Yamaha - MusicCast BAR 400 200W Hi-Res Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer - Black

This soundbar produces Yamaha quality sound...no question about it! I have MusicCast receivers throughout my house so I have been trying to figure out the best way to get the Bedroom integrated in the system. I didn't want to purchase another receiver for the bedroom since it requires so much space. Yamaha did a nice job making everything wireless and easy to hide when you don't have a ton of space to hide components. What I love about this soundbar: - Plug and play setup. - Wireless subwoofer. - Great sound for the price. - MusicCast integration into the rest of my house. What needs to be improved: - The lack of on-screen setup and configuration is frustrating for 2019. - Placing the required MusicCast connect buttons in a location that is nearly impossible to reach if the soundbar is mounted too close to the TV is ridiculous. - Yes, this soundbar can be mounted on the wall (and should be in my opinion) but the wall mount holes are nearly impossible to use without extreme patience. A soundbar of this quality should include a mounting bracket that gets properly secured to the wall and provides the capability to be attached/released from the wall without major issues. A paper template and tiny holes that have to be aligned +/- 2mm is insane for a soundbar in this price range. I would totally get it if this was a $200 sound bar...but it is not.

I purchased a Samsung 55" Q8 along with a Samsung HW-N650 sound bar to compliment each other. About 3 weeks later it stopped working, wouldn't power up. I returned it to Best Buy and had a new one shipped to my house, as they didn't have another in stock. The new one arrived within a week and I set it up a couple of days later. Right out of the box it wouldn't power up. Back in the box it went and to Best Buy the next day. I started researching other sound bars and came across the Yamaha Music Cast 400 that got good reviews and it just so happened to be on sale at Best Buy. They didn't have any in stock or on the floor to listen to, but I bought it any way, figuring if I didn't like it I would return it. Again, I had it shipped to my house and it arrived within a week. Setting up was easy and, boy, I wasn't disappointed! It sounds so good. I like the " clear voice " mode as my hearing isn't the best and it makes dialogue sound better. There are 3 sound modes: standard, surround, and 3D. I find surround to be my favorite. The sub sounds very good and has adjustable volume. It has an ethernet connection if you need it and wifi. It has plenty of volume. The one thing I'd like for it to have would be a some kind of control setting to keep the volume even when you change channels. Other than that you won't be disappointed with the Yamaha Music cast 400. Oh, yeah, I forgot to add that Yamaha has a speaker kit to add wireless rear speakers if you want.

Had this soundbar/subwoofer combination for about a month prior to adding the Yamaha MusicCast20 surround speakers. I purchased a new LG 65" UHD Smart TV. The soundbar/subwoofer system was fairly simple to set up. The MusicCast app was downloaded on my iPhone which made it simple to adjust sound programs and input sources (Net Radio, Sirius, Pandora, etc.). I ignored the audio input instructions provided by Yamaha for my cable tv box and simply hooked up the Yamaha provided digital-audio hookup from the LG to the soundbar. Be sure to set the 3D Surround as the sound seems to come from all vertical and horizontal parts of the wall behind the TV. Very good deep lows from the subwoofer (no mid-bass boom) and the sound quality from TV programs and Netflix movies is very good. For the $450 price, this is tough to beat. What is poor is the sound quality the soundbar directly accesses from the web. No dynamic range (no lows or highs, only mid-range) and generally lackluster. This sound quality doesn't compare to Sonos or Bose. This is the only reason I would give this 4 stars. While this review doesn't cover the addition of the two surround MusicCast 20 speakers I purchased later (about $450), I recommend these be added to the system. WOW. Turn off 3D sound and turn on simple surround sound and the sound from TV, Sports, Netflix streaming is astounding. This part gets 5 stars. Even better, play a Blu-Ray disc and the audio quality is superb. Crystal clear with smooth low frequency effects. Buy the surround speakers too. Their build quality is terrific.

Pros: wireless versatility (other MusicCast speakers, AirPlay, Pandora, etc.), sound quality, aux input (unavailable on Sonos Beam, principal competitor), app functionality (nice to control volume with iPhone volume buttons, too), Cons: "works with Alexa" is not nearly as helpful as having Alexa integrated, only one HDMI input (Yamaha wants to sell receivers, too), and--most frustratingly--the ARC throughput is unreliable on my TV. I upgraded and replaced all of my HDMI cables to no avail. The sound quality is fine over the optical input but for whatever reason the volume is lower--not a problem in my apartment, but it perhaps would be in a larger room.

Bought for my bedroom. Love the size of how it fits below my samsumg NU8000 series TV. Was pleased to hear the subwoofers performance completing the system's sound. I did a lot of homework before purchasing this item and needed something in the bedroom to augment my music cast ecosystem. I found this to be exactly what I was looking for in the price range. When my budget allows (and they go on sale), I plan on buying two Yamaha 20 MusicCast 20 to complete my system to a 5.1 with the option of relocating the 20's to other parts of the home (outside deck/patio) when we are entertaining guests. Love the flexibility.

Very good value, sound, and build quality! This sound bar system is a bit outdated but it's one of those "set it and forget it" type of equipment. No glitches, music stoppage, or sound fluctuations - truly a quality build!

Originally I purchase the Yamaha yas 408 but decided to exchange it for the 209. I have to say the sound is amazing for movies and music. Must have!

Yamaha may not be the most popular brand when it comes to Electronics but they make amazing audio products. The price point is just right for the sound quality and features such as Alexa.