Forget the Sonos Beam 2, Sony's new soundbar goes big on Dolby Atmos

In the battle of the best soundbars, there are lots of options out there. While Sonos is among the market leaders with its Beam 2 mid-size bar, now Sony has a new strongly-specified rival.

The Japanese brand's replacement for its HT-3000 model, the new Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 goes big on modern features – including a doubling-down for Dolby Atmos surround sound.

This isn't even a virtualised flavour of the audio tech, either, with the Bar 7's nine total speakers being arranged in three to the front (centre, left and right), with central bass (two woofers and four bass radiators), plus two upfiring channels for overhead output.

The high degree of specification doesn't end there either, with the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 also offering two HDMI 2.1 ports. There's an eARC one for syncing to the TV, but a passthrough slot – capable of 4K/120Hz – adding a feature that no Sonos soundbar can muster.

That's a big deal for this Sony. While there's no pricing yet announced, the HT-3000 retailed for £/$599 when it went on sale four years ago. While the higher-specced Bar 7 might cost a little more, you're talking between Sonos' Beam 2 and Arc Ultra in terms of positioning.

That'll make it an interesting prospect not only for Sony Bravia TV owners – although those do get the addition of matched design, plus Voice Zoom 3 AI-enhanced dialogue adjustment – but any TV owner.

In addition, the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 can be further expanded into a broader true surround sound system. There's the potential to add a further five speakers (11 with the addition of accessories to make it plausible) for full-on sound immersion.

In terms of design, the Bravia model – which measures 950 x 125 x 64mm – savvily includes feet, so you can raise it over a TV's stand if required. If not, no need to add them on for a flush finish. A wall-mount also comes in the box, so all angles are covered.

Despite Sony moving its Bravia TV brand to TCL for production, the brand is clearly still deeply involved in the creative process – from screen to soundbar. And with the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 going big on Atmos, it looks like a strong new addition to the line-up.

There's also a Bravia Theatre Bar 5 coming to the range – a 3.1 channel system that's a little smaller than the Bar 7 and has virtualised Atmos (minus the upfiring speakers) and has a separate subwoofer included in the package.