Sonos Beam Ultra vs Sony BRAVIA Theatre Bar 5

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Beam Ultra compared with BRAVIA Theatre Bar 5

	SonosBeam Ultra	SonyBRAVIA Theatre Bar 5
Overview
Released
Released	September 2026	2026
Sound
Type
Type	Soundbar	Soundbar
Channels
Channels	7.1.2	3.1
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos	Yes	Yes
Drivers
Drivers	Five tweeters (one forward-firing centre, two side-firing horn-loaded and two upward-firing directional horn tweeters); four low-profile woofers	Three forward-facing 45 × 82 mm full-range cone drivers in the SA-B500 bar, including a dedicated centre channel; supplied SA-WB500 bass-reflex subwoofer with a 160 mm driver. Four active drivers in total; Atmos height and surround effects use virtual processing, without upward-firing or rear units
Amplifiers
Amplifiers	Nine Class-D digital amplifiers	S-Master digital amplifier; 250 W total claimed output. Japan maker qualifies this as non-simultaneous JEITA maximum, comprising 50 W each for left, centre and right and 100 W for the subwoofer
Audio formats
Audio formats	Stereo PCM, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus and Atmos over Dolby Digital Plus; Dolby TrueHD, Atmos over TrueHD and multichannel PCM require eARC. Maker lists DTS Digital Surround with a note that this does not indicate a licensed decoder; no DTS:X (What Hi-Fi and TechRadar)	Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital, DTS:X, DTS and multichannel LPCM over HDMI eARC; Japan table also lists DTS-HD High Resolution and Master Audio. Compatible input and television output settings determine available formats
Room tuning
Room tuning	Trueplay room calibration compatible with iOS and Android; four levels of AI Speech Enhancement, Night Sound, adjustable bass/treble/loudness and simulated overhead sound for obstructed top placement	Manual listening-distance adjustment in BRAVIA Connect; S-Force PRO, Vertical Surround Engine and Dolby Speaker Virtualizer. No automatic microphone room calibration (WIRED)
Connections
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Yes	No
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Yes	Yes
AirPlay
AirPlay	Yes	No
HDMI eARC
HDMI eARC	Yes	Yes
Voice assistants
Voice assistants	Sonos Voice Control	None
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6; 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax on 2.4 or 5 GHz	–
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.3 audio streaming	Bluetooth 5.3 receiver with SBC and AAC; A2DP and AVRCP; Bluetooth Low Energy for BRAVIA Connect communication
Ports
Ports	HDMI eARC/ARC; USB-C supports line-in with Sonos Line-In Adapter or line-in and Ethernet with Sonos Combo Adapter; adapters sold separately. Optical adapter sold separately	One HDMI TV eARC/ARC output and optical digital input; no HDMI input or video passthrough. USB-A UPDATE port is for software updates on HT-B500; USB music playback in the shared manual applies only to regional models with that function. Separate mains connections for bar and subwoofer
Streaming
Streaming	Sonos app services, Spotify and TIDAL direct control, AirPlay 2, Bluetooth and Dolby Atmos Music	Bluetooth audio from a phone, tablet or computer; no Wi-Fi, AirPlay or integrated voice assistant (WIRED)
Multi-room
Multi-room	Sonos multi-room playback; optional compatible subwoofer and rear surrounds, including pairs of Sonos Play or Move 2; TV Audio Swap to compatible Sonos headphones	Included subwoofer connects wirelessly to the bar; this is a dedicated bar-and-subwoofer system, without additional rear speakers
App
App	Sonos app; Wi-Fi internet connection and mains power required	Sony BRAVIA Connect for setup, listening-distance settings and controls; maker manual requires a smartphone app, account and sign-in for initial setup
Design
Weight
Weight	2.88 kg (better)	3 kg
Controls
Controls	Capacitive playback, volume, voice and grouping controls; Bluetooth pairing button; physical microphone-power switch; compatible TV remote control	Side power button, supplied remote, status LEDs, voice and night modes, bass adjustment and Sound Field on/off; DSEE enhancement. Voice Zoom 3 and TV quick settings require a compatible BRAVIA television
Microphones
Microphones	Far-field array with beamforming and multichannel echo cancellation for voice control, Trueplay and portable-surround setup	No automatic calibration microphone or built-in voice assistant (WIRED); Voice Zoom 3 processes programme dialogue through a compatible television
Mounting
Mounting	Furniture placement or optional Beam Ultra Wall Mount; maker lists M5 × 0.8 mm thread pitch, L6.5 mm	Tabletop placement or wall mounting using the supplied paper template; suitable screws are not supplied according to the shared maker guide
Size
Size	65 mm high, 750 mm wide, 105 mm deep	UK specification gives bar 900 × 64 × 100 mm (W × H × D), 3 kg body alone; Japan table gives 110 mm depth. Subwoofer 192 × 388 × 400 mm and 7.3 kg; weights are separate components rather than shipping mass
Colours
Colours	Black, White	Black
In the box
In the box	Beam Ultra, 2 m power cable, 1.5 m HDMI cable, setup and warranty documentation	Bar speaker, wireless subwoofer, remote with batteries, AC cords, reference and quick setup guides, wall-mounting template and warranty card; UK maker additionally lists an HDMI cable, while WIRED's US review unit did not include a connection cable