Sony
HT-S40R
Sony HT-S40R (2021): 5.1 home cinema system with soundbar, wired subwoofer and wireless rear speakers, HDMI ARC, optical, analog in and Bluetooth.
Released 2021
MSRP $299.99
Check price on AmazonShop prices can differ.
- 5.1 speaker setup
- HDMI ARC
- Wireless surrounds
Overview
HT-S40R is a 2021 Sony home cinema system made of a three-channel soundbar, a subwoofer and two rear speakers. The black soundbar is 900 mm wide, 52 mm high and 74.5 mm deep, weighs 2.0 kg and can be wall-mounted. Sony lists the subwoofer at 7.8 kg and the rear speakers at 83 x 180 x 74.5 mm.
Sony lists 600 W of total power from an S-Master digital amplifier. The subwoofer is wired to the soundbar, and the two rear speakers plug into a small wireless amplifier, so no cable has to run from the front of the room to the back. Sony says the soundbar and subwoofer share a single power connection.
The TV connects over HDMI ARC, the optical input or the analog stereo mini-jack input. Bluetooth (version 5.0) streams music from a phone, and a USB port plays WAV, MP3 and WMA files from a memory stick. Sony also lists a wireless TV connection over Bluetooth with compatible Sony BRAVIA TVs. The box includes the subwoofer, the rear speakers, a remote control with batteries, an optical cable, the power cord and the manuals.
You control it with the buttons on the bar or the remote. Sony lists Auto Sound, Cinema and Music sound modes plus Night Mode and Voice Mode. There is no Wi-Fi, app or voice assistant.
What the specs mean
- 5.1 speaker setup: five main channels (left, centre and right in the soundbar, plus two rear speakers) and one subwoofer channel, with no height channels. Sony describes it as "real" 5.1 because the surround channels come from separate speakers behind you.
- HDMI ARC, not eARC: the Audio Return Channel sends the TV's sound to the soundbar over the HDMI cable and lets the TV remote control the volume. The newer eARC adds high-bitrate formats such as Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos and uncompressed multichannel audio; HT-S40R does not support eARC.
- No HDMI passthrough: the soundbar has no HDMI input, so a console or streaming box connects to the TV, and the TV sends the sound back over HDMI ARC.
- Audio formats: Dolby Digital and LPCM 2ch.
- Wireless rear speakers, wired subwoofer: only the rear speakers are wireless, through the separate amplifier box they are wired to; the subwoofer connects to the bar with a cable.
- Expandability: none; the system already includes its subwoofer and rear speakers, and no add-on subwoofer or speakers are listed for it.
Which soundbar is right for you?
| SonyHT-S40R (current soundbar)MSRP $299.99Check price on Amazon | LGS60TRMSRP $299.00Check price on Amazon | MonopriceSB-500MSRP $279.99Check price on Amazon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall value A rough features-for-the-price score, compared with every soundbar listed. Bars gain points for things like Dolby Atmos, Wi-Fi and room tuning, and lose points without them. Dolby Atmos with up-firing speakers earns more than virtual Atmos. Cheaper bars lose fewer points, or none, for missing premium extras (Dolby Atmos, HDMI eARC, up-firing speakers). 100 is the best deal listed. Based on specs only, not on how it sounds. | 34 | 40 | 49 |
| Price-band value Like Overall value, but each soundbar is compared only with soundbars in its own price band: up to $300, $300–500, $500–800, $800–1,200 or over $1,200. 100 is the best deal in that band. Based on specs only, not on how it sounds. | 45up to $300 | 55up to $300 | 66up to $300 |
| Speaker setup | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.1 |
| Dolby Atmos | No | No | No |
| Form factor | Bar + sub + surrounds | Bar + sub + surrounds | Bar + sub + surrounds |
| Audio support |
|
|
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| Available inputs |
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| HDMI inputs | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Streaming support | None | None | None |
| Virtual assistants | None | None | None |
| Soundbar dimensions | 900 × 52 × 74.5 mm | 850 × 63 × 87 mm | 998 × 56 × 115 mm |
Specifications
Overview
- Overall value
- 34
- Price-band value
- 45up to $300
- Speaker setup
- 5.1
- Dolby Atmos
- No
- Form factor
- Bar + sub + surrounds
Expandability
- Is extendable
- None
- Has wireless surrounds
- Yes
- Has wireless subwoofer
- No
Connectivity
- Available inputs
- Aux
- Bluetooth
- HDMI Arc
- Optical
- USB
- Streaming support
- None
- Virtual assistants
- None
- Controllers
- On Device
- Remote Control
- TV Remote Control
- App required
- Not stated
- Same-brand TV features
- Not stated
Audio & video
- Audio support
- Dolby Digital
- LPCM 2ch
- Room correction
- No
- Dialogue enhancement
- Voice Mode
- Night mode
- Night Mode
- Passthrough
- No
- HDMI inputs
- 0
Design
- Soundbar dimensions
- 900 × 52 × 74.5 mm
- Wall mountable
- Yes
- Colors
- Black
- What's in the box
- Batteries
- Booklets
- Optical Cable
- Power Cable
- Remote control
- Subwoofer
- Surround speakers
Sources
- https://web.archive.org/web/20230705155426/https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/sound-bars/ht-s40r/specifications
- https://web.archive.org/web/20210917171554/https://www.sony.ca/en/electronics/sound-bars/ht-s40r/specifications
- https://web.archive.org/web/20260906132719/https://electronics.sony.com/audio/soundbars/all-soundbars/p/hts40r
- https://www.hdmi.org/spec21sub/enhancedaudioreturnchannel
Updated 2026-10-16