Yamaha YAS-109 vs Samsung HW-K850 review

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l would like to share my experience after comparing and testing two soundbars – Yamaha YAS-109 vs Samsung HW-K850. The Yamaha YAS-109 was rated 6.8, while the Samsung HW-K850 has a rating 6. The soundbars are equipped with a different number of buttons, power, volume down, volume up, input, microphone for the YAS-109 and power, volume down, volume up, source for the HW-K850.

Audio features

Each of the models under consideration has active amplification type. A noticeable difference is the number of channels that YAS-109 has 2.0 and HW-K850 has 3.1.2. These rivals can be compared in terms of power, 120 versus 350 (overall) according to devices. A built-in subwoofer is available only in the Yamaha YAS-109. An external subwoofer connects to the YAS-109 via wired and wireless, but HW-K850 has wireless connection type. Audio features and specs of considered models we rated 6 out of 10 in our ranking.

Streaming services

Soundbars do not have AirPlay support. Each of the competitors can play content from Spotify.

Connectivity

Both models have a wireless Wi-Fi interface. Soundbars from this comparison have Bluetooth support. There are 1/1 HDMI inputs/outputs in the Yamaha YAS-109 versus 2/1 HDMIs in the Samsung HW-K850. As in the YAS-109, so in the HW-K850 there is the HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC). Connecting devices via USB is possible in both models. We rated the connectivity of the YAS-109 at 8 out of 10, while the HW-K850 was rated 7/10. The manufacturer of the YAS-109 provides a device control application. The Yamaha YAS-109 equipped with a microphone. The models under consideration cannot become part of a multiroom system.

Multichannel surround

Dolby Atmos audio decoder is onboard the HW-K850. Devices from this comparison cannot process surround sound due to lack of DTS:X. The YAS-109 was rated 6/10, while the HW-K850 received a mark of 4/10 for multichannel surround.

Advantages Yamaha YAS-109 over Samsung HW-K850

Advantages Samsung HW-K850 over Yamaha YAS-109