does provide the volume level, but that doesn’t help those in the household that don’t have the app, or guests. Aside from volume level, the app also helps with the subwoofer level and different sound modes: night mode, sound field, and voice mode. Night mode is great. When trying the system out for the first time, I was afraid that it would be too loud to watch TV when it got late. The booming bass would keep others awake for sure. Night mode helps to crank the sub back enough where you still have some bass, but you’re not shaking the house. Sound field and voice mode are basically always on. Without sound field, the audio is really flat. You’d almost be better off with the TV default speakers. With voice mode off, dialog is really washed out by background audio. I’m not even sure in which situations I would want this mode turned off. Setting up the system was incredibly easy and intuitive. There is a QR code in the box that directs you to download the Bravia app for setup, but there aren’t any real instructions included. Thankfully, connecting the soundbar to the TV is straightforward and the bar and subwoofer connect to each other automatically, so there’s not much else to do but connect the soundbar and turn it on. Tweak some settings via the app and you should be enjoying TV shows and movies within minutes.

So far so good. I currently have the bar 7 with the SW5 subwoofer and RS5 setup in my living room. This is for my bedroom. My expectations for obviously reasons were tamed. Really just wanted better TV sound with some good audio and bass. Out of the box it was disappointing but I expected that where others may not. You have to download the bravia app. This is critical as you customize the placement of the sound bar and subwoofer distance. Without taking the time to set this up you will be disappointed and that is a good thing because once doing that the Sony tuned sound takes over properly. As far as the app goes it is well thought out and very organized. Have a tape measure on hand and you are good to go. I was more impressed with the subwoofer once the positioning was correct. Hits harder and more clean than it has any business doing for it's size. On a negative note it's disappointing we can't update the software via wifi. I get the cost cutting but this is good enough that another $20 would have still justified the cost especially with a sale. Not a deal breaker but worth mentioning. It's better than it should be at this price and everyone should be happy with it as a simple sound enhancement to their TV viewing experience.

The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 5 is a great for anyone looking for a soundbar and subwoofer that gives you amazing sound without breaking the bank! I really love the wireless subwoofer as I live in an apartment and I'm unable, and unwilling, to run cables to the subwoofer and the fact that it pairs wirelessly with the soundbar allows you to place this anywhere that makes sense for your setup. Sound quality is surprisingly good with the caveat that you first need to tune it using Sony's app. After you tune it for the room that you are using it in, the sound quality is great. There is no noticeable lag with the wireless subwoofer so definitely no complaints there. I had no issues using Sony's app to get the initial setup completed, and once that was done I promptly deleted it as I am not a fan of having unnecessary apps installed on my phone. Once setup, there is no need to keep the app on your phone and I saw no need of keeping it. Overall, this is a great option for anyone looking for a simple and great sounding soundbar and subwoofer set and I would highly recommend it to anyone in the market for a soundbar.

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 5 is a 3.1-channel soundbar system with a wireless subwoofer has a powerful, crisp audio sound from the dedicated Center Channel. Setup was so easy after downloading the Sony Bravia App. I placed the wireless subwoofer at the other end of my bedroom and let the 360 Spacial Sound Mapping Technology filled the room. The Sony Bravia App lets you control everything without having to use the remote control.The Sony Bravia App have features such as the Sound Setting that I found really helpful in getting the perfect audio setup from my Theater Bar 5 and Wireless Subwoofer with features like: Distance Settings Sound Field Type DSEE Audio DRC A/V Sync Advance auto volume The HDMI Setting help in controling the power and volume of The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 5 and the eArc setting to get the highest quality audio. I am able to control the sound field, voice mode level and night mode of Dolby Atmos 48kHz Vertual Surround Engine. And of course there is the Bass Level that I have at MAX just because I like a lot of Bass. The Sony Bravia also gives you the option to choose Main, Sub or Main/Sub as preferred audio when operating. The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 5, 3.1 with wireless subwoofer is a solid, versatile sound system unit with great Dolby Atmos and DTS:X formats that everyone can enjoy.