All about Yamaha Alexa Sound Bar YAS-209

I know we’ve talked about this before, but sound bars are important. People tend to think they’re an up-sell at the electronics store, but the truth is they’re not—and here’s why. Because TVs are getting thinner and thinner, there’s less and less room for a proper built-in speaker that can deliver high quality sound with all the bass we want and the clarity we expect—and let’s not forget when the video is Ultra HD or 4K resolution or better, having sub par audio will really stand out. I recently had a chance to test out a new sound bar: the 2.1 channel Yamaha YAS-209 with wireless subwoofer, and I’d like to thank Yamaha for sponsoring this video. Their support helps keep the blog and the YouTube channel running and I’m grateful for that.

Yamaha YAS 209 soundbar & subwoofer review

On to what you need to know about the Yamaha YAS-209… The Yamaha YAS-209 is a 200 watt sound bar that’s meant to be mounted or set underneath your TV and connected via an HDMI cable. The kit comes with a wireless Subwoofer that can be placed on the floor in the room. One great reason to have a sound bar is the ability to streamline your set up, particularly if you have a wall mounted TV like I do. A sound bar can keep things tidy, but it also means you don’t need to go the full surround speaker route, which makes sound bars great for small spaces too. A wireless subwoofer system takes this a step further by offering even greater flexibility in positioning. You’ll get intense bass no matter where in the room you put the sub, though it does need to be on the floor and unobstructed, of course.

Size & installation

This sound bar is actually quite compact, running about 36 inches across (or 3 feet) and just 21/2 inches high. It fit easily into my existing set up without much fuss. The subwoofer is bigger; about 16” tall and deep, but I found a nice spot for it beside my soft since it’s pretty slim. This sound bar and sub is meant to enhance your overall TV-watching. Use it to get better audio from TV series, movies, and games. Plus with built-in Alexa voice control, DTS Virtual:X virtual 3D surround sound, and Bluetooth streaming all in a simple, sleek setup, you’re getting a lot of good features for a reasonable price.

Setting up Yamaha YAS-209 sound bar

What’s it like getting this sound bar up and running? Sometimes they can be a bit complicated, especially for first timers. In my experience with the Yamaha YAS-209 it was easy. Download the Yamaha Sound bar App and it will walk you through it. Essentially you’ll put it into pairing mode, connect it to your home’s Wi-Fi and the app takes care of it. Then connect to your set up using the included digital optical audio cable, as I did, or you can use an HDMI (not included).

Sound quality Yamaha YAS-209

The YAS-209 features DTS Virtual:X – which means it’s capable of 3D surround sound from a single sound bar. What does that mean and what does it sound like? I’ll see if I can explain… DTS Virtual:X is designed to simulate an immersive 3D sound experience from just a 2-channel soundbar and subwoofer combo. You should hear a more enveloping sound that feels like it fills the room a bit more, as opposed to sound that’s just blasting at you like a laser straight from the sound bar. In my listening experience the sound bar sounds great. I started out listening to music from Amazon Music and found the overall audio quality to be clear, and delicate sounds were easy to pick out. The bass in the music was also hugely noticeable and a welcome upgrade. When it comes to TV watching, dialogue is clear and easily cuts through, thanks in part to special settings which are designed to make your TV & movie listening as sharp as possible. I do feel like the sound is more panoramic in my space, like it’s filling more of the area in front of the TV, if that makes sense. When I installed my Hisense Roku TV, I didn’t initially have a sound bar, so the audio was basic, tinny and limited in range. With the Yamaha YAS-209, I feel like I’m getting a much richer sound picture.

Different Sound Modes

There are 6 preset sound modes that can adjust how your overall audio sounds. There’s settings that optimize Movies, TV, Sports, Game Music or Stereo.

Features of Yamaha YAS-209

There’s a few key features worth mentioning in this Yamaha YAS-209 soundbar.

Alexa Voice Control on YAS-209 sound bar

The Yamaha YAS-209 sound bar has a secret identity. Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant is hiding inside. Alexa can perform classic voice commands like getting you news, sports and weather updates, she can create lists, and set timers and alarms of course, but there’s also built in controls for operating the sound bar too. You can simply ask Alexa to turn the volume up, play movies from Amazon Fire TV, play music and more. Of course if you’re adverse to Alexa listening in your home, you can shut this feature off. I tested out Alexa on the YAS-209 and found the set up works just as well as with a regular Alexa speaker. You ask, Alexa helps, from playing music, to answering questions, getting the weather, and operating smart home gadgets— all from your sound bar!

Bluetooth Music Streaming

A great feature in this sound bar is the ability to use it as a high fidelity Bluetooth speaker, again, like an Alexa smart speaker, only much higher fidelity. Just connect your smartphone, tablet or other device— including your computer— using Bluetooth and stream music, podcasts and more.

Remote or App Control

While the Yamaha soundbar comes with a nice, compact remote control, you can often program your existing TV’s remote to work with it too, or get the same controls by downloading the Sound Bar Controller app.

Overall thoughts on Yamaha YAS-209 sound bar with wireless subwoofer

Overall I’m super happy with this sound bar. It’s surprisingly compact, but still powerful, and the bass is vibrant and thundering. The sound quality is great, and it was easy to install, easy to set up and easy to connect to Alexa. The YAS-209 is a reasonably priced sound bar, and you can get it from places in Canada like Best Buy and Amazon. *A note about Affiliate Links: Occasionally I will include affiliate links in my reviews. I do this partly for convenience of the reader (since I’ll almost always include a link to the company website or similar anyway) in case you want to read more or purchase but I also may get a small commission from the click, which helps me keep the blog running. If you chose to use this link I thank you greatly for supporting the blog. There’s no obligation or cost to you for using this link.