The Yamaha YAS-109 is a 2.2 setup from 2019. It's the next generation of the Yamaha YAS-108/ATS-1080, adding an Ethernet port, six EQ presets, Alexa built-in voice assistant, and Wi-Fi wireless capabilities. That said, it shares many of the same strengths and weaknesses as its predecessor. Although it has two built-in subwoofers, it still struggles to reproduce a thumpy bass. Also, it has to downmix surround content into stereo to play it, which doesn't sound as immersive. Still, while it can't get very loud, there aren't many compression artifacts at max volume, so your audio is fairly clean and pure at high volumes.
Our Verdict
The Yamaha YAS-109 is acceptable for mixed usage. It has a boomy sound profile, but it struggles to reproduce low-bass, so genres like EDM or sound effects in action films lack thump and rumble. That said, it can reproduce vocals and dialogue fairly clearly. While it doesn't get loud enough to fill a large or crowded room, there aren't many compression artifacts at max volume.
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EQ presets available.
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Good latency performance.
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Poor surround performance.
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No Atmos support.
The Yamaha YAS-109 is alright for dialogue and TV shows. Although it's a 2.2 setup and it lacks a dedicated center channel, it has a fairly neutral mid-range, which results in fairly clear and accurate dialogue. If you want to further improve vocal clarity, it also has a dialogue enhancement feature. Its audio latency also falls within good limits, so you shouldn't experience out of sync audio or visuals.
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EQ presets available.
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Good latency performance.
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No auto-volume mode.
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No room correction.
The Yamaha YAS-109 is okay for music. It has a boomy sound profile and lacks low-bass, which may be disappointing for fans of EDM and hip-hop. That said, it has a fairly neutral mid-range, so vocals and lead instruments are present in your mix. If you prefer a different sound, there are six EQ presets available. While the bar can't get loud, there aren't many compression artifacts at max volume.
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EQ presets available.
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Bluetooth and Wi-Fi compatible.
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No room correction.
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Lacks low-bass.
The Yamaha YAS-109 is mediocre for movies. It struggles to reproduce low-bass, so action-packed scenes lack thump and rumble. The bar also doesn't get very loud, although there aren't many compression artifacts at max volume. It has to downmix surround content into stereo to play it, which doesn't sound very immersive, and it doesn't support Atmos.
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EQ presets available.
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Good latency performance.
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Poor surround performance.
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No Atmos support.
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Lacks low-bass.
- Mixed Usage
- Dialogue/TV Shows
- Music
- Movies
- Updated Dec 11, 2023: Updated the number of channels from 2.0 to 2.2 for consistency with other Yamaha bars.
- Updated Dec 04, 2023: Added market comparison with the Yamaha ATS-1090 in the Audio Format Support - ARC box.
- Updated Sep 05, 2023: Added information about the Yamaha ATS-1090 to the Variants box.
- Updated Feb 23, 2021: Updated HDR10 Passthrough from 'No' to 'Yes'.
- Updated Feb 16, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Feb 11, 2021: Early access published.
- Updated Feb 10, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Jan 21, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Jan 13, 2021: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
- Updated Jan 06, 2021: The product has won our suggestion poll, so we'll buy and test it soon.
Compared To Other Soundbars
The Yamaha YAS-109 is a 2.2 setup. It's the next generation of the Yamaha YAS-108/ATS-1080 and has new features like an Ethernet port and EQ presets. It also has a port so you can add a dedicated subwoofer down the line. However, like many 2.2 setups, it struggles to reproduce low-bass, and it doesn't get very loud.
Check out our recommendations for the best soundbars under $200, the best budget soundbars, and the best soundbars for dialogue.
The Yamaha YAS-209 has a better performance than the Yamaha YAS-109. The YAS-209 comes with a dedicated subwoofer that helps reproduce a more extended low-bass. It's also better-built, and it has a better soundstage.
The Sonos Beam is a better soundbar than the Yahama YAS-109. The Sonos is a 3.0 setup that feels better built and has a more neutral sound profile. Its center channel performance is better and has more sound enhancement features. However, the Yahama has more physical inputs like a Full HDMI In port and supports Bluetooth.
The Yamaha YAS-109 is the next generation of the Yamaha YAS-108/ATS-1080. The YAS-109 has an Ethernet port instead of an AUX port, it supports wireless playback via Wi-Fi, and it also has EQ presets. However, the YAS-108 can get a bit louder with fewer compression artifacts.
The Yamaha YAS-109 and the Yamaha ATS-1090 are very similar. The YAS-109 can reproduce a better low-frequency extension, so you notice more bass in the mix. However, only the ATS-1090 supports DTS content via Optical, which is commonly found on Blu-rays and streaming platforms alike.
The Yahama YAS-109 is a slightly better soundbar for mixed use than the Bose TV Speaker. The Yahama has fewer compression artifacts at max volume, comes with EQ presets, and has a better surround performance. It also has a Full HDMI In port and supports Wi-Fi. However, the Bose is better built and sounds more neutral out of the box.
The JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam and the Yamaha YAS-109 are both standalone soundbars, but the JBL is better overall. The JBL is a 5.0 setup that supports Dolby Atmos content, unlike the Yamaha. It has better soundstage, center, and surround performances, too. Also, it has a better build quality. That said, the 2.0 Yamaha is still okay, especially if you mostly listen to vocal-centric content like TV shows.
The Sonos Arc is a better soundbar than the Yamaha YAS-109. The Sonos is a 5.0.2 setup, is better built, and supports Dolby Atmos content. It has better soundstage, center, and surround performances, and it comes with a room correction feature. Some listeners may prefer its more neutral sound profile out of the box. However, the 2.0 Yamaha has more wireless playback options and comes with a Full HDMI In port.
The Yamaha YAS-109 is slightly better than the Sony HT-S100F. The Yamaha is a standalone 2.0 setup with better soundstage and surround performances. It comes with more wireless playback options, and it reproduces a bit more low-bass than the Sony. That said, the Sony gets louder, and it's still a decent option for dialogue-heavy content like TV shows.
The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is better than the Yamaha YAS-109. The Sonos is a better-built 5.0 setup that supports Dolby Atmos content. It has better soundstage, center, and surround performances. There are some more sound enhancement features too, like room correction. However, the 2.0 Yamaha is still a fair choice for dialogue-centric content like TV shows. Unlike the Sonos, it has a Full HDMI In port and Bluetooth support.
The Bose Smart Soundbar 300 is better than the Yamaha YAS-109. The Bose is a 3.0 setup that's better built. It also has better soundstage and center performances. That said, only the 2.0 Yamaha has a Full HDMI In port for high quality passthrough. Some users may also prefer that it has EQ presets for sound customization.
The Bose Solo 5 and the Yamaha YAS-109 have different strengths and depending on your preferences, you may prefer one over the other. The Bose is smaller, better-built, and has a more neutral sound profile. However, the Yahama can get a bit louder, it has EQ presets, and its surround performance is better. It also has a Full HDMI In port, and it supports Wi-Fi.
The Samsung HW-A550 is better than the Yamaha YAS-109. The Samsung comes with a dedicated sub that can reproduce a more extended low-bass. It's better built, and it has a better soundstage performance. It even comes with more sound enhancement features, like a graphic EQ. However, the Yamaha's standalone design may be more suitable for some listeners. It also has better center and surround performances.
The Samsung HW-Q600A is better than the Yamaha YAS-109. The Samsung is a 3.1.2 setup with a dedicated subwoofer that can reproduce a more extended low-bass. It's better-built, and unlike the Yamaha, it supports Dolby Atmos content. It also has better soundstage and center performances. There are even more sound enhancement features available, including a graphic EQ. That said, the 2.0 Yamaha still has a better surrounds performance.
The Yamaha YAS-109 and the Samsung HW-S60A are both smart standalone soundbars, but the Samsung is better overall. The Samsung is a better-built 5.0 setup with better soundstage, center, and surround performances. It also has more sound enhancement features, like a graphic EQ. However, unlike the 2.0 Yamaha, it doesn't have a Full HDMI In port for high-quality passthrough.
Test Results
The Yamaha YAS-109 has a plain design. The bar is mostly wrapped in black fabric, which can become dirty or easily rip. It has rounded edges, and there are two ports on the bar's sides to help with its bass reproduction as it doesn't have a dedicated subwoofer.
This soundbar has dual subwoofers built-in. You can also purchase a dedicated subwoofer separately.
The Yamaha YAS-109 is a somewhat compact soundbar. It should fit between the legs of most 55" TVs. It's also not very tall, so it shouldn't obscure your view of the TV unless your TV is flush to the table.
The back of this bar has an opening for the power cable and another one for the inputs. There are universal holes on its underside if you want to wall-mount this soundbar.
The Yamaha YAS-109 sound bar has an alright build quality. It's mostly made of good plastic and has a fabric wrap to protect its speakers. However, the fabric feels very loose and can rip or collect dirt or hair over time.
- Manuals
- Power cable
- Optical cable
- Mounting template
- Remote
- Battery for remote
- Rubber feet for mounting
The Yamaha YAS-109 has a satisfactory stereo frequency response. It has a boomy sound profile but it struggles to reproduce low-bass, so your mixes lack thump and rumble. That said, its mid-range is fairly neutral, which should result in clear and present vocals as well as lead instruments. If you prefer a different sound, it has six EQ presets you can cycle between.
This soundbar has a satisfactory stereo frequency response with preliminary calibration. Lowering the bass level to -2 by using the subwoofer level balances the response. It still lacks low-bass, but now its sound profile a bit less boomy. That said, the mid-range is still very balanced, which helps the reproduction of vocals and lead instruments.
The Yamaha YAS-109 soundbar has an okay stereo soundstage. The soundstage is perceived as a little bigger than the bar. Its focus is also good towards the ends of the bar. However, the focus seems a bit more diffused in the center, especially as it doesn't have a dedicated center channel.
This soundbar has decent stereo dynamics. While it struggles to get loud enough to fill a large or crowded room, there aren't a lot of compression artifacts at max volume, resulting in a clean and pure sound.
The Yamaha YAS-109's THD performance is satisfactory. At normal listening volumes, the amount of distortion falls within good limits. However, there's distortion present if you push the bar to max volume. This can be hard to hear with real-life content, though.
The Yamaha YAS-109 has an okay center performance. This 2.2 setup lacks a dedicated center channel, so it uses its left and right speakers to simulate a center channel, which doesn't sound as immersive. That said, its mid-range is fairly balanced, so vocal-centric content should be clearly and accurately reproduced.
The Yamaha YAS-109 has a poor surround 5.1 performance. Since it's a 2.2 setup, it has to downmix surround content into stereo. This won't recreate a very accurate or clear representation of surround objects, which reduces the overall immersiveness of your audio. Objects are perceived as coming from in front of you rather than coming from all around you.
This soundbar doesn't have height channels, and it doesn't support Atmos.
The Yahama YAS-109 soundbar has poor sound enhancement features. It offers six EQ presets: 'Movies', 'Music', 'TV', 'Sports', 'Game', and 'Stereo'. It also has a virtual surround feature called '3D Surround' as well as a dialogue enhancement feature called 'Clear Voice'. There's also a subwoofer level that can be used to adjust the bar's bass response, even if you don't have a subwoofer connected.
This bar offers a few inputs. It has a shared HDMI ARC and HDMI Out port as well as a Full HDMI In port. You can also add an external subwoofer to your setup using an RCA cable into the 'Subwoofer Out' port. Unfortunately, it lacks an AUX port, so you can't connect a mobile device to the bar using a 3.5mm input cable.
The Yamaha YAS-109 has mediocre audio format support via its ARC port. It doesn't support eARC or Dolby Atmos and can only play Dolby Digital content. While the manufacturer advertises that this bar can play DTS content, we couldn't play this content via this connection. You can check out the Yamaha ATS-1090 if you want a similar bar with DTS support.
This bar has great audio format support via its Full HDMI In port. It can play both Dolby Digital and DTS content using this port, which are commonly found on DVDs or Blu-ray discs.
The Yamaha 109 has mediocre support via its Optical In port. While it supports Dolby Digital content, which is commonly found on Blu-ray discs and streaming media, it downmixes DTS content into PCM 2.0. However, the manufacturer advertises that this bar can play DTS content.
This bar has a good latency performance. There's some negative latency via ARC, Optical, and Full HDMI In, which indicates that sound comes before visuals. However, if you're connected via Optical or Full HDMI In, this effect is very slight and you may not notice it. The latency when using an ARC connection may be slightly more noticeable. That said, some TVs and apps compensate for latency differently, so your real-life experience may vary.
The Yahama YAS-109 has great wireless playback capabilities. It supports both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, which is great if you want to wirelessly stream audio from your smartphone or tablet. However, you won't be able to cast audio using Chromecast or Apple AirPlay.
Update 02/23/2021: We updated our results to reflect that this soundbar supports HDR10 Passthrough with Apple TV.
The Yamaha YAS-109 can be used as a hub between your TV and your PC, and text sent using this signal looks clear and crisp.
The interface is found on the top of the soundbar and lacks a display screen. There's a light to indicate which settings you're using.
The touch-sensitive controls are found on the top of the bar. You can activate Alexa, mute or unmute the mic, switch inputs, adjust the volume, and turn the soundbar on or off.
The Yamaha YAS-109 comes with a remote that allows you to control all of the soundbar's features.
The Yamaha YAS-109 has Amazon Alexa built-in. There's also a mic mute button located on the top of the soundbar.
This soundbar is compatible with the Yamaha Sound Bar Controller companion app. You can control the soundbar, as well as adjust its sound profile using one of its six EQ presets.