Sony’s recent soundbars have been tailored for power users, but the company now has something aimed more at those who just want an upgrade to their TV’s built-in speakers. The company presented a HT-S400 soundbar that offers a few gimmicks, keeping the price tag under $300. Although it’s a 2.1-channel system, it offers virtual surround sound (S-Force Pro Front Surround, in Sony’s language) to provide more immersive audio for your movies and programs. It’s also a pretty powerful system for the class, with a fairly large 130W wireless subwoofer contributing to a total of 330W of output.
The bar, unsurprisingly, offers tight integration with recent Sony TVs, thanks to settings integration and wireless audio support. You can also stream other Bluetooth audio. And while it’s unclear how well Sony’s voice and clarity-optimized speaker designs work in practice, you can appreciate the options for HDMI ARC and optical audio.
The HT-S400 will be available in April 2022. It’s a long time to wait for a soundbar like this, but it might be justifiable if you live in Sony’s ecosystem or just want an alternative to the low-end soundbars from companies like Samsung and Vizio.
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