Sharp HT-SB140(MT) 150W Bluetooth Soundbar Review: A Budget Audio Upgrade Put to the Test

There’s a quiet frustration that settles in during movie night. You’ve dimmed the lights, settled onto the sofa with a bowl of popcorn, and pressed play on the latest blockbuster. The screen explodes with vibrant colours and epic vistas, but the sound… the sound is flat. Dialogue gets lost in a muddy mix, dramatic explosions sound more like a muffled cough, and the soaring musical score feels trapped inside a tiny box. This was my reality for too long. Modern televisions, in their race to become impossibly thin, have sacrificed audio quality. Their built-in speakers are often rear-facing, underpowered, and simply incapable of delivering the immersive experience a good film deserves. We invest in stunning 4K displays only to have the audio fall completely flat, leaving the experience feeling hollow and incomplete. The solution isn’t always a complex, multi-speaker home cinema system that costs a fortune and takes over the living room. Sometimes, all you need is a simple, effective, and affordable upgrade. That’s the exact problem the Sharp HT-SB140(MT) 150W Bluetooth Soundbar promises to solve.

What to Consider Before Buying a Soundbar

A soundbar is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for reclaiming the audio experience that modern TVs have left behind. It’s designed to provide a significant leap in audio quality, focusing on clarity, depth, and a wider soundstage, all from a single, discreet unit. The primary benefit is simplicity. You get a massive audio improvement without the clutter of satellite speakers, the complexity of an AV receiver, or a web of cables running around your room. It’s about making your movies more impactful, your TV shows easier to understand, and your music more vibrant, with minimal fuss.

The ideal customer for this type of product is someone facing the common issue of poor built-in TV audio in a small to medium-sized room. This includes families wanting clearer dialogue in their favourite shows, casual movie watchers seeking a more cinematic feel without breaking the bank, or anyone living in an apartment where a full surround sound system is impractical. It’s for the pragmatist who values a clean setup and a direct, noticeable improvement. However, it might not be suitable for those who are dedicated audiophiles demanding perfect audio fidelity and deep, room-shaking bass, or for individuals with very large, open-plan living spaces where a more powerful, multi-component system would be required to fill the area effectively. For those users, a 2.1 system with a dedicated subwoofer or a full 5.1 setup would be a more appropriate, albeit more expensive, alternative.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Dimensions & Space: Measure your space carefully. At 95cm long, this soundbar is best paired with TVs that are 43 inches or larger to maintain a balanced aesthetic. You also need to decide between placing it on a TV stand or wall-mounting it. If placing it on a unit, ensure its 6cm height doesn’t block your TV’s infrared sensor.
• Capacity/Performance: The “150W” rating refers to peak power output, indicating its maximum potential for short bursts. More importantly, this is a 2.0 channel system, meaning it has two primary speakers (left and right) and no separate subwoofer. This configuration is excellent for enhancing dialogue and creating a wide stereo image but will not produce the deep, rumbling low-frequency effects a dedicated subwoofer can.
• Connectivity & Features: Your primary connection should ideally be HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel). This allows the soundbar to receive audio from the TV and lets you control the soundbar’s volume with your standard TV remote, which is a massive convenience. Check that your TV has an HDMI ARC port. Other options like Bluetooth, Optical, and AUX provide great versatility for connecting phones or older devices.
• Ease of Use & Maintenance: A truly user-friendly soundbar should be a “set it and forget it” device. HDMI ARC/CEC functionality is the key to this. Beyond that, consider the remote control’s layout and functionality. Long-term care is minimal; a simple dusting with a soft cloth is all that’s required to keep it looking its best.

Keeping these factors in mind, the Sharp HT-SB140(MT) 150W Bluetooth Soundbar stands out in several areas, particularly its connectivity and simple form factor. You can explore its detailed specifications here.

While the Sharp HT-SB140(MT) 150W Bluetooth Soundbar is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

First Impressions: Sleek, Simple, and Ready to Go

Pulling the Sharp HT-SB140(MT) 150W Bluetooth Soundbar from its box, the first impression is one of minimalist efficiency. It arrived well-packaged and protected, but the contents are notably sparse—you get the soundbar, a power cord (helpfully, with both UK and EU plugs), a small remote, wall-mounting brackets, and the user manual. The immediate absence of an HDMI or Optical cable is a common cost-cutting move in this price bracket, but it’s an immediate, if minor, frustration. Thankfully, we keep a stock of spares for testing.

The unit itself is surprisingly lightweight at just 1.5kg, making it easy to handle and position. Its 95cm frame is long and slender, with a matte black plastic finish that resists fingerprints and a full-face metal grille covering the drivers. It doesn’t feel ultra-premium—you won’t mistake it for a high-end audiophile product—but it feels solid and well-constructed for its intended purpose. The design is understated and clean, intended to blend in below your TV rather than draw attention to itself. It’s a classic, functional aesthetic that will suit almost any living room decor without fuss.

Performance in Detail: How the Sharp HT-SB140(MT) Handles Real-World Use

A soundbar can look the part, but its true test is how it performs day-to-day. We put the Sharp HT-SB140(MT) 150W Bluetooth Soundbar through its paces over several weeks, using it for everything from tense cinematic thrillers and explosive action blockbusters to late-night news broadcasts and streaming music playlists. It’s in this extended testing that its strengths and weaknesses truly come to light.

The Setup Experience: Plug, Play, and a Few Puzzles

Getting the Sharp soundbar up and running is, for the most part, brilliantly simple. We opted for the recommended HDMI ARC connection, plugging a high-speed HDMI cable (our own, as one isn’t included) from the soundbar’s ARC port to the corresponding port on our test television. The result was instantaneous. Our TV immediately recognised the device, switched its audio output, and—most importantly—the TV remote took control of the soundbar’s volume and power. This CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) functionality is the single greatest quality-of-life feature a soundbar can have. It makes the device feel like an integrated part of your television, eliminating the need to juggle multiple remotes. As one user confirmed, the HDMI ARC connection is “perfect and functioning,” allowing the volume to be controlled by the TV remote seamlessly.

We also tested the Bluetooth connectivity, which was equally straightforward. Holding down the source button put the soundbar into pairing mode, and it appeared on our smartphone’s Bluetooth list within seconds. The connection remained stable from across the room, providing a great way to use the speaker for music or podcasts without turning on the TV. However, this is where we encountered the first major quirk: the user interface. The soundbar has no display, instead relying on a single, multi-coloured LED light that flashes in different patterns to indicate the selected source, EQ mode, or volume level. As one user aptly described it, the remote feels “a bit naff,” forcing you to decipher “different coloured lights… that flash at differing speeds to figure out what you’re doing.” Trying to switch between the ‘Movie,’ ‘Music,’ and ‘News’ EQ presets involved pressing a button and watching the light for a specific colour flash. It’s a system that works, but it’s far from intuitive and feels like a significant design compromise.

Audio Quality: A Clear Step Up, With Caveats

This is the main event. Does the Sharp HT-SB140(MT) 150W Bluetooth Soundbar actually sound good? The answer is a resounding “yes, for the price.” Let’s be clear: this is not an audiophile-grade product that will compete with systems costing three or four times as much. Its mission is to be better than your TV’s speakers, and at that, it succeeds with flying colours. Its greatest strength is dialogue clarity. We tested it with a notoriously mumbly Christopher Nolan film, and the difference was night and day. Voices were pulled forward from the mix, becoming crisp, clear, and easy to discern without needing to crank the volume to antisocial levels. This is a huge benefit for general TV watching, especially for dramas and news programs.

When it comes to more dynamic content like movies and music, the 150W peak power provides a room-filling sound that is significantly wider and more detailed than any built-in TV speakers. The 2.0 channel setup creates an effective stereo soundstage that makes action feel more expansive. However, we must address the bass. Several users expressed disappointment, expecting more low-end thump. Our findings fall somewhere in the middle. For a slimline soundbar with no external subwoofer, the bass is surprisingly punchy and well-controlled. It adds a welcome layer of weight to soundtracks and effects that is completely absent from TV speakers. As one satisfied user noted, “the bass is great with well controlled higher peaks.” Yet, it is not the deep, visceral rumble that shakes your seat. It’s an enhancement, not a foundation. If you’re looking for that floor-shaking cinema experience, you’ll need a 2.1 system with a dedicated sub. For those seeking a balanced and clearer sound profile for a modest outlay, the performance here is more than adequate and represents a fantastic upgrade.

Design and Physical Features: Form Over Function?

The physical design of the Sharp HT-SB140(MT) is one of its core selling points. Its slim, 6cm high profile is specifically engineered to sit on a TV stand directly in front of most modern televisions without obstructing the screen or the remote control sensor. At 95cm wide, it’s a perfect visual match for 50-inch TVs, as one user noted in their review, creating a clean, integrated home theatre look. The build, while primarily plastic, feels durable enough for its static life on a media unit, and the metal grille adds a touch of class that elevates it above cheaper, all-plastic competitors.

However, the praise for its design hits a wall—literally—when you consider the wall-mounting option. While Sharp includes brackets in the box, their implementation is deeply flawed. The issue stems from the placement of the power and input ports on the back of the unit. The power cable plug, in particular, protrudes straight out. To accommodate this, the supplied brackets are excessively deep, resulting in what one user perfectly described as “about 5 centimeters gap between the soundbar and the wall.” This design choice, they added, “makes the soundbar look just stupid when hung on the wall.” We have to agree. The awkward gap completely ruins the sleek, flush-mounted aesthetic that is the primary reason for mounting a soundbar in the first place. Therefore, our expert recommendation is firm: the Sharp HT-SB140(MT) 150W Bluetooth Soundbar is an excellent tabletop soundbar, but if wall-mounting is a priority for you, you should absolutely consider other models.

What Other Users Are Saying

After our extensive testing, we dug into a broad range of user feedback to see how our experience lined up with the public consensus. The sentiment is largely positive, with most buyers understanding the product’s position in the market. Many, like one user who bought it for their in-wall TV setup, praised it as a “direct pleasant upgrade,” even for those who don’t consider themselves sound quality experts. This perfectly encapsulates its target audience. Another happy customer championed its performance in movies, stating that “the bass is great with well controlled higher peaks” and that “dialogue is extremely clear,” recommending that others experiment with placement to get the best results.

On the other hand, the criticisms we encountered mirrored our own findings. The most prominent complaint is about the wall mount brackets. One frustrated user called them “a bit of a joke” due to the unsightly gap they create, a sentiment we wholeheartedly share. Other negative points focused on the underwhelming bass for those expecting a true subwoofer experience, and the confusing remote control that relies on flashing lights instead of a display. One reviewer found they had to turn the volume up to “45 to get a normal sound,” though this seems to be an outlier and may depend heavily on the source TV’s audio output settings.

How Does the Sharp HT-SB140(MT) Compare to the Competition?

The budget soundbar market is crowded, so it’s essential to know what your other options are. The Sharp HT-SB140(MT) 150W Bluetooth Soundbar offers great value, but depending on your specific needs and budget, one of these alternatives might be a better fit.

1. AZATOM Studio Eclipse Soundbar with Subwoofer

The AZATOM Studio Eclipse represents a direct step up in power and bass performance. Boasting 180W of power and, crucially, a built-in subwoofer, it aims to solve the primary weakness of the Sharp soundbar—its lack of deep low-end rumble. While it’s still a single-unit solution, the integrated sub should provide a more impactful audio experience for action movies and bass-heavy music. This is the ideal alternative for someone who loves the simplicity of an all-in-one bar but craves more bass than a standard 2.0 channel system can deliver. It also comes with an optical cable included, which is a nice bonus.

2. CREATIVE Stage V2 2.1 Soundbar with Subwoofer

If you have the space and a slightly larger budget, the CREATIVE Stage V2 is a compelling upgrade. As a true 2.1 system, it includes a separate, dedicated subwoofer. This configuration will always deliver superior bass performance compared to an integrated solution, providing the genuine, room-filling low-end frequencies that bring movies to life. Creative also includes its “Clear Dialog” and “Surround” sound processing technologies, aiming to enhance vocal clarity while creating a more immersive soundstage. This is the choice for the budding home cinema enthusiast who wants a clear, powerful sound with authentic bass without moving to a full 5.1 system.

3. Denon SCN10 HiFi Speakers

The Denon SCN10 speakers represent a different path altogether. These are not a soundbar but a pair of passive, two-way bookshelf speakers. This option is for the user who prioritizes music fidelity and true stereo separation above all else. Unlike a soundbar, these require a separate amplifier or AV receiver to power them. The trade-off for this added complexity and cost is significantly superior audio quality, depth, and sound imaging for music listening. This is the best choice for someone building a more traditional Hi-Fi system who wants speakers that excel with music first and can also handle TV duties.

Final Verdict: A Worthy Upgrade for the Right Price

After extensive hands-on testing, our verdict on the Sharp HT-SB140(MT) 150W Bluetooth Soundbar is overwhelmingly positive, provided you understand exactly what you’re buying. This is not a high-end home cinema system, nor does it pretend to be. It is a simple, highly effective, and incredibly affordable solution to the plague of poor-quality built-in TV speakers. Its core strength lies in its ability to elevate dialogue to a level of clarity that transforms the viewing experience. Combined with the supreme convenience of HDMI ARC control and a sleek, unobtrusive design, it represents one of the best value-for-money upgrades you can make to your living room setup.

Its weaknesses are clear but understandable at this price: the bass is an improvement but won’t shake the foundations, the remote-and-LED system is clumsy, and the wall-mounting hardware is a non-starter. If you are looking for a soundbar to place on your TV stand, primarily want to hear voices more clearly, and want it to integrate seamlessly with your existing TV remote, this is an absolutely brilliant choice. We highly recommend it for bedrooms, smaller living rooms, or as a first step into the world of better home audio.

If you’ve decided the Sharp HT-SB140(MT) 150W Bluetooth Soundbar is the right fit, you can check its current price and availability here.