People often refrain from opting for a soundbar or a home theatre speaker system, considering their high prices and the increasingly good audio output of televisions these days. Many believe such audio systems are considered a luxury, and companies thus have to be extra wary about packing them with all the new-age features and pricing them right. Sony seems to have done just that with its HT-S40R home cinema system.

The speaker system was first introduced by Sony in India back in September this year. At a price of Rs 29,990, the system comes with several features to boast of, including 5.1ch surround sound, support for Dolby Digital as well as Dolby Audio and a host of connectivity options, including HDMI support, USB and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity.

The HT-S40R speaker system has often been depicted as Sony’s latest soundbar, which is certainly the stand-out unit of the package. However, it should be noted that there are other components to the home theatre system too. These include a subwoofer, two rear speakers and an amplifier.

So it is clear that Sony’s new offering is not just a long device kept under your television. It is a complete audio system, placed at different positions around the room with respect to your TV, to give you an immersive surround sound experience. Well, at least that is what it aims for. Whether it succeeds or not is a different story altogether.

We tried the Sony HT-S40R home theatre system for about a month to know the answer to this. Here is what we felt about it, including its advantages and shortcomings, and why you should spend your money, if at all, on the new Sony HT-S40R.

Sony HT-S40R home theatre system: Out of the box

Since the Sony HT-S40R home cinema system comes with so many components, the overall package is correspondingly large. As soon as it arrives, you will have that excitement of a new and rather important gadget in your house. Open the box, and that excitement is bound to increase multifold.

That is because you will be taking out its components one after the other for at least the next ten minutes. Inside is a soundbar, one subwoofer, two rear speakers, one amplifier, a set of cables to connect all these and remote controls with batteries. Take them out, and you will have your first look at Sony’s new home theatre system.

At this first glance, what will strike you is the simple and elegant design that Sony has gone for with its components. The colour black dominates throughout, and the form factor is as natural to the speakers as it could be. The soundbar is a long bar-shaped device with three segregated bar speakers, the cuboidal subwoofer is a big box with a rather large hole (port) below the speaker grille, and the rear speakers are the usual small sets of speakers which can be kept anywhere.

While all these components have a typical look, they do not connect to each other in a traditional wireless way. You get an idea of this once you start setting up the new home theatre system.

Sony HT-S40R home theatre system: Setting up

This is when you realise Sony’s HT-S40R home theatre system is a little different from what you may have expected. For starters, the soundbar is not the master device that connects to all other components. That job is for the subwoofer, a major deviation from what we had assumed earlier, considering that the soundbar is the highlight of the system and from our experience with other such home theatre systems.

The subwoofer is also the one that draws power from the mains. The bar speaker is then connected to the subwoofer through accompanying cables which are colour coded, making the setup easier. The subwoofer also has to be connected to the TV through HDMI-ARC, which means you will have to place it close to your TV.

Another deviation from the standard assumptions is the wireless connectivity on the rear speakers. Contrary to Sony’s claims, the speakers are not exactly wireless. They are connected to the amplifier via wires, which in turn connects to the subwoofer wirelessly. This amplifier also needs to be connected to a power source, and you will thus have to adjust its placement accordingly.

What helps make this setup easy are the very long wires on the rear speakers, which can be easily extended through at least half the room’s length. Additionally, all these components can be wall-mounted, except for the subwoofer, which is heavy at around 8 Kg. So it is very likely that you will be able to make space for the entire system easily.

What will need some thinking is the placement of all the components, considering that you will need a total of two power outlets to connect to. You will also have to place the rear speakers such that you get the perfect surround sound. All this, with the desire to keep the wires as hidden as possible throughout the room.

Sony HT-S40R home theatre system: Performance

I used the Sony HT-S40R home cinema system extensively for the duration I had it. During this use, the soundbar and the subwoofer were the ones that powered most of the audio experiences, especially when I was watching regular cable TV. Daily soaps, news bulletins and some sports events are what this experience comprised of.

During such use, the soundbar by Sony was able to deliver a loud and crisp sound quality throughout. I usually kept the volume levels at around 15, and it was still loud enough for any sort of content. Thanks to its three segregated bar speakers, the soundbar even managed to deliver some sort of surround effect on its own. It may not have been the best one I have heard through a soundbar, but that does not entitle it to any criticism simply because of the price bracket it comes in. Alongside, the subwoofer made sure that you got all the bass you needed for watching a movie or simply listening to the music.

However, this was only half of what the Sony HT-S40R home theatre system had on offer. The other half was powered by the amplifier and the two rear speakers, which I mostly turned on while gaming, watching OTT content or major sports matches like the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup or UEFA Champions League group stages. There was, of course, a world of difference in the overall audio quality instantly.

By themselves, the rear speakers are not very loud or even audible at normal volume. There were times I had to pick them up and hold them close to my ears to check if they were working. Of course, they are meant to be this way, only to enable a surround effect and not the actual volume or bass. With that, they did a terrific job at all times, enabling 5.1-channel sound.

For instance, I could distinctly hear the crowd noise and sideline shouts to players during soccer matches. Production heavy sci-fi or fantasy movies were also an absolute joy to watch with the Sony home cinema system in action. Its ultimate use, however, would be with a hardcore action flick with bullets flying all around, something like Extraction.

A similarly mind-blowing experience can be gained while gaming, as the surround sound in the action-packed setups of Anthem and Call of Duty: Warzone will put you right in the middle of the battleground. Again, it may not be the best you have experienced, but it is enough to be pretty impressive on its own.

Sony HT-S40R home theatre system: Features

Other than promising big on performance, the Sony HT-S40R home theatre system also comes with a range of features. For instance, the home cinema system offers multiple connectivity options, including HDMI-ARC, Digital Optical and Analog In. All these can be found on the back of the subwoofer. At the front, there is also an option of Bluetooth 5 connectivity that comes in quite handy if you want to play some music and do not want to power on your TV for the same. Just connect the system to your phone, and you are good to go.

For operation, there is a remote control that comes with the system and is equipped with a range of functions. These let you adjust separate volume levels for the sub-woofer and the entire system, toggle between audio modes as needed, and even toggle between the source inputs if you have multiple connected devices.

The prevalent volume numbers and settings are displayed through a small monochrome display on the front of the subwoofer. It is efficient enough to tell you everything you would need to know about the current audio output and can easily be viewed from a distance too.

As for the audio capabilities, the home theatre system by Sony claims to offer 5.1-channel surround sound, a total sound output of 600W, and Dolby Digital Audio, all to create a mesmerising surround sound experience. It misses out on Dolby Atmos support, but you would hardly feel the need for it, especially with high-quality content.

Sony HT-S40R home theatre system: Verdict

So, back to our previous question, should you buy the Sony HT-S40R home cinema system? In my opinion, go for it. The home theatre system is the perfect fit between a budget-friendly offering and a powerful audio system. It will not cost you as much as most of the high-end soundbars these days. And a big plus in this regard, it comes with the complete set of sub-woofer and rear speakers at its price of Rs 29,990.

The best part about Sony’s HT-S40R is that it will impress you just by its raw performance. It does not come as a flashy piece of equipment or one that is stuffed with all the top-end features and compatibility, not even a display for that matter, but it will deliver a splendid audio quality for all your viewing pleasures. This, with minimal setup and connectivity hassles.

Having said that, I have to acknowledge that this is not the best of its kind of system out there and that there are some options in the market that can easily trump the experience offered by Sony HT-S40R. But, of course, most of these will cost you top bucks. So if you are willing to spend almost twice as much to gain the best audio system for your home, you can probably skip the Sony HT-S40R and focus on more premium options.