Sonos Beam vs Yamaha MusicCast BAR 400 review

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l would like to share my experience after comparing and testing two soundbars – Sonos Beam vs Yamaha MusicCast BAR 400. The Sonos Beam was rated 6, while the Yamaha MusicCast BAR 400 has a rating 8.2. The soundbars are equipped with a different number of buttons, volume down, volume up, microphone, play/pause for the Beam and power, volume down, volume up, input, mute for the MusicCast BAR 400.

Audio features

Each of the models under consideration has active amplification type. A noticeable difference is the number of channels that Beam has 3.0 and MusicCast BAR 400 has 5.1. The built-in subwoofer is not implemented in any of these models. An external subwoofer can be connected to any of the units in this comparison. Rate 6 out of 10 received the Sonos Beam for audio features and specs, but the Yamaha MusicCast BAR 400 received 7 out of 10.

Streaming services

AirPlay 2 supported by both soundbars. The MusicCast BAR 400 can play audio from Spotify.

Connectivity

Both models have a wireless Wi-Fi interface. Soundbars from this comparison have Bluetooth support. There are 1/0 HDMI inputs/outputs in the Sonos Beam versus 1/1 HDMIs in the Yamaha MusicCast BAR 400. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) is implemented only in the MusicCast BAR 400. We rated the connectivity of the Beam at 6 out of 10, while the MusicCast BAR 400 was rated 8/10.

Features

Both devices have integrated voice control via Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant. The manufacturer of the Beam provides a device control application. The soundbars in this review are equipped with a microphone. The Yamaha MusicCast BAR 400 may become part of a multiroom system.

Multichannel surround

Dolby Atmos audio decoder support is not implemented in either the Beam or MusicCast BAR 400. Devices from this comparison cannot process surround sound due to lack of DTS:X. The Beam was rated 4/10, while the MusicCast BAR 400 received a mark of 6/10 for multichannel surround.

Advantages Sonos Beam over Yamaha MusicCast BAR 400

Advantages Yamaha MusicCast BAR 400 over Sonos Beam