Sound quality: Klipsch's Bar 40 delivers sound quality that falls in the Good range - it reproduces music and dialog reasonably well despite the obvious shortcomings in its sound. When using the HDMI input the bass has good impact, but is a touch prominent and boomy and the deepest bass is lacking. The midrange is slightly thin and constricted, and somewhat hazy and grainy. The treble is extended, but is somewhat prominent and sizzly. This model does a good job of recovering room ambience (the sense of the acoustic space in which the music was recorded), but the overall sound is somewhat congested. When stereo program material is played back the sound field extends a bit above the top and beyond the sides of the speaker array, but there isn't much depth. The various sound modes have a noticeable effect - the Dialog mode makes the midrange sound a bit harsh and muffled, the Surround mode makes the sound field noticeably wider and taller, but the sound becomes diffuse, somewhat echoey, and a bit metallic. The Night mode removes the bass. With Dolby Digital multi-channel program material the sound field extends well above the top and beyond the sides of the speaker array, but there still isn't much depth. The Dialog mode makes midrange sounds more prominent, the Surround mode doesn't change the sound field but makes the midrange recessed (far away sounding), and the Night mode once again removes the bass. The soundbars inputs were inconsistent with regard to volume level and bass response. There was no significant difference in sound quality between the HDMI and optical inputs, but the HDMI input was a bit louder at the same volume setting. The Aux input played at the same volume as the optical input at the same volume setting, but the bass was subdued at the same subwoofer setting. Compared to the HDMI input, the Bluetooth input played at a much lower volume at the same volume setting and the bass was much more prominent at the same subwoofer setting. Regardless of the input used the system can provide satisfying volume in a medium sized room.
TV setup and ease of use: Very good overall Setup: Programming the soundbar to respond to a TV remote was quick, easy, and straight forward, but you'll need to refer to the supplied instructions. The instructions indicate that the soundbar requires HDMI CEC to be active for HDMI ARC operation, but no setup information is provided. Although a TV remote can control the soundbar's volume and mute functions via an HDMI CEC connection, this feature is not mentioned in the instructions. The system comes with an HDMI digital video/audio cable for TV connection; optical digital audio or stereo analog cables must be purchased separately if you want or need either of those to connect your TV. Ease of Use: This model has two options that allow it to work seamlessly with your TV - it can be programmed to respond to most TV remote control volume and mute commands, and it can respond to the volume and mute commands from the remotes of HDMI CEC compatible TVs without programming when connected via the HDMI ARC ports with an HDMI cable. Its own remote has buttons that are clearly labeled, but the source selection and DSP buttons are grouped together and the buttons are generally not differentiated by size, shape, or color. The console was somewhat unresponsive to the remote - mute and volume commands didn't always register and unmuting was very sluggish. The console's power, source, and volume controls are adequately identified and are located on the top of the soundbar where they are easy to see and access. Although the console lacks a mute button it can be unmuted by pressing one of the volume controls. Its display shows power status and has a persistent source indicator that consists of an unlabeled color coded light that requires the instructions to decode. The muting status and graphical volume indicators are persistent and highly visible. Although the DSP effects mode indicator is understandable, persistent and visible from arms length, it can be hard to see from farther away due to its position on top of the soundbar.
Features setup and ease of use: Fair overall. Setup: Pairing of a Bluetooth device required a long push of a well marked button - easy and straight forward. Ease of Use: The remote control's buttons are clearly labeled, but the source selection and DSP buttons are grouped together and the buttons are generally not differentiated by size, shape, or color. The console was somewhat unresponsive to the remote - mute and volume commands didn't always register and unmuting was very sluggish. The console's power, source, and volume controls are adequately identified and are located on the top of the soundbar where they are easy to see and access. Although the console lacks a mute button it can be unmuted by pressing one of the volume controls. Its display shows power status and has a persistent source indicator that consists of an unlabeled color coded light that requires the instructions to decode. The muting status and graphical volume indicators are persistent and highly visible. Although the DSP effects mode indicator is understandable, persistent and visible from arms length, it can be hard to see from farther away due to its position on top of the soundbar.
