Yamaha

True X System

AUD $1,599 RRP

In the world of modern mid-priced soundbars, the current trend is battery-powered wireless surround speakers – and Yamaha has joined this party with its new premium-priced True X 'System', the SR-X50A. Aside from engineering statements like the famed YSP-5600, the Japanese company's soundbar offerings have lately appeared more budget—and lifestyle-oriented. The True X sits atop the Yamaha soundbar food chain, available as a 'System' or a 'Bar'—the difference essentially comes down to the inclusion of wireless surround speakers.

UP CLOSE

The SR-X50A doesn't reinvent the wheel so much but refines it. Its compact dimensions are 1,015mm wide, 63mm high, and 112mm deep, and its modest 3.9kg weight contrasts those of bulky and wide designs such as the Klipsch Cinema range or Devialet Dione. Visually, there might not be any major architectural departures from the formula, but still, the Japanese giant has made an effort to ensure a premium look and feel. The gentle curve of the rounded edges, the blended bass ports in the sides, the premium cloth covering, and the luxury rose-gold buttons all elevate this bar above its peers. It lacks the plastic and industrial vibes of its competitors.

Power and volume buttons are neatly embedded in a fascia on the top, and a small series of LEDs on the front surface allow a visual status check of the True X. My only gripe here is that I prefer to see a volume number rather than a dot, both to satisfy my mild obsession with keeping the level at multiples of 2.5 but also to know if I'm about to wake up sleeping kids. Similarly, the remote control is another letdown, possessing a lightweight and plastic feel that's at odds with the quality of the rest of the system.

In terms of ancillary design, the subwoofer deserves a special mention. Rather than the traditional black cloth over the driver, Yamaha has put a nice cloth over the whole side of the 187x409x407mm 9.4kg unit, giving it a premium, if somewhat vintage, look. I appreciated this little bit of thought for those of us who don't want our living rooms to look like a technology showroom.

Beyond the visual appeal, the True X operates with a reasonably frugal 180W of claimed power across six channels, but the distribution of these channels is somewhat unorthodox. There is no centre channel to be found, resulting in a 4.1.2 configuration, with a pair of 30W 46x66mm stereo drivers creating the phantom centre. Also incorporated are a 30W pair of 52mm L/R height drivers for Dolby Atmos, and compact dual 75mm 30W 'subwoofers' to help shore up bass in such a small package. Separate to this is the wireless subwoofer, a 100W 160mm driver with a claimed frequency response of 35-100Hz, similar in design to Samsung's traditional side-firing operation, but with an obvious front port.

Specific to the True X System is the inclusion of the WS-X1A, or True X Speaker 1A. At a tiny 88x105x88mm and a featherweight 500 grams, the 1A packs in a 10W 55mm full-range speaker, a passive radiator and a battery that will provide up to 12 hours of life on a full charge. Sharing the same visual design as the True X bar, the A1 certainly outshines its competition on the basis of looks, but it would be wrong of me not to mention that there is no upfiring Dolby Atmos channel, which other true wireless surrounds such as those Sony or JBL have implemented. The 1A can be wall/bracket mounted or can be placed almost anywhere, thanks to its small dimensions. You can power it through the USB-C port on the rear, or where required, the True-X System packages a charging dock which only asks you to sit the 1A on top to simply and quickly charge the internal battery.

In this writer's humble opinion, I would have liked to have seen Yamaha include two of these docks in the pack. This would have allowed you to place both surrounds in them for day-to-day use and easily remove them when needed. This might seem unnecessary until you consider that the 1A also doubles as a Bluetooth speaker and can be paired to your phone or other device to take your music with you wherever you go.

Setting up the True-X was simple, but pairing the wireless speakers required both sending commands with the physical remote and implementing a combination of button presses on the 1A units to pair and set as left or right. I'd love this to be simpler and, ideally, something either automated or implemented through the Yamaha Soundbar Controller App, but it's not a dealbreaker. The True X supports eARC and 4K passthrough via the single HDMI input and output. Network connectivity is via Ethernet or Wi-Fi, with Alexa voice control, Spotify/Tidal connect, and A2DP Bluetooth 5.0 or Airplay 2. And don't forget the trusty old optical input. DTS and Music-Cast are noticeable by their absence, with the latter being the more surprising one. Still, multi-room needs will be taken care of by the 1As, making the usage case very different to the traditional music-cast speaker.

THE LISTENING

This new Yamaha lifts the standard of the audio presentation of movies to give an immersive cinematic experience. Opening up a favourite demo scene of mine, the 4K Blu-ray version of 2008's Quantum of Solace has an excellent reference quality opening car chase sequence. The deep bass of the soundtrack music was given weight and body from the subwoofer, as was the roar of the Aston Martin's V12, while gunshots and vehicle collisions were clear and articulate in their delivery. There was no point where I found it obvious that there was a missing centre channel. The stereo pairing did a decent job of carrying the weight of the on-screen action, although it didn't quite fully extend David Arnold's dramatic and brass-heavy "time to get out" theme.

Moving on to the 4K Atmos presentation of 2022's The Batman, and the True X was a mixed performer. On one hand, the Penguin's shootout – culminating in the warm-up sequence of the Frankenstein-esque jet-powered Dodge Charger Batmobile – was thrilling. The Yamaha system ratcheted up the excitement levels several notches, with its portrayal of the escalating jet spooling, and the deafening engine roar through the various chase sequences. Indeed, whether it was explosions, vocal injections, or other ambient and musical additions, the Yamaha scaled it all surprisingly well.

However, the Atmos performance did leave something to be desired. This is hardly a direct criticism of the True X, as upfiring solutions rarely stand up to heavy scrutiny, but the height presentation of the Yamaha could be best described as a mild expansion of the vertical stage, rather than any definitive height presentation. It's certainly something better to have than not to have, but it doesn't quite meet the ambitions set by other upfiring soundbars from the competition.

At all times, the wireless 1As were an excellent match to the True X bar, providing a confident and tangible surround performance that added greatly to the movie experience. Whether it be music, action or ambience, the entire gamut was delivered capably without ever feeling overwhelmed, which was again surprising given their on-paper specifications.

Musically, the Yamaha works well, but it depends too much on your preferred genre. Watching the Blu-ray presentation of The Bee Gees' 1997 One Night Only performance, for example, and the True X performed surprisingly well, with rich and smooth vocals from Robin Gibb and satisfying bass fills throughout I Started a Joke which continue into Grease and How Deep is Your Love. Likewise, ZZ Top's La Grange was also a pleasing listen, with a great dynamic shift from the delicate rapping of the drumsticks on the edge of the snare, through to the full-fat overdrive riff.

While you couldn't call it an audiophile presentation, the Yamaha system has enough meat on the bone to make things fun, but it does take the edge off heavy rock. KISS' Detroit Rock City sounded clean and unfatiguing, but the lack of grunt probably helped to smooth out some of the recording's impurities. Moving to something with heavier bass, and Feel Good Inc by Gorillaz highlighted the weaknesses inherent to the True X, with the bass hitting the flat spot in delivery between what the subwoofer and soundbar drivers can deliver convincingly. However, this is a frequent limitation for smaller soundbars.

One last trick up the Yamaha's sleeve is the ability to switch the surrounds to solo Bluetooth speakers, and in this format the performance is quite reasonable from a speaker as small as this. Put in perspective, the 1A's dimensions make Denon's Home 150 look comparatively gigantic. It really is almost pocket-sized but carries a feeling of weight as a result. This helps to ground the driver mass and the result is actually a fairly pleasant sound for such a small driver. It manages the low-end suprisingly well thanks to the passive radiators, and there is ample detail in the mid and upper frequencies to make listening enjoyable in a small environment like at a dinner table or bedroom.

THE VERDICT

Yamaha's new SR-X50A True X System is a versatile and balanced entertainment system with performance that will suit many people living in urban areas, such as apartments and townhouses where big bass can equal big neighbour complaints. The ability to take your surrounds with you as competent Bluetooth speakers is a highlight, and while the outright performance and functionality is about on par with its premium price-tag, the on-point aesthetic sets it apart and might be the cup of tea you've been waiting for.

For more information visit Yamaha