Yamaha True X Bar 50A Review: Great for the Money

The system additionally lacks help for DTS audio codecs, together with DTS:X, Dolby Atmos’ greatest 3D audio rival. That’s one thing you’ll discover in lots of pricier soundbars from Samsung, LG, and Sony, although manufacturers like Sonos and Bose supply restricted or no DTS help because the format is changing into much less widespread.

Punch, Poise

The 50A provides a superb sound profile that usually stretches to nice. There’s loads of element up prime and a pleasant heap of brawn within the midrange and bass that brings pleasant heft to every part from bombastic explosions to gunshots and roaring engines.

The buzzing bikes within the multi-vehicle chase scene that kicks off Sam Mendes’ Skyfall are rendered with simply the fitting growl, whereas the gunshots between Bond’s Walther PPK and the murderer’s submachine gun come by with thrilling pops.

You’ll discover lots to smile about in chaotic motion scenes just like the sister duel in Disney’s Guardians of the Galaxy Quantity II. As Nebula pilots her gunship towards a kamikaze collision with Gamora, the battery of bullets, roaring generators, and thundering crash are totally fascinating. The succesful subwoofer blends fluently with twin woofers contained in the bar in such scenes to rake up some low-frequency gold, going above and past each standalone soundbar setups and the dinkier subwoofers that journey together with many funds soundbars.

The sound does come off boxier than bars that push nearer to the $1,000 line. This may often result in some shoutiness in sharp results and dialog or notably vivid devices when streaming music. That’s countered by a nuanced contact to quieter moments in sitcoms and dramas. Delicate dialog is easy but current, with element that approaches premium high quality. Michael Scott’s comical mispronunciations and literal paper-pushing in The Workplace are eloquently delivered, going far past what you’ll hear out of your TV alone.

Up Not Out

Upward firing and angled drivers on the Bar 50A’s flanks guarantee notable sonic growth for Dolby Atmos content material, particularly for overhead results. Raindrops, buzzing bugs, and strafing starships in Atmos movies and demo reels burst to life with acceptable awe, bringing way more gravitas to such scenes than cheaper bars with digital Dolby Atmos programs.

The dearth of side-firing drivers or virtualization software program like room calibration retains the soundstage wanting the mesmerizing encompass sound growth you’ll hear from programs just like the Sonos Arc and Bose’s Soundbar 900. Whereas Yamaha’s bar actually extends past its body, curling round towards the listening place at occasions, it may possibly’t fairly seize the identical brain-tingling “dome of sound.”

The Bar 50A can’t function an anchor to a multiroom audio system like these bars, both, however you possibly can add Yamaha’s new True X Speaker 1A satellite speakers ($300) to create a real encompass system. It takes some finagling to set these up, primarily as a result of they’re not simply surrounds, but additionally act as separate Bluetooth speakers you possibly can take round the home or out into the world.

It’s an intriguing idea we’re beginning to see extra typically, however I’m unsure how helpful that flexibility is. The audio system present wonderful higher register readability that’s nice for podcasts, however there’s no scarcity of Bluetooth audio system in the marketplace they usually’re missing bass when in comparison with one thing like JBL’s rugged portables. One can even think about scenes like Dad yelling from the basement on film night time, “Who took the left encompass speaker?!”