I Tested the Affordable Yamaha True X Bar 40A, and I Love its Rich Sound Clarity and Balance – It's Punching Above its Price Point

Longstanding audio brand Yamaha has been releasing soundbars for two decades. What started as big, bulky models, their best range is now the sleek True X Bar Series, and the True X Bar 40A is the entry-level option, consisting of just a single soundbar.

I tested the Yamaha True X Bar 40A back-to-back with the True X Bar 50A, which includes a wireless subwoofer for more powerful bass. Testing both at the same time allowed me to see exactly what these models offer at different price points, and considering the 40A's lower cost, I was seriously impressed.

Here's what I learned after testing the Yamaha True X Bar 40A in my own home, to find out if it could be one of the best soundbars that doesn't cost the earth.

The One-Minute Verdict

For the price, the Yamaha True X Bar 40A delivers impressively detailed and colorful sound. It has two built-in subwoofers for deep bass, and two up-firing speakers for Dolby Atmos and surround sound, which isn't a given at this low-to-mid-range price point.

The sound has fantastic clarity, only becoming muddied during busy moments where lots of layers are present at once. I tested it back-to-back with the Yamaha True X Bar 50A, which is the same soundbar with an added wireless subwoofer, and I wasn't at all disappointed by the bass power without that separate component.

It's a compact and affordable option if you're looking to elevate your home entertainment, and music sounds fantastic regardless of the genre. Its subtle aesthetic will blend into most interiors, too, and it even comes with wall-mount brackets.

The app could be more user-friendly, and it's limited in its sound customization features compared to others, such as the Samsung HW-QS750F I reviewed, which provides complete control over how the audio sounds. There's no quiet mode on the Yamaha True X Bar 40A, surround sound optimization, or equalizer for mids and trebles. But regardless, this is a great speaker, and costs $100s less than the premium models.

Yamaha True X Bar 40A: Specifications

Yamaha True X Bar 40A: Setup

I tested this soundbar back-to-back with the Yamaha True X Bar 50A, which uses the same soundbar but with an added wireless subwoofer for more powerful bass.

Setting up the soundbar was easy as plugging in the power cord, then connecting the included HDMI cable into my TV's ARC port. If you have an older TV without an ARC or eARC port, Yamaha also includes an optical cable (which isn't always a given with soundbars!).

My TV's audio played out of the soundbar immediately, meaning this soundbar can be set up in less than two minutes. And as it supports Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay, Spotify Connect, and Tidal Connect, you can connect it to other smart home gadgets or start playing music from your phone straight away.

As I wrote in the 50A review, the only frustration was connecting the soundbar to the app. It guided me through all the steps, then after entering my Wi-Fi password, an error message popped up, and no matter how many times I tried the same thing happened.

Days later, the soundbar showed up on the main screen fully connected. While this was annoying, I was able to use the soundbar in the meantime, and I haven't seen reports of other people having this issue, so it's likely just an issue with my testing model. Plus, all of the app's features are available on the soundbar remote.

The soundbar includes brackets and screws if you want to mount the soundbar onto your wall.

Yamaha True X Bar 40A: Design and Features

Considering its sub-$500 price, the Yamaha True X Bar 40A has some solid hardware that can produce great sound, but it is limited in its features and customization options.

It has two up-firing speakers, meaning that even this model (which is the entry-level option in Yamaha's True X Series) has Dolby Atmos compatibility. It isn't the most advanced (more on this below), but to get the true Dolby Atmos experience, you have to be prepared to part with a bit more money.

The 40A soundbar has two built-in subwoofers, too. So, even without the separate subwoofer included with the Yamaha True X Bar 50A, you still get strong-ish bass, and can adjust the levels using the app or soundbar remote.

The sound settings available are:

• Clear Voice: To amplify vocals.
• Bass Extension: An on/off bass booster, with no sliding scale.
• Subwoofer Volume: Adjust the built-in subwoofer volume from -10 to +10.
• Sound Mode: Choose between Stereo, Standard, Movie, and Game.

I was pleased to see that you can still adjust the built-in subwoofer volume once I'd disconnected the 50A's wireless subwoofer. As it doesn't pack as much punch, it's great to be able to turn it up when you need more depth.

And while it's helpful to have four sound modes to choose from (Movie proved the best almost every time), this is quite limited compared to the settings you'd find in other models. You can't adjust trebles or mids, and there are no options to optimize the surround sound to the acoustics of your room.

There's no quiet or night mode if you want to play without disturbing neighbors, roommates, or family members. You can turn down the volume and subwoofer, sure, but other soundbars (like the Sonos Arc Ultra) can optimize it where high impacts are muffled, and quiet sounds are amplified. It's a big help if you haven't soundproofed your room.

It's great that all the app's features are on the soundbar remote (this isn't usually the case), as the app can be a little slow, and isn't the most user-friendly. The soundbar doesn't show up if it isn't turned on, so you can't power it on from your phone unless you use Apple AirPlay.

And on the main screen, there aren't any instant controls other than volume, so you have to click through multiple screens to adjust anything. And sometimes, the soundbar won't show up at all, even though it's playing sound from your TV or phone.

But in all honesty, while it would be an improvement to have greater control and quicker access to features, once you've found the settings that work for you, you can mostly leave them untouched.

Yamaha True X Bar 40A: TV and Movies

I was expecting a significant drop in quality once I'd disconnected the separate (and massive) subwoofer included with the True X Bar 50A, but actually, it still sounds great without the deeper bass. The surround sound is certainly present, but it isn't as realistic as the more expensive soundbars (like the Sonos Arc Ultra).

I felt this most when watching Princess Mononoke, and I was impressed by the built-in subwoofer. The orchestral score is tense during tense scenes, atmospheric between climaxes, and doesn’t distract from the battle scenes. You can hear voices approaching from a distance, too, and I found more clarity when using the 40A, especially in the vocals and Foley.

Watching John Wick Chapter 2, the bass is nowhere near as present, and this is especially noticeable in the train scene. With other soundbars like the Samsung HW-QS750F, the silenced gunshots are thick and punchy, but with the True X Bar 40A they’re simply louder than how you’d hear on your normal TV speakers.

In hand-to-hand combat, you hear everything from grunts to punches to background music, but it’s still essentially an enhanced version of normal audio.

During the pilot episode of Arrested Development, I was impressed by how well-balanced every element was. Background noises were never distracting (as they often can be with high-fidelity soundbars), each person’s voice sounded true-to-form, even with the Clear Voice setting on, which can sometimes alter the authenticity in soundbars.

The only time it started to sound inauthentic was when characters started to panic and police sirens started wailing, and there was slight distortion and scratchiness.

This is the same criticism I made after testing the True X Bar 50A. It seems to struggle during busy scenes with a range of different sounds happening at once, and clarity becomes lost, and layers become muddied.

But actually, the 40A was better at retaining clarity. Not having a huge subwoofer drowning out softer details surely makes a difference. It's a great option if you're not too fussed about big booms when designing your movie room.

Even without the deep bass of the 50A's subwoofer, the volume can still go incredibly loud. During Our Planet II, you can hear thunderous noises and wave crashes, but there’s muddying happening whenever it’s noisy. That isn’t to say that you can’t hear the details or even the directions they’re coming from, but clarity is somewhat lost as the scene becomes busier.

In season six episode nine of Breaking Bad, the vocals sounded great. There’s depth, clarity, and color. Background noises sound far away, characters sound like they are where they’re supposed to be, and subtle breaths and whispers can be heard. The difference compared to normal TV volume is huge. There's real tension when the credit music comes in, with the powerful bass followed by the classic Breaking Bad guitar strings.

Yamaha True X Bar 40A: Music

The Yamaha True X Bar 40A is a strong upgrade for music lovers, boasting room-filling sound of a higher quality than you'd expect from your portable speaker or TV.

I was genuinely amazed by how powerful the built-in subwoofer is. Consisting of two 3'' cones, the subwoofer delivers bass that's present in every song you listen to. That's not to say that it can replace the high impact of the 50A's wireless subwoofer, but as part of a relatively compact and affordable soundbar, it's a perfectly affordable option when designing your music room.

I noticed this when listening to Massive Attack's Angel. I didn’t need to turn it up to unholy levels to have the bass pounding through the floor. When the first guitar crash enters, it shimmers with near-flawless sound, delivering the murky flavor this song is famous for. At the climax, a notoriously messy moment, it doesn’t sound messy in the sense that it's hard to distinguish the instruments. It’s a loud harmony.

Daft Punk's Phoenix proved this further, although I started to hear slight distortion on higher volumes, especially when the cymbals, bassline, and synths were playing all at once.

It was a similar experience listening to Four Tet's Three Drums, where it sounded a little cloudy when every instrument came together. As the song grows and new layers are introduced, everything is given its best treatment, but there’s no denying that it can become messy when a lot is going on (and not in an exhilarating way like with Angel).

A Tribe Called Quest's Oh My God sounded fantastic, and almost perfectly well-balanced if it wasn't for the vocals ever so slightly being drowned out by the instrumental. This was with Clear Voice activated, too.

Something that was missing when testing the Yamaha True X Bar 50A's music quality was space. With more expensive soundbars like the Sonos Arc Ultra, you can hear the moments after an instrument is played or a drum is hit. The subtle reverberation adds color and fluidity to tracks, which was almost non-existent when testing the 50A.

However, as the 40A isn't using a separate subwoofer to carry the lower frequencies, it leaves more space for these gentler elements to be heard. It's similar to how you can sometimes hear finer details more clearly as they're not being drowned by the subwoofer.

An Ever Changing View by Matthew Halsall showed this off best, but I'll say that it's still nowhere near the quality of the premium soundbars. There are still slight hums and vibrations where there shouldn't be, but as a whole, it sounds light and floaty as the jazzy song was designed to.

Marvin Gaye's Inner City Blues demonstrated a few limitations in the mids and highs, as Marvin's voice can occasionally sound scratchy or weakened when singing at his loudest. The brass and metal percussive flourishes mostly sounded fantastic, but would occasionally become a bit distorted, especially at higher volumes.

Pitch The Baby by Cocteau Twins sounded as lush as when I listen using my high-fidelity DALI IO-8 headphones [at Amazon], with the sweeping synths and echoed voices ringing true.

Yamaha True X Bar 40A: Price

The Yamaha True X Bar 40A costs $499.95 at full price, and is often discounted to around $350-$400. It sits between the entry-level and mid-range soundbar options, and considering it has two built-in subwoofers, two up-firing speakers for Dolby Atmos, and decent sound quality across the board, it's excellent value for money.

You can also buy the Yamaha True X Bar 50A, which is the same soundbar with the added wireless subwoofer, for around $200 more. If you value deep, booming bass, I'd say it's worth spending the extra, but to be honest, the 40A's sound quality is vibrant and detailed enough without it.

If you want the full surround sound experience, you can add on two Yamaha True X Speaker 1As for $179.95 each. These small surround speakers can be positioned to the left and right of where you sit, for a more immersive soundscape.

But while the Yamaha True X Bar 40A is a stand-out choice at this price point, spending more will bring more color and detail to your home audio. The Sonos Arc Ultra and Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8, costing $1,099 and $999.99 respectively, are the best single soundbars we've tested and outperform the Yamaha in every way.

How I Tested the Yamaha True X Bar 40A

I tested the Yamaha True X Bar 40A in my own home, in the largest room that has a mix of hard floors, rugs, smooth surfaces, and soft furnishings, to test its sound capabilities in a room with common acoustics.

I tested a set list of scenes from movies and TV shows, as well as a set playlist of songs that we standardize for every soundbar test. This way, we can compare every soundbar against the same criteria, and the scenes and songs have been specially chosen to cover the different sounds and frequencies you'll hear across different genres.

I tested every sound setting, connected to the soundbar using all the available formats, and assessed how realistic the surround sound capabilities are.

For more smart home goodness, check out our thoroughly tested picks of the best robot vacuums and the best Dyson alternatives.