Yamaha MusicCast Bar 40 SW
Home Cinema Choice|June 2022
With its music streaming skills and full-bodied performance, this soundbar system doesn't need to rely on DTS Virtual: X to impress Mark Craven
Mark Craven
Yamaha MusicCast Bar 40 SW

AV INFO

PRODUCT: Soundbar/subwoofer combi with DTS Virtual:X and multiroom

POSITION: Mid-range in Yamaha's lineup

PEERS: Samsung HW-Q700A; Sonos ARC

AVAILABLE FOR £550, Yamaha's MusicCast Bar 40 SW clearly wants to outdo the budget soundbar competition despite not featuring Dolby Atmos upfiring drivers (or, indeed, virtual Atmos playback). Its driver configuration is old-school stereo.

While leaving a specification box unticked, this needn't be a problem. Experience suggests that a well-engineered two-channel soundbar can leave a poorly-engineered multichannel soundbar in its wake. Plus this system does include DTS Virtual:X surround processing, which aims to expand its sound field into immersive territory.

The soundbar tucks its front-facing drivers into an elegantly designed, low-profile chassis that measures a little short of a metre wide. Each channel array gets a pair of bass/mid units and a single tweeter. There's no central channel for dialogue handling.

Yamaha's subwoofer houses an 8-in driver (bigger than you'll often find in a soundbar package) in a smart-looking enclosure with fabric grille and gloss black sides.

Esta historia es de la edición June 2022 de Home Cinema Choice.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición June 2022 de Home Cinema Choice.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE HOME CINEMA CHOICEVer todo
AV Avenger
Home Cinema Choice

AV Avenger

You should think twice before accepting an invitation to play Resident Evil 4 with spatial audio in a haunted prison, warns Steve May

time-read
2 minutos  |
May 2023
Catalogue classic Star Wars: Ep. VI - Return of the Jedi → Ultra HD Blu-ray, Disney
Home Cinema Choice

Catalogue classic Star Wars: Ep. VI - Return of the Jedi → Ultra HD Blu-ray, Disney

Forty years on from the movie's cinema release, Anton van Beek ponders what might have been if things had gone a little diff erently during the making of Return of the Jedi…

time-read
4 minutos  |
May 2023
Feedback
Home Cinema Choice

Feedback

Got an axe to grind? Need to comment on current tech? Want to share your knowledge with our readers? Team HCC is here to help

time-read
4 minutos  |
May 2023
M&K Sound V12
Home Cinema Choice

M&K Sound V12

TIME ON TEST: Three years REVIEWER: Steve Withers

time-read
4 minutos  |
May 2023
Sony 'bar demands to be upgraded
Home Cinema Choice

Sony 'bar demands to be upgraded

This well-specified Dolby Atmos soundbar may have a mid-range price tag, but you'll soon want to spend more, cautions Steve May

time-read
4 minutos  |
May 2023
Short and sweet
Home Cinema Choice

Short and sweet

Marantz's compact AV receiver returns with a new look and boosted features – Jamie Biesemans slips it into his AV rig

time-read
5 minutos  |
May 2023
Discreet delivery
Home Cinema Choice

Discreet delivery

A slim, stylish Scandinavian on-wall system impresses Mark Craven with its handling of the sweet stuff

time-read
5 minutos  |
May 2023
One project, two rooms
Home Cinema Choice

One project, two rooms

Dan Sait reports on a custom install where a JVC PJ/ Atmos system is joined by a stylish media den

time-read
2 minutos  |
May 2023
THE KING OF B RDA HOLLYWOOD
Home Cinema Choice

THE KING OF B RDA HOLLYWOOD

Three of his movies have taken over $2billon at the global box office, he's pioneered SFX and 3D technologies, and he's been to the very bottom of the Pacific Ocean. That's James Cameron by the way, not Anton van Beek

time-read
10+ minutos  |
May 2023
System selector!
Home Cinema Choice

System selector!

Given three similar budgets, Mark Craven, Steve May and John Archer assemble three different AV setups focused on movies, streaming and gaming

time-read
8 minutos  |
May 2023