Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + Sub Review

Price

The Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 sells for £599 in the UK. While you can pick one up solo, it’s really designed to work with an optional subwoofer, which is how I reviewed the system.

If you partner the Theatre Sub 7 with the Theatre Bar 7 on the Sony website, the subwoofer is discounted to £49.80, giving a bar/sub combo price of £648.80 – which is darn competitive.

In the USA, the Theatre Bar 7 sells for $868, with the Sub 7 an additional $328.

There’s currently no Australian availability.

You can also add wireless rears, the £224.50 Bravia Theatre Rear 8, but in our case, we didn’t. We opted for a populist bar/sub bundle.

Design

• Minimalist design
• Hands-off control style
• Vertical or horizontal sub orientation

Everything about the Theatre Bar 7 is recognisably Sony. The styling is restrained, the curves fabric-covered, and there’s a subtle metal finish across the top which looks premium. Interestingly, there’s no on-body controls. Your only option is the fairly simplistic remote control supplied, which annoyingly isn’t backlit, or the Bravia Connect app.

At 950mm wide, Bar the 7 isn’t uncomfortably large, and would suit a 55- or 65-inch screen.

If you prefer you can orient the bar on its side (the driver duties realign), although I don’t think it sounds quite as good as when it’s flat.

The (optional) Sub 7 subwoofer is relatively compact, and can be positioned either horizontally or vertically (although I wouldn’t park it too far from its host bar). It’s a lightweight, front ported box, but has a side-mounted five-inch bass driver, and boasts 100W of amplification 

Connectivity

• HDMI 2.1 input
• Bluetooth 6.0

In the usually frugal world of soundbars, the Theatre Bar 7 counts as well connected – mainly because it has both an HDMI eARC and a secondary HDMI 2.1 input for media streamer, Blu-ray player or games console.

As this connection supports 4K at 120Hz, VRR and ALLM, the Theatre Bar 7 can be considered a viable hub for current-gen games consoles. 

Wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 6.0, Spotify Connect and Apple AirPlay.

Features

• 360 Spatial Sound Mapping
• Voice Zoom

The Theatre Bar 7 is nothing if not a hotbed of sonic processing. The star attraction is 360 Spatial Sound Mapping. The bar itself may have nine physical drivers, but this spatial wizardry adds an additional five in the virtual domain.

The benefit is a larger, more diffuse soundstage – audio appears to detach itself from the physical Theatre 7 enclosure.

We also get Voice Zoom 3, when the bar is paired with a compatible Bravia TV. This uses AI processing to identify dialogue and adjust its level, for greater clarity, although it’s quite subtle.

Codec support is comprehensive. In addition to Dolby Atmos, there’s DTS:X via IMAX Enhanced certification, and hi-res audio compatibility.

User Experience

• No on-bar status display
• Temperamental app setup

Now this is where things get a little sticky. Usability is generally rather poor.

Installation isn’t just a matter of connecting the soundbar to a TV over HDMI eARC. You’ll also need to jump through some hoops with the Sony Bravia Connect app, which I found somewhat temperamental.

Once your app connects to the system, you have the option of Sound Field Optimisation. This process assesses the listening environment, and your position relative to the soundbar, then adjusts accordingly. 

Once installed, I soon realised that the Theatre Bar 7 isn’t particularly communicative. The lack of any coherent status display on the bar itself proves frustrating at first; the Theatre 7 soundbar offers no clue as to what you’re listening to at any given time. It’s easy to forget where you are after a couple of button presses.

Should someone come in and randomly press some buttons on the remote while you’re away,  you’d never know when you return for your own listening session.

To find out what’s going on, you’ll need to consult the app.

My advice is always check that the Sound Field setting is on. Without it, the system can sound a little flat (you’ll doubtless be able to tell without looking, but other users may not be as discerning).

Which brings us to…

Sound Quality

• 360 Spatial Sound Mapping
• Dolby Atmos & DTS: X support

If you’re looking for big, expressive audio, you’re in the right place. The Theatre Bar 7 & Sub 7 combo goes to 11 on the fun-factor scale.

The sound signature is clean, well balanced and extremely dynamic. As Ana de Armas blasted her way through the Cult’s Austria hideout from John Wick spin-off Ballerina, I thought my ceiling was coming down.

Let’s be clear: this system is at its best with Sound Field processing switched on. This unleashes that proprietary 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology, and the additional fistful of phantom speakers, which really complement the physical array.

The processing is applied to any source, be it Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, 5.1 or stereo. It’s almost as if Sony is saying ‘it doesn’t much matter, because we’ll make them all sound great’.

Of course, there are limitations. While Dolby Atmos (and multichannel) content benefits from this wider sound and steerage, the phantom processing isn’t able to extend the soundstage to the rear.

This isn’t a criticism of the system per se, it’s just a consequence of the hardware configuration. 

I’ve heard this same system with Sony’s wireless Rear 8 speakers added and that really does complete the illusion. If you want to add them, they’re available as an optional extra.

But that’s not what we have here – so let’s crack on.

The opening sequence of sci-fi actioner Edge of Tomorrow (5.1, Netflix), gives the Theatre Bar 7 plenty to be going on with. During our first encounter with the alien Mimics, Tom Cruise’s transport explodes, and the soundstage shudders. Debris and exploding machinery have convincing sonic weight, and sonic effects are moved cleanly to and fro.

The system has plenty of bass slam, even though the subwoofer doesn’t contribute much more than a gruff hum below 50Hz. Instead, it adds oodles of energy in the opposite direction, which creates a substantial foundation to the sound. Bass doesn’t dominate, but rather rounds out explosions, cannon fire and the like. Nice and solid.

When it comes to music, the Theatre Bar 7 isn’t too shabby either, although I wouldn’t go so far as to describe it as musical.

That over-engineered centre channel driver does a great job with Bowie’s plaintive vocals on Five Years (Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars), and the band are given respectable width, while Elton’s John’s Rocket Man enjoys plenty of air.

Should you buy it?