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Watt is love! Sony BRAVIA Theatre Bar 6 review

Item: Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 6
Rating: 4
Author: Luca Fontana

Luca Fontana

4/4/2025

Translation: Veronica Bielawski

Pictures: Luca Fontana

Dolby Atmos, a subwoofer and 3D sound for under 500 francs – sounds too good to be true! I tested the new BRAVIA Theatre Bar 6. And it surprised me.

I admit I was sceptical. Not because I didn’t like the Sony BRAVIA Theatre Bar 6 at first sight – on the contrary. The design is pleasantly understated and blends seamlessly into my bedroom (at least if I get rid of the pile of laundry on my chair first). What I was sceptical about was Sony’s promise: 3.1.2 channels for 499 francs? Including a separate subwoofer, Dolby Atmos and the whole lot?

Sony, that sounds too good to be true.

But do you know what? After a few days of using the Theatre Bar 6, I had a moment where I felt I should redecorate my bedroom. A luxurious box-spring bed, velvet curtains, indirect lighting – something to do justice to the sound that was seemingly coming not just from the soundbar, but from the entire wall in front of me.

The Sony BRAVIA Theatre Bar 6 has much more to offer than I initially gave it credit for.

Before I tell you how Sony achieved this, let’s start with the basics: what does the soundbar look like, what can it do – and what sets it apart from other soundbars in the same price range?

Simple, compact, well thought out

Those who like a discreet look will love the BRAVIA Theatre Bar 6. The soundbar has no bells and whistles, no RGB lighting or shiny plastic parts. Instead, it comes in a matt housing with rounded corners and a fine speaker grille – a clearly defined design language, reminiscent of the Swedish sideboard on which it stands.

Not an eye-catcher, but not an eyesore either. It’s just right.

At 95 centimetres wide and weighing just under three kilos, the bar is neither particularly bulky nor tiny – just right for a medium-sized to large television. The subwoofer, on the other hand, is of a different calibre. It measures 210 × 388 × 388 millimetres (width x height x depth), weighs around 7.7 kilos and is equipped with a striking bass reflex slot at the front.

It kind of reminds me of a cooler.

Admittedly, my placement of the subwoofer isn’t ideal. But hey, what living room or bedroom has the ideal conditions?

I love that the soundbar also looks good from the top. The upward-facing speakers – i.e. the Dolby Atmos up-firing speakers – are elegantly recessed and immediately make it clear that this isn’t your run-of-the-mill channel setup.

Thanks to the upward-facing speakers, the Sony Theatre Bar 6 has much more verticality than I’d expect for the price.

Sony also didn’t hold back in terms of tech specs:

3.1.2 channel system with six speaker units
350 watts total output
Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, DTS-HD, High Resolution Audio
HDMI eARC, optical input, USB (for updates)
Bluetooth 5.3 with AAC and SBC codecs
Vertical Surround Engine + DSEE sound enhancement

So, what does all this mean in practice? Basically, you get Dolby Atmos with a touch less digital sound manipulation thanks to upward-facing drivers – but only if you actually activate the Vertical Surround Engine, which is easy to do via the Bravia Connect app or remote control. However, if you deactivate the upper speakers, the system automatically reverts to Dolby Surround, even if the source plays Dolby Atmos.

I’ve tested this effect several times, and the difference is audible.

Good sound? Really good sound!

Onto the key aspect: sound. I tested the BRAVIA Theatre Bar 6 where I’d use it in everyday life, that is, in my bedroom. Actually, the modest size of the room seems to not be challenging enough for the soundbar. And I mean that in the best way; the sound is bigger, fuller and more expansive than I’d expected for this price.

So why don’t I move it to my large, open-concept living room? Well, I’d rather stick to a more expensive high-end soundbar there. I do have rather high expectations. But here, in the bedroom, the Theatre Bar 6 delivers almost too much. Again, I mean that in a good way.

To put the soundbar into perspective: that’s a 55-inch TV up there.

The verticality of the sound is particularly striking. Yeah, I know, that sounds so esoteric. But I notice the difference immediately when I deactivate the top speakers: without the Vertical Surround Engine, the sound is still good, but much flatter. It radiates out from under the TV rather than from the entire room. With the Vertical Surround Engine activated, however, I actually feel like the sound opens up not only in width, but also upward. It’s as if the sound stems not only from the soundbar itself, but from the entire surface of the wall.

This makes an audible difference, especially in my bedroom. My TV is mounted a little higher on the wall there, and the sound projection of the BRAVIA Theatre Bar 6 adapts just about perfectly to this setup. When I switch back to the Sonos Beam Gen 2, my usual bedroom soundbar, I immediately notice how much lower the sound is anchored. Just like that, I’m aware that it’s the loudspeaker making noise again, and not the film.

The Vertical Surround Engine is Sony’s digital bag of tricks for 3D sound without the use of ceiling speakers. The sound is manipulated in a way that it appears to come from above. Here’s how: the top speakers send the sound out to the ceiling. The sound then bounces off the ceiling and, with a bit of luck, reaches your ears sounding like sound from above. How well this works in practice depends on the ceiling height and material. But the effect was audible in my test.

Among other things, I tested a brutal action scene from sci-fi epic Rebel Moon, which is filled with everything Zack Snyder is known for. Slow-mo. Slow-mo above all.

In the movie, Kora rushes like a whirlwind at a group of Imperium soldiers holding a young girl captive. Kora dances between them, switching from blade to gun in a matter of seconds. Bones break, fountains of blood erupt. Heads burst open. The chaos spreads. Metal rattles. Flashes of energy blast through the air, loud and relentless. And thanks to the Theatre Bar 6, it all feels so close that I briefly consider taking cover myself.

Not to worry: the scene in this video is nowhere near as intense as the director’s cut I described.

This is where the Theatre Bar 6 comes into its own. The bass jabs you in the pit of your stomach, you feel the pain of each severed limb, and the dull thuds seem almost physical. Kora’s shots not only echo forwards, but also travel up the wall as if the room itself were firing back. And all this without a single ceiling speaker. Only a soundbar. And a good subwoofer.

A direct comparison to the Sonos Beam Gen 2, which I reviewed here, seems almost unfair. Sure, to my ears, the Sonos sounds a little warmer and more organic in the same scene, which I like a lot, probably because I’ve got used to it over the years. But in terms of verticality and treble clarity, the Theatre Bar 6 is clearly in a different league. Even without voice amplification activated, I find the dialogue more intelligible, the room more open and the sound more detailed.

Big stage in a small room

Next up: 350 watts of output power isn’t just marketing blah-blah, even if watts alone say nothing about the quality of the sound. Still, the number will at least give you an idea of whether the bar has enough power to fill a larger room. In my bedroom, for example, the Theatre Bar 6 makes me feel like I’m in the middle of the action at 50 per cent volume.

In comparison, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 delivers just 220 watts for the same price – without a separate subwoofer, without an upfiring speaker and without Bluetooth. It also offers support for fewer codecs than the Theatre Bar 6; though both soundbars offer Dolby Atmos, the Sonos doesn’t support DTS:X. Of course, the Beam fits seamlessly into the Sonos ecosystem and sounds warm, compact and is absolutely enough for many city flats. But on paper – and to my ear – the Theatre Bar 6 definitely offers more cinema for the same money. Especially if you like hardcore action scenes, large sound stages and max connection options.

I used to think more soundbar was always better. More watts, more speakers, more va-va-voom. But now I know that, as is so often the case, it’s not just about size, but also teamwork. As impressive as a full-blown home theatre soundbar with 9.1.4 channels looks on paper, placed in too small a room, the effect falls flat. Or worse: it overwhelms the room with too much bass and not enough development. Sometimes, a neatly placed treble channel is enough to give you goosebumps. Sounds romantic – but it’s really just fine-tuned technology.

Nevertheless, I’d like to take this opportunity to mention something important: manufacturers are constantly talking about great, room-filling sound that doesn’t require multiple speakers thanks to sophisticated 3D sound. Unsurprisingly, Sony is no exception to this rule. The manufacturer advertises the Vertical Surround Engine (see above), S-Force Pro and who knows what else.

Don’t get me wrong, I mean what I wrote above about the sound in that Rebel Moon scene. Especially about its verticality, with the sound seemingly emerging from the wall in front of me. But to me, «sound from overhead» means that in a rainy scene, it really feels like the water’s dripping down on my head. To achieve that, the sound would need to be digitally manipulated in a way that might be possible in theory – but I’ve never experienced it in practice.

In the case of a soundbar, complicated calculations and algorithms are supposed to make you hear sounds behind you, all without any extra speakers. Math for your ears, so to speak. Or rather, science fiction. It’s great for marketing, but the real benefits of 3D audio are different.

3D audio doesn’t automatically mean better sound per se, especially not thanks to the «sound from overhead» tricks often touted, such as sound radiation off the wall. The real difference with 3D audio formats such as Dolby Atmos or DTS:X lies in the information passed on to the speakers. Sounds are no longer rigidly assigned to channels, but defined as dynamic audio objects – think a racecar or spaceship speeding by. Algorithms separate these objects from the background noise with precision, position them exactly in the room and only then calculate how they should be reproduced via your speakers, depending on their position and number in the room. The result is crystal-clear, spatial sound that elevates not only effects but also dialogue to a new level.

In a nutshell

Don’t underestimate the BRAVIA Theatre Bar 6!

I really only wanted the BRAVIA Theatre Bar 6 for my bedroom TV. A touch of Dolby Atmos for Netflix in bed, I thought. Something cosy and uncomplicated without high expectations. But what Sony delivers for 499 francs is, frankly, cheeky. In the best way.

This Theatre Bar 6 is no cheap compromise, but a soundbar with ambitions. One that’s not only loud, but also understated. It not only blasts out effects, but also reproduces dialogue clearly and intelligibly. Of course, there are drawbacks – the ceiling sound reflection doesn’t work equally well in every room, and without rear speakers (such as Sony’s Theatre Rear 8), there’s no real surround sound.

But the bottom line is that the Theatre Bar 6 delivers more than many other soundbars in this price range. More oomph. More stage. More cinema. In short: if you’re looking for a compact 3.1.2 system with a real subwoofer that won’t cost you half a month’s salary, this Sony soundbar could be for you.

Pro

Clear, room-filling sound with audible verticality
Solid setup with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and a real subwoofer
Price-performance ratio for a 3.1.2 system that’s hard to beat

Contra

Only one HDMI connection. Other playback devices must be connected directly to the TV

Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 6 (350 W, 3.1.2 Channel)

Sound bars

New

EUR583,83

Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 6

350 W, 3.1.2 Channel

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Luca Fontana

Senior Editor

Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.ch

I'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.»

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