Sony BRAVIA Theatre Bar 5 vs Sony BRAVIA Theatre Bar 8

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

BRAVIA Theatre Bar 5 compared with BRAVIA Theatre Bar 8

	SonyBRAVIA Theatre Bar 5	SonyBRAVIA Theatre Bar 8
Overview
Released
Released	2026	April 2024
Sound
Type
Type	Soundbar	Soundbar
Channels
Channels	3.1	5.0.2
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos	Yes	Yes
Drivers
Drivers	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	11 speaker units in an acoustic-suspension enclosure; 45 × 90 mm front and centre cone speakers, 10 mm front soft-dome tweeters, a 22 mm centre soft-dome tweeter, and 46 × 54 mm up-firing and side speakers
Amplifiers
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	S-Master HX digital amplifier, 11 channels
Audio formats
Audio formats	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	Over HDMI eARC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos, DTS, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-ES, DTS 96/24, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced and LPCM up to 192 kHz/24-bit; 360 Reality Audio; High-Resolution Audio
Room tuning
Room tuning	Manual listening-distance adjustment in BRAVIA Connect; S-Force PRO, Vertical Surround Engine and Dolby Speaker Virtualizer. No automatic microphone room calibration (WIRED)	Sound Field Optimization; 360 Spatial Sound Mapping; Voice mode and Night mode; DSEE Ultimate; Voice Zoom 3 and Acoustic Center Sync with compatible BRAVIA TVs
Connections
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	No	Yes
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Yes	Yes
AirPlay
AirPlay	No	Yes
HDMI eARC
HDMI eARC	Yes	Yes
Voice assistants
Voice assistants	None	None
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	–	Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.3 receiver with SBC and AAC; A2DP and AVRCP; Bluetooth Low Energy for BRAVIA Connect communication	Bluetooth 5.2; SBC, AAC and LDAC (receiving); A2DP and AVRCP
Ports
Ports	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	HDMI eARC/ARC out to the TV; HDMI in (4K/60p 4:4:4, HDR, Dolby Vision, HLG, VRR, ALLM, HDCP 2.2); S-CENTER OUT for TV Center Speaker Mode
Streaming
Streaming	Bluetooth audio from a phone, tablet or computer; no Wi-Fi, AirPlay or integrated voice assistant (WIRED)	AirPlay; Spotify Connect; Bluetooth
Multi-room
Multi-room	Included subwoofer connects wirelessly to the bar; this is a dedicated bar-and-subwoofer system, without additional rear speakers	AirPlay to several speakers; wireless SA-RS5 or SA-RS3S rear speakers and SA-SW5 or SA-SW3 subwoofers (up to two of the same model) sold separately
App
App	Sony BRAVIA Connect for setup, listening-distance settings and controls; maker manual requires a smartphone app, account and sign-in for initial setup	Sony | BRAVIA Connect; settings also appear in the Quick Settings menu of compatible BRAVIA TVs
Design
Weight
Weight	3 kg (better)	4.7 kg
Controls
Controls	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	Power button on the bar; supplied remote control with SOUND FIELD, VOICE and NIGHT buttons; HDMI CEC with the TV remote
Microphones
Microphones	No automatic calibration microphone or built-in voice assistant (WIRED); Voice Zoom 3 processes programme dialogue through a compatible television	None; Sony says the speaker system doesn't have a microphone
Mounting
Mounting	Tabletop placement or wall mounting using the supplied paper template; suitable screws are not supplied according to the shared maker guide	Wall-mountable with the supplied brackets and template; supplied feet raise it to 76.2 mm
Size
Size	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	1,100 × 64 × 113 mm (W × H × D)
Colours
Colours	Black	–
In the box
In the box	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	Sound bar, remote control, TV center speaker mode cable, HDMI cable, AC power cord, two feet, wall mounting brackets, screws and template, documents; batteries in some regions