Yamaha MusicCast BAR 400 vs Samsung HW-N650 review

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l would like to share my experience after comparing and testing two soundbars – Yamaha MusicCast BAR 400 vs Samsung HW-N650. The Yamaha MusicCast BAR 400 was rated 8.2, while the Samsung HW-N650 has a rating 7.6. The soundbars are equipped with a different number of buttons, power, volume down, volume up, input, mute for the MusicCast BAR 400 and volume down, volume up, input, power for the HW-N650.

Audio features

Each of the models under consideration has active amplification type. By the number of channels, the devices do not differ. These rivals can be compared in terms of power, 200 (overall) versus 360 (overall) according to devices. 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. Audio features and specs of considered models we rated 7 out of 10 in our ranking.

Streaming services

The Yamaha MusicCast BAR 400 is equipped with AirPlay 2, but the Samsung HW-N650 has AirPlay on board. Each of the competitors can play content from Spotify.

Connectivity

Wireless Internet connection is realized only in the MusicCast BAR 400. Soundbars from this comparison have Bluetooth support. There are 1/1 HDMI inputs/outputs in the Yamaha MusicCast BAR 400 versus 1/0 HDMIs in the Samsung HW-N650. As in the MusicCast BAR 400, so in the HW-N650 there is the HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC). Connecting devices via USB is possible in both models. We rated the connectivity of the MusicCast BAR 400 at 8 out of 10, while the HW-N650 was rated 7/10. The manufacturer of the HW-N650 provides a device control application. The soundbars in this review are equipped with a microphone. The models under consideration can become part of a multiroom system.

Multichannel surround

Dolby Atmos audio decoder support is not implemented in either the MusicCast BAR 400 or HW-N650. Devices from this comparison cannot process surround sound due to lack of DTS:X. The same score of 6/10 was put to the soundbars for multichannel surround support.

Advantages Yamaha MusicCast BAR 400 over Samsung HW-N650

Advantages Samsung HW-N650 over Yamaha MusicCast BAR 400