Yamaha MusicCast BAR 400 200W 3.1-Channel Soundbar System

2021-10-26T07:08:19

This sound bar has good sound and offers flexibility in selecting inputs, There are a few things that make this 4 stars and not 5 stars. The light indicators showing the inputs and the currently selected sound field are located on the top of the sound bar making them impossible to see seated in front of the unit as little as 8 feet away. Thus your remote is made somewhat useless if you have to get up and look at the top of the bar to see what is in effect or what input is selected. The connectors in the back are located in a notch to allow for wall mounting but makes it difficult to make the physical connections in the real world. As my Aquos TV is an older model I used the optical toslink connector to connect to the bar and it has been working well. I installed the Music Cast App and selected "no" to sharing my streaming data, as far as I can tell but for the streaming function, the remote will handle all the functions of the app. I am looking to add wireless rear speakers when they become available again. The app may be necessary to set the rear speaker levels. Connection of the sub-woofer is through my wi-fi and presented no problems, just plugged the power in after connecting the bar to the router. The bluetooth was a little tricky to connect as the time you hold the bluetooth button down on the remote to connect is critical to make the connection. I found this out by accident. My advice is have a source outputting sound through the bar and push (don't hold) the remote's bluetooth button to pair the device. When the sound goes off you are in bluetooth mode (remember you can't see the indicator). Given all this I would buy it again, but would hope Yamaha can make improvements in these areas.

Roger C.

2021-02-05T07:07:54

Nice Sound with great quality. App for communication is not so good. Took hours to communicate all speakers and make it to a surround system.

SAKTHIDASAN S.

2021-02-05T07:07:09

Nice Sound with great quality. Giving 4 stars since their app for communication is not so good. Took hours to communicate all speakers and make it to a surround system.

SAKTHIDASAN S.

2019-12-26T15:08:17

Thumbs up!

KELI E.

2019-12-22T19:00:00

Great product so far. But the installation is cryptic. HDMI out is also the TV in. But HDMI in is not the TV in. And HDMI always acts as out and in. But it only works if you put the TV in into the HDMI out on the sound bar.

Will

Originally posted at

2018-11-26T19:00:00

I'd give it a 4.9 out of 5. This setup is sleek, feels quality, heavy base speaker for the size, elegant, sound bar feels well made, simple setup with just a little tech knowledge (like anything else these days). After downloading the app it indicated a new firmware was available.......I like that.....means there's a better chance of compatibility in the future with the ever changing digital age. It connected to my WiFi through the app quickly. My iPhone, iPad and TV found the setup without any issues, very easy, like any other Bluetooth device. I like that the front sound bar grill IS NOT made of felt or other fabric so it doesn't collect dust or is hard to clean, cats won't mess with it! The only small grip I have is the indicator lights are minimalist and on top so looking from the front of the sound bar there's no indication that it's on or what it's connected to. I guess depending if you hate lights distracting you while watching TV this could be great but how my setup is positioned it's a guess at the status of the sound bar while it's just sitting there. All in all, I LOVE IT!

Paulo

Originally posted at

2018-10-29T20:00:00

I purchased the RX-V685, MusicCast 400 soundbar and 2 WX-021 speakers. The three devices will not stay connected and require setup everytime you disconnect power. Publications on these devices is poor and almost non existent. Product tech support was comical, website os hard to navigate through and has no troubleshooting guide.

Will

Originally posted at