The 2025 Hisense HT Saturn is a 4.1.2 soundbar that doesn't include a traditional bar as such. It uses a control box with four satellites and a subwoofer, eschewing the bar altogether, almost harkening back to the days of home stereos. Although the brand has been fiercely holding on to the value-driven market, this model is tuned by French audio company Devialet, and it sits in a higher tier than the majority of Hisense's price-conscious offerings.
Our Verdict
The Hisense HT Saturn is good for mixed usage. It offers solid connectivity and all-around comprehensive support for common audio formats. The unique format lends you flexibility for where you want to place the four speakers and subwoofer within your space, though the phantom center channel can weaken the definition and clarity of dialogue-heavy content, like the news and reality TV. It provides a convincing surround sound in a 4.1.2 configuration, and the up-firing Atmos drivers are well-tuned, even if they play back rather quietly within the overall mix. The design is somewhat basic in other ways, which can appeal to people who prefer to skip apps and stick to the remote control. It uses sound modes and bass and treble, but lacks a full EQ and wireless connectivity outside of Bluetooth. It also gets pretty loud while retaining the dynamics of your audio. That said, the stereo frequency response and soundstage are weak points.
Great dynamics and can get loud.
Comprehensive audio format compatibility.
Good selection of sound enhancement features.
Phantom center channel isn't as defined as a discrete center channel.
Bluetooth is the only wireless connection.
The Hisense HT Saturn is good for dialogue-heavy content and TV shows. It's compatible with all common audio formats, and the eARC, HDMI In, and Optical connections make it fuss-free to optimize your show's audio. There's also a dedicated dialogue mode, in addition to sound mode EQ presets, and bass and treble adjustments to fine-tune the frequency response. By default, it's bassy with a somewhat veiled treble, though, and the center channel isn't as defined-sounding because it's a phantom channel that's dependent on the proximity of the speakers to each other.
Great dynamics and can get loud.
Comprehensive audio format compatibility.
Good selection of sound enhancement features.
Phantom center channel isn't as defined as a discrete center channel.
Bluetooth is the only wireless connection.
The Hisense HT Saturn is satisfactory for listening to music. It provides ample bass emphasis, a balanced mid-range, and a somewhat dark treble out of the box, but you can modify the sound using different sound mode EQs and the bass and treble controls. Dynamics are retained well, and it gets plenty loud. For watching live music concerts, it supports all the common audio formats via HDMI and Optical connections, but if you want to listen to your music collection wirelessly, it only supports Bluetooth. It also has a somewhat narrow soundstage, and while you can place the speakers closer together to create a more defined phantom center channel, the trade-off is an even narrower soundstage.
Great dynamics and can get loud.
Comprehensive audio format compatibility.
Phantom center channel isn't as defined as a discrete center channel.
Bluetooth is the only wireless connection.
The Hisense HT Saturn is good for watching movies. It has a great surround sound tuning that delivers a hefty punch to explosions and a balanced mid-range with a warm top-end. It supports most common audio formats, including Dolby Atmos, which utilizes two dedicated up-firing drivers to add the dimension of height for greater immersion. It also offers the flexibility of HDMI eARC, HDMI In, and Optical connections. The soundbar also does an impressive job of retaining the dynamics of your content. That said, it downmixes surround sound audio because it's a 4.1.2 setup, and its stereo soundstage is a bit narrow. The phantom center channel is well-tuned, but it can get buried in the mix.
Great dynamics and can get loud.
Comprehensive audio format compatibility.
Good selection of sound enhancement features.
Phantom center channel isn't as defined as a discrete center channel.
Bluetooth is the only wireless connection.
Changelog
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Updated Jan 19, 2026:
We've updated Height (Atmos) to mention the Hisense AX5140Q.
- Updated Jan 06, 2026: Review published.
- Updated Dec 15, 2025: Early access published.
- Updated Nov 26, 2025: Our testers have started testing this product.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Hisense HT Saturn comes only in one color, 'Black.' Here are the labels for the control box receiver, one of the front-facing speakers, the subwoofer, and one of the rear speakers from our unit. If you come across another variant of this soundbar, let us know in the comments, and we'll add it to the review.
Popular Soundbar Comparisons
The Hisense HT Saturn is a bit of an unusual soundbar, making it difficult to compare directly to other soundbars; its configuration of a control box with discrete speakers and a subwoofer means that it has different strengths and compromises than standard setups. That said, it bears some resemblance to the pricier Sony BRAVIA Theater Quad with Bass Module, which uses a similar form factor. The Sony is a 4.1.4 setup, while the Hisense is a 4.1.2 setup, missing the two extra up-firing channels found on the Sony. Both create phantom center channels, so how clear the center-panned audio sounds depends quite a bit on how far apart you place the left and right speakers for both soundbars.
More conventional soundbars with dedicated center speakers, such as the Samsung HW-Q990F and the LG S90TR, for example, reproduce much clearer center channel audio with fewer gaps, and they come with more channels overall, too. Still, the Hisense's individual speaker design allows you to widen the soundstage by spacing out the speakers, but it also leaves room for user placement error by exaggerating gaps in the phantom center channel. The fact that the Hisense necessarily downmixes surround audio with more channels than 5.1 is worth highlighting if you watch a lot of blockbusters that take full advantage of surround sound's capabilities.
For a sense of what else is available for different types of uses, check out the best soundbars for movies, the best soundbars for music, and the best Dolby Atmos soundbars.
The Sonos Arc Ultra is a better soundbar for most people than the Hisense HT Saturn, but it depends on your viewing habits. The Sonos reproduces a much bigger stereo soundstage and has a clear-sounding discrete center channel. It's part of the Sonos ecosystem, which makes it expandable, but if you dislike apps, you might prefer the Hisense, which doesn't use an app. Its center channel isn't as defined, and it has fewer surround channels, but it has better wired connectivity and greater audio format support. Then again, the Sonos is better suited for wireless audio connectivity, so how you imagine using the bar makes a difference.
Depending on your needs and preferences, there are different compelling reasons to choose either the Sony BRAVIA Theater Quade with Bass Module or the Hisense HT Saturn. The Sony includes a suite of app support with notably better wireless connectivity. It has a full HDMI 2.1 In port with better video passthrough capabilities. However, it doesn't get nearly as loud as the Hisense, and typically sells for more. The Hisense, meanwhile, has a similar four-speaker plus subwoofer design, but it's a bit more straightforward without an app and just a remote. It retains your audio's dynamics well, but its soundstage is a bit narrower; it otherwise conveys your audio well with a punchy low-end. Its Dolby Atmos performance is okay, but relatively quiet in the mix.
The Samsung HW-Q990F is a more versatile soundbar than the Hisense HT Saturn. Out of the box, it has a more balanced frequency response, offers room correction, and has a graphic EQ in addition to EQ presets. It boasts HDMI 2.1 In connectivity, too. The Hisense delivers a compact design with a punchy bass response. If you don't like using apps, it's the better pick, relying solely on a remote control, but the lack of a discrete center channel weakens the center channel's audio, pushing dialogue down in the mix somewhat. Still, it supports plenty of audio formats and provides video passthrough, even if it's not HDMI 2.1.
The Hisense HT Saturn is a very different pick than the Sony HT-A7000 with Speakers + Bass Module. The Hisense has better Atmos performance, has much greater headroom, retains your dynamics, and comprises four speakers and a subwoofer. It has comprehensive format support, but the soundstage is a bit narrower, and it lacks as many ports to connect. The Sony, meanwhile, has a more balanced tuning out of the box with a discrete center channel to ensure dialogue cuts through the mix better. That said, it doesn't get loud enough to fill out a mid-sized room with sound, and its Atmos performance isn't as immersive.
Test Results
