Sony BRAVIA Theatre Bar 5 vs Sony BRAVIA Theatre Bar 9
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| SonyBRAVIA Theatre Bar 5 | SonyBRAVIA Theatre Bar 9 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | 2026 | April 2024 |
| Sound | ||
| Type | Soundbar | Soundbar |
| Channels | 3.1 | 7.0.2 |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | 13 speaker units; 45 × 90 mm front and centre cone speakers with passive radiators, 10 mm front soft-dome tweeters, a 22 mm centre soft-dome tweeter, 16 mm soft-dome beam tweeters with acoustic tubes, and 46 × 54 mm up-firing and side speakers (acoustic suspension) |
| 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, 13 channels |
| 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 | 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 | No | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| AirPlay | No | Yes |
| HDMI eARC | Yes | Yes |
| Voice assistants | None | None |
| Wi-Fi | – | Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz |
| 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 | 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 | Bluetooth audio from a phone, tablet or computer; no Wi-Fi, AirPlay or integrated voice assistant (WIRED) | AirPlay; Spotify Connect; Bluetooth |
| 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 | 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 | 3 kg (better) | 5.5 kg |
| 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 1,300 × 64 × 113 mm (W × H × D) |
| Colours | Black | – |
| 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 |
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