Sony HT-S400 vs Denon Home Sound Bar 550

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To get acquainted with the specs of the devices, we suggest you familiarize with the comparison of Sony HT-S400 and Denon Home Sound Bar 550. It shows us that the Home Sound Bar 550 is a better choice as a home soundbar than the HT-S400. According to the results of our comparison, HT-S400 received 4.4 points out of 10 possible, and Home Sound Bar 550 was rated 7.4 points.

Advantages Sony HT-S400 over Denon Home Sound Bar 550

Advantages Denon Home Sound Bar 550 over Sony HT-S400

Audio features

The HT-S400 is rated 6 of 10 against 4 for the Home Sound Bar 550 according to the audio features rating.

It worth understanding the difference between the two types of amplification: a passive soundbar does not have its own amplifier and receives amplification from the signal source, while an active soundbar has a built-in amplifier. The same active type of amplification is used in the HT-S400 and the Home Sound Bar 550.

There are stereo soundbars and multichannel ones. It is with the help of multichannel devices that you can get volumetric sound. The number of channels in the considered devices is the same - 2.1. Also, the output power of the soundbars under consideration is different, Sony HT-S400 has 330 (overall) W, and 53 (overall) W has the competitor.

Subwoofers

Soundbars can have a built-in or external subwoofer. The first type is inseparable from the soundbar body, but for the second, you can choose a good location for deep bass. The HT-S400 comes with an external subwoofer. Sony HT-S400 has the ability to handle wireless connections from an external subwoofer, while Denon Home Sound Bar 550 only has wired connections.

Multichannel surround

Unlike stereo, when reproducing multichannel sound, each specific direction of sound corresponds to its dedicated channel with a separate independent loudspeaker, which creates a three-dimensional sound stage. The HT-S400 received rating 5 out of 10 for multichannel audio processing, but the Home Sound Bar 550, in the same category, earned 6 out of 10 points.

The peculiarity of Dolby Atmos is that this format is object-oriented, that is, each object of the audio signal is sounded separately and linked to its spatial location. Dolby Atmos surround sound support is implemented only in Denon Home Sound Bar 550.

DTS:X is an algorithm for processing sound scenes by the processor, linking directly to objects, rather than channels, and calculating the optimal distribution of sound output in a room. The manufacturer has implemented DTS:X technology only in Home Sound Bar 550.

Streaming services

The possibility to listen online to millions of songs from one device has become a reality thanks to streaming services.

The popular Spotify service is available on the Home Sound Bar 550.

Connectivity

The existence of a sufficient number of current connectors significantly expands the functionality of the device. For example, only through HDMI is it possible to implement the transfer of object-oriented formats, and the presence of a Bluetooth connection will allow remote control, etc. The devices received different ratings for connectivity: Sony HT-S400 was rated 7 out of 10, and Denon Home Sound Bar 550 was rated 8 out of 10.

The presence of Wi-Fi in the soundbar allows you to get rid of wires when connected to a sound source and get minimal audio latency when playing content from streaming services. Wireless connection via Wi-Fi is possible on the Home Sound Bar 550.

Bluetooth connection is now one of the main communication protocols for speaker systems, which provides excellent quality and minimal audio latency. The availability of Bluetooth protocol, we can see in both models. The HT-S400 has 0/1 HDMI inputs/outputs, but the Home Sound Bar 550 got 1/1 HDMI inputs/outputs from the manufacturer.

HDMI ARC is a very usefull technology that creates a two-way communication channel between a TV and another device. This is convenient since there is no need to use optical and other cables in the system. HDMI ARC is basic for both soundbars. Connecting external devices via USB can be done on both models.

Features

Voice control is designed to make operating the device more convenient. This allows you to control basic soundbar functions from anywhere in the room.

Proprietary applications allow you to control your soundbars remotely. This is possible both via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The Home Sound Bar 550 has its own remote control application. Only Denon Home Sound Bar 550 has a built-in microphone.

Some soundbars can be part of a multi-room system and it is an affordable solution for sounding the whole house. However, it is impossible to create a multiroom system based on each of these soundbars.

Dimensions