Sony HT-S400
MSRP $300.00
“Adding a Sony HT-S400 soundbar to your TV is a no-brainer, but you might find yourself wanting more.”
Avg
-
Simple installation
-
Unobtrusive design
-
Very good bass response
-
Clear and detailed dialogue
-
Wide sound stage with S-Force Pro
Against
-
Only TV or Bluetooth inputs
-
Poor midrange definition
-
No Dolby Atmos
-
No Wi-Fi, AirPlay or Chromecast
Do you want to improve the sound quality of your TV, but don’t want to mess with speaker wires and complex settings? You need a soundtrack. One of the latest options is the $300 Sony HT-S400, a 2.1-channel soundbar that comes with a wireless subwoofer that helps it deliver deep, low-end sounds that give movies a theater-like quality.
Sony decided to keep things super simple with the HT-S400. But in his quest to eradicate complexity, has he left his latest soundtrack outmatched by the competition? Let’s look.
To shape
Simon Cohen / Digital trends
Sony’s classic, understated design philosophy works perfectly with soundbars. The HT-S400’s textured black plastic body and light gray metal grille draw almost no attention, which should be the goal of any soundbar. At 35.5 inches wide and just a hair over 2.5 inches tall, you’ll be able to place this speaker in front of (and possibly under) almost any TV with a screen size of 40 inches or larger.
The HT-S400 has the ability to connect to the TV via Bluetooth instead of the usual HDMI or optical cable.
The same cannot be said for its wireless subwoofer. It’s one of the largest we’ve seen at this price point at over 15 inches tall and 15 inches deep. However, you should be able to hide it somewhere in the corner to make it less obtrusive. (Remember that subwoofer placement is less important due to low frequencies.) Interestingly, as one of the few front-firing subwoofers in this category, with a fully shielded driver, you could potentially lay it on its side, for even more placement flexibility.
Simon Cohen / Digital trends
Speaking of wireless connections and accommodation, it’s worth noting that the HT-S400 has the ability to connect to a TV via Bluetooth instead of the usual HDMI or optical cable. Your TV will need to support the device’s A2DP Bluetooth profile, and the sound quality won’t be as good as using a physical cable, but it’s still a pretty handy option.
If you want to mount the soundbar on a wall, all you need is the wall-mounting template included in the box and a couple of screws — the built-in keyholes and small plastic brackets on the back panel should ensure a nearly flush-to-the-wall result. If the soundbar is blocking your TV’s infrared sensor, the built-in IR repeater on the back of the HT-S400 should prevent any communication problems.
Connections and installation
Simon Cohen / Digital trends
If you like your technology simple and straightforward, you’ll love the HT-S400. Apart from the Bluetooth option I mentioned above, there are only two ways to connect the soundbar to the TV: HDMI-ARC and optical. Sony includes an optical cable in the box, but if you’d rather use HDMI, you’ll need to get your own HDMI cable.
Apart from Bluetooth, there are no other options for connecting additional devices.
Whichever of these options you choose, you’ll get exactly the same sound quality, so it really comes down to two things: your TV’s outputs and your personal preference. If your TV doesn’t have an HDMI-ARC port, that makes things even easier — you’ll have to use an optical connection. Likewise, if you have an HDMI-ARC port but not optical, the decision is made for you.
Simon Cohen / Digital trends
But if you have both — as I do on my 2017 LG OLED C7 — here’s how you can make the decision. The HT-S400 doesn’t have an HDMI input for transmitting video to a TV, so if you don’t want to give up an HDMI input on your TV, use an optical connection. But if you want seamless control of your soundbar with your TV remote and don’t mind losing that HDMI input, choose HDMI ARC because it enables HDMI CEC — a control communication path shared by nearly all HDMI-equipped devices. This is something that optical links cannot do.
Unfortunately, whatever you choose, you can’t use the other as a secondary audio input, say for a CD player, Sonos Port or Blu-ray player. In fact, apart from Bluetooth, there are no other options for connecting additional devices. That USB port you see on the back of the soundbar? Ignore it. It is for software updates only and cannot be used to play music from an external hard drive or flash drive.
Once you’ve made your choice, it’s just a matter of time: Plug the soundbar into the TV, plug the wireless subwoofer into the wall outlet, then do the same with the soundbar. As soon as you turn on the TV, it should recognize that the soundbar is connected and you’re good to go.
Simon Cohen / Digital trends
A small OLED screen hidden behind the soundbar’s metal grille will show you whether you’re listening to TV or Bluetooth, and will also let you see adjustments to settings like volume, bass level and sound field effect (more on that later). If the screen is too bright or you just want it to turn off when you’re not using the remote, you can change its settings using the top controls on the soundbar.
I much prefer a scrolling alphanumeric OLED screen to a series of colored LED dots that have to be interpreted with the help of a legend — as Vizio does on many of its soundbars — so kudos to Sony for including it.
If you happen to own a compatible Sony TV and connect the HT-S400 via HDMI, you can even see the soundbar’s settings on the big screen using Sony’s well-designed user interface, but I didn’t get a chance to test that.
Remote control
Simon Cohen / Digital trends
Sony includes a small and basic remote control with the HT-S400. It fits well in the hand, but does not have a backlight for easy viewing in darkened rooms. On the other hand, there are only a few buttons that you will need on a regular basis. A nice, large volume rocker takes center stage, with a smaller bass level rocker and mute buttons close at hand.
The roar of an engine, the coming thunderstorms, the footsteps of a T-Rex, they all sound deep and exciting.
Otherwise, Bluetooth would get its own button. But since the S400 only has two inputs (TV, Bluetooth), you access Bluetooth via the input button. “Night” turns on the soundbar’s night mode, which reduces dynamic sounds so you can still hear what’s going on without waking your housemates, and “Voice” emphasizes the higher frequencies so you can make out dialogue a little easier. Finally, “Sound Field” lets you turn the Sony S-Force Pro front surround processing on or off.
Sound quality
Simon Cohen / Digital trends
As a 2.1-channel system, without support for Dolby Atmos or DTS Virtual:X, you should think of the HT-S400 as an upgrade to your TV’s internal sound system, as opposed to a complete home theater solution. In other words, movies, TV shows and music will sound bigger and bolder – like they’ve been released from their audio prison – but they can’t be completely immersive.
The HT-S400 is not quite as capable when it comes to the midrange, which can sound a bit hollow.
The biggest difference comes from the wireless subwoofer. It’s powerful enough to deliver the low-frequency effects we associate with hit Hollywood movies — the roar of an engine, the approach of a thunderstorm, the footsteps of a T-Rex, they all sound deep and exciting. The sub won’t shake your couch or rattle your teeth, but given that the HT-S400 is likely to find a home in apartments and smaller rooms, that’s hardly a problem.
There’s also excellent clarity, especially in the higher frequencies, giving everything from gunfire to screeching tires a fun and instinctive feel. Sony gives us a voice mode to further enhance dialogue, but I found I almost never needed it.
However, the HT-S400 isn’t quite as capable when it comes to the midrange, which can sound a bit hollow. It’s much more obvious when you’re listening to music than when you’re watching TV, but there are still times when I expected a scene from a movie to be richer than it sounded. One example is the scene from Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, where Duke Leto’s ornithopter approaches a spice harvester. Sonically, it’s a complex scene with voices and machines competing with each other. A stronger midrange would give the scene more realism without compromising dialogue clarity.
Simon Cohen / Digital trends
Sony’s S-Force Pro virtual surround sound does a great job of expanding the soundstage outwards and even adds some depth. It never sounds too processed and I realized I wanted to keep it for both TV and music content. But as good as it is, you’ll need to keep your expectations in check. It won’t magically make up for the lack of physical surround speakers, but it’s absolutely more enjoyable than the unmodified stereo mode, and I’m impressed by how close it comes to the virtual Dolby Atmos capabilities I’ve seen in products like the Vizio M-Series 2.1 and the Sonos Beam Gen 2.
As I mentioned before, Bluetooth allows you to stream audio from any compatible device and is the only way to listen to music on the HT-S400 without turning on the TV. As with most Bluetooth connections, it’s not a hi-fi experience and Sony doesn’t even try to optimize it with AAC or aptX support. Once again, lackluster midrange definition prevents the system from being a strong replacement for more music-focused soundbars like the Sonos Beam or the Bose Smart Soundbar 300, but given that those speakers cost $100 more and don’t have their own wireless subwoofers, perhaps that the comparison is not really fair.
I’m tempted to wonder if a set of EQ adjustments might compensate for some midrange weaknesses, but the Sony doesn’t let you adjust anything other than the amount of low-end sound coming from the subwoofer.
Our opinion
With a powerful wireless subwoofer, the HT-S400 is an extremely easy way to take your TV viewing to the next level. But at the price Sony is asking, we think it should offer better midrange definition and a few more features.
Is there a better alternative?
There are a few competitors worth mentioning — especially considering their prices:
- The $180 Vizio M-Series 2.1 (M215a-J6) costs much less, has more inputs (including an HDMI pass-through port for video), and supports virtual Dolby Atmos. It also suffers from the same midrange weakness as the HT-S400, but given its sub-$200 price, I’m willing to accept that.
- The $250 Polk React smart soundbar lacks its own wireless subwoofer, but it’s an expandable system that lets you add a subwoofer and surround speakers if you feel the need. It has a very good overall sound and offers better midrange performance than the HT-S400. As a neat perk, it also has built-in Amazon Alexa and Wi-Fi so it can be used as a smart speaker and as part of a multiroom audio system.
- Finally, if you want a full 5.1 surround sound system, it’s very hard to beat the $300 Vizio M-Series 5.1 (M51a-H6), which comes in at the same price as the Sony but offers a much more immersive home theater experience.
How long will it last?
Sony products are usually well made and very reliable and I see no reason why the HT-S400 shouldn’t last as long as you need it to. Firmware updates will likely be infrequent, but when they are available, you’ll be able to install them via USB flash drive. Sony backs the HT-S400 with a standard one-year warranty.
Should you buy it?
That. While it’s expensive for what you get, the HT-S400 is still a great way to enhance your TV’s sound. Owners of Sony Bravia TVs or other models with A2DP Bluetooth who want a wireless connection to their soundbar might have an extra reason to buy one, but be warned that it could significantly reduce sound quality.
Editor’s recommendations
Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn