MADHU S. DANDEY Say: Yamaha YHT-S400BL Home Theater System
Yamaha's answer to Bose., 2010-02-24
This review is for: Yamaha YHT-S400BL Home Theater System
I was looking for a Home Theater in a box solution that is minimalist in appearance, without compromising on sound quality or available features. I tried the Bose 3-2-1 system and Cinemate speakers prior to this. I ended up returning both the products. For about $500 less, Yamaha delivers amazing sound quality in a very small footprint ! I highly recommend this product for apartment dwellers or someone who appreciates minimalism.

PROS:
- 3 HDMI Inputs + 1 Analog
- Solid Build Quality + Yamaha reputation
- One-of-a-kind receiver that has a built-in subwoofer
- Great price & fast shipping on amazon.com

CONS:
-The speaker bar sometimes blocks the infrared port on the TV, thereby making it difficult to use the TV remote.
(This is really not a con, as you can dismount the legs to lower the height or position the speaker appropriately)

J. Bewley Say: Yamaha YHT-S400BL Home Theater System
Great system, very small, attractive, and simple, 2010-06-04
This review is for: Yamaha YHT-S400BL Home Theater System
After waiting several weeks to receive this, I am very happy with it. First and foremost, the "bar" itself is very small...so much so, that when I took it out of the box I was convinced is was not going to have enough sound...luckily, this is NOT THE CASE.

In my 20x25 living room, the unit is plenty loud enough for TV, movies, and music....I'm very pleased with the sound as a stereo with the live stream Pandora function on my Samsung BD-C5500 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player. The sub works well, and the "surround effect" does exactly as it claims.

So, the Soundbar is currently hooked up to my Samsung UN55C6300 55-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV (Black)
via optical cable.....just go into settings and change to "external speaker" and thats about it get all your cable, any hdmi hookups, etc to run out of the bar.......Long and short, setup is very easy and took me about 15 minutes....more time hiding cables than anything else.

If you are looking for a very easy, minimalistic. (ie, no speaker cables, etc) this is, in my opinion, the best option within the $500 range of soundbars.

Cool to note, the above noted samsung blue ray is small enough to slide underneath the soundbar with just a couple of centimeters clearance (when the legs are on the bar....) very cool look. I'll try to attach a photo that shows this....
Also, the unit looks really easy to wall mount, due to its suprisingly small size and the fact that the box comes with a cardboard template you just hold up against the whole to lineup your drill holes....looks really easy

Mort Say: Yamaha YHT-S400BL Home Theater System
Perfect for our bedroom, 2011-04-13
This review is for: Yamaha YHT-S400BL Home Theater System
After a lot of research I chose this sound bar and am very glad I did. The sound is superb for our "bedroom theater" and it makes a huge difference to our viewing experience. It's not in the same league as our living room's sound system of course (nearly $2k), but we didn't expect that.

One thing that is VERY important to us is the clarity of speaking voices (i.e. center channel). Our boomer-generation ears are not what they used to be. This unit has the clearest voice channel we've ever heard on ANY system. This is a huge plus to us, and it enables us to keep the volume at comfortable levels while still hearing the voices clearly.

The system has plenty of volume -- way more than we would ever need in our bedroom. The subwoofer is more than adequate, especially for a bedroom. Most other sound bar systems require you to put the receiver/subwoofer on the floor, which can make it difficult to see the display and operate with a remote. I like having it where I can see it (the display is dimmable, by the way).

As other reviewers have noted, it doesn't emulate true surround sound, but it is a nice compromise in my opinion.

The looks of the system are fantastic. The bar is very sleek, and the subwoofer/receiver looks very cool in our furniture. (We have a dresser that has two audio compartments along the top shelf, and a 50-inch plasma).

Before buying it, I had to convince my wife that it would make a real difference to our viewing experience, and she kind of rolled her eyes. Finally she agreed to let me buy it as an early birthday present for myself. Well, guess what! She likes it even more than I do. She feels that it totally changes our bedroom, not only for TV viewing but also music (cable digital music channels). The great music sound actually leads to us watching somewhat less TV and listening to more music. Not a bad thing!

If you're looking for a high-end system for your living room, this one won't blow you away, and you probably shouldn't be considering a sound bar anyway. But for a bedroom or secondary TV watching area or a modest living room set up, it's a great way to go.

Amy Bonner Say: Yamaha YHT-S400BL Home Theater System
Solid Choice, 2011-11-22
This review is for: Yamaha YHT-S400BL Home Theater System
I did a lot of research and would not consider myself a very technical listener. Having said that I do like my music and movies loud and clear. I also needed a low profile option as hanging speakers was not an option. This soundbar is the best of the bunch. I do agree that if you are looking for true surround sound go with the true surround sound 5.1s. This is not for you. But if you are looking for filling an average size room with quality sound,I would recommend this product. I also like the docking station feature. It's too bad it wasn't included. Also, if you are handy and need to mount it under a shelf (below the TV )like I did, buy some "L" brackets from the hardware store and modify them as needed. Saves the $60.00 that I saw advertised.

Quadruple Say: Yamaha YHT-S400BL Home Theater System
Does a great job as a soundbar!, 2011-12-30
This review is for: Yamaha YHT-S400BL Home Theater System
I've had this soundbar for almost a month now and wanted to spend a good amount of time listening to it before I wrote up a review.For the price this is an awesome soundbar. The setup was easy and quick; for some reason I expected the subwoofer to be wireless too, but no biggie. The soundbar itself is a-lot smaller than I had initially expected, I knew it was thin but I didn't expect it to be that thin. The sound that came out of those small drivers was bigger than I expected too.The subwoofer + receiver is nice and convenient but don't plan on expanding your sound system with it.The subwoofer and soundbar are paired nicely, the bass is generally where it should be. I've had a Sony home-theater-in-a-box which had bass that was muddy and overwhelming, this was a pleasant change. The subwoofer level is adjustable too which is very convenient for movies.TV: Compared to tinny sounding TV speakers, this does an awesome job. There is a big spectrum of sound TV speakers just can't produce and this Yamaha setup does a good job of filling that in. The sound is good, voices can be a little nasal sounding but it's not super noticeable. The Uni-Volume feature is a big plus, it crunches some of the dynamic range but works as intended keeping the commercials at the same volume as the show you're watching.Movies: In terms of immersing you into the movie, this system does a good job. I use the Extended Stereo mode which the makes the sound more room filling (works well for tv too). However I don't use the Surround Sound mode, you need a small living room with walls relatively close to the soundbar for this to really work at all. I tried it but thanks to the walls being so far away the sound was scattered and not well imaged.Music: This was a little bit disappointing, I was expecting music to perform as well as TV or movies do but it just doesn't. I Listened to Elbow's album "The Seldom Seen Kid" and immediately noticed a lack of clarity and imagery in the sound. There needs to be more instrument separation and overall just more definition. I was expecting it to be a little bit better than it was. But this coming from someone who owns a pair of Sennheiser HD650s and has a pair of Swan M200MKIIIs for his computer audio setup, if you're not an audiophile you won't notice.Conclusion: For a quick and easy home theater setup, this does a pretty good job. There is nothing that it really doesn't do well, music is a little disappointing but it still does alright. However this system cannot defeat the laws of physics...even though the sound is room filling, you can still tell it's coming from tiny speakers. If you have a big living room, don't expect this soundbar to do that well, you need BIG SPEAKERS for BIG and FULL SOUND. A pair of floorstanders or bookshelf speakers will do much better, even if you have a small living room. For a soundbar though, this is a nice setup from Yamaha.

M. V. Camp "geek, hardware freak" Say: Yamaha YHT-S400BL Home Theater System
exactly what I was looking for, HDMI-CEC disappointing, 2010-01-20
This review is for: Yamaha YHT-S400BL Home Theater System
Just received from Amazon today... My primary requirements were a low profile, black unobtrusive sound bar to go in the 3 inches of space I have under my wall mounted Panasonic TCP-65S1. Other options from Samsung and other manufacturers that fit my space requirement had fewer features, only 2.1 channels, and reviews indicating sound quality not quite up to snuff. It is replacing a Yamaha YSP-800 that works fine but simply takes up too much space.

I understand there is some doubt out there about the sub combined with the receiver but so far it sounds fine.

In fact the whole setup sounds better than good... very crisp clean surround 7.1ch emulation, louder and better quality/separation than the 5ch YSP-800 it is replacing.

Time (and a bunch of Blu Ray movies) will tell, and I will update this review with further observations as I further evaluate the unit.

Very easy to install and setup, the setup menus are easy to use. I am not a huge picky audiophile so the minimal setup options are plenty for me... and if I were an audiophile I probably wouldn't be getting a soundbar.

I was curious to see how the HDMI-CEC would work with my VieraLink panny, and this was the one area I was disappointed... First off it loses the VieraLink "HD Theater sound control" setting when the TV turns off and back on. Secondly while the input button works to change inputs on the receiver, it doesn't change it to the right HDMI input to match the panny onscreen display. Not sure how much these are the panny's fault and how much the receiver.

On the plus side for controls, since my DVR control can turn the TV power off and on, using the HDMI inputs on the receiver instead of the TV does the trick... I control inputs and volume with the receiver control and am able to eliminate one control (the TV remote) from my coffee table. I know, I know, I should just get a universal/programmable remote but I haven't had good experiences with them, and two remotes is fine for me.

Since the HDMI-CEC wasn't a requirement for me and the HDMI input handling solves my needs, and everything else is great, I'll tip over the edge from four stars and make it five... since this is a subjective review and I am not rating it against higher end solutions, just $500 or lower sound bars.

Anyways, I hope this account helps anyone with similar needs considering this product.

UPDATE 2.11.2010
Still love it, happy with the sound quality but I really like the little remote... just enough buttons not too many, HDMI passthrough works well and let me ditch my TV remote. So the HDMI-CEC complaint is less now, the only reason I cared about that was to ditch a remote... mission accomplished.

Pratz Say: Yamaha YHT-S400BL Home Theater System
Replaces your TV speakers and adds some bass, nothing more., 2012-02-07
This review is for: Yamaha YHT-S400BL Home Theater System
This review may be premature as I've been using this product only for a week. However, some things immediately stood out:1. It does NOT produce surround sound and it's not meant to. So don't be fooled by the "Air surround extreme" kinda jargon. You will clearly hear sound coming out of the speaker bar and that's about it. Don't expect sound to bounce off the walls and come at you from the sides or from behind you. I am using an optical cable to connect the tv to the receiver. Not sure HDMI would make any difference.2. The receiver is simple and the built in subwoofer has solid bass performance. I had to bring the bass volumne down to 1 to keep it manageable. This is where you will FEEL it when watching a movie. It does an excellent job of amplifying low frequencies without distortion.3. Unit works with tha Harmony 700 remote.4. You will have to run setup and crank up the center speaker volume to be able to hear human voices, else they get subdued by the music. Out of the box, I could hardly hear actors speaking. Changing to the center column to a 5 or 6 (max) did the trick.I'm impressed by the sub, but let down by the bar speakers - they sound exactly like desktop speakers. It's a $300 system and sounds like one. If you are on a budget, I would recommend it. If not, keep looking.

CinemaFan Say: Yamaha YHT-S400BL Home Theater System
Yamaha 400 sound bar easy to use & has excellent sound, 2011-04-20
This review is for: Yamaha YHT-S400BL Home Theater System
SET UP took 15 minutes. I placed the 2 inch tall sound bar on my TV stand. I didn't attach the feet because it would be so tall it would block the power button of my 42 inch LG TV. I put the subwoofer on the floor, until I get a new TV stand with shelves. I twisted off the caps for 6 speaker wires that go into the sound bar and the other 6 wires that go into the subwoofer. I was used to speaker wires from setting up my old stereo. Only the subwoofer has an electrical plug, a plain one, not the blocky one.

All the inputs & display are on the subwoofer. I connected a HDMI cable from the Comcast DVR & another HDMI cable from the subwoofer into the TV to convey the picture, which passes thru the Yamaha unit. The Yamaha is receiving Dolby Digital from Comcast. I turned off the TV's speakers. If you wish more audio inputs than the one provided by Yamaha, search Amazon for "Tosklink audio selector"

I had my HP desktop PC connected with HDMI to my TV for streaming, but when connected to the Yamaha, my computer screen went blank. So, I kept the HDMI cable in my TV for picture, and connected a Toslink audio cable from the PC to the Yamaha. The Yamaha is receiving PCM sound from my PC (from the Internet) but not Dolby Digital.

The subwoofer is also an FM receiver. After I connected the little antenna cord, I was able to receive 10 or 11 radio stations.

USE couldn't be easier. I turn on the Yamaha unit. I turn on the TV. (edit: with the Yamaha, my Comcast HD DVR box resets from 1080i to 720p so rather than reset Comcast cable box, I put HDMI from cable box to TV & Toslink audio cable from cable box to Yamaha, so TV stays 1080i and when needed, I switch Yamaha's audio input to the computer's audio cable). And, then, like always, I change the channel or volume or access Comcast's On Demand or DVR. If I want to use it with the computer, then I press "TV" on the Yamaha remote (because the Yamaha's audio input is being used with the PC). If I want to listen to FM, I press the FM button. I couldn't get the Comcast remote to control the Yamaha, but the Yamaha's remote is wonderfully small and simple.

PERFORMANCE is great. Nobody should expect it to replicate the sound of huge & powerful individual speakers, or to hear surround sound, but it is a wonderful improvement from the TV's sound (which sometimes was very good but not always). From all sources (TV, FM or PC), sound from the Yamaha is always excellent! I've had it for more than 2 weeks now and not been disappointed. Testing from YouTube videos, the sound bar has separate Left, center, and right sound. The subwoofer's bass is very good. The Yamaha's FM radio is very good. From the PC, YouTube movie & TV soundtracks sound great thru the Yamaha. The Yamaha is enjoyable and fun to use. (edit: I see Yamaha has a 494 model, on Amazon & Yamaha's website at their home theater in a box gallery, with 2 rear speakers, but they must be wired as not wireless)

I highly recommend the Yamaha 400 sound bar.

Charles E. Smith "ChuckTheViking" Say: Yamaha YHT-S400BL Home Theater System
Finally!, 2011-02-05
This review is for: Yamaha YHT-S400BL Home Theater System
I put up rant style reviews for Vizio VHT 210 and VSB210SW. To tell you the truth I was spoiled by the Vizio products when they worked and the VHT 210 was half the price of this Yamaha unit.

I will tell you I spent many hours on the net and searching in town for a soundbar that I could trust. One store here in town had this unit so the wife and I went to hear it. I had bought a Boston Acoustic system five years ago there that sounded good in the store but turned out to be junk when I got it home so was skeptical about going through that again as the Yamaha sounded good in the store and we liked the styling of the unit.

Bought it through Amazon with three year extended. Works great so far and I actually like the fact that the sub is hardwired to the bar so no wireless problems.

Works very good but have only had it a week. If Vizios customer support had its stuff together it could of been one of their units sitting where this is.

This wont be for everyone but you do have Yamahas reputation behind it and that is most important to us now for all the trouble we went through in the past two months with Vizio soundbars.

This is a simple good sounding unit. Try to hear it first before buying it might just make you reconsider having 7 speakers with wires in the room.

UPDATE...........We havent had it for quite a month yet and still sounds quite good. Great for normal television watching and really powers the sound from DVD\Blu Ray. The bass grows on you as there is plenty of it. Default setting is 0, I first set it on +3 but have been dialing it back as time goes on. I trust this unit. Please Yamaha.........dont let me down!

UPDATE....4/10/2011. So far very good. For the price you cannot beat this unit. Dont even get any other soundbar for this price or under.

UPDATE....7/19/2011. Still working like a champ. I bought a "Y" adapter for the analog RCA ports to hook up my Phillips Songbird MP3 player and that part of this works well. I sometimes play this in lieu of my multi thousand dollar stereo, for one it is much simpler to get going. I listen to FM quite a bit on it also. That is one feature that separates this from other soundbar systems.

Stephen L. Caldwell Say: Yamaha YHT-S400BL Home Theater System
Great Product, Affordable Price, 2010-03-01
This review is for: Yamaha YHT-S400BL Home Theater System
I was entirely ready to purchase the Sony HT-CT500 from Amazon when I decided to go into the local HHGregg to hear it first. When I went got there, I was very underwhelmed by the Sony system. I started to look around at other options in the $400 - $500 range and found the Yamaha YHT-S400. I saw it on the internet a few days earlier but was reluctant to pursue it due to lack of customer reviews. Once I saw the very sleek soundbar in person, and heard the exceptional sound quality customary with Yamaha products, I just had to have it.

Setup was a breeze on my Mitsubishi LT46244 Television. I connected my home theater PC and satellite box using HDMI. I left my Wii connected to the a component input on my television. Then, I came back out of my TV with a standard RCA audio patch cable so the Wii and Antenna sound could be routed to the receiver. Unfortunately, the unit does not have a digital coaxial audio input, as that is the only digital out on my television. I used the NET Command system built in to my television to control the power and source switching on the Yamaha receiver unit. Everything works great together with using only the remote from my television.

The sound quality is exactly what you would expect from Yamaha. The highs are very crisp and clean. The lows are nice and really add a punch to a good action sequence. The surround sound simulation is actually pretty good as well. I wasn't expecting much in this department so I was pleasantly surprised when it actually gave a sense of surround sound.

Pros:
Great Sound
Very Stylish (Wife loves the look)
Easy to setup
Small, non-intrusive visually

Cons:
Can't stack components on receiver due to integrated sub
No digital coaxial inputs

This is a great product. I would definitely buy it again.