ULTIMEA is not a new brand for me as I have tested quite a few of their products over the years. Most of them are made for low-budget users but still deliver decent quality. The ULTIMEA Skywave X40 is their most expensive product that I’ve ever used.
Disclosure: We received the sound bar as a courtesy for review purposes. However, the review is intended to provide honest, unbiased insights about the product, based on personal experiences and observations.
Design & Setup
This is a full 5.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos system with a main soundbar, wireless subwoofer, and two rear surround speakers. On paper, it is already much more serious than a basic 2.1 or 3.1 soundbar, and in actual use, it feels like a real upgrade for movies, TV shows, sports, and even casual music listening.
The Skywave X40 supports Dolby Atmos and uses a 5.1.2 layout, meaning it has front channels, surround channels, a subwoofer, and two height channels. ULTIMEA lists it with 530W peak power, 8 total speakers, 2 up-firing speakers in the main bar, 2 rear surround speakers, and a 6.5-inch subwoofer that reaches down to 35Hz. It also includes HDMI eARC, optical, USB, Bluetooth 5.4, multiple EQ modes, app control, and a remote.
The setup is one of the things I appreciate most. A traditional surround system with an AV receiver, speaker wires, banana plugs, and room calibration can be intimidating for a normal living room. The Skywave X40 gives you much of that surround experience in a much simpler package. The soundbar sits under the TV, the subwoofer can be placed near the front of the room, and the rear speakers go behind or beside the seating area. You still need enough space for the rear speakers, and they need power adapters, so it is not completely wire-free.
The included HDMI cable makes it easy to connect through HDMI eARC, which is the best option if your TV supports it. Once connected, TV audio can be controlled more naturally, and you get a cleaner setup with fewer cables. There is also a phone app to adjust settings without digging through menus on a tiny soundbar display, however, the remote control is more than enough for me.
Audio Quality
The rear speakers are the key reason this system feels more immersive than many cheaper soundbars. Virtual surround can be impressive, but it still has limits. With real rear speakers, sound effects can actually come from behind you. In movies, background sounds, rain, traffic, crowd noise, and action effects feel more spacious. It makes the room feel wider and deeper.
The 2 up-firing speakers in the main bar are also important. They are designed to bounce sound off the ceiling to create height effects. Of course, this depends a lot on your room. If you have a flat ceiling that is not too high, the effect is more convincing.
Bass performance is another strength. The 6.5-inch subwoofer gives the system enough low-end impact for movies without making the entire setup huge. Explosions, engine sounds, and dramatic soundtrack moments have more weight than what you get from a standalone soundbar. I also like that the bass does not feel loose or muddy when set properly. It gives movies more excitement, but I would not push the bass too high in my basement because it can become overwhelming.
Dialogue clarity is very good, which is extremely important for me. A soundbar can have strong bass and surround effects, but if voices are not clear, it becomes annoying very quickly. With the Skywave X40, speech sounds clean and centered. I found it especially useful for streaming shows where dialogue mixing is often inconsistent. The system includes several listening modes, including Standard, Cinema, Music, Voice, Game, and Night. The Voice mode can help when watching news, YouTube, or dialogue-heavy dramas, while Cinema mode gives movies a bigger and more dynamic sound.
For music, the Skywave X40 is good, though I still see it mainly as a home theater system. Music sounds full and enjoyable, especially with the subwoofer adding depth, but this is not the same as a dedicated stereo speaker setup. The sound is tuned more for entertainment, movies, and immersive effects. That is not a bad thing, because that is exactly why most people buy a 5.1.2 soundbar system.
Overall, the ULTIMEA Skywave X40 is a very impressive soundbar system for people who want real surround sound without building a complicated home theater. At around $399, it offers a strong feature set for the price, including Dolby Atmos, rear speakers, a wireless subwoofer, HDMI eARC, and app control.
