Product Listing

Yamaha YHT-S401 Sound Bar - A Cut Above the Rest

By Hurrairah bin Sohail - 20 Apr 2012
Launch SRP: S$999

Final Thoughts

Miles Ahead

To give a final verdict on the Yamaha YHT-S401 we have to take into consideration the design and features, performance, value and comparison with similarly positioned products in the market.

The Yamaha YHT-S401 blows the competition out of the water no matter which way you look at it.

Having gone over the unit in our labs with a fine toothed comb, we can state with certainty that this is one of the better provisioned sound bars on the market. Sure, Yamaha did not include a Blu-ray player as part of the package, but the decision is based on the placement of the product. As a mid-level sound bar, it is reasonable to assume that the customer already owns a Blu-ray player. If they do not, the lower price offered by Yamaha due to the omission of the player gives the customer the choice to pick up their preferred models.

We always believe it is better to have more ports than less. Yamaha seem to hold the same philosophy as well seeing that the YHT-S401 has four HDMI ports, along with more traditional options. This means you can pair your sound bar with a variety of devices. At the same time, Yamaha thoughtfully supported more dedicated audio channels for hooking up rear surround speakers to allow for future expansion of your home audio setup. This feature would also appeal to audio enthusiasts who always have an eye on their future acquisitions. Features such as Music Enhancer and Air Surround Xtreme are also provided to better its default audio playback capabilities. While we found the former to actually improve performance, the latter turned out to be marketing spiel.

Regardless of Yamaha’s claims, we can provide you an objective opinion on the YHT-S401’s performance. The sound bar handled our test tracks close to as flawlessly possible for its class of products, which is reflected in its scoresheet. Music was handled with aplomb. The sound bar did have slightly under powered bass which can be rectified easily by bumping up the woofer EQ setting to +1. Movie audio tracks were also spectacularly rendered. The soundstage might not be up to the level of a 7.1-channel system, but was wide and expansive enough to be extremely good. Our only gripe was the lack of that cinema feel.

Yamaha YHT-S401 - Summary of Audio Performance Results
Test Type Score
Blu-ray Testing (movie effects) 9.0
Blu-ray Testing (music and soundtrack) 9.5
MP3 Audio Tracks Testing 9.5
Overall Audio Performance  9.5

When compared with its competitors, the Yamaha YHT-S401 seems to be a cut above the rest. Its performance is easily the best. While the Pioneer HTZ-HW919BD one-up it with its wireless capabilities, the Yamaha sound bar does have an extra HDMI port and audio performance scalability (by adding additional speakers) in its corner. It seems that this device has almost every single angle covered.

The Yamaha YHT-S401 is retailing for S$999 which makes it S$150 less than the other contenders mentioned. This price difference compensates for the lack of a Blu-ray player and leaves you free to pick the model of your choice, as previously mentioned. In our opinion, this Yamaha sound bar is a brilliant choice for anyone looking to boost the audio performance significantly over what a TV can dish out and yet occupy only a small footprint to have your very own home theater. Besides offering performance on par with excellence, it also leaves you the option of adding in additional dedicated rear speakers later on for true surround effects. Prudent buyers will do well to give this device a try first and foremost when looking to upgrade their TV's audio subsystem or even old low-cost home theater in a box systems.

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9.0
  • Design 8
  • Performance 9.5
  • Features 8.5
  • Value 9
The Good
Excellent performance - neutral/natural tone
4 HDMI ports provided
Option to add extra surround speakers
The Bad
No wireless capabilities
Receiver unit is heavy and a bit bulky
Lacks cinema feel when playing movies
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