I just tested Sony’s latest Dolby Atmos soundbar system: here are 8 things I love and 6 I would change

I (along with several of my colleagues) just had the pleasure of reviewing the Sony Bravia Theatre System 6.

It really was a pleasure, too, because while this is a highly unusual and somewhat old-school Dolby Atmos system by 2026 standards, the sound is excellent for the money.

Nothing is perfect, though, even a five-star product such as this, and there are some flaws to the Bravia System 6 that buyers should be aware of.

In most cases, these flaws are likely known compromises that Sony had to make in order to prioritise other qualities while hitting the wallet-friendly price tag.

That’s entirely fair, and it means they might not be ‘fixed’ for the next model, but you can’t blame a chap for dreaming, can you?

Besides, as I say, I’m mostly writing this so you, the prospective buyer, know what to expect.

Before I get to the minor flaws, though, let’s highlight some major strengths.

The major strengths

Meaty, expressive bass

Many soundbars at this level are just solo bars, and the subwoofers that come with those that have them tend to be afterthoughts. Not so here.

The System 6’s subwoofer is the star of the show. Yes, its size and weight are at least partly influenced by the connections and processing bits it houses, but they’re also a result of the large driver and hefty amplifier on board.

Sony rates the sub to 200W, and the oodles of deep, weighty bass it produces give me no reason to doubt that figure. But what’s most impressive is how tuneful and articulate it is at the same time.

For a system at this level, this is a deeply (pun intended) impressive low-end performance.

Enveloping Dolby Atmos processing

The System 6’s cabling (more on which below) might look rather old-fashioned by 2026 standards, but its Dolby Atmos performance is anything but dated.

When fed proper Atmos content, it creates a genuinely immersive bubble of sound. Height effects are placed convincingly above you and the sense of scale is far beyond what you’d expect at this price.

What’s more, effects are very accurately placed in this soundfield. In Blade Runner 2049, for example, voices and ambient effects land precisely where they should, and large interior spaces feel appropriately vast and echoing.

Good clarity, particularly to dialogue

This is a punchy, muscular system, but it doesn’t sacrifice clarity in the process.

Dialogue remains crisp and intelligible even when the soundtrack gets busy. During chaotic battle scenes, voices cut cleanly through the mix without sounding artificially boosted or thin. There’s also pleasing natural tonality – speech sounds human rather than processed.

For everyday TV viewing as well as movie nights, that consistency is really valuable.

Surprising musicality

With music, most soundbars, particularly at this level, sound either weedy and artificial or fat and muffled. The System 6, though, is a different beast.

The bar brings detail and decent rhythmic precision, and the subwoofer adds depth and weight while gamely keeping up with the required pace.

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is still a more crisp, consistent and energetic soundbar for music, but the Sony system adds a good deal of depth and scale without sacrificing too much in those regards.

It's still absolutely a movies-first system, but it's more musical than is typical of a soundbar set-up at this level.

Solid build quality

The Bravia Theatre System 6 is very plain in its appearance, but there’s reassuring heft to every component. The bar feels sturdy, the surrounds don’t feel like hollow plastic shells, and the subwoofer is seriously substantial.

Nothing about the package feels cheap or compromised. Given the price Sony is asking, that’s impressive in itself.

Wall-mountability

It’s a minor thing, but there are those who will really appreciate the fact that the soundbar, the surround speakers, and even the wireless receiver, can be wall-mounted.

Just remember there are cables that will need hiding if you want a super-sleek set-up.

(Some) Bravia TV interoperability

While the integration doesn’t run as deep here as it does with Sony’s more premium home cinema options, those who connect the Theatre System 6 to a recent Bravia TV will find that several of the sound system's settings appear in the television’s menus.

Given that the System 6 has no display of its own, that’s actually very useful indeed.

Price

This is a lot of sound system for your money.

For the scale, bass depth and Atmos immersion it delivers, the UK asking price of £549 in particular feels very good value indeed, and it's usually available for under £500 (it's $798 and AU$1199 in the US and Australia).

There are several accomplished soundbar options at this level, but nothing that can produce this kind of blockbuster impact.

That makes it very easy to recommend, despite the foibles. Speaking of which…

The minor flaws

Small sonic weaknesses

For all its strengths, the Bravia Theatre System 6's sound is not flawless.

The surrounds occasionally draw attention to themselves when they should melt into the soundfield, and there’s a faint fuzz to the very deepest bass notes in one or two of the most demandingly deep moments.

These issues are minor enough that some people will never notice them, but those with a keen ear will very occasionally hear a distraction.

Cables

Cabling of any kind is anathema to many people in 2026, and there are plenty of completely wireless (power cables aside) soundbar systems, even at this budget level. The super-affordable Hisense AV5125H is a case in point.

That makes the Bravia Theatre System 6’s design – which involves cables between the subwoofer and soundbar, and from a wireless receiver to the two surrounds – seem somewhat archaic.

There’s no wire running from the front to the back of the room, and that’s good news, but having cables dangling from the surrounds in particular will be a problem for neat-freaks.

No display

The System 6 has no proper display. Instead, there’s just a single LED on the subwoofer to indicate what’s going on.

As you can imagine, that doesn’t tell you very much, so you find yourself having to open the (admittedly very nice) Bravia Connect app to change settings and check what’s playing more often than you would like.

No HDMI passthrough

Connectivity is straightforward but limited.

There’s no dedicated HDMI input among the system’s (subwoofer-housed) inputs and outputs, so all of your sources have to go into your TV and then back out via eARC.

Having at least one extra input on the System 6 to compensate would have been a nice touch, particularly as the eARC socket is also one of the precious gaming-friendly HDMI 2.1 ports on most TVs.

No auto-calibration

The System 6 doesn’t feature auto-calibration for the sound.

To be fair, it sounds very good out of the box, but getting the best out of it involves manually inputting speaker distances, and getting the very best out of it involves tweaking levels with the help of an SPL meter.

In short, auto-calibration would be easier and would, in theory at least, result in more buyers getting the best out of the system.

No music streaming

This isn’t a smart speaker system.

There’s no built-in wi-fi streaming platform or native music service integration, and the likes of Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect are off the menu. If you want to send music to the System 6, you’re going to need to do that via Bluetooth, or perhaps via your TV if it has the music apps you use.

That’s not a big deal if movies are your priority, as they probably are, but it does differentiate the Sony package from the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), which is a full music speaker as well as a movie soundbar (albeit a solo one, rather than a full system).

MORE:

Read the full Sony Bravia Theatre System 6 review

Also check out our Sonos Beam Gen 2 review

And here are all of the best soundbars and best budget soundbars you can buy right now