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

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.

Having read some of the other reviews before purchasing- we were slightly sceptical as to whether this was going to be any good. Ordered anyway (as have always been happy with Sony products) and so glad we did. For your average customer, sound quality is fantastic and it achieves that ‘home cinema’ experience. Blows the sound from our TV speakers out the water. I disagree that the back speakers are too quiet- once we had tweaked so the placement of them so they were nearer ear level, sound is perfectly clear. Yes it is not a ££££ system, but the price point reflects that. Given how good this is, I’m not sure what could justify the price of spending hundreds even thousands more. Only thing I could think of would be if it were for a huge room, but for your average living space this more than fills the room with sound. Set up was easy & the clean, minimalist design looks very sleek. Love the Bluetooth connectivity to play music from our phones too. Great bit of kit- would buy again.

This surround system is very easy to set up, has a great effect and is reasonably priced.The system would’ve received 5 stars, but I feel it could have slightly more power, the volume has to be high on lesser quality streams, such as the NOW TV app, or IPlayer. Don’t get me wrong, it is loud enough, but sometimes you may crave an extra ten percent. However on blu rays it is plenty loud enough, in a 5x4m space. I imagine it would be awesome in a smaller room.The other reason it drops a star is functionality, there’s only one HDMI in/out - so if using a projector like me, you miss the second HDMI. The problem is fixed by sending audio through fibre optics, via a toslink / audio cable - but there is only one input so looking at splitters. A couple more connections & better options for individual speaker adjustments would’ve got it the five stars it probably deserves, given the bargain price.

I've had a few wireless speaker systems, and the bass drivers on all of them were prone to dropping out for a fraction of a second and then cutting back in.This system has been incredible. Not one drop.And the sound? Astounding!I had an old hardwired Surround System from 2003, and it was a great system. roughly the same wattage, and similar specs on paper. This Sony system has beaten it in every measurable way, from being easier to install and easier to use, to having better overall audio clarity.The individual speaker volume control has allowed our "off centre" setup to have a super consistent sound without having one side of the room seem much louder than the other. (decreased the output volume on one side, and it evened it out the listening experience.)Easy to install, easy to use, easy to listen to, easy to recommend.