Immersive sound from a seriously thin soundbar

Great soundbars. They can make or break your home theater experience and, depending on your tastes, can definitely put a hurtin’ on your bottom line. But nowadays, you don’t necessarily have to start selling organs on the black market to get quality sound. Today’s soundbars are packing quite a bit of power into unassuming black boxes.

Case in point, the Yamaha True X Bar 40A soundbar. The midrange soundbar has dual subwoofers baked in, and a pair of front-firing drivers and two up-firing drivers. The result is a slim bar that pumps out surround sound further enhanced by Dolby Atmos software. Plus, you get a feature-rich remote control and companion app designed to help produce the optimal listening experience whether you’re binging your favorite TV series, gaming, or just listening to some tunes.

While the highs and mids are great, the lows can be a hit-or-miss. However, Yamaha has a solution, but it’ll cost you. Still, for entry or mid-level A/V enthusiasts, the Yamaha True X Bar 40A is worth a look.

Price, availability, and specs

Lots of power without breaking the bank

You can grab the True X Bar 40A on Yamaha’s site, Amazon, or Best Buy for $500 ($400 at its current sale price). That puts it in direct competition with the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), which is also $400, the Klipsch Flexus Core 100 ($350) and the Bose Smart Soundbar 600 ($450).

What’s good about the Yamaha True X Bar 40A?

Lots of drivers, thin design, and plenty of features

When I unboxed the Yamaha, I was immediately impressed by its thin design. At 40 × 2 1/2 × 4 3/8 inches, the 8.5 device couldn’t fit under my TV or, in this case, my monitor, the Alienware 55 OLED Gaming Monitor (AW5520QF). But then again, with the monitor’s large V-shaped stand, no bar can. However, the slim system fits nicely in front without obstructing the monitor’s IR scanner. And you can always mount the bar via the two bundled spacers and mounting template.

Most of the bar is wrapped in black fabric mesh with the rest housed in black plastic. Ports for HDMI in (eARC/ARC), HDMI out (TV eARC), a USB 3.0 port (for firmware updates), a Digital Optical Out port, Ethernet, and the power outlet are located in the back while a series of nine status lights sits in the front designating the many modes enabled (TV, HDMI, Bluetooth, Net, Clear Voice, Bass Ext, All Wi-Fi, and Update). A top-mounted console has buttons for power, Source, and Microphones (to mute/unmute the mics to activate Amazon Alexa and volume buttons).

But the best thing by far about the True X Bar 40A is the audio. C’mon, did you really think it was going to be the design?

The included remote comes with a bunch of buttons to access the soundbar’s many modes, some of which can also be accessed with the free Yamaha Sound Control app. For instance, there’s Standard mode for TV programs, Stereo for music and podcasts, while Movie and Game are pretty straightforward. The app also taps into Spotify and Tidal via the Connect feature, which lets you interact with both streaming services.

You can also access AirPlay 2, as well as tweak language and sound settings for Alexa, access music on your phone, playlists, and media servers. Ultimately, I prefer using the app to the remote as I can see a visual representation of volume rather than rely on the LED status lights along the front of the system.

But the best thing by far about the True X Bar 40A is the audio. C’mon, did you really think it was going to be the design? Yamaha uses the True X Bar 40’s length to fit a pair of 2-inch, up-firing drivers, two 1.75 x 2.63-inch, forward-firing height drivers and two 3-inch subwoofers — each of which has 30W of power for a total of 180W. It’s the latest in an ever-growing line of Dolby Atmos-supported speakers, meaning the tech is on board to give the audio an assist via its virtual surround sound processing. However, it should be noted that the software can’t reproduce side and back-seated audio the way a true surround sound with its different speaker channels.

So, onto the audio proper. Whether I was watching an episode of House of the Dragon, playing Black Myth: Wukong or listening to my diverse playlist, the True X Bar 40A consistently delivered a wide soundstage with robust, relatively clean audio. Dialogue was generally loud and clear, but I found the Clear Voice feature during House of the Dragon (in Standard mode) and it added volume to some of the more muted discussions, particularly between Rhaenyra and Alicent at the Grand Sept. Just be careful when you use Clear Voice as some voices can take on a harsh edge as the dialogue volume is already plenty loud, such as an episode of WWE Smackdown or Castlevania: Nocturne.

When I started watching Mad Max: Fury Road, I switched over to Movie mode. The revving of engines, the soundtrack, the sound of breaking glass were as epic as expected. And the iconic, “What a day, What a wonderful day!” was boisterous, manic and triumphant. But it’s the little details like the creaky old wood slats of a rope bridge, the crackle of lighting from a demon toad, and the meaty crack of a magical extending staff connecting with some unholy poison rock abomination in Black Myth: Wukong that really sold it for me.

And streaming audio from both Tidal and Spotify drove the point home that this is a kick-ass soundbar. No matter what the genre, the Yamaha kept pumping out the tuneage with great highs and mids, the bass was a different story and sometimes, I needed to engage the Bass Extension button to get those desired thumps. But overall, for such a relatively slim soundbar, the True X delivers.

What’s bad about the Yamaha True X Bar 40A?

Needs more bass

The True X Bar is impressive, but at the end of the day. It’s just one soundbar trying its best to be a surround sound system. And it rises to the occasion for the most part. But I definitely felt that the subwoofers needed some help. For instance, while the guy shredding his little heart out on top of the big rig in Fury Road sounded excellent, the explosions produced by the War Boys trying to attack Furiosa’s rig lacked the oomph I was expecting. Granted, there was weight, but it kind of feels like you’re at the top of a bounce on a trampoline, but you never come down. There’s no payoff, even with Bass Extender.

And when I listened to bass-heavy tracks like Common’s Universal Mind Control, the bass sounded really diffused. I could hear those poor woofers fighting for their lives. It wasn’t I’m-about-to-blow-out-my-speakers bad, but it was clear that the True X Bar needed some assistance. Fortunately, Yamaha has created the bar to play nice with other Yamaha products, including the True X Speaker 1A ($150) and the True X Sub 100A ($250).

They’re both wireless components that can work in tandem with the soundbar, adding some channels to the surround sound mix. And since they’re wireless, you can place them wherever you want in the room without any unsightly wires. And when you want a handy Bluetooth speaker in the bathroom or the backyard, you can grab the True X Speaker 1A and jam as you please.

Honestly, the True X Speaker is a nice-to-have, since the True X Bar is pretty solid on the highs and mids. But the True X Sub 100A is a necessity to achieve those bombastic explosions and thumping bass lines, which explains why Yamaha sells a separate package combining soundbar and sub, albeit under a different model number: the True X Bar 50A.

Should you buy the Yamaha True X Bar 40A?

The Yamaha True X Bar 40A is a marvel. Even after 40 hours of watching TV, playing video games and listening to music, I’m impressed by the level of sound quality achieved in something so thin. Although the True X Bar is a solid mid-tier device, in many instances it punches above its weight, bringing the feeling of immersion that can trick you into thinking you have a surround sound system with properly placed channels.

The soundbar is feature rich and offers several settings to help you get the optimal listening experience, no matter how you’re engaging with the device. And I definitely liked having my music on demand via Amazon Alexa and appreciate that Yamaha was thoughtful enough to include a microphone button to enable or disable Big Brother from listening in to every conversation.

I just wish that Yamaha sent the True X Sub 100A along for the ride. While the highs and mids are spot on, the lows need some assistance, making the True X Bar 50A a more tempting proposition with its included subwoofer. Still, the True X Bar 40A is a great choice for A/V heads who want quality sound without necessarily breaking the bank.