HT-S40R 5.1ch 600W Soundbar for TV with Subwoofer and Wireless Rear Speakers with Bluetooth

Had this a few weeks now? My Phillips Fidelio B5 finally gave up the ghost after 10 years, sadly missed! A temporary solution was a Polk Audio Magnifi 2.1 from my son who had upgraded to a LG system. Anyway, I really like Sony products, saw this and thought, why not? My last home theatre system was a Pioneer AV receiver 7.1ch set up, bipole side speakers, floor standing fronts, reasonable centre speaker plus rear bookshelf speakers on stands! There were wires everywhere! Definitely not wife friendly 🤓 The Sony is great, a single ribbon cable from the soundbar to the sub which also has power and hdmi ports (plus optical and USB) takes care of the front array. Wireless connectivity then to the rear amplifier which then connects the rear speakers with fixed cables and Sony proprietary plug on the amp end of the cables. The amp is small, unobtrusive and can sit on a side table or be wall mounted? With some forward planning, I’ve routed the cables inside the speaker stands which then run at floor level to below the amp and then up to the amp. All this happens behind the settee so no cables showing anywhere in the system, front or rear 👍 Initial set up was so easy, my tv picked up the system immediately and my sky remote controls main features of the audio, automatically switching on when sky button switches everything on. I was initially concerned about a lack of custom settings for my room but soon found the menus for loads of system settings! Rear satellite speaker sound levels easily altered plus distances from listening position? Test tone also to help here. Main volume plus separate Sub volume ensures you get what you want out of the system. Various presets on the supplied remote for standard/cinema/music/voice/night and auto. At this price point it’s great value IMO 👍 very well packaged, Bluetooth connected so easily too, not sure the USB type A is much use nowadays though but I believe is also for any system updates via a USB stick? Plenty of volume/set up options for my viewing room (approx 20m2) My only ‘con’ is the combined 3 ch soundbar lack much in the way of separation, not life changing for me and it isn’t spoiling my overall enjoyment of the system? Certainly at sub £300 with semi wireless satellite rear speakers, it’s a bargain! Finally, the display menu/settings are on the front face of the sub rather than anything on the soundbar? I quite like this as a feature, so when viewing the tv, there’s nothing to distract you. The display itself is small and can even be dimmed 👍 Only one hdmi port but plenty on the TV so not problem connecting my sky box, fire stick or grandkids gaming console if required 😃 No atmos at this price point and only basic Dolby but if I wanted all the bells and whistles I’d be paying considerably more for a good named brand system? More than happy to recommend and compared to the built in tv sound system, it’s like night and day!

Chose this set up as it was Sony and came with wireless rear speakers. The rear speakers are not completely wireless as they still connect using speaker wires to the small rear amp, however you don’t have any wires going from the rear amp to the front speakers which makes the install really clean. Initial set up was about 10 minutes out of the box as everything connects up automatically once plugged in, also has HDMI ARC so if plugged into a relevant HDMI ARC port on your tv you will be able to control the volume using your tv remote. It doesn’t have to be used with a Sony TV, I’m using it with a 55” Philips Ambilight tv and it works flawlessly. I ended up wall mounting the front speaker and running the cable from it to the sub in my wall for a neat install. Comes with a paper mounting template so you can make sure the screws are perfectly placed. Looks very neat and fits perfectly under my 55” tv. I find I don’t really use the different EQ modes on the device as they all sound very similar to my ears, so I just leave it on Cinema mode which gives me the sound I am after for both movies and music. I was pleasantly surprised how good music sounds through the system when I connected my phone using Bluetooth and played some songs using Apple Music. The best thing about this system is the BASS, its thunderous and really puts you in the centre of the action. However, if thunderous bass is not your thing this can be individually controlled on the remote from 0 and 12 so you can find the right setting for you. I did spend a little time after the initial set up balancing the system as the rear speakers were a bit quiet, however the instruction manual explains how to adjust the speaker distances and volumes using the menu system which is displayed on the sub woofer. The room I’m using the surround system in is only about 8sqm so balancing was important to make sure the sound was converging at the right place for the room size and the viewing position. It’s a little trial and error but overall I didn’t find it too difficult to get the sound how I wanted. Now balanced the vocals are clear and the rear speakers really give that immersive surround experience. I have read reviews that suggest this isn’t a proper Dolby 5.1 system, that is not true. I have ran Dolby 5.1 test files and movies through my system and I can confirm it is definitely Dolby 5.1 with separate channels. What I think others have been experiencing is an issue with the software or media player they have been using to play their 5.1 files. For instance I found issues when using VLC media player from the android play store on my tv and on some YouTube videos that said they were Dolby 5.1. I either got no sound from the rear speakers or it would simply play the front left and right channels also through the rear speakers. However, in this instance it’s clearly a software issue and is nothing to do with the surround sound system. I didn’t have this issue when using the onboard media player that came with my tv or with Netflix, Amazon Prime etc as all produced a perfect Dolby 5.1 experience. I haven’t had any regrets since buying this and I can’t believe I waited this long to own a surround sound system. It makes movies so much more immersive and I will never go back to just using my tv speakers as so much of the sound is missing without surround sound. At £299 I think this is an absolute bargain and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy again.

Well built system, decent quality plastics etc. Sound - very good for the price, plenty of adjustable bass. Cons - in my opinion should be some sort of mid/treble adjustment, equalizer, maybe as a phone app as in some cases it's too much of bass, not enough mids and treble, like a loudness punch. Could have preset equalizer for each cinema, music etc.. Also sound level adjusts in very small increments, you have to press volume up button a thousand times. I also got this via amazon refurbished and it was in brilliant condition, probably never used, only box slightly damaged so was very good price.

I’m not sure what the price of this product is now, but at the time I purchased it was £220. I upgraded from my Sony HTCT 180 which I had previously and used for over four years. Never had an issue just fancied an upgrade with Rear speakers. This is a very comprehensive system with lots of adjustment for room types and volume of rear speakers. The subwoofer communicates wirelessly with the rear amplifier and I have to say it works flawlessly without issue. It really is plug-in play. I use it with an arc connection for best compatibility and sound, but it still works great with an optical. Overall fantastic value for money extremely loud good quality sound no issues at all. It is what everyone has come to expect from Sony. Not audiophile level quality, sometimes too much bass but it can be adjusted for a perfect sound.

Para instalarla es muy sencilla, hay que conectar la barra de sonido por un cable al subwoofer y a mayores, los altavoces traseros conectarlos al controlador que funciona de manera inalámbrica de subwoofer. Una vez conectados entre si, se emparejan automáticamente al conectarlos a la corriente y encenderlos. Se pueden conectar por hdmi, óptico o por bluetooth, en mi caso al televisor por hdmi. Al encender el televisor se enciende el equipo de sonido automáticamente. Produce un sonido envolvente y de gran calidad, pero se nota un poco en falta una regularización entre el volumen frontal del trasero, estos últimos apenas se aprecian en un uso normal.

Connection problems with a Sony TV. Not enough adjustment. Disappointing

Prodotto ottimo per prezzo e prestazioni davvero non credevo! Consegna nei termini e senza intoppi.

Now i really enjoying theater experience in my home. Not fully wireless.

Il sistema home theatre della Sony funziona bene, ha un suono pulito e anche potente. Facile da collegare, consiglio di collegarlo con la porta HDMI arc del televisore. Molto comode le casse sourraund senza fili. L'unica pecca e' che non supporta il dolby atmos.