Yamaha SRB20 soundbar
Super low price with surprisingly few compromises
$228 au.yamaha.com
Yamaha describes both its two new ‘entry-level’ soundbars as upgrades for your TV sound, something very much required in these days when flat screens generally mean weedy built-in TV sound. There is mercifully little pretence here that the bars will deliver ‘surround’ sound, other than options labelled ‘3D Surround’ and some rather optimistic claims for the inclusion of DTS Virtual:X. These marketing extravagances aside, what’s promised is simply solid sound with which to enjoy your shiny new flatscreen.
What we particularly like about the SR-B20 is that it aims to perform without the usual wireless subwoofer. This not only keeps the price down, it makes the whole package far more convenient to site and to use. The question, then, is whether a long flat bar of a speaker can create solid enough sound without that subwoofer. And thankfully the answer here is a fairly resounding yes.
The B20A is a stereo soundbar, with six drivers in all. Four of these fire upwards if the unit is benched, forward if on the wall – according to the specs these are 55mm mid-rangers near each end and 75cm bass drivers halfway from each end to the centre porting through side-firing ports in the curves of the bar. Then there are two 25mm (specification) tweeters on the front edge (benched) or firing down (wall-mounted); no amount of torchlight could reveal their location through the grille fabric. Certainly from the very outset the bar delivered a large full sound with a real sense of size, while holding dialogue crisp and clear. Watching Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s Long Way Up electric bike tour on AppleTV+, voices were resonant and clearly edged, while the featured music – always a challenge for budget soundbars – sounded musical, spacious and well-balanced.
The ‘3D Surround’ option invariably had the effect of beefing things up in level and thickness, while making voices a little boxy and sibilant; not once did we prefer the audio quality with this engaged. And without it there seemed little difference between the four modes anyway… so that makes your choices pretty easy!
Virtual 3D surround and DTS Virtual:X technology come together to envelop your whole body in sound”, says Yamaha’s website. Yes, but no. There’s no surround here whatsoever. Such claims take away from what the SR-B20 achieves – remarkably large and natural sound from a convenient and attractive bar, no subwoofer required, working well in either orientation, and just the thing for to kick up the level of TVs in any room. Of course you can get more – including networking and streaming services – by paying significantly more, but this is a great entry-level combo which focuses on sound quality.