Yamaha says that both of its new “entry-level” soundbars, the SR-B20A being the bigger of the two, will improve the sound of your TV. That’s a very important thing to have these days, when most flat-screen TVs have bad sound built in.
Yamaha, unlike many of its competitors at this price, doesn’t try to trick you into thinking that the bars will deliver “surround” sound, other than some options labelled “3D Surround” and some rather optimistic claims that DTS Virtual:X is included. Aside from these fancy marketing tricks, what’s promised is just good sound so you can enjoy your new flatscreen.
Specifications
- Power: 120W
- Outputs: HDMI out (TV ARC)
- Inputs: 2x digital optical
- 4K passthrough: No
- Surround tech: DTS Virtual:X
- Dimensions (hwd): 5 x 91 x 13cm
- Weight: 3.2kg
Where to buy YAMAHA SR-B20A Sound Bar?
The 120-watt Yamaha SR-B20A is a 2.1-channel soundbar with two 2.125-inch cones and two 1-inch tweeters for the left and right channels and a pair of down-firing 3-inch woofers for low-frequency effects (the “.1” in the soundbar’s 2.1-channel configuration). For dialogue, the left and right channels work together to make a “phantom” centre channel.
The SR-B20 can’t be upgraded with wireless surround speakers like some all-in-one soundbars can, like the Sonos Arc. Still, an RCA subwoofer output lets you add a wired self-amplified subwoofer to the soundbar to boost the bass. This is a huge plus if you want to give the sound more power. You can’t put a wired subwoofer anywhere in the room, but the RCA output means you can choose almost any subwoofer you want instead of being stuck with the manufacturer’s wireless (and often expensive) option.
The 35.875 x 2.125-inch (WxH) SR-B20A fit well in front of my 55-inch LG C9 OLED TV, with the soundbar rising just above the bottom edge of the screen. You can also mount the soundbar on the wall under the TV. The box comes with mounting spacers and a diagram, but it doesn’t come with screws or brackets.
You’ve come to the right place if all you want from your reasonably small, reasonably priced soundbar is to make your TV’s sound sound terrible. When connected with an HDMI cable to the ARC output of a good Panasonic 4K HDR LED TV from 2019, the SR-B20A makes the Panasonic sound thin and weak in almost no time.
If you listen to a movie soundtrack using the “standard” EQ setting, the overall sound has more focus, balance, and poise. The low frequencies are, as you might expect, much more assertive, and the midrange has a lot more detail and nuance.