New Heights in Home Audio: A Deep Dive into Sonys HT-S40R 5.1 Channel Soundbar

Many consumers are looking for affordable soundbars that aren’t strictly budget-friendly. A solid soundbar priced around Rs. 30,000 is an excellent matching accessory for a reasonable mid-range or upper mid-range television. In India, a few brands specialize in this category. Sony is well recognized for its mid-range soundbars, and its latest offering, the Sony HT-S40R 5.1-channel soundbar speaker system, claims to deliver a lot for Rs. 29,990.

While fundamentally a soundbar, the Sony HT-S40R stands out because the package includes wireless rear speakers and a subwoofer, providing a genuine 5.1-channel home theater experience. Is this speaker system user-friendly, and is it the top choice under Rs. 30,000? Discover the answers in this review.

Sony’s latest soundbar is better classified as a home theater system, featuring 5.1-channel output

Sony HT-S40R design and specifications

Soundbars and home theater speaker systems look most appealing when designed simply and discreetly, and the Sony HT-S40R excels in this regard. All components are black and maintain the typical aesthetic of a soundbar speaker system. The sales package comprises a three-channel soundbar speaker, a subwoofer, two rear speakers, and an amplifier designed to power the rear-channel speakers. Additionally, a remote control, batteries, and an HDMI cable for connecting the system to your television or AV receiver are included.

Most soundbar systems I’ve reviewed feature the bar speaker as the main component, with the subwoofer, if included, receiving its signal from it. However, in the case of the Sony HT-S40R, the subwoofer acts as the primary device, connecting to all source devices and main power. The subwoofer offers four connectivity options: Digital Optical, HDMI-ARC, and Analog In on the back, as well as USB on the front.

There are connections to interlink the bar speaker with the subwoofer; the cable is fixed to the bar speaker, which gets its audio signal and power from the subwoofer. The bar speaker is quite plain, featuring only a Sony logo on the left and some stickers depicting its features. There are no buttons or controls present. A simple metal grille protects the speaker drivers.

The top of the subwoofer is equipped with touch controls for powering on, selecting the source, Bluetooth 5 connectivity (with SBC codec support), and adjusting the volume. A compact monochrome display at the front indicates the power status and currently active source.

Even though Sony refers to the rear speakers as wireless, this isn’t entirely correct; the entire rear speaker system connects wirelessly to the subwoofer, but the speakers themselves require a wired connection to the amplifier for audio and power. The amplifier also needs its own power outlet.

The left, right, and center channel speakers are integrated within the bar speaker of the Sony HT-S40R

This design means you don’t need to wire the surround speakers to the main system, but you do need to position them properly for utilization with the necessary amplifier. The rear speakers can be either set on a tabletop or wall-mounted. The amplifier is designed with sockets for power and speaker connections, as well as two buttons for powering on and linking with the subwoofer.

The remote for the Sony HT-S40R is compact but features numerous buttons to manage various aspects of the speaker system. Users can select sound modes, independently adjust the master and subwoofer volume levels, and control playback on connected devices, thanks to HDMI-CEC support.

After connecting and setting up, I was also able to adjust the system volume using my TV remote, and the speaker system automatically turned on with the TV. Interestingly, I had to switch off the HT-S40R manually, as powering down the TV did not automatically turn it off.

Sony HT-S40R performance

The Sony HT-S40R is a mid-range soundbar, and as expected, its features align with its pricing. Although considerable wiring is still part of the setup process, the soundbar system successfully delivers true 5.1-channel sound, with a total sound output rated at 600W. It does not support advanced audio formats such as Dolby Atmos, but does accommodate Dolby Digital Audio. While it may not be as loud as the output figures suggest, the Sony HT-S40R can produce high volumes without noticeable distortion.

During my evaluation, I frequently utilized the rear speaker system for various movies, but I often operated just the bar speaker and subwoofer. I used HDMI-ARC to connect to the TV. I tested this home theater speaker system with a variety of television shows and films on Netflix and Apple TV+, including Our Planet, Ted Lasso, The Good Place, and the Tom Hanks film Greyhound. This allowed me to experience both native 5.1-channel content and assess the system’s performance as a 3.1-channel audio setup using only the bar speaker and subwoofer.

The subwoofer serves as the controller for the HT-S40R, featuring buttons on top and a USB port at the front

Even though it’s a passive unit powered by the subwoofer, the bar speaker is central to the Sony HT-S40R’s function. Its three dedicated channels provide effective left, right, and center channel output, with sound tuning aimed at typical television watching. Voices were sharp and clear; sound effects and musical scores were precise, subtle, and easy to enjoy; and a sense of width was present even though the bar speaker is slightly shorter than the TV itself.

The HT-S40R delivered a significantly enhanced listening experience compared to the Mi TV 5X I used alongside it. While it may not sound as clear or sharp as the pricier Sony HT-G700 soundbar, the HT-S40R compensates for this with its rear speakers.

Although there’s an abundance of native 5.1-channel content on popular streaming platforms, only a portion genuinely enhances the viewing experience as surround sound is intended to. In shows like The Good Place, it hardly seemed to matter what was output from the rear speakers (though there was noticeable separation), yet with Greyhound and Our Planet, there was much to appreciate in the audio.

In the latter, David Attenborough’s captivating narration sounded phenomenal through the soundbar, while the rear speakers provided impressive background ambiance, managing natural sounds — such as birds chirping and water streaming — exceptionally well. The speaker system adequately captured the intensity and fast pace of Greyhound, while rightfully allowing Tom Hanks’ dialogue to take center stage.

When used as a more conventional 3.1-channel soundbar and subwoofer arrangement, the surround components were understandably absent, but this did not detract from most of my listening sessions with the HT-S40R. The rear speakers, while decent, were not particularly loud, and the bar speaker along with the subwoofer handled most of the audio delivery anyway. Shows like Ted Lasso, The Good Place, and Our Planet still sounded quite enjoyable to me. If you have space for rear speakers, they certainly enhance the sound experience, but they aren’t critical for TV shows.

The subwoofer, while acting as the system’s brain, also provides significant power and punch. When turned up, it added impressive depth and distortion-free low-end effects, especially in Greyhound where it produced satisfying bass during action scenes. The subwoofer’s volume can be adjusted independently from the overall system volume, allowing you to modify the impact based on your listening preferences.

I also experimented with Bluetooth connectivity. While the output was loud, the tuning did not seem well-suited for music playback.

Verdict

The Sony HT-S40R may not represent cutting-edge technology, which is what one might expect from a soundbar speaker system priced below Rs. 30,000, but it compensates for this with its raw performance. It delivers loud, clear, and crisp sound, and operates very well with native 5.1-channel content through HDMI-ARC. Although there’s no support for Dolby Atmos or other advanced audio formats, the HT-S40R efficiently processes standard surround sound, thanks to its 5.1-channel configuration.

However, there are a lot of wires involved, and positioning the rear speakers proved a bit challenging for me. It isn’t particularly well-tuned for music listening either, but if you can navigate these issues, the HT-S40R delivers commendable 5.1-channel sound for a reasonable price. There are several strong alternatives from brands like Polk Audio, Bose, JBL, and Samsung, but the Sony option is worth considering for its volume capacity and 5.1-channel output.