Sony's new Dolby Atmos soundbar does all the things the Sonos Arc Ultra doesn't, for a lower price and it's expandable for home theater like Sonos, too

Date:
Thu, 26 Mar 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Description:
Sony unveils the Bravia Theater Bar 5 and Bravia Theater Bar 7

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successful An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Sony unveils Bravia Theater Bar 7 soundbar, with
9 speakers, 5.0.2-channels, for $869 / 699 Also the 3.1-channel Bravia
Theater Bar 5 with wireless sub for $349 / 399 Two wireless subs and wireless rear Atmos speakers unveiled too Sony has launched two new soundbars along with new companion subwoofers and rear speakers.

The Bravia Theater 7 is a nine-speaker, 5.0.2-channel all-in-one soundbar
with dedicated up-firing and side-firing drivers, and automatic room calibration. It's very much in line to be a competitor to the Sonos Arc Ultra , but it has a bunch of key features that the Sonos lacks. It supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced the latter two aren't supported by Sonos. It
also has HDMI passthrough with 4K /120Hz and Dolby Vision support, and again the Sonos Arc Ultra lacks any HDMI passthrough. Article continues below You may like LG's new Dolby Atmos soundar is a major threat to Sonos, in two key ways Samsung reveals two new Dolby Atmos soundbars ahead of CES I tested
three Dolby Atmos soundbars side-by-side here's the one I'd buy

There's also Bluetooth is 6.0 with LDAC, Wi-Fi 6, and the Bar 7 has Spotify Connect and Apple AirPlay 2.

You can also expand the new Sony with the new Bravia Theater Sub 8 smaller subwoofer, the bigger dual-driver Theater Sub 9, and the Bravia Theater Rear
9 speakers, which have large up-firing 80mm speakers for more immersive spatial sound. The Theater Bar 7 is designed to work with Sony's wireless subwoofers and rear speakers (Image credit: Sony) Sony Bravia Theater Bar 5 The second soundbar, the Bravia Theater Bar 5, is a 3.1-channel model with an included wireless subwoofer. It supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X as well, and also comes with Sony's virtual surround technologies: Virtual Surround Engine for virtual spatial audio and S-Force Pro, which emulates side-firing
speakers for a wider sound field.

The new soundbars are designed to work with Bravia TVs and the Bravia Connect app, which enables you control your home theater setup from your phone. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Both new soundbars are priced keenly. The Bravia Theater Bar 5 is $349.99 / 399, and the Bravia Theater Bar 7 is $869 / 699. Australian pricing and availability hasn't been confirmed just yet: the products are listed on
Sony's Australian website but the prices haven't been published at the time
of writing.

The Bravia Theater Sub 9 has an official price of $899 / 899; the Theater Sub 8 is $499 / 649, and the Theater Rear 9 speakers are $749 / 699. All of the new products are available for pre-order now, and we have a review on the way of the Theater Bar 7, so watch this space. The best soundbars for all budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

Read our full guide to the best soundbars 1. Best overall: Samsung HW-Q800F 2. Best budget: Sony HT-S2000 3. Best premium all-in-one: Klipsch Flexus Core 300 4. Best Dolby Atmos surround system: Samsung HW-Q990F Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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