Yamaha True X Surround 90a Review: Not Quite Perfect

Another baffling omission, particularly connected a high-end strategy pinch situation speakers that tin beryllium placed almost anywhere: There’s nary room correction.

Limited Streaming

Music streaming is simply a mixed bag, mostly because of Yamaha’s constricted options. The True X Surround 90A supports Apple AirPlay, Tidal Connect, and Spotify Connect, but it doesn’t activity pinch Google Cast aliases Alexa Cast. It useful pinch DLNA servers, but dissimilar immoderate different Yamaha products, there’s nary Roon support.

I recovered that nan MusicCast app’s autochthonal support for streaming services proved to beryllium nan astir reliable high-quality option, though sadly, it’s a very constricted set: Amazon Music, Qobuz, Deezer, SiriusXM, and Pandora. Bluetooth is besides an option, but pinch only SBC and AAC codecs, it’s champion for casual listening.

Still, listening to lossless, hi-res FLAC tracks from Amazon Music and Qobuz was exhilarating, particularly erstwhile utilizing nan All listening mode.

Bottom line? Yamaha’s True X Surround 90A tin enthrall you pinch its clarity and precision. It adds breathtaking realism to movies and shows, often revealing specifications that lesser soundbars obscure. Much of that capacity translates to music, too, arsenic agelong arsenic you don’t mind its streaming work limitations. The afloat wireless surrounds supply fantabulous immersion and a batch of flexibility, some successful position of placement and usage arsenic a secondary sound system.

But Yamaha charges a hefty value for nan True X Surround 90A, and pinch a large finance comes large expectations. The deficiency of inputs, nan deficiency of power complete nan halfway transmission level, and nan absence of room correction are superior omissions. Apple Music subscribers who want to get nan highest-quality audio should besides statement nan absence of immoderate measurement to get a lossless aliases Dolby Atmos awesome to nan soundbar, without nan usage of an intermediary instrumentality for illustration an Apple TV 4K. That’s a batch of compromises.

This makes it difficult to springiness nan True X Surround 90A an unqualified recommendation. But if you worth its strengths and don’t mind its weaknesses, Yamaha’s flagship is simply a good, if pricey, sound summation to immoderate TV setup.