Have you got a beautiful TV but still feel that something is missing? Ever wondered why movie theatres spend more money on sound systems than the projectors they use? Well, it's for a good reason. And I will show you why this Soundbar from Yamaha the True X 50A might be the missing piece of the puzzle you've been searching for. And whether the £799 price point is good & What makes this Soundbar very different from others.

But before we get into that. You need to know some key things about the Yamaha True X Bar 50A that will help you decide whether this Soundbar is suitable for you.

So, if you don't have a Dolby Atmos surround setup already, my guess is that you might be thinking that it will involve so many cables that you're worried that if you try to set one up, you'll end up like Neo at the end of the Matrix. 

Well, it's 2024, and if you think that, you're wrong. This particular Soundbar from Yamaha is designed to be easier to set up than a toaster. As the Soundbar, a sub-combo is just plug-and-play.

The ports 

The ports on the back consist of a power-in. The HDMI arc port which is what you'll need to use to the Dolby Atmos signal to the sound bar. There is also an HDMI passthrough port, which is ideal for plugging in streaming devices or laptops; it doesn't support high-speed passthrough, so you'll want to keep your game consoles directly connected to the TV. There's an optical input if you have an older TV without HDMI ARC. And an ethernet for wired Internet 

And HDMI CEC is supported. Put simply, this means your TV remote can control the volume on the Soundbar & the Soundbar can auto-wake & shut down when you turn your TV on and off.

The DESIGN

The Soundbar itself is the classic style. It has a nice texture to the main cabinet and is not a fingerprint magnet, which is nice to see. There's a fabric mesh over the front, and behind it, there are 2 forward racing racetrack style drivers, 2 upward angled 2" cones for the Atmos channels, and 2 3" subwoofers. The total output of 280 watts equals an uppercut from UFC champ turned boxer Francis Nganou.

The subwoofer Is quite slim, perfect for slotting down the side of your sofa. It's also got a fabric mesh across the front. It's got a side-firing, a large 16cm woofer & it's ported at the back. Just a simple power lead is needed for this. And it auto-pairs when you boot up the Soundbar.

The onboard controls are located across the top with a nice durable rubber protecting them, and there's a series of LED indicator lights across the front for the different modes & these can be dimmed if you find them distracting.

Now check this out. Did you know that Yamaha has been in the audio game industry since the 18th century? 1880, to be more precise; back then, they manufactured Reed organs. 

Since then, they have become well known for their excellent motorbikes, but music is at the heart of Yamaha. But this is what I want to show you; check out the logo. It has evolved over the years, but did you know that the logo is based on 3 tuning forks…a nod to Yamaha's 140 years of audio heritage.

Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked. And I'm getting hungry. I'll make some toast. But don't go anywhere. I still have to show a killer feature here.

So, when it comes to controlling the Soundbar. Yamaha does throw in this nice compact remote. Which gives you all the controls you'll need. Including the 4 different Sounds modes. But there is also an app… which is where I got a little bit stuck. And I'll show you why in a minute.

The Yamaha Soundbar controller App brings Alexa into play, so you can use the Soundbar as a smart speaker. It'll also allow you to play music to the Soundbar over your local area network, aka your WiFi, which is my preferred method as you'll get better sound that way. Airplay 2 is also supported. 

The control features on the remote are also here in the app, with the ability to adjust between the 4 audio modes, sound levels on the bar, the subs, and the very interesting surrounds if you decide to get them.

And if you have no interest in connecting it to the internet, you can use the Bar True X 50A as usual with your TV, and also for music streaming via its BT 5.0. However, it's important to know that sometimes software updates can improve a system's performance. And here is where I ran into a little issue.

Troubleshooting The WiFi Connectivity

So I recently upgraded my modem to WiFi 6E because it's faster & the Yamaha True X doesn't like WiFi 6E.  So, I couldn't do the update via my phone. There are a couple of ways around this if you run into a problem like this. The hard way is I could go into your router's settings and temporarily change the signal to 2.4 GHz… but honestly, that sounds like a lot of work.

The simplest solution was to get the latest Soundbar update and connect it to your WiFi easily. For the first time, I took the Soundbar to the modem. Cable it in with an ethernet cable temporarily while the update is completed & job done. It can now connect over WiFi and update over WiFi in the future.

OK, so now is the moment of truth. Let me show you the before and after fitting the the Yamaha Bar True X Soundbar.

First Impressions After Sound Test

OK, so my first impression of the sound quality here, compared to the much more expensive setup that I usually use, is that it's pretty damn close. 

And compared to the slim TV speakers, it's realistically & actually next level. The upwards firing channels & the powerful subwoofer make such a big difference. It's like being encapsulated by a bubble of sound all around you and even overhead.

And I played a few hours of Call of Duty, and it performs well here. The game preset boosts higher frequencies, so I can hear footsteps and ambient sound effects better, but for everything else, movie mode is my favourite. I did turn the bass down a couple of notches to avoid annoying the neighbours.

REAR SPEAKERS - True X 1A

But here is where this Soundbar levels up and it's with the killer feature I've been hinting at. It has optional rear speakers. They're called the True X 1A priced at around £150 each. These are entirely wireless battery-operated speakers; they charge and can be wired in more permanently with USB C. 

They pair to the sound bar very quickly. Just a push and hold to put them into surround pairing mode, push and hold the setup button on the remote, then another push and hold to switch to the left or right channel, and that's it. Now you've got a true Atmos surround sound setup with minimal wires. 

But these compact 10cm speakers are unique because they are not just rear channel speakers that are also portable Bluetooth speakers. And do you realise what this means? It means you can use them in any room and even out of the house whenever you want & this is something I wish more sound bars surround speakers could do. This is a game-changer!

So here's the reality. If you fear the setup process of a surround sound, and yoy dont want cables everywhere so you only ever use built-in TV speakers.

Well, that's like having a toaster that only toasts on one side and adding the Yamaha BAR 50A to your setup is like having the perfect toaster that delivers evenly golden toast on both sides every single time. And if you add the True X 1A rear channel speakers, well, that's like a toaster that can add melted cheese… OK, now, I'm starving, and now you should know the importance of getting a tasty audio system for your TV 

So, the total price point here at the time of this soundbar if you include the rear channels is around £1100, which sounds like a lot, but think about how much you spent on your TV, is it more or less than that. And think about how the movie theatres do it. And if you do decide to buy the Yamaha Bar True X 50A (there will be an affiliate link below.)

Imagine how much more you'll enjoy binge watching your favourite series, gaming and watching movies at home?... excluding the Marvels and Madam Webb. There's no saving those movies. Well, let me tell you. you'll enjoy them a lot  more with a sound solution like this one from Yamaha.

So now you know the importance of good audio, and what makes this one special. But do you know how to choose a good TV?