Yamaha has taken the wraps off its latest flagship soundbar, complete with so many speakers and so much full surround sound home theater technology that it barely still classes as a soundbar – in a good way.
Called the True X Surround 90A (or the SR-X90A for short), Yamaha’s new premium soundbar kicks off its attractions by being a multiple speaker system that includes external wireless subwoofer and rear speakers alongside the main bar. This instantly defines the system as a true surround sound package versus the front-soundstage-only set up most soundbars deliver – and the technology inside each unit sees Yamaha trying to take that full surround experience to a new level for the soundbar world.
For starters, the system can decode and play Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and even, uniquely so far as I know, Auro-3D soundtracks. The X90A’s main bar element also includes real up-firing speakers to deliver the height/overhead effects associated with the latest 3D sound formats, while proprietary SURROUND:AI technology works to continually optimize the X90A’s sound to the content you’re watching.
Looking at these latter two key features in more detail, the upfiring speakers are based around the revolutionary “beam” technology Yamaha introduced with the classic YSP-1 soundbar it released more than 25 years ago, with no less than 12 (six per side) precisely calibrated beam speakers tucked under the main soundbar’s top edge. Using so many small but focused beam speakers rather than the usual single large drivers makes it possible, Yamaha claims, for the X90A to deliver more accurate sound localization that more closely resembles the performance of real in-ceiling speakers.
The SURROUND:AI technology was developed initially for Yamaha’s AV receivers, but the X90A marks its first appearance on a soundbar. It works by using artificial intelligence to analyse in real time the various sound elements (dialogue, score, ambient sounds, specific locational effects and so on) in any given movie scene, and then using that analysis to continually optimize the soundbar’s audio staging.
Yamaha is quick to add, too, that despite its AI foundation, SURROUND:AI has been carefully tuned by Yamaha’s sound engineers; it’s not just a machine’s take on how something should sound!
In fact, as you’d hope of a flagship soundbar from such a renowned audio brand as Yamaha, everything about the X90A has apparently been precision tuned – including the four newly designed full-range drivers found inside the main bar component. These new eye-shaped oval speakers have been engineered to deliver minimal distortion despite their slender profiles, as well as allegedly providing richer mid-range tones and high volume levels from fewer components to preserve sonic purity across the soundbar’s frequency range.
The 12 beam height speakers and four newly designed full-range speakers are additionally joined in the main bar by three dedicated tweeters to deliver cleaner, purer, more detail high frequency sounds.
Turning to the external subwoofer that’s part of the X90A package, this again features an all-new design that includes Yamaha’s patented symmetrical flare port technology, where the sub’s inlet and outlet ports use exactly the same shape and an internal plate carefully controls airflow to maintain symmetry, reducing the sort of distortions associated with air turbulence and speaker movement. In fact, Yamaha claims port noise is reduced by as much as 20dB compared to “conventional designs”, whatever those might be.
The “True X” rear speakers included in the X90A system are actually more than rear speakers, meanwhile. They’re designed to be portable, and can be used as standalone stereo Bluetooth speakers anywhere in your home when they’re not needed for surround channel movie duties.
More signs of the X90A’s premium positioning can be found, says Yamaha, in elements of its design such as its wide, precision-engineered table-top feet (though a wall-mount bracket is also included in the package), its acoustically optimized large aperture speaker grilles, and the system’s generally high build quality. The main bar, in particular, is encased in a 1.6mm-thick metal housing.
The X90A’s built-in physical connections include an HDMI loop-through with eARC support, an optical audio input, while wireless connectivity is possible through MusicCast, AirPlay and Bluetooth.
Last but not least on the True X Surround 90A’s list of attractions is its support for Yamaha’s proprietary MusicCast network system. This lets you easily link and control multiple MusicCast-capable components around your home using the dedicated MusicCast app.
The Yamaha True X Surround 90A will go on sale in early September, priced at $3,499/£2,499.
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