Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 6

Sony's mid-range Dolby Atmos soundbar package gets you a lot of kit for your money

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There are two basic ways a company can go when designing a mid-range soundbar. It can go minimalist, cramming everything into a compact single unit that provides advanced features such as Dolby Atmos through clever processing. The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is the most obvious and successful example of this approach. Or, it can go the other way, and go big on the hardware side with several, large components. And that's the way Sony has gone with the Bravia Theatre Bar 6.

Not only does the Theatre Bar 6 dwarf rivals such as the Beam, it also comes with a dedicated subwoofer. At £499, the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 6 looks to be a lot of kit for the money. The Beam Gen 2 launched at £449 but is often available for less. The two soundbars are physically different propositions, but the sonic approach each one takes is quite different.

Hefty subwoofer

The Bar 6 is a substantial piece of kit. The main 'bar is 95cm wide and 11cm deep, quite a bit larger than the 65cm-wide Sonos Beam. The Sony is relatively handsome, though, and the height of just 6.4cm means it will sit in front of most TVs without blocking the lower part of the screen.

Also included in the hefty, 'P'-shaped box is a wireless subwoofer. This is weightier and less budget-looking than the subwoofers that are usually included in relatively affordable soundbar systems.

The Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 6 is a 3.1.2-channel system, once the subwoofer is accounted for. That means there are three forward-firing channels and two up-firers built into the main soundbar.

Up-firing drivers certainly aren't unheard of at this level, but they are something the Beam Gen 2 does not have.

These up-firing drivers should allow the Bar 6 to produce more convincing Dolby Atmos and DTS:X effects - particularly those that are supposed to fill the area above your head.