Sony HT-S40R vs Denon DHT-S217 comparison definitely makes sense. Based on our rating, HT-S40R has a total rating of 5.2 out of 10 versus 4.8 for DHT-S217.
Both soundbars have active amplification type. A significant difference between the units in the number of channels, the Sony HT-S40R has 5.1 versus 2.1 for the Denon DHT-S217. The output power is different and equal to 600 (overall) W for the HT-S40R versus 40 (overall) W for the DHT-S217. Only the Denon DHT-S217 has a built-in subwoofer. Rivals have wired connection to separate subwoofer. The Sony HT-S40R got our rating of 7 out of 10, and the Denon DHT-S217 4 for its audio features and specs.
Soundbars do not have AirPlay support. Spotify support not implemented in both soundbars.
Both models do not have WI-FI support. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. The Sony HT-S40R has 0/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 1/1 of the Denon DHT-S217. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. For connectivity, each of the soundbars received a rating of 7/10.
App control is available for the DHT-S217. None of the models under consideration have a built-in microphone. Soundbars do not have Multi-room support.
Only the DHT-S217 has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. The soundbars do not support the surround sound technology DTS:X. For multichannel surround Sony HT-S40R got a rating of 8, and Denon DHT-S217 5 out of 10.