Yamaha True X Bar 50A review: An outstanding value

Best Prices Today: Yamaha True X Bar 50A

Yamaha makes a triumphant return to the home theater space with the True X Bar 50A soundbar and subwoofer, a system designed to balance ease of use with an immersive viewing experience and excellent music reproduction. It’s an effective all-in-one setup for viewers who want great sound with a minimum of hassle.

Some home theater gear is designed to excite the enthusiast, loaded with features that tick the boxes on an audiophile’s checklist. Yamaha isn’t interested in impressing those customers, so if you’re looking for a setup with all the bells and whistles, you might want to move on.

Everyone else will appreciate the polish that Yamaha brings to the entire experience with the True X Bar 50a. The unit, especially when used with an optional pair of True X Speaker 1A wireless speakers (which Yamaha also supplied for review), delivers a superior movie watching experience. Music fans will appreciate its integration with popular streaming services and the ability to use each True X Speaker 1A ($149.95 apiece) as a portable Bluetooth wireless speaker.

It’s important to remember the differences between surround sound and Dolby Atmos. Home theater systems in this price range don’t really attempt to deliver the full “dome of sound” effect that a high-end Atmos system can provide, and the True X Bar 50A gives a taste without generating the full experience. 

Less than complete Atmos imaging does not mean that listeners won’t get outstanding surround sound from the Yamaha True X Bar 50A when it’s used with a pair of True X Speaker 1A wireless speakers. With that in mind, Yamaha has designed a system that’s an outstanding value.

Design & build

• 2.1.2 channels
• With a pair of True X1 speakers: 4.1.2
• Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital
• HDMI eARC interface

The Yamaha True X Bar 50A measures 40 x 2.5 x 4.4 inches (WxHxD) and weighs just 8.5 pounds. The included subwoofer measures 7.4 x 16.1 x 16 inches (WxHxD) and weighs 20.7 pounds, all of which makes for a relatively compact soundbar system.

Yamaha has checked a lot of boxes with the Yamaha True X Bar 50A.

Yamaha includes power cords for the soundbar and subwoofer, a digital optical cable, and a Quick Start guide, plus two spacers and a paper mounting template if you’re planning to hang the soundbar on a wall.

The True X Bar 50A is a 2.1.2-channel system, which includes two left/right front racetrack speakers, each with a 1.75 × 2.6-inch cone, 2 left/right upfiring height speakers with 2-inch cones, and a pair of built-in subwoofers with 3-inch cones. Each of the six speakers is 30W. The standalone subwoofer has a 6.25-inch cone and puts out 100W.

Subwoofer aficionados will notice that there’s no center channel speaker in this setup. Yamaha’s signal processing does an excellent job of keeping dialog in the center of the sound field, especially when the Clear Voice function is engaged.

This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best soundbars.

The soundbar has one HDMI eARC port, an additional HDMI input (good for connecting a video source directly to the unit), and one digital optical input, along with an ethernet port. The unit supports Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, and Dolby Digital.

Wireless connectivity

• Apple AirPlay 2
• Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect
• Bluetooth 5.0

The True X Bar 50A works with both Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect, so users of each service can control playback directly from within the respective apps on a tablet or smartphone. Apple device users can stream to the soundbar via Apple AirPlay 2. Android users can send music to the True X Bar 50A via a Bluetooth connection.

Yamaha has included full built-in Alexa support, so users can use the soundbar’s built-in microphone to manage playback, set alarms and timers, and control other smart home devices that are compatible with the Amazon voice assistant.

Remote and app

• Voice- and bass-boosting modes
• Yamaha app (with limited functionality)
• Separate volume adjustments for main soundbar unit, subwoofer, and surrounds

Yamaha has included a well-designed remote that allows a user to switch between inputs, choose from the four audio modes (stereo, standard, movie, or game), mute, and independently control the volume for the soundbar, subwoofer and each surround speaker. 

There’s a Clear Voice option to compress and boost dialog and a Bass Extension button to augment the low end. Alexa users can summon the voice assistant via an Action button on the top row of the remote.

There’s an app for iOS and Android, but it just offers input selection and a shortcut to the Tidal and Spotify apps if you’re using their Connect functions. You can skip the download and not really miss anything. I’ll take this as points in favor of this system’s ease of use rather than complain about an app that doesn’t do much. 

True X Speaker 1A wireless speakers

• Double as portable Bluetooth speakers
• Compact design
• Waterproof

Yamaha has made it easy to create an immersive surround experience with a pair of its optional True X Speaker X1A wireless speakers, each of which can double as a high-quality portable Bluetooth speaker.

It might be more accurate to describe them as Bluetooth speakers that can double as surround for the True X Bar 50A. The speakers are tiny, measuring 7.3 x 2.7 x 2.5 inches (HxWxD) and weighing just 1.3 pounds. A full charge takes 3 hours and delivers 12 hours of battery life.

Each X1A speaker has a single 2.1-inch full-range driver and two passive radiators. The speakers have an IP67 rating, which means they’re dustproof and waterproof for brief periods in up to a meter of water. A full charge takes 3 hours to give 12 hours of portable playback. They connect via Bluetooth 5.0 and support the SBC and AAC codecs.

The True X Speaker 1A is a remarkably good Bluetooth speaker. There’s plenty of bass and lots of detail at higher volumes, with zero distortion at any reasonable volume for a speaker this size. The only downside is that two speakers can’t work as a stereo pair, an option that would make the 1A a truly compelling backup system.  

The speakers can charge via USB-C, but Yamaha offers the $24.95 CC-T1A charging cradle to make a speaker more portable if you’re using it as surround with the True X Bar 50A. Just pick up the speaker and push the button that switches from Surround to Solo mode. 

If you’re not planning to use the X1A as a portable speaker, you might want to skip the charging cradles and leave them plugged into the wall with your own USB-C charger. If you’re only using one X1A as a Bluetooth speaker, you’ll only need one charging cradle and can save $24.95 by skipping a second.

The X1A speakers paired easily with the True X Bar 50A, and they usually powered down when I turned off the soundbar. I went away for a few days during my testing, and the rear speakers weren’t putting out audio when I returned, but that issue was fixed by simply powering off each X1A and turning it back on. 

The surround experience is superlative, especially when you factor in how small and easy to set up these speakers are. If you’re willing to run them on battery power after charging them on a tabletop, you can place each speaker anywhere behind you without worrying about wires.

Audio performance

• Excellent surround sound
• Reduced Atmos effects with True X Speaker X1A units connected

I tested the True X Bar 50A and True X Speaker 1A by streaming the Apple TV version of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which features an excellent Dolby Atmos mix. The movie maintains the series’ commitment to non-stop action and there were plenty of sounds flying around during the movie’s chase scenes.

Dolby has been remarkably broadminded when it hands out the Atmos label, and the manufacturer-approved experiences can vary widely. For me, an optimal Atmos experience creates a bubble of sound that makes it seem like sound is coming from a dozen or more discrete points around the room. It’s usually the upfiring speakers (which bounce height cues off the ceiling) that generate the “in a bubble” sensation.

The Yamaha True X Bar 50A has a pair of upfiring speakers, but the True X1A surround speakers do not. I found that the Atmos effect was stronger when I used the soundbar without the surround speakers, yet I preferred the overall experience with the X1A speakers connected to the system.

If I lowered the default volume on the surrounds, some of the Atmos effect returned but I felt like I was missing out on some of the rear audio effects. In the end, I preferred the rear surrounds at full volume even though it reduced the Atmos effects in my living room.

Put me in the camp that believes a true Dolby Atmos experience needs a full array of upfiring speakers to complete the spatial audio experience. Even without the rear speakers turned on, the Yamaha True X Bar 50A has only two upfiring speakers, which apparently is enough to get the Dolby Atmos seal of approval.

That doesn’t mean you’ll get an inferior experience with the Yamaha True X Bar 50A soundbar and subwoofer when it’s paired with the True X1A surround speakers. The audio performance and surround effects are outstanding, even if they’re not exactly the full Atmos experience.

Price and availability

The Yamaha True X Bar 50A costs $699.95, and it’s available from Amazon as well as the Yamaha website.

If you want to add a pair of True X Speaker 1A units, they’ll set you back a cool $149.95 each, and they’re also on sale through Amazon and Yamaha.

Amazon also sells the True X Bar 50A and two True X Speaker 1As in a bundle for $999.85, although that doesn’t get you anything in the way of savings.

Should you buy the Yamaha True X Bar 50A?

Yamaha has checked a lot of boxes with the Yamaha True X Bar 50A. The low profile means it won’t block your television screen if you’re putting them both on a tabletop. The pairing with the subwoofer and rear speakers is incredibly simple. The audio is excellent and it’s easy to use the soundbar for stereo music playback. There’s zero hassle if you want to use a surround as a portable Bluetooth speaker, an accomplishment that shouldn’t be taken for granted.

There are users who prefer their audio setup to be more complicated and full of optional tweaks. This Yamaha system wasn’t designed for you. If you’re looking for better quality audio without the hassles that can come with high-end gear, you’ll appreciate the Yamaha True X Bar 50A and its excellent surround experience.

Correction, October 29, 2023: This review reported that the Yamaha True X Bar 50A supported DTS:X. It does not. We regret the error.

Best Prices Today: Yamaha True X Bar 50A