Yamaha Yas-108 Soundbar With Bluetooth Hdmi Optical Review
Yamaha's entry-level soundbars have consistently earned TechHive's Editors' Choice award. Yamaha's YAS-108 continues that tradition.
Correct off the bat, you'll detect aesthetic refinements compared to its predecessor, the YAS-107. Yamaha's YAS-108 exhibits a further push towards the rounded design introduced with final year'south models. The YAS-108 resembles a sheathing-shape as opposed to a hard rectangle. At just shy of 36 inches broad, 5.125 inches high, and 2.5 inches deep, the YAS-108 tin can hands fit underneath any modern TV or sit on top of a shelf or countertop.
Square-shaped prophylactic pads located on the unit's rear will foreclose the soundbar from scratching delicate surfaces while also keeping it in place. The YAS-108 comes with a wall mounting template and keyhole mounts on the back of the soundbar, but you'll demand to supply the appropriate mounting screws.
The YAS-108's commuter arrangement remains unchanged from last year'southward model. It is still a dual-ported design featuring two onboard 3-inch subwoofers, two 2.125-inch midrange cone woofers, and 2 1-inch dome tweeters. Yamaha claims that the YAS-108 sports a full of 120 watts of power. Of that, 60 watts is dedicated to the subwoofer and 30 watts goes to each of the YAS-108's stereo drivers. Though I no longer have the YAS-107 review sample on hand, it'southward a safe bet to say that the 2 should sound similar.
Theo Nicolakis What's included in the box.
No subwoofer? No problem
If you're looking for a soundbar with a sub, don't dismiss the YAS-108 outright. The Yamaha volition play very well inside its frequency range with simply the deepest bass notes missing.
While the YAS-108 doesn't include a subwoofer, the unit of measurement features a subwoofer output port. Most soundbars at this price-point don't. Y'all tin can easily add an aftermarket subwoofer to the YAS-108, farther enhancing its deep bass performance. In fact, you tin probably buy a higher-quality subwoofer than the ones that come bundled with other brands of soundbars at this toll point.
Yamaha The YAS-108 tin be wall-mounted or set on a table.
To enhance dialogue on any audio programming, the YAS-108 includes the company's Clear Vocalism dialogue-enhancement technology. Clear Voice does as its name suggests and lifts up dialogue to get in more than intelligible. If y'all're looking for a soundbar whose principal purpose is to better dialogue, the YAS-108 volition serve you well.
Strong 4K Ultra Hard disk compatibility
The YAS-108 features strong 4K Ultra HD compatibility. The YAS-108 will back up 4K pass-through with HDCP two.2, iv:4:4 color, and the most important HDR standards: HDR10 and HLG HDR. HLG has been adopted as the HDR standard for forthcoming 4K Ultra HD TV broadcasts. The YAS-108 does non support Dolby Vision or HDR10+.
HDR support is a very of import feature for users who will connect 4K Ultra Hard disk sources directly to the soundbar for native audio decoding and video pass-through. With the YAS-108, there's now no need to split audio and video signals betwixt the TV and the soundbar.
Theo Nicolakis The YAS-108 has several input options.
The YAS-108 has just about all the input options you'll need: HDMI, Toslink optical, three.5mm analog, and Bluetooth wireless. Considering there's no Wi-Fi, the YAS-108 doesn't support Yamaha'due south MusicCast wireless, multi-room music-streaming technology.
Yamaha has put all the inputs at a 90-degree bending to the bottom of the soundbar. The YAS-108 doesn't come with any HDMI cables. It comes merely with a Toslink optical cable.
The YAS-108 supports HDMI ARC (audio return aqueduct). If your TV supports it, you can send audio from your TV to the soundbar through a single HDMI cablevision. In gild for the feature to work, you typically need to enable HDMI CEC on both the Yamaha soundbar and your Telly.
Supports multiple Bluetooth connections
Bluetooth v.0 is standard on the YAS-108. Bluetooth five.0 supports speeds upward to 2Mbps—double the data speeds of Bluetooth 4.0. The Yamaha also supports multipoint connections—the ability to connect two Bluetooth devices to the soundbar at the same time. Using the characteristic is elementary. To start playing sound from a second Bluetooth device, merely end playback on the current device and first playback on the 2d Bluetooth device.
Theo Nicolakis I was able to link my Amazon Alexa Dot to the YAS-108 and play Alexa-based music and audio programs with the YAS-108's superior sound.
The YAS-108 has some slick implications if you've started deploying smart assistants in your dwelling. I loved being able to pair my Amazon Alexa Dot with Yamaha'southward speaker. I simply launched the Alexa app on my iPhone vii and paired information technology with the YAS-108. From that point forward, I could say, "Alexa, play the Beatles" and bingo, Alexa would play its audio through the Yamaha. What a night and day difference between the Dot'due south sub-par speaker and the YAS-108!
Excellent remote command options
Yamaha'southward remote is excellent. That's particularly noteworthy since well-nigh soundbars at the entry-level cost-bespeak accept cheap, credit-card sized remotes.
The YAS-108 remote's buttons are cleanly and logically laid out and are distinguished by unlike colors. You lot tin determine the nearly bones functions without looking. Contrasted with the YAS-107, the YAS-108's remote command adds a dimmer button. When pressed, the soundbar's LEDs volition wheel betwixt vivid, dim, and off. The dimmer feature is virtually useful when the soundbar is wall-mounted, where the LED lights are facing direct at you. I'k glad Yamaha added this feature to minimize any potential lark from the LEDs.
Theo Nicolakis Yamaha provides an excellent remote control with its YAS-108.
If you enable your HDMI CEC characteristic on your TV and the YAS-108, you tin use your current TV remote to control both the soundbar and your Television receiver. You lot can synchronize power on/off between your TV and the YAS-108; switch audio output between your TV and YAS-108; and adapt book.
If yous want to eschew any physical remote, Yamaha says you can download the visitor's Dwelling house Theater Controller App to control the YAS-108's basic functions, such volume and environs way. Unfortunately, when I tried using the app, information technology told me that the YAS-108 was not supported. I reached out to Yamaha and they told me that because of the new Bluetooth functionality in the YAS-108 they would have a compatible update to the Yamaha HT Controller app sometime in August 2018.
Theo Nicolakis Yamaha's mobile app is scheduled to be updated sometime in Baronial 2018 to support the YAS-108.
DTS Virtual:X
DTS Virtual:X made its debut on the YAS-107 and continues that tradition on the YAS-108. DTS Virtual:Ten uses digital bespeak processing and psychoacoustic techniques to simulate an object-oriented audio experience in which sounds take acme characteristics, even though there are no height or rear environment speakers bachelor. DTS says DTS Virtual:10 will upward-mix any source signal from two-aqueduct stereo to 7.1.iv channels. Yous enable Virtual:X by pressing the 3D Audio button on the remote.
In my tests, Virtual:X created a far more expansive and immersive soundstage versus patently quondam stereo. As I've said before: I'k not a large fan of artificial processing, just DTS Virtual:X is superb.
Listening tests
I connected the Yamaha YAS-108'south input via HDMI to my Oppo UPD-205 4K UHD player and the Yamaha'south HDMI output to my Panasonic ZT60 idiot box.
I fired upward The Greatest Showman, and right from the opening menu loop the Yamaha'due south sound commanded attending. In that location was no question about the Yamaha'south performance. The Yamaha had no problem with either dialogue or musical numbers. Hugh Jackman's, Zack Effron'south, and Zendaya's vocals were make clean and timbrally authentic. Best of all, the Yamaha beautifully rendered the emotional impact on Loren Allred's "Never Enough" and Keala Settle'southward "This is Me." The movie cut of "This is Me" has more than percussions and bass than the album version; the Yamaha didn't miss a beat, providing first-class chest-punching excitement.
Turning to Tron Legacy, the Yamaha'southward lack of deep bass became more apparent. At the start of Affiliate 4, "The Grid," when Sam lands face down into the filigree, it'due south accompanied past deep pulsating bass. Those notes didn't register on the YAS-108. Too, when the Recognizers hover above, the deep bass output from their engines was lacking. To bring that level of appointment to your experience, yous'll certainly want to add a sub to the YAS-108.
Theo Nicolakis The Yamaha's front panel has controls and LEDs. You tin dim or turn off the LEDs via the remote.
I tested DTS Virtual:Ten during my listening and information technology significantly enhanced whatever plan's soundstage height and width. I was able to utilize Clear Vocalism on top of Virtual:X. It'due south nice to know users have that option. I establish that of all the different settings, plain old stereo still yielded the clearest and virtually precise audio.
Engaging Clear Voice noticeably enhanced dialogue, but it consequently boosted all sounds inside that frequency range. Overall, Articulate Vocalisation remains a solid option for consumers who are looking for enhancing dialogue intelligibility.
The king nevertheless reigns
If you're looking for an entry-level soundbar, yous only can't go wrong with Yamaha'southward YAS-108. This is a superb-sounding, entry-level speaker that can enhance dialogue or expand a movie'south enveloping sensation with DTS Virtual:Ten. While the YAS-108's Achilles' heel is deep bass, y'all can e'er add an aftermarket subwoofer thanks to the soundbar'southward subwoofer output. If you're in the market for an entry-level sound-bar, the YAS-108 needs to be on your short list. Information technology's already found a identify on our Editors' Pick list.
Source: https://www.techhive.com/article/583371/yamaha-yas-108-review.html
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