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

We already have the Sony Bravia TV which weve been very impressed with. So decided to save up and finish it off with the Sony Theatre system 6 - 5.1 surround system. Put simply, we are literally blown away by it. The sound is far beyond our expectations. Easy to set up with the TV and app on our phones. The 1000w output is way far beyond our needs, the bass unit is large but sounds amazing, everything is so crisp. Weve only watched one movie so far and that was impressive enough. We've enjoyed listening to our favourite tracks/albums through lossless streaming services (Apple Music) and we're rediscovering our favourite music all over again, old tracks brought to life through the surround sound system. The build quality is what you'd expect from Sony, including the design. Cabel Length is more than adequate for what we needed (we have a small lounge). All-in-all, we couldn't be happier with our purchase.

I found the system straight forward to set up via the Sony app, which I had already on my phone due to having a Bravia 7 TV. Once every thing was connected, the app runs through the set up process step by step and I was up and running in less than 10 minutes.The Sound quality is very good, plenty of power and clarity for my medium size sitting room, and it gave a good 5.1 experience. Build quality is great and it looks the part. As it is on the side of Sony's budget range, I would say it is good value for the set up and sound you get.The only negatives as of to date, is the lag when controlling the volume, be it on the app or direct with the Tv remote, not a big deal but it is something I have noticed.

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.

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.