Customer Ratings & Reviews

Only has perfect sound when directly in front. Doesn’t sound good if you are to the side

I was super excited to setup this soundbar in my basement. I have a 65" Samsung curved TV that was hooked up to a Samsung soundbar. It was one of those soundbars with a "built in" subwoofer and really lacked the low end sound. This Sony soundbar has a wireless subwoofer that I thought would really add a nice punch to fill the open area of the basement room. The old soundbar was connected via an optical cable and it talked perfectly to the TV and the TV remote even controlled the sound flawlessly. So I moved the old Samsung soundbar to my bedroom where I have a smaller Samsung TV and connected it through Wi-Fi. It continued to work perfectly. Now, I simply connected my new Sony in the basement with the optical cable, plugged in the subwoofer to a power source and it was up and running. But that was where the simplicity ended. When hooked up via the optical cable, you cannot use the TV remote at all. It does not talk to the soundbar, even though the TV is set to output to the optical cable. Even the owner's manual states that when using an optical cable you must use the included soundbar remote. This is honestly the first soundbar that I have used (I have had 4), that the TV's remote did not control the soundbar volume. I found it crazy to have to use 2 separate remotes, one for the TV and one for the sound. So I decided to unplug the optical cable and connect via Bluetooth since the TV can output audio through Bluetooth as well. Once I did that, the TVs remote controlled the volume, so problem solved right? Wrong. Once you turn off the TV, all communication stops and you have to initiate the entire connection each time you power up your TV. I find that extremely annoying as I am used to both the TV and soundbar just working. Maybe I am just too picky. My last step was to connect the soundbar to the TV via HDMI via my TV's ARC output. This is supposed to be the best way for the 2 devices to communicate effortlessly. So I had to squeeze my arm behind the TV to unplug my Firestick, plug in an HDMI cable, relocate another HDMI cable, relocate the Firestick, then setup an HDMI splitter since one port is now occupied by the soundbar. This should finally do it right? Not quite. The soundbar does recognize the soundbar, and the TV remote does control it. But then once you power down the TV and power it back up again, it loses communication again! It starts off with the TV sound and then 50% of the time it cuts over to the soundbar and 50% of the time I have to manually switch the audio out to the soundbar. Wow, I have never been so frustrated in a soundbar before. I am not sure if this is a matter of Samsung and Sony simply not playing nice, or if the soundbar is just this bad. The sound of the speakers is very good. The voices are clear and the bass is good. Nothing overpowering, but this is not a huge sub. I am actually very pleased with the actual sound performance. I can hear everything with no issues and it has very good range. Overall, I am just not happy with how the soundbar talks to my TV and it is actually a downgrade from my previous soundbar. It does sound nice, but if you have a Samsung TV, you may want to consider a Samsung soundbar. I do not know if the communication is better with this soundbar and a Sony TV, but I think I could have done better.

I got the idea to buy sound bar system after doing a remodel. I had a good set up with traditional stereo speakers with real wood cabinets, not composite or particle, a sony receiver and a 12 inch powered downfiring sub. I wanted to clean up all the wires and save space. This unit looked good and I have trusted Sony products over the years so I pulled the trigger. In the store you can hear these so i compared it to the JBL and the a Samsung. In the store I felt the Sony had the edge so I went with it. The bar has a digital display so you can see what your doing with the remote. The remote has no backlite or glowing buttons. When I started viewing television I felt underwhelmed, especially with movies I knew had big bass. So went through films I know very well and it just didn't seem to have the bottom end. Sony says this unit is Balanced. I interpreted that to mean moderate bass and moderate treble and vocal. You can't really hear the bass much under vol 30. It is heard more over 40 but its not felt. With music, it seemed to do pretty well. But for programming I felt it was flat. So I took it back to get the Theatre Bar 6 instead. And there is no comparison between the two. If you're not into a bottom end that hits you in the chest, this is a good unit. Balanced as they say.

Decent. Easy to set up. Nice bass but need better mids.

Decent speaker. Good bass level if you live in apartments. However highs leave a lot to be desired. Ended up using tv speaker to get the higher frequencies. Which is a pain having to deal with two separate volumes.

It’s a decent option. Great low end bass, but not that great on the sound quality.

It's okay, definitely better than most TV speakers. I would recommend it for people that live in apartments but if you don't need to worry about making your neighbors mad, you can find much better products for a similar price.

I own multiple Sony TVs and have a strong affinity for the brand. I was eagerly anticipating setting up this particular TV for a movie night. After configuring the sound settings and making adjustments, I was disappointed to find that the sound was still too low, even at higher volume levels. Ultimately, I found that the Vizio sound bar not only worked but also delivered a significantly better audio experience. This experience left me disappointed with my Sony TV's sound quality.

Bought this open box for pretty cheap wouldn’t buy at full price and there are definitely better soundbars out there being able to adjust the bass volume is a plus for living in apartments

not happy with this soundbar. I should have went with my first choice . it's not to loud maybe because the geek squad set it up

Quality of sound at home was not the same quality of sound I heard at the store.

Decent for Small Spaces, Lacks Power for Larger Rooms The Sony HT-S400 works well in a small apartment or dorm, delivering clear sound at moderate volumes. However, when I tested it in my large basement rec room, the audio quality became thin and lacked depth at higher volumes. While it’s an affordable option for compact spaces, those needing richer, more powerful sound for bigger areas may want to consider an upgrade. It gets the job done, but there are better soundbars out there for the price.

Excellent value for money, good sound for watching movies or daily use of cable TV or series.

Has great sound. I have had other Sony sound bars for the last 10 years so this one didn’t impress me but I also didn’t really upgrade just bought the new “Version.” Compared to LG or Samsung they blow them out of the water. Only brand I’ll buy for certain items.

The sound is good but the volume control is terrible! I have a Sony TV so they should work well together but sometimes it is at 45 to great it, sometimes the same volume is in the twenties. It is also slow to react to button presses. And if you hold the volume button in, it didn’t show you how fast it is going. It’s not a dealbreaker but the volume control is annoying.

I got this soundbar to go with my Sony Bravia tv and it's a pretty decent one for the paid sale price. I've owned a few soundbars and this one falls in the mid range. Biggest complain would be the lack of sound customization. But overall happy with the purchase.

Constantly disconnects from the Tv, even when hardwired via HDMI. Subwoofer constantly disconnects with sound bar as well. Good sound and bass for the price though.

Sounds really good but keeps disconnecting to my tv for some reason, so very frustrating when watching a movie and like clockwork, it stopped working right after the warranty expired

Decent soundbar but lacking in quality for the price. If it was half the price, it would be wort it. EQ is not that rich, subwoofer has cheap “punchy” sound to it when it peaks. Works great with music and pairs well with Sony TVs but not worth the price tag.

Decent value. Sound from sound bar is pretty good but the sub woofer ruins the entire experience for me. The sub is so weak I can barely tell its running. Literally synced this subwoofer three times because I thought my sub was broken. I'm returning for a something with some actual punch.