Yamaha YAS408BL Soundbar 3D Surround Sound with DTS Virtual:X

The music quality is great on this unit! Compared to my excellent-sounding computer speakers, this system is even better. I can hear lyrics that I did not know were even there. This is true in the Stereo mode. The other modes are not quite as clear. The Clear Voice mode is outstanding - for the first time I can listen to TV shows and understand all the dialogue. No real downside. I wish the bar were a bit less deep, so it could go under my TV without sticking out, but I would keep the depth rather than losing the sound quality. Would recommend or buy again.

Pros:* Great sound quality in a relatively small frame.* Setup was quick and easy.* 3D Surround Sound / DTS Virtual X sounds good with the right content.* Plethora of ways to connect and they work great.* App is pretty well designed and thought out.Cons:* No display on the front at all. If i need to check any of the status lights i need to walk over to it.* 3D Surround can sound bad in some applications, not a big deal though, it’s not meant for everything.* Not great value at list price of 499. I was able to get it used through Amazon Warehouse for much less.

Nice soundbar with a great subwoofer. The bass is wonderful. Voice quality could be a little better, but I'm happy with it. Very easy to hook up, and I'm a technological moron.

Great system and not over priced like lots of other systems out there. Easy to set up via wireless. Sub has amazing bass! Only dislikes are the remote is a little basic / cheap and the system has no display for volume level.

I hope people read this review before purchasing:Sound quality was pretty good as TV sound bar and for streaming music via Bluetooth. Everything worked great initially including networked functions and MusicCast features and App until a failed firmware update (which it tells you is available... BUT don’t do it).Tried calling Yamaha support 2 separate days, spending over 2 hours on hold each time and, never got a chance to speak to anyone, EVER. Even tried Yamaha Chat Support on their website and was told my issue had to be escalated to someone higher up... still waiting on a call back. Spent the better part of a Saturday searching and reading through Yamaha tech support docs. Followed instructions exactly (I have an MIS Master’s degree) to perform firmware update using a USB thumb drive, but despite multiple attempts the YAS-408 MusicCast Sound Bar did not respond and still will not function properly: no Bluetooth, no network connection, no MusicCast features or App, etc.I had no choice but to return the unit, which Amazon has been great about, and will try a replacement. It’ll give it a second chance, but I pray I will never need to call or otherwise rely on YAMAHA SUPPORT. Yamaha should be ashamed of themselves; their support is terrible and from my experience NONEXISTENT. (Seriously Yamaha, invest in your Support Call Center with better management, training for the techs, and give them a living wage so you can attract and retain people that will care about their work. Stop what is likely a revolving door. How you treat your own employees reflects immensely on the quality of your products.)I really hope people read this review before purchasing!

Very good sound quality — I compared it with my traditional Kenwood receiver with Bose speakers. The high fidelity sound backed up by the powerful sub woofer makes watching movies on the flat screen TV almost like a theater. The clearvoice function is especially effective at clearly rendering dialogue in movies.Very convenient to control the unit from the iPad app — can control all functions and also play Pandora or Spotify directly from the unit. Also the app clearly displays the status of the bar — this more than compensates for the lack of display on the bar itself noted by other reviewers.Only disappointment is the inconsistent Operation using HDMI with ARC. Unit does not turn on when the attached cable box and TV are activated — you have to do that manually (but easy with the iPad app). Then needs to be manually set to take audio via the HDMI Cable. I had this same problem with the 5 year old Samsung sound bar that this one replaced. I was hoping that with time the bugs would have been worked out of the HDMI Inteface. Once set up it works and sounds great. You need to go through this manual set up each time you turn the TV on — but fortunately it is easy to do with the app.Haven’t had time yet to play with the Alexa skill.

This is a nice audio system. Recommended if in your price range. Connectivity is diverse, bluetooth, optical, HDMI, SIRIUSXM, Alexa compatible with external Alexa device. Plus other online streaming services. Simple remote plus mobile phone integration with MusicCast for audio controls and external streaming like Apple, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music

Was looking for an upgrade on my 4 year old VIZIO SB4051. I love my Vizio but has developed a crackling at a very specific pitch. I got the Yamaha in the door today and was excited to try it out. I was concerned after lifting the sound bar out of the box as the it felt much less substantial and quite a bit lighter than the Vizio but the subwoofer was beefy enough so I kept my optimism. After finding settings and tinkering for a few hours I got it to preform decently but I couldn't shake the feeling that the Vizio sounded better. So I switched back to the Vizio and was blown away by how much better it sounds. I'm sure the Yamaha can preform well in some situations but the sound is just to thin and tinny in comparison to a sound bar from 4 years ago. I will be returning the Yamaha and put up with the occasional rattling from my Vizio until I find a suitable replacement.