After doing a lot of research about what I wanted exactly, I came to the conclusion that a real surround set was something I would like to purchase as an upgrade from a 2.1 speaker set that has moved to the gaming PC.
What was important was not to have a virtual surround system, but preferably one that also had speakers at the back. I've looked at different models and compared features. It had to be a soundbar with 2 rear speakers and support for Dolby digital 5.1 and DTS. It also had to be easy to connect and use.
I ended up with the HT RT4 as I didn't want to pay extra for wireless speakers that still have to be plugged into the socket, in addition to any sync issues that can occur and functionality such as WiFi and media player were not really necessary because of my PS4.
In the range of 300-400 euros, I ended up with the HT RT4, which basically meets my requirements.
Finally bought it to see how it works and I really like it.
Everything is well packaged, the speakers feel sturdy and it all looks pretty nice. The manual and quick start guide ensure that you can get started quickly, but it will take some time to screw the rear speakers onto their feet and then neatly hide the cables. Although that varies from room to room. I spent an hour cleaning the room.
Connecting is easy with an HDMI arc connection. That is one that serves as a bridge for the TV and other devices. Most mid and high end models from 2010 and later have this option on at least 1 port. The sync ran smoothly after booting the subwoofer and immediately all the sound went through my surround.
It has a standby mode, so that's nice. The speakers automatically turn off when the TV is turned off and when you turn the TV on, they turn on again. You can also set a standby time for when there is no sound. This is quite handy and with a press on the supplied remote control it is switched on again.
Furthermore, in terms of settings, you can also use SongPal by connecting your phone with Bluetooth. This is quite handy since you can adjust most sound settings in a clearer menu than the LED display on the subwoofer. You can also simply play your music from your phone once it is connected.
To understand the settings, we recommend that you read the manual. Everything is in here if you can't figure it out.
The sound is quite good. Certainly here it applies that loud still remains pure and that is good. So it is not noise but just a very clear sound that you get. When using 5.1 audio, you can clearly hear the difference. All the sound flows smoothly and the immersion is high. The potential therefore lies in the content you view or listen to. Fortunately, most 5.1 audio channels on Netflix are fine.
Bass sound is soft I must admit. This has nothing to do with the power of the subwoofer but more with the sound level. If the level is low, the bass is low, if the level is high, the bass is very strong again. You can make the subwoofer a little louder, but the day does not differ. Complete freedom for subwoofer settings is missing, while you do have that for the rear speakers. The sound at home can often be turned on quite loudly, so it's great, but if it needs to be quieter, the subwoofer seems a bit too soft to me. Fortunately no artificial distortion of sound or extra bass, but more settings for this are welcome. Possibly that it will be adjusted with a firmware update since the speakers were recently released.
In any case, the speakers are good. They do what they have to do. Provide good quality sound while still looking good. If the sound is allowed to be loud, then this is a good purchase.
An extensive review will follow on tweakers.net (elazzja)
