Yamaha’s Highest-Finish Soundbar System Has Bluetooth Audio system as Surrounds

One other baffling omission, particularly on a high-end system with encompass audio system that may be positioned nearly wherever: There’s no room correction.

Restricted Streaming

Yamaha MusicCast through Simon Cohen

Yamaha MusicCast through Simon Cohen

Music streaming is a blended bag, largely due to Yamaha’s restricted choices. The True X Encompass 90A helps Apple AirPlay, Tidal Join, and Spotify Join, but it surely doesn’t work with Google Solid or Alexa Solid. It really works with DLNA servers, however in contrast to another Yamaha merchandise, there’s no Roon assist.

I discovered that the MusicCast app’s native assist for streaming providers proved to be essentially the most dependable high-quality possibility, although sadly, it’s a really restricted set: Amazon Music, Qobuz, Deezer, SiriusXM, and Pandora. Bluetooth can also be an possibility, however with solely SBC and AAC codecs, it’s finest for informal listening.

Nonetheless, listening to lossless, hi-res FLAC tracks from Amazon Music and Qobuz was exhilarating, particularly when utilizing the All listening mode.

Backside line? Yamaha’s True X Encompass 90A can enthrall you with its readability and precision. It provides breathtaking realism to motion pictures and reveals, usually revealing particulars that lesser soundbars obscure. A lot of that efficiency interprets to music, too, so long as you don’t thoughts its streaming service limitations. The totally wi-fi surrounds present wonderful immersion and plenty of flexibility, each by way of placement and use as a secondary sound system.

However Yamaha fees a hefty value for the True X Encompass 90A, and with an enormous funding comes huge expectations. The dearth of inputs, the dearth of management over the middle channel stage, and the absence of room correction are severe omissions. Apple Music subscribers who need to get the highest-quality audio must also be aware the absence of any method to get a lossless or Dolby Atmos sign to the soundbar, with out the usage of an middleman gadget like an Apple TV 4K. That’s plenty of compromises.

This makes it exhausting to provide the True X Encompass 90A an unqualified suggestion. However in case you worth its strengths and don’t thoughts its weaknesses, Yamaha’s flagship is an efficient, if dear, sound addition to any TV setup.