The Yamaha MusicCast Bar 400 soundbar is a 2.1 system with a wireless subwoofer and multi-room compatibility.
For $499.95, it delivers solid audio performance with some notable, adjustable power from the subwoofer.
An app allows you to control the system and integrate it into a multi-room setup, and it can be controlled by Alexa voice commands (provided you have other Alexa devices) as well.
The remote feels a bit small and cluttered, and the decision to place all LED indicators on the far end of the top panel is somewhat baffling.
Sonically, however, the MusicCast Bar 400 delivers bass punch and solid clarity, with options that help bring out the dynamics of film and music mixes.
Design
Measuring 2.4 by 38.6 by 4.4 inches (HWD) and weighing 6 pounds, the main component of the MusicCast Bar 400 has a typical soundbar look—all black, with a grille covering the front panel.
Up top, there are LED indicators denoting what input is being used, as well as buttons for Volume Up/Down, Mute, Input Switch, and Connect (this button connects with the Yamaha MusicCast Controller app).
Most of the controls are on the included remote, however—more on that in a minute.
Behind the grille, the speaker uses four 1.75-inch woofers and two 1-inch tweeters to deliver audio.
The wireless 21-pound subwoofer, which measures 16.4 by 7.1 by 16.0 inches and connects automatically, houses a 6.5-inch cone woofer.
(A switch on the sub's back allows for manual pairing if needed.) The soundbar and sub combine for a total output of 100 watts.
On the back of the main bar, there are connections for HDMI In/Out (with ARC, but no HDMI cables are included), Optical In (a cable is included), Ethernet (for direct network connection, no cable included), and a 3.5mm audio input (no cable included).
The power cable also connects to the rear panel.
The remote is a busy piece of hardware, with lots of buttons crammed onto a small surface that can make it a little annoying to operate.
The membrane buttons include dedicated input controls for HDMI, TV, Analog, and Bluetooth, and a control for the three main listening modes: Surround, Stereo, and 3D Surround.
3D Surround is supposed to add a sense of varying heights for the virtual surround experience, working with Dolby and DTS-encoded audio, but we didn't quite pick up on that in our testing.
The remote also has three favorite buttons that can be assigned to internet radio stations.
There are also dedicated Main and Subwoofer volume controls, with LED indicators that show you the volume levels on the top panel of the soundbar.
Then there are buttons for Clear Voice, Bass Extension, Info, and Dimmer.
The Info button helps explain what mode you're in and where volume levels are, using the LEDs on the bar's top panel.
A Dimmer button controls the brightness of the LEDs on top of the soundbar.
Again, it seems like a silly place to have the LED indicators—most soundbars we test put these types of visual guides on the front panel, often behind the grille.
If you park the bar directly under your TV or mount it (there's an included mounting kit), the indicators will be hard to see, as they're not just up top, but placed all the way to the back of the panel.
If you choose to use the app, you can control playback and volume on your phone, as well as stream audio from Spotify, SiriusXM, Pandora, and several other services (provided you have an account).
Otherwise, the app isn't terribly useful unless you have multiple Yamaha MusicCast devices in various areas of your home.
You can also program the system to work with Alexa if you already have Alexa devices.
Simply ask Alexa to control your MusicCast speakers and you're in business—there's a short setup process in the app for this.
If you're using the MusicCast Bar 400 on its own, there's little need to use the app—you can easily stream audio from your phone via Bluetooth.
Performance
On Chapter 13 of the Pacific Rim Blu-ray, we checked out the audio in various modes.
Stereo, in comparison to the Surround mode, seemed a tad underwhelming—kudos to Yamaha for designing a virtual surround listening experience that actually feels like it widens the listening field somewhat.
Regardless of whether you feel surrounded by the audio, the system sounds a little more dynamic and powerful in this mode.
3D Surround Mode didn't really add much to the listening experience, however—if you're sticking with a 2.1 surround setup and not adding in more speakers, we recommend Surround or Stereo modes for movies.
The adjustable subwoofer volume is the real star of the show here.
You can have a crisp, clear sound signature with some modest thump at low-to-mid sub volume levels, or some serious thunder at mid-to-high levels.
The best sound we got for the explosions and massive creatures stomping around in this film was with the sub at about 75 percent—raising it higher than this made some of the crisp elements of the mix slightly less clear, and the general sound signature became a tad muddled.
Continuing on to Chapters 2 and 3 of the Casino Royale Blu-ray, with the sub at 75 percent and the mode set to Surround, the audio was thunderous for gunshots and explosions, with crystal clear dialogue in the quieter moments.
The sub rattled the walls a bit during some moments with ominous low frequencies in the musical mix.
Again, Stereo mode proved to sound a bit too tame, almost more like mono.
For those who want added emphasis on dialogue, the Clear Voice button does shift a bit more of the focus to the human voice.
Bass Extension mode is likely to be preferred for watching films, as well.
We found reasonable subwoofer levels paired with enabling the Bass Extension mode delivered a more typical movie audio experience—punches and explosions get more thunder, but you can manage things so it's never over the top.
Shifting to Bluetooth mode for music, on tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the MusicCast Bar 400 delivers powerful low end.
Bass Extension mode pumps up the lows somewhat here, but its presence is more obvious on tracks like Bill Callahan's "Drover." On this track, it almost sounds like the subwoofer is being left out of the mix when Bass Extension isn't enabled.
That said, you need to dial back the sub's volume when it's on, or the lows get out of hand pretty quickly.
So on tracks with deep bass, the Bass Extension does less to dial up the lows, but on tracks that lack much bass depth, the sub gets pushed forward a bit in the mix and rounds out elements like the drums, baritone vocals, and electric bass.
Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild" seems less affected by Bass Extension mode—the sub-bass synth hits almost seemed more deep and powerful when they with the feature disabled.
The vocals are crisp and clear, and orchestral tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, also benefit from the bright presence of the drivers.
Being able to dial back the subwoofer significantly is helpful, allowing purists to get something approximating a flat response, as well as bass lovers the chance to beef up classical and jazz tracks a bit.
Conclusions
Sonically, Yamaha's MusicCast Bar 400 is a winner.
It's versatile, the sub can be powerful or subtle, and the definition in the highs is solid.
The ability to use it as part of a multi-room system only adds to its allure, and as a standalone 2.1 system for film and TV, it combines powerful low-frequency rumble with the necessary definition in the highs and mids to balance things out.
In the $500 range, we're also fans of the JBL Bar 3.1, the Sonos Beam, the LG SJ7, and the Sony HT-NT5.
The MusicCast Bar 400 might stand out a bit more if it had fewer preset-dependent modes, and instead provided a simple user-adjustable EQ to allow you to truly dial in your preferences, rather than merely enabling or disabling a sonic feature.
As is, however, the MusicCast Bar 400 is still quite impressive, and certainly worth your consideration.
Pros
Powerful bass depth and crisp, clear highs.
Wireless subwoofer with adjustable levels.
Bluetooth and multi-room streaming.
Works with Amazon Alexa.
View More
Cons
Traditional EQ adjustments would be more useful than sound modes.
Remote is small and sometimes annoying to use.
LED indicators are oddly placed and hard to decipher.
The Bottom Line
The Yamaha MusicCast Bar 400 delivers a solid, adjustable audio experience with some extra punch from its wireless subwoofer.
The Yamaha MusicCast Bar 400 soundbar is a 2.1 system with a wireless subwoofer and multi-room compatibility.
For $499.95, it delivers solid audio performance with some notable, adjustable power from the subwoofer.
An app allows you to control the system and integrate it into a multi-room setup, and it can be controlled by Alexa voice commands (provided you have other Alexa devices) as well.
The remote feels a bit small and cluttered, and the decision to place all LED indicators on the far end of the top panel is somewhat baffling.
Sonically, however, the MusicCast Bar 400 delivers bass punch and solid clarity, with options that help bring out the dynamics of film and music mixes.
Design
Measuring 2.4 by 38.6 by 4.4 inches (HWD) and weighing 6 pounds, the main component of the MusicCast Bar 400 has a typical soundbar look—all black, with a grille covering the front panel.
Up top, there are LED indicators denoting what input is being used, as well as buttons for Volume Up/Down, Mute, Input Switch, and Connect (this button connects with the Yamaha MusicCast Controller app).
Most of the controls are on the included remote, however—more on that in a minute.
Behind the grille, the speaker uses four 1.75-inch woofers and two 1-inch tweeters to deliver audio.
The wireless 21-pound subwoofer, which measures 16.4 by 7.1 by 16.0 inches and connects automatically, houses a 6.5-inch cone woofer.
(A switch on the sub's back allows for manual pairing if needed.) The soundbar and sub combine for a total output of 100 watts.
On the back of the main bar, there are connections for HDMI In/Out (with ARC, but no HDMI cables are included), Optical In (a cable is included), Ethernet (for direct network connection, no cable included), and a 3.5mm audio input (no cable included).
The power cable also connects to the rear panel.
The remote is a busy piece of hardware, with lots of buttons crammed onto a small surface that can make it a little annoying to operate.
The membrane buttons include dedicated input controls for HDMI, TV, Analog, and Bluetooth, and a control for the three main listening modes: Surround, Stereo, and 3D Surround.
3D Surround is supposed to add a sense of varying heights for the virtual surround experience, working with Dolby and DTS-encoded audio, but we didn't quite pick up on that in our testing.
The remote also has three favorite buttons that can be assigned to internet radio stations.
There are also dedicated Main and Subwoofer volume controls, with LED indicators that show you the volume levels on the top panel of the soundbar.
Then there are buttons for Clear Voice, Bass Extension, Info, and Dimmer.
The Info button helps explain what mode you're in and where volume levels are, using the LEDs on the bar's top panel.
A Dimmer button controls the brightness of the LEDs on top of the soundbar.
Again, it seems like a silly place to have the LED indicators—most soundbars we test put these types of visual guides on the front panel, often behind the grille.
If you park the bar directly under your TV or mount it (there's an included mounting kit), the indicators will be hard to see, as they're not just up top, but placed all the way to the back of the panel.
If you choose to use the app, you can control playback and volume on your phone, as well as stream audio from Spotify, SiriusXM, Pandora, and several other services (provided you have an account).
Otherwise, the app isn't terribly useful unless you have multiple Yamaha MusicCast devices in various areas of your home.
You can also program the system to work with Alexa if you already have Alexa devices.
Simply ask Alexa to control your MusicCast speakers and you're in business—there's a short setup process in the app for this.
If you're using the MusicCast Bar 400 on its own, there's little need to use the app—you can easily stream audio from your phone via Bluetooth.
Performance
On Chapter 13 of the Pacific Rim Blu-ray, we checked out the audio in various modes.
Stereo, in comparison to the Surround mode, seemed a tad underwhelming—kudos to Yamaha for designing a virtual surround listening experience that actually feels like it widens the listening field somewhat.
Regardless of whether you feel surrounded by the audio, the system sounds a little more dynamic and powerful in this mode.
3D Surround Mode didn't really add much to the listening experience, however—if you're sticking with a 2.1 surround setup and not adding in more speakers, we recommend Surround or Stereo modes for movies.
The adjustable subwoofer volume is the real star of the show here.
You can have a crisp, clear sound signature with some modest thump at low-to-mid sub volume levels, or some serious thunder at mid-to-high levels.
The best sound we got for the explosions and massive creatures stomping around in this film was with the sub at about 75 percent—raising it higher than this made some of the crisp elements of the mix slightly less clear, and the general sound signature became a tad muddled.
Continuing on to Chapters 2 and 3 of the Casino Royale Blu-ray, with the sub at 75 percent and the mode set to Surround, the audio was thunderous for gunshots and explosions, with crystal clear dialogue in the quieter moments.
The sub rattled the walls a bit during some moments with ominous low frequencies in the musical mix.
Again, Stereo mode proved to sound a bit too tame, almost more like mono.
For those who want added emphasis on dialogue, the Clear Voice button does shift a bit more of the focus to the human voice.
Bass Extension mode is likely to be preferred for watching films, as well.
We found reasonable subwoofer levels paired with enabling the Bass Extension mode delivered a more typical movie audio experience—punches and explosions get more thunder, but you can manage things so it's never over the top.
Shifting to Bluetooth mode for music, on tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the MusicCast Bar 400 delivers powerful low end.
Bass Extension mode pumps up the lows somewhat here, but its presence is more obvious on tracks like Bill Callahan's "Drover." On this track, it almost sounds like the subwoofer is being left out of the mix when Bass Extension isn't enabled.
That said, you need to dial back the sub's volume when it's on, or the lows get out of hand pretty quickly.
So on tracks with deep bass, the Bass Extension does less to dial up the lows, but on tracks that lack much bass depth, the sub gets pushed forward a bit in the mix and rounds out elements like the drums, baritone vocals, and electric bass.
Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild" seems less affected by Bass Extension mode—the sub-bass synth hits almost seemed more deep and powerful when they with the feature disabled.
The vocals are crisp and clear, and orchestral tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, also benefit from the bright presence of the drivers.
Being able to dial back the subwoofer significantly is helpful, allowing purists to get something approximating a flat response, as well as bass lovers the chance to beef up classical and jazz tracks a bit.
Conclusions
Sonically, Yamaha's MusicCast Bar 400 is a winner.
It's versatile, the sub can be powerful or subtle, and the definition in the highs is solid.
The ability to use it as part of a multi-room system only adds to its allure, and as a standalone 2.1 system for film and TV, it combines powerful low-frequency rumble with the necessary definition in the highs and mids to balance things out.
In the $500 range, we're also fans of the JBL Bar 3.1, the Sonos Beam, the LG SJ7, and the Sony HT-NT5.
The MusicCast Bar 400 might stand out a bit more if it had fewer preset-dependent modes, and instead provided a simple user-adjustable EQ to allow you to truly dial in your preferences, rather than merely enabling or disabling a sonic feature.
As is, however, the MusicCast Bar 400 is still quite impressive, and certainly worth your consideration.
Pros
Powerful bass depth and crisp, clear highs.
Wireless subwoofer with adjustable levels.
Bluetooth and multi-room streaming.
Works with Amazon Alexa.
View More
Cons
Traditional EQ adjustments would be more useful than sound modes.
Remote is small and sometimes annoying to use.
LED indicators are oddly placed and hard to decipher.
The Bottom Line
The Yamaha MusicCast Bar 400 delivers a solid, adjustable audio experience with some extra punch from its wireless subwoofer.
