Sony HT-S400 2.1 Soundbar with Powerful Wireless Subwoofer

I picked up the 2.1ch Soundbar with powerful wireless subwoofer (HT-S400) to go with the new Sony Bravia TV I recently purchased. Overall, I think it's a great peripheral for the television with several nice features as well as some that need improvement. I must acknowledge that I probably have some novice bias on this matter: I am not an expert in setting up home theatres and in the past I have been just fine using TV speakers. Thus, anything beyond that basic set-up could probably be considered an upgrade by my standard. I had this soundbar mounted right below the TV on the wall. This seemed easy enough to accomplish as all it required was setting two screws that hook into the back of the soundbar. However, I did have this professionally done by an expert that came to install a wall mount for my television at the same time (so I don't have to worry about having a crooked soundbar mounted on my wall today). The sound that comes from the soundbar is a noticeable improvement over what comes out of the TV speakers alone: it definitely is more “immersive” as the manufacturer describes. This soundbar comes with a wireless subwoofer. It's a nice speaker that adds even more depth to the already impressive sound field that radiates from the soundbar alone. It adds a lot to the low frequency sounds from the television which makes for an even more immersive experience. That being said, setting it up was a little confusing. The subwoofer has three LED lights on it that reflect it's status and for several days it would light up green when the TV turned on. This made me think that it was working just fine but in actually it wasn't since it wasn't properly synced to the soundbar at that point. This was something that I had to do manually, which wasn't too difficult. Sony does lose some points on this matter, though, since the directions in both the manual and online were pretty vague with this part of the set-up. The definitions of the LED lights they provided could have also been better, in my opinion. Something that is very nice about this particular soundbar is it's compatibility with Sony televisions. This soundbar syncs with certain Sony televisions which allows for it to power on/off in tandem with the television. The volume from the soundbar can also be controlled by the TV remote which is a nice feature too. I really like the remote that comes with this soundbar. It is very basic with not a whole lot of extraneous buttons that may or may not get used. That being said, many of the remote's features can be accessed using the television remote which negates a lot of the need for it. However, if for some reason the soundbar doesn't power off with the TV (as has happened a few times for me) it is nice just being able to press the “power” button on the soundbar remote to turn it off rather than having to use the TV remote to first power on the TV in order to try to turn the soundbar off again. This soundbar comes with a variety of customizable features that can be accessed within the menus of the television. This includes setting the bass level of the subwoofer, turning on the “Sound Field” effect, and a “Night Mode”, just to name a few. All these features are quite nice and allow for a rather deep level of customization which is something that I have enjoyed and haven't had the pleasure of doing in the past. When I think of this device's shortcomings I can't think of many that are glaring. I have already mentioned a few minor issues indirectly that I thought could stand improvement. In addition to those issues, I would be quite skeptical of how effectively this soundbar would integrate into a full home theatre system let alone with non-Sony brand televisions/products. My biggest complaint for this device is that it needs to be updated via firmware updates. Firmware updates are not very convenient and can be easily overlooked. It would have been nice had Sony found a way to allow for the device to update via the connection to the television: after all, the television can receive updates online since it's connected to the internet so why can't the soundbar be updated online too if it's connected to the TV? That's just a thought, though. Overall, this has been a big upgrade to my sound system and entertainment center. I really appreciate it and am enjoying it quite a bit. I would recommend it to anyone that is using a compatible Sony-brand television. Thanks.

The bass is crisp it's loud and powerful just what I wanted when I watch a movie I feel like I'm in a theater when I listen to music I feel like I'm in the club

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I have never owned a sound bar. I am blown away with how amazing everything sounds on the TV now! The bass from the sub woofer enhances the sound so much. The video really doesn't justify how good it sounds in person. We have a 55 inch TV so you can see how long the sound bar is. There's Bluetooth capabilities so you can run your phone through it, too! The set up was so simple! You can't go wrong with this product. Highly recommend!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I have been using this for a week now and I am loving it. The sound is great, the instructions is easy to follow and it is easy to install. The surround is superb, it's like we are watching in a cinema. Thimbs up to this!

I purchased another 2.0 brand of soundbar that was same brand as my tv. Had to use optical to hook up and created nothing but aggravation between tv speakers and sound bar. Returned and picked up this Sony. Hooked up via hdmi arc input on my tv and sound, as well as ease of operation is now excellent. Sony sounds much better and sub integrates perfectly. Excellent sound for music and movies. I don't see how there is any better sound for 200.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I love that the design is slim and sleek. It doesn't take up much room. We have never used a sound bar before but it sure does make a huge difference. Sound quality is great. Mini theater experience in the comfort of your home. The speaker is wireless so you can move it anywhere in your home to get the best sound effect. You are able to adjust the bass and sound field to what you like best. We absolutely love our sound bar, it's a whole new TV experience.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] This sound bar and subwoofer completely changed my audio quality while watching TV. It's absolutely amazing. The sound quality is now 360, I can hear my tv from behind me. It's crazy! The installation is also very quick and simple.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I have never ran to review something so quickly! This sound bar and sub is amazing. It was easy to hook up. Make sure you have an hdmi cord because it is required but doesn't come with one. The bass is amazing!!!!! Easily my favorite. I want to have dance party's playing music videos. I couldn't even wait to install the bar to make the pictures look more appealing. I need my husband to install that because I'm not allowed to touch the screw gun lol. It comes with a template and will be simple. I love how it connects to my regular tv remote automatically. I hate having too many remotes. I definitely recommend this sound bar and sub!!

Wish I could of gotten something a little better it's not as loud as I thought it would be

My bass is on max and don't really hear it. The volume has to be up high