Denon Home Sound Bar 550 vs Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6 Soundbar Comparison

Denon Home Sound Bar 550 vs Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6

Denon Home Sound Bar 550

4.0-channel | $699

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Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6

3.1.2-channel | $698

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Denon Home Sound Bar 550 vs Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6: the short answer

Across 13 features we can compare from the published specs, the Denon Home Sound Bar 550 comes out ahead on 4 and the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6 on 4. The biggest difference for movies is height: the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6 has 2 ceiling-firing channels and the Denon Home Sound Bar 550 has none. Only the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6 comes with a subwoofer, which matters when comparing the prices.

Reasons to choose Denon Home Sound Bar 550 over Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6

HDMI inputs: 1 vs 0
Rear speakers: Optional vs None
Streaming: Wi-Fi + AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect vs Bluetooth only
Voice assistant: Alexa built-in, Google Assistant optional vs No

Reasons to choose Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6 over Denon Home Sound Bar 550

Channel layout: 3.1.2 vs 4.0
Height channels: 2 vs 0
Subwoofer: Included vs Optional
Height: 2.56 in vs 2.94 in

Side-by-Side Comparison

	Denon Home Sound Bar 550	Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6
Channel layout Counts speaker channels the bar actually has. More ear-level and height channels means a wider, taller sound field.	4.0	3.1.2
Height channels Drivers aimed at the ceiling, which is what makes Dolby Atmos sound overhead rather than just wide.	0	2
Dolby Atmos	Yes	Yes
DTS:X	Yes	Yes
HDMI to the TV eARC carries lossless Dolby TrueHD and Atmos from the TV; plain ARC compresses them.	eARC	eARC
HDMI inputs A spare HDMI port for a games console or disc player.	1	0
Video pass-through	4K	—
Subwoofer Included beats optional beats none: a separate subwoofer is where deep bass comes from.	Optional	Included
Rear speakers Real rear speakers put effects behind you; without them surround is simulated from the front.	Optional	None
Room correction	No	No
Streaming	Wi-Fi + AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect	Bluetooth only
Voice assistant Built in, rather than through a separate smart speaker.	Alexa built-in, Google Assistant optional	No
Dialogue enhancement	Yes	Yes
Height Lower is less likely to block the bottom of the TV picture.	2.94 in	2.56 in
Width / suits TVs from Neither is better: match the bar to your TV. See the size simulator below.	25.63 in / 32-inch	37.44 in / 43-inch
Drivers in the bar	6	5
Weight	7.3 lbs	6.8 lbs
List price	$699	$698

Green marks the better figure where one is better. Dashes are specs the maker does not publish.

Size: Both Soundbars in Front of a TV

Drawn to scale. The solid bar is the Denon Home Sound Bar 550, the dashed outline the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6. Pick your TV size and how it stands to see whether either would cover the picture.

Full Specifications

Denon Home Sound Bar 550 Specifications

Sound
Channels	4.0
Dolby Atmos	Yes
DTS:X	Yes
Drivers	Tweeters: 0.75" Dome (2); Midrange: 2.1875" Cone (4); Woofers: 2"x3.5" Passive Radiators; Enclosure: Passive Radiator
Subwoofer	Optional
Rear speakers	Optional
Virtual surround	Virtual Surround
Dialogue enhancement	Yes
Night mode	Yes
Room correction	No
Connections
HDMI to TV	eARC
HDMI inputs	1
Video pass-through	4K
HDMI version	2.0b
Optical inputs	Yes
Analogue input	3.5mm
USB	USB-A
Subwoofer output	Wireless
HDMI CEC	Yes
Streaming and Control
Wi-Fi	802.11ac
Streaming	AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, TIDAL, Amazon Music, Pandora, SiriusXM, TuneIn
Voice control	Alexa built-in, Google Assistant optional
App	Apple iOS, Android
Remote included	Yes
Learns TV remote	Pre-programmed
Physical
Dimensions (W x H x D)	25.63 x 2.94 x 4.69 in / 651 x 75 x 119 mm
Weight	7.3 lbs / 3.31 kg
Wall mounting	Yes (no bracket supplied)
Warranty	2 Years parts, 2 Years labour
List price	$699

Power is the maker's total across all drivers and is not comparable to an amplifier's per-channel rating.

Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6 Specifications

Sound
Channels	3.1.2
Dolby Atmos	Yes
DTS:X	Yes
Drivers	Midrange: 1.8125" x 2.25" Cone (5); Subwoofer: 6" Cone; Enclosure: Sealed(bar), Ported(sub)
Subwoofer	Included
Rear speakers	None
Virtual surround	S-Force Pro Front + Vertical Surround Engine
Dialogue enhancement	Yes
Night mode	Yes
Room correction	No
Connections
HDMI to TV	eARC
HDMI inputs	0
HDMI version	2.0
Optical inputs	Yes
Analogue input	No
USB	No
Subwoofer output	Wireless
HDMI CEC	Yes
Streaming and Control
Wi-Fi	No
Bluetooth	Yes
Voice control	No
App	Apple iOS, Android
Remote included	Yes
Learns TV remote	No
Physical
Dimensions (W x H x D)	37.44 x 2.56 x 4.56 in / 951 x 65 x 116 mm
Weight	6.8 lbs / 3.08 kg
Subwoofer size	8.31 x 15.31 x 16.94 in (W x H x D), 17 lbs
Wall mounting	Yes (no bracket supplied)
Warranty	1 Year parts, 1 Year labour
List price	$698

Power is the maker's total across all drivers and is not comparable to an amplifier's per-channel rating.

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