Yamaha YAS-101 Sound Bar

The bass is punchy. The remote has Input Select, Surround and Stereo mode toggles, as well as Volume controls.

The Yamaha provides Excellent Quality Sound Bars. One of the great technology created by them. Stunning and cool design. The high quality of the bass and sound system. It's far better than other expensive speakers. Go for this option that's budget friendly.

great looking soundbar,could obviously never be described as surround sound but sounds very good with volume turned up a bit and sub-woofer on,definately ten times better that tv speakers,best when playing music from dvd or the like.item comes with x1 optical cable but you will need another one if you are conecting to dvd player or the like.black finish attracts static dust like nothing else on earth(wife loves it!)would recommend to anyone who doesn't want speaker wire everywhere, and who does eh? i use it a samsung 46" tv and it looks just right sitting in front of it,can be programmed to operate tv on/off and volume if need be,i havent found it necessary.

I was blown away when I first heard this soundbar. It's an all in one unit in fetching piano black that sits in front of a 40" or bigger TV, on a shelf underneath or on the wall with (supplied) rubber mounts.

Yamaha have always been top notch in terms of audio equipment in my book. Their sound bars and surround systems are typically very expensive - not in this case though. I tested several other units from rivals before I bought this soundbar and none of them, even if 50% more expensive, came close to clarity and bass of this unit.

Yamaha have also added a few neat features such as a subwoofer out (trust me, in a medium sized room you don't need it!), Yamaha's own interconnect system and a pass-through for TV IR control.

Good:

1. Outstanding clarity of sound for such an affordable unit.

2. Home cinema without wires, separate amp, extra speakers or a $2,000 outlay.

3. Attractive piano black casing.

4. Simple to set up and operate.

5. Extra features such as IR passthrough and sub connector.

6. Beefy bass and plenty loud for a medium sized room!

Bad:

1. Two coaxial and one optical digital inputs only - no analogue, so you can't plug an iPod or other audio gear in to it.

2. It isn't REAL surround sound, though it does try hard, so you'll want to upgrade if you're an enthusiast.

3. No way to upgrade by adding extra speakers, apart from a sub, which you really don't need anyway, and a good one will cost as much as the soundbar itself.

Overall I really like this bar. I am amazed by the quality of sound from simply listening to a CD. You can hear the clothes of musicians rustle, hear them drop guitar picks and drag drumsticks across each other. Top quality! I would really recommend one of these units for a smaller room or for those on a budget. It's not perfect and I will want to upgrade in future, but I'll certainly be looking at Yamaha kit when I do based on this unit.