The present review is aimed to compare two soundbars - Sony HT-ST5000 vs Polk Audio Command Bar that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers. Based on our rating, HT-ST5000 has a total rating of 8.6 out of 10 versus 6.6 for Command Bar. The competitors' control buttons are different: power, volume down, volume up, input Bluetooth, music service and volume down, volume up, microphone, action, respectively.
Both soundbars have active amplification type. A significant difference between the units in the number of channels, the Sony HT-ST5000 has 7.1.2 versus 2.1 for the Polk Audio Command Bar. The output power is different and equal to 800 (overall) W for the HT-ST5000 versus 160 (overall) W for the Command Bar. Competitors do not have a built-in subwoofer. Rivals have wireless connection to separate subwoofer. The Sony HT-ST5000 got our rating of 9 out of 10, and the Polk Audio Command Bar 6 for its audio features and specs.
Soundbars do not have AirPlay support. Spotify is available on each of the soundbars.
Only the Sony HT-ST5000 can connect to the Internet via WI-FI. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. The Sony HT-ST5000 has 3/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 1/1 of the Polk Audio Command Bar. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. Both soundbars have a USB connector. For connectivity, the HT-ST5000 received a rating of 9/10 versus 7/10, respectively.
App control is available for the HT-ST5000. A built-in microphone is present in each model. Multi-room is available to every soundbar.
Only the HT-ST5000 has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the HT-ST5000. For multichannel surround Sony HT-ST5000 got a rating of 8, and Polk Audio Command Bar 5 out of 10.