YAMAHA MUSICCAST BAR 400

Yamaha was one of the earliest and most successful players in the soundbar market, a category which has exploded over the last decade, with a myriad new models and brands trying their hand. One particular area of success has been with soundbars which link into a wireless multiroom ecosystem, such as, in Yamaha’s case, MusicCast. MusicCast brings streaming music and multiroom operation to any number of Yamaha products, including a number of its soundbars. But this Bar 400 adds an additional development, called ‘MusicCast Surround’, using other wireless speakers such as the pair pictured in the image above. Let’s hear how it all comes together.

EQUIPMENT

What a bemusing collection of logos adorn the modern soundbar! So many technologies. But let’s deal with the physicalities first. Yamaha’s Bar 400 comprises the main soundbar to sit in front of or below your TV, together with a wireless subwoofer to place wherever is convenient. The main bar is 98cm wide, but the more important dimension is its height, just 6cm, low enough to avoid covering either the screen or the infrared receiver