Sony
BRAVIA Theater Bar 5
Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 5 (HT-B500, 2026): 3.1 soundbar with a wireless subwoofer in the box, HDMI eARC, optical input and Bluetooth.
Released 2026
MSRP $349.99
Check price on AmazonShop prices can differ.
- 3.1 speaker setup
- Dolby Atmos (virtual)
- DTS:X
- HDMI eARC
- Wireless sub
Overview
BRAVIA Theater Bar 5 (model HT-B500) is a 2026 Sony soundbar with a 3.1 channel layout. A subwoofer that connects to the bar wirelessly comes in the box. The bar is 900 mm wide, 64 mm high and 100 mm deep and can be wall-mounted.
The TV connects over HDMI eARC, and there is also an optical input, a USB port and Bluetooth. With compatible BRAVIA TVs, Sony lists BRAVIA Sync and Voice Zoom 3.
The US box contains the bar, the subwoofer, a remote with batteries, power cords, a wall-mount template and documents. Sony's Help Guide says to use the Sony | BRAVIA Connect app for setup, installation and settings.
What the specs mean
- 3.1 speaker setup: three front channels (left, centre, right) plus a subwoofer channel from the separate subwoofer.
- HDMI eARC: the enhanced Audio Return Channel sends the TV's sound to the soundbar over one HDMI cable, including high-bitrate formats and uncompressed multichannel audio. There is no HDMI input, so no video passthrough.
- Audio formats: Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital, DTS:X, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, DTS-ES, DTS 96/24, DTS, LPCM and multichannel PCM.
- Voice and night modes: Sony lists Voice Mode for clearer dialogue and Night Mode for late listening.
Which soundbar is right for you?
| SonyBRAVIA Theater Bar 5 (current soundbar)MSRP $349.99Check price on Amazon | TCLS60KMSRP $299.99Check price on Amazon | LGSPD7YMSRP $399.99Check price on Amazon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall value A rough features-for-the-price score, compared with every soundbar listed. Bars gain points for things like Dolby Atmos, Wi-Fi and room tuning, and lose points without them. Dolby Atmos with up-firing speakers earns more than virtual Atmos. Cheaper bars lose fewer points, or none, for missing premium extras (Dolby Atmos, HDMI eARC, up-firing speakers). 100 is the best deal listed. Based on specs only, not on how it sounds. | 39 | 74 | 74 |
| Price-band value Like Overall value, but each soundbar is compared only with soundbars in its own price band: up to $300, $300–500, $500–800, $800–1,200 or over $1,200. 100 is the best deal in that band. Based on specs only, not on how it sounds. | 40$300–500 | 100up to $300 | 75$300–500 |
| Speaker setup | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.1.2 |
| Dolby Atmos | Virtual | Virtual | Up-firing |
| Form factor | Bar + sub | Bar + sub | Bar + sub |
| Audio support |
|
|
|
| Available inputs |
|
|
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| HDMI inputs | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Streaming support | None | None | None |
| Virtual assistants | None | None | None |
| Soundbar dimensions | 900 × 64 × 100 mm | 850 × 64 × 90 mm | 890 × 65 × 119 mm |
Specifications
Overview
- Overall value
- 39
- Price-band value
- 40$300–500
- Speaker setup
- 3.1
- Dolby Atmos
- Virtual
- Form factor
- Bar + sub
Expandability
- Is extendable
- None
- Has wireless surrounds
- No
- Has wireless subwoofer
- Yes
Connectivity
- Available inputs
- Bluetooth
- HDMI eArc
- Optical
- USB
- Streaming support
- None
- Virtual assistants
- None
- Controllers
- Android App
- iOS App
- On Device
- Remote Control
- TV Remote Control
- App required
- Yes
- Same-brand TV features
- BRAVIA Sync
- Voice Zoom 3
Audio & video
- Audio support
- Dolby Atmos
- Dolby Digital
- Dolby Digital Plus
- Dolby True HD
- DTS 96/24
- DTS Digital Surround
- DTS-ES
- DTS-HD High Resolution Audio
- DTS-HD Master Audio
- DTS:X
- LPCM 2ch
- Multichannel PCM
- Room correction
- No
- Dialogue enhancement
- Voice Mode
- Night mode
- Night Mode
- Passthrough
- No
- HDMI inputs
- 0
Design
- Soundbar dimensions
- 900 × 64 × 100 mm
- Wall mountable
- Yes
- Colors
- None
- What's in the box
- Batteries
- Booklets
- Power Cable
- Remote control
- Subwoofer
- Wall mount template
Sources
- https://web.archive.org/web/20260325160754/https://electronics.sony.com/audio/soundbars/all-soundbars/p/htb500
- https://helpguide.sony.net/ht/2104/v1/en/index.html
- https://helpguide.sony.net/ht/2104/v1/en/contents/001_About_the_App_Required_to_Use_the_Speaker_System_2104.html
- https://helpguide.sony.net/ht/2104/v1/en/contents/040_Control_for_HDMI_Function_2104.html
- https://helpguide.sony.net/ht/2104/v1/en/contents/070_Specifications_2104.html
- https://www.hdmi.org/spec21sub/enhancedaudioreturnchannel
Updated 2026-10-22