Sony’s HT-S400 soundbar offers virtual surround for $300

Sony’s recent soundbars have been tailored to high-end users, but the company now has something aimed more at those who just want an upgrade from their TV’s built-in speakers. The company has unveiled an HT-S400 soundbar that offers a few tricks while keeping the price down to $300. While it’s a 2.1-channel system, it offers virtual surround sound (S-Force Pro Front Surround, in Sony-speak) to provide more immersive audio for your movies and shows. It’s a fairly powerful system for the class, too, with a rather large 130W wireless subwoofer contributing to a total 330W of output.

The bar unsurprisingly offers tight integration with recent Sony TVs thanks to settings integration and wireless audio support. You can stream other Bluetooth audio, too. And while it’s not clear how well Sony’s clarity- and voice-optimized speaker designs work in practice, you may appreciate the options for both HDMI ARC and optical audio.

The HT-S400 will be available in April 2022. That’s a long time to wait for a soundbar like this, but it might be justifiable if you either live in the Sony ecosystem or just want an alternative to lower-end soundbars from companies like Samsung and Vizio.