ZDNET's key takeaways The Yamaha True X Bar 50A is available now at a discount, with surround speakers sold separately (and individually).
The sound produced by these speakers is rich, deep, well-blended, and spacious.
I just wish the setup process was more seamless and simple. $499.95 at Amazon $499.95 at B&H Photo-Video $499.95 at Crutchfield more buying choices
For months, I was one hundred percent certain the JBL Bar 1000 soundbar couldn't be beat. It offers incredible clarity of sound, rich bass, and brilliant surround via two wireless speakers.
So when I started testing the Yamaha True X Bar 50A, which sells for roughly half the price, I assumed it wouldn't be able to stand up to the sound the JBL delivered. But even though my audiophile ears could easily tell the difference between the two (with the JBL coming out on top), for the money, the Yamaha True X Bar 50A is hard to beat.
Also: I swapped my favorite JBL speaker for this new Bose, and it'll be hard to give it up
I also tested the soundbar with its companion True X Speaker 1A, which is sold separately and runs for $150 each. If you want surround (which you should), now you're talking about $850 for the whole kit. Another thing to keep in mind is that I only reviewed this connected to my television and didn't opt to test how music might sound via this speaker. For me, a soundbar serves a single purpose… to replace built-in TV speakers that rarely offer sound of much quality.
With that in mind, let's dive into the review.
My experience
The first thing to note about this soundbar is that the setup can be a bit finicky. It took me several attempts to connect the subwoofer and surround speakers. The issue with the surround speakers turned out to be a low battery -- they needed to be fully charged via USB-C before they would connect. Even then, the setup process is somewhat confusing, requiring you to download a manual on your phone using a QR code for guidance.
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