Sony - HT-S400

The S400 is great in an apartment but terrible for a house.  As the other commenter already said, the Samsung has 3.1 channels compared to the Sony 2.1 channels.

The treble on my s400 is too loud. I tried adjusting it but it continues to be too loud. The tv treble is not adjusting since the sound bar disables the tv settings. What do I do?

Everyone agrees that the TV sound is inadequate for watching quality movie content. Below are some observations for sound system newbies - this is NOT for audiophiles: If you really like managing your audio menu options with your Sony TV remote, you can add a Sony Soundbar or Home Theater In a Box system - these get heavily criticized but IMHO they are not bad for most average users. You don’t need to get caught up in gimmicks like virtual surround, virtual Atmos, etc. If you have a cozy space less than 15ft x 15ft and you’re just trying to enjoy life and have a simple elegant looking set, you will have a very solid stereo sound experience and excellent bass from the economical Sony HT-S400 2.1 system with subwoofer included. If your space is larger than 15ft x 15ft and you want movie sound effects and swooshes across the room to come from the rear of your seating position, you can get the HT-S40R for affordable powerful sound, again with subwoofer included. For Music, 5.1 is NOT good; you are better off investing in an awesome 2.1 configuration with a set of large active bookshelf or floor standing speakers (ideally with 4 to 6 inch mid-range cones and a subwoofer output) AND maybe also get a powered subwoofer. eg Klipsch Fives with a Klipsch 10 sub. This will produce an amazing musical performance while still letting you enjoy your movies. The only downside is that you will need to use the speaker systems remote to make adjustments to bass, treble, balance, etc. Thanks to HDMI, you will still be able to adjust the volume level with the TV remote. It’s all plug and play. The whole 5.1 speaker concept was designed for watching movies so the main sound would come from the front three speakers while the ambient sound effects like background street noises, door knocks and laughter would come out of the rear speakers. The subwoofer is meant to carry all the weight of thunder and deep bass from the sound tracks - its location is usually in a corner of the room. If you are value-minded Ignore the hype about Atmos, virtual surround, etc. Of course if you have larger than 15 x 15 feet of space, and you can afford to splurge, you can upgrade to the HT-A5000 or HT-A7000, Bravia Bar 7 or 9. You could even get a higher-end systems such as a Sony HT-A9 or Sony Quad with a wireless subwoofer like the SW5 to give you true spatial seperation. And of course, if you have more refined taste with a desire for absolutely real cinema sound, then you can spend the money to get a full-blown receiver and component speakers with real Atmos speakers mounted in the ceiling. All of the extra effort and spending on the premium sound systems will improve your listening experience by 5 to 10% at every step and is only worth it if you have the ear for it. For most average people there is no need to go overboard, just stick with basic 2.1 (if Music is priority) or 5.1 (if Movie is priority). All the best!

Written from a Sony setup perspective, but will help make a decision for your situation… Everyone agrees that the TV sound is inadequate for watching quality movie content. Below are some observations for sound system newbies - this is NOT for audiophiles: If you really like managing your audio menu options with your Sony TV remote, you can add a Sony Soundbar or Home Theater In a Box system - these get heavily criticized but IMHO they are not bad for most average users. You don’t need to get caught up in gimmicks like virtual surround, virtual Atmos, etc. If you have a cozy space less than 15ft x 15ft and you’re just trying to enjoy life and have a simple elegant looking set, you will have a very solid stereo sound experience and excellent bass from the economical Sony HT-S400 2.1 system with subwoofer included. If your space is larger than 15ft x 15ft and you want movie sound effects and swooshes across the room to come from the rear of your seating position, you can get the HT-S40R for affordable powerful sound, again with subwoofer included. For Music, 5.1 is NOT good; you are better off investing in an awesome 2.1 configuration with a set of large active bookshelf or floor standing speakers (ideally with 4 to 6 inch mid-range cones and a subwoofer output) AND maybe also get a powered subwoofer. eg Klipsch Fives with a Klipsch 10 sub. This will produce an amazing musical performance while still letting you enjoy your movies. The only downside is that you will need to use the speaker systems remote to make adjustments to bass, treble, balance, etc. Thanks to HDMI, you will still be able to adjust the volume level with the TV remote. It’s all plug and play. The whole 5.1 speaker concept was designed for watching movies so the main sound would come from the front three speakers while the ambient sound effects like background street noises, door knocks and laughter would come out of the rear speakers. The subwoofer is meant to carry all the weight of thunder and deep bass from the sound tracks - its location is usually in a corner of the room. If you are value-minded Ignore the hype about Atmos, virtual surround, etc. Of course if you have larger than 15 x 15 feet of space, and you can afford to splurge, you can upgrade to the HT-A5000 or HT-A7000, Bravia Bar 7 or 9. You could even get a higher-end systems such as a Sony HT-A9 or Sony Quad with a wireless subwoofer like the SW5 to give you true spatial seperation. And of course, if you have more refined taste with a desire for absolutely real cinema sound, then you can spend the money to get a full-blown receiver and component speakers with real Atmos speakers mounted in the ceiling. All of the extra effort and spending on the premium sound systems will improve your listening experience by 5 to 10% at every step and is only worth it if you have the ear for it. For most average people there is no need to go overboard, just stick with basic 2.1 (if Music is priority) or 5.1 (if Movie is priority). All the best!

The Sony Home Theater systems sounds really good. Atmos is overrated for causal viewers tbh. Everyone agrees that the TV sound is inadequate for watching quality movie content. Below are some observations for sound system newbies - this is NOT for audiophiles: If you really like managing your audio menu options with your Sony TV remote, you can add a Sony Soundbar or Home Theater In a Box system - these get heavily criticized but IMHO they are not bad for most average users. You don’t need to get caught up in gimmicks like virtual surround, virtual Atmos, etc. If you have a cozy space less than 15ft x 15ft and you’re just trying to enjoy life and have a simple elegant looking set, you will have a very solid stereo sound experience and excellent bass from the economical Sony HT-S400 2.1 system with subwoofer included. If your space is larger than 15ft x 15ft and you want movie sound effects and swooshes across the room to come from the rear of your seating position, you can get the HT-S40R for affordable powerful sound, again with subwoofer included. For Music, 5.1 is NOT good; you are better off investing in an awesome 2.1 configuration with a set of large active bookshelf or floor standing speakers (ideally with 4 to 6 inch mid-range cones and a subwoofer output) AND maybe also get a powered subwoofer. eg Klipsch Fives with a Klipsch 10 sub. This will produce an amazing musical performance while still letting you enjoy your movies. The only downside is that you will need to use the speaker systems remote to make adjustments to bass, treble, balance, etc. Thanks to HDMI, you will still be able to adjust the volume level with the TV remote. It’s all plug and play. The whole 5.1 speaker concept was designed for watching movies so the main sound would come from the front three speakers while the ambient sound effects like background street noises, door knocks and laughter would come out of the rear speakers. The subwoofer is meant to carry all the weight of thunder and deep bass from the sound tracks - its location is usually in a corner of the room. If you are value-minded Ignore the hype about Atmos, virtual surround, etc. Of course if you have larger than 15 x 15 feet of space, and you can afford to splurge, you can upgrade to the HT-A5000 or HT-A7000, Bravia Bar 7 or 9. You could even get a higher-end systems such as a Sony HT-A9 or Sony Quad with a wireless subwoofer like the SW5 to give you true spatial seperation. And of course, if you have more refined taste with a desire for absolutely real cinema sound, then you can spend the money to get a full-blown receiver and component speakers with real Atmos speakers mounted in the ceiling. All of the extra effort and spending on the premium sound systems will improve your listening experience by 5 to 10% at every step and is only worth it if you have the ear for it. For most average people there is no need to go overboard, just stick with basic 2.1 (if Music is priority) or 5.1 (if Movie is priority). All the best!

Just purchased a Sony S400.. vocal clarity and treble quite good for the price. I had also listened to S70TY, SB590, and B650D before going with the Sony.

I have the S400 and personally I don’t recommend. I’ve had it for a little over a month and it interferes with the wifi connection. My media will need to buffer every now and then when it’s on and as soon as I turn the sound bar off it plays fine.. My fix for it is re connecting the sub to the system and that seems to fix it for a couple days. Other than that it’s a great sound system in my opinion.

i have it connected to an lg 65” and i think it sounds good. i personally dont need it to sound like thunder while i watch a movie or play games. it’s not bad sounding at all. sure the clarity isnt the best but it’s $160… surround sound for the price of headphones.

update: i returned it. knowing it could sound so much better i rather just save for a sonos. it was a bit muddy sounding, nonetheless better than the tv speakers but meh, you’ll see

It’s probably too late but i bought this for my dorm room and it is great. It will shake neighbors furniture and can pretty much be hurt on the whole mens wing (three story building) with the bass cranked to max and volume at 60. We mostly use it for music and movies and it’s been great. You can also turn the bass to negative numbers (reducing bass) if it’s too strong for your liking