The biggest lie in soundbar marketing is the promise of Surround Sound from a single bar. No matter how clever the virtual processing, a box in front of your TV cannot put sound behind your head. The LG S40TR does not try to fake it. This 4.1 channel system ships with two actual rear surround speakers and a wireless subwoofer, so the sound genuinely wraps around the room. I ran it for three weeks with movies, music, sports, and games, and this is the honest record of how a real rear speaker system sounds at a mid range price.
Before the details, the standard note. This article contains affiliate links, and if you buy through one of them the site earns a small commission at no extra cost to you. That commission never changes what I test or what I recommend.
Design and Build
The main soundbar is a slim, low profile unit that sits neatly under a wall mounted TV without blocking the screen. The grill is a clean fabric wrap in a neutral tone, and the control buttons sit on top for quick adjustments when the remote is out of reach. The bar is not especially tall, so it pairs well with most TVs on stands without obscuring the remote sensor.
The rear speakers are the point of difference. They are compact enough to sit on a shelf or a speaker stand, and each connects wirelessly to the soundbar, which removes the main obstacle people face when adding true surround sound. The wireless subwoofer is a medium sized box that delivers solid bass for its footprint, and it pairs automatically with the bar on power up, so there is no pairing menu to hunt through.
The included remote covers the essentials: volume, bass, input, sound modes, and the AI Sound Pro toggle. The Wow Interface, which runs on compatible LG TVs, puts sound settings on screen and lets you control the bar through the TV remote, which keeps the coffee table tidy. Build quality across the units feels solid for the price, with no rattles or flimsy plastics in normal use.
Key Features
The headline feature is the honest 4.1 channel layout. Two front channels in the bar, two dedicated rear channels, and one subwoofer add up to genuine surround separation rather than a single bar pretending to spread sound. In a movie with rain or crowd ambience, the rear channels deliver ambient detail that no virtual mode can reproduce.
Dolby Audio processing is built in, which improves the clarity of dialogue and the dynamics of sound effects on content that carries the Dolby track. LG's AI Sound Pro listens to the incoming signal and automatically adjusts the audio settings to suit the content, so a quiet dialogue scene gets a vocal boost and an action sequence gets more punch, all without manual tuning.
The system also handles music and gaming cleanly. Bluetooth streaming lets you play from a phone or tablet with the TV off, and the subwoofer gives music a satisfying low end without overwhelming the mids. For a current look at the price and available configurations, the Amazon listing for the LG S40TR soundbar is a useful reference.
Real-World Performance
Movies came first, since a rear speaker system lives or dies on film soundtracks. I watched an action film with heavy effects and a quieter drama with detailed dialogue. In the action film, effects moved convincingly from the front to the sides and behind me, and explosions got real weight from the subwoofer. In the drama, the AI Sound Pro kept dialogue clear even during scenes with music underneath, which is the test most budget bars fail.
Gaming came next. I played a first person shooter and an open world title, and the rear channels delivered genuine positional cues. Footsteps behind me were audible in the rear speakers, and the soundscape felt far more involving than a soundbar alone. There is a slight delay consideration with any wireless audio, but I did not notice any lipsync issues in normal TV and gaming use.
Music was the pleasant surprise. I streamed a playlist over Bluetooth, and the system produced a warm, full sound with clean highs and a bass that filled the room without distortion at moderate volumes. The subwoofer crossover is well set, so bass blends with the bar rather than sounding separate and boomy.
The only real shortcomings are modest. The rear speakers are wired to power, so each still needs a wall outlet, though the audio signal is wireless. The bar does not support Dolby Atmos, and the surround mode can thin out slightly on stereo content that does not carry multi channel audio. None of these are deal breakers at the price.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Real rear speakers deliver genuine surround sound
- Wireless subwoofer adds solid bass without cable runs
- Simple setup with automatic wireless pairing
- AI Sound Pro keeps dialogue clear in busy scenes
- Bluetooth streaming works for music without a TV
- Wow Interface integrates cleanly with LG TVs
Cons:
- No Dolby Atmos height effects
- Rear speakers still need their own power outlets
- Surround is less convincing on stereo only content
- Soundbar alone lacks the bass of the full system
How It Compares
TV audio splits into single soundbars, 2.1 channel bars with a subwoofer, and full 4.1 or 5.1 systems like the S40TR, and each has real trade offs. I compared the LG against a single soundbar and a 2.1 bar with subwoofer to see where it stands.
| Feature | LG S40TR 4.1 | Single Soundbar | 2.1 Soundbar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rear speakers | Yes, included | None, virtual only | None, virtual only |
| Subwoofer | Wireless, included | Usually none | Wireless, included |
| Surround realism | High | Low | Medium |
| Setup complexity | Moderate, two rears | Minimal | Low |
| Dialogue clarity | High, AI Sound Pro | Medium | Medium |
| Price | Mid range | Low | Low to mid |
Against a single soundbar, the LG wins decisively on immersion, since virtual processing cannot match actual rear channels. Against a 2.1 bar, the LG wins on surround depth, while the 2.1 bar wins on simplicity if you have nowhere to place rear speakers. A single bar still wins on price and footprint for a small bedroom, and a 2.1 system is the compromise pick. For anyone with a proper TV room, the S40TR is the best value route to true surround sound.
Who Should Buy It
Buy the S40TR if you watch movies and play games and want real surround without the cost of a full receiver and wired speaker setup, or if the virtual surround of a single bar has never convinced you. It is also a strong pick for LG TV owners who want the Wow Interface to unify their remotes.
Skip it if you have no space or outlets for rear speakers, if you insist on Dolby Atmos height effects, or if you only watch news and sitcoms where surround matters little. For everyone else, this is a satisfying step up from TV Speakers and a smart alternative to single bar setups. You can check the current price for the LG S40TR on Amazon when you are ready to upgrade your sound.
How We Test
I tested the S40TR over three weeks with a variety of content. I watched action films, dramas, and sports, played a first person shooter and an open world game, and streamed music over Bluetooth. I positioned the rear speakers behind the seating position and the subwoofer in a corner, then moved them to alternate placements to check the wireless range and bass response.
I tested AI Sound Pro on and off across dialogue heavy scenes, checked the bass at various subwoofer levels, and confirmed Bluetooth pairing with both a phone and a tablet. I did not test the system in a large open plan room or against dedicated tower speakers, which are different use cases entirely. For broader perspective on soundbar systems, independent reviews such as The Verge's explainer on soundbar versus speaker setups frame where systems like this fit. The LG S40TR listing on Amazon shows the current price and availability.
LG S40TR Soundbar: Questions People Ask
Do the rear speakers connect wirelessly to the soundbar?
Yes. The rear surround speakers connect wirelessly to the main soundbar unit, so you can place them behind your seating without running long audio cables across the room.
Does the LG S40TR support Dolby Atmos?
It supports Dolby Audio for rich, clear sound, but it is not a Dolby Atmos system, since it lacks the upward firing drivers that Atmos height effects require.
Can I stream music to the soundbar?
Yes. The soundbar supports Bluetooth streaming from phones and tablets, so you can play music without a TV connected, and the Wow Interface adds easy on screen controls on compatible LG TVs.
Is the wireless subwoofer easy to position?
Yes. The subwoofer connects automatically to the soundbar and can be placed anywhere within a reasonable wireless range, with the bass level adjustable from the remote.
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