Yamaha SR-C20A Powered Sound Bar With Built In Subwoofer

SR-C20A

C20A - Compact Sound Bar with built in subwoofer, Bluetooth® and Clear Voice.

• The perfect space saving solution with uncompromised Clear and Immersive sound and built in subwoofer. (W600mm x H64mm x D94mm)
• Clear Voice for enhanced dialogue quality
• Bluetooth® connectivity for streaming wireless music
• Simple Setup and Use with HDMI™, Sound Bar Remote App, or Stereo connection (mini) for gaming

INSTANT IMMERSION

Virtual Surround Technology

Be immersed with virtual surround sound technology.

With the unit placed under your screen, a virtual sound field is created to reproduce left, center, right and back sound effects, so you can enjoy a fuller rich presence just like a movie theater.

Rich Bass Reproduction (Built-in SW, Passive Radiator x2, Bass Extension)

This compact sound bar incorporates a built-in 75mm (3 ") subwoofer unit and dual passive radiator. In addition, the "Bass Extension" enhances any bass signal to ensure a rich and powerful sound.

Clear Voice

Have you ever found it difficult to hear voices or lines from announcements and song vocals?

With Yamaha's clear voice function, you can automatically distinguish human voices such as dialogue and narration from other sounds, increasing the volume of only human voices. Even in movies, dramas, news programs, and music where Back Ground Music and sound effects have been used abundantly, the human voice is clearer and easier to enjoy.

4 Sound Modes

You can enjoy the sound of movies, music, TV programs and games with Yamaha's optimal sound modes. Select from four options (Stereo, Standard, Movie, Game) designed to suit your content. Stereo mode to match stereo playback of music, Standard mode for most TV programs, Movie mode for movies to enhance space expansion, and Game mode to immerse yourself in gameplay content allowing for individual sound action localization to be clear and precise.

SIMPLE TO SET UP, SIMPLE TO USE

Key Hole for Wall Mounting

Stylish design with a slim and compact form.

A cleverly designed center unit carefully compliments the screen even when placed in front of your TV. The keyhole wall mounting design allows for a simple and smooth installation appearance.

HDMI ARC

Simple one HDMI cable connection supporting audio return channel (ARC) that can transmit TV audio, and be linked with a compatible TV to control power on / off, adjust the volume, switch contents, etc.

Sound Bar Remote App

With the newly developed Sound Bar Remote App its even easier to control your entertainment. The App can switch contents, sound modes, clear voice and bass extension functions and simple power on / off commands intuitively and easily from your smartphone / tablet.

• Learn more about Sound Bar Remote App 

GET AHEAD OF THE GAME

Game Sound Mode

Yamaha's GAME Sound Mode further emphasizes the localization of specific individual audible effects, enhancing the player environment for an immersive gaming experience. Connection to PC's at low volume can still achieve significant surround sound action.

FITS RIGHT IN

Compact Size for Desktop Use

With a width of only 60 cm this compact sound bar can be easily positioned in any situation, whether with a monitor of a desktop PC as well as in front of a flat-screen TV, the modest design allows for great flexibility.

(W600mm x H64mm x D94mm)

Soundbar
Channel Configuration    2.0-Channel
Enclosure Type    Sealed
Passive Radiators    2
Low-Frequency Drivers    1 x 3" / 76.2 mm Cone
Full-Range Drivers    2 x 1.8" / 45.72 mm Front-Firing Cone
Amplifier Output    100 W
Connectivity
Inputs    1 x HDMI - ARC
2 x Optical TOSLINK - Audio
1 x 1/8" / 3.5 mm - Audio
Outputs    None
USB Ports    1 x USB (Version Unspecified) (Service) (Rear)
Wireless Audio Protocols    Bluetooth
Bluetooth    5.0
NFC    No
Bluetooth Profiles    A2DP, AVRCP
Bluetooth Codec Support    AAC
SBC
Compatibility
HDMI Compliance    ARC, CEC
Power
DC Input Power    20 VDC
Physical
Wall Mountable    Yes
Dimensions    23.6 x 2.5 x 3.8" / 59.9 x 6.3 x 9.7 cm
23.6 x 2.5 x 4" / 59.9 x 6.3 x 10.2 cm (Wall-Mounted)
Weight    3.9 lb / 1.8 kg

Review photo uploaded 4/8/2023-(15/7)

Yamaha SR-C20A review: the best cheap soundbar all-rounder    

The Yamaha SR-C20A has a can-do attitude, compact frame and truly impressive audio quality

T3 VERDICT

The Yamaha SR-C20A is a soundbar that can do a bit of everything without getting in your way. It's a real winner at this price.

REASONS TO BUY

• Broad, balanced sound from any source
• Compact dimensions make for positional flexibility
• Fine control app

REASONS TO AVOID

• Gets quite flustered by big volume
• Rather unpleasant remote control

Welcome to T3's Yamaha SR-C20A review – our look at one of the most impressive small, cheap soundbars available. Why? Well, a fundamental question first: what do you want a soundbar for? 

The two most popular answers tend to be a) to improve my TV’s sound when I’m watching movies and b) to improve my monitor’s sound when I’m gaming. There’s also a slightly more esoteric answer, which is c) to use as a music speaker.

Sorting yourself out with a soundbar if you’ve answered a) or b) is pretty straightforward. It’s not even all that difficult if you’ve answered c). But if your answer is a), b) and c) all at once, then your choice is narrowed somewhat. What you want is something that’s small and unobtrusive, easy to move and position, and with more flexibility in the way it presents sound than is automatically the case with most of the best soundbars.

What you want, in fact, may well be the Yamaha SR-C20A.

YAMAHA SR-C20A REVIEW: PRICE & FEATURES

At £229/$179/AU$315, the SR-C20A is the smallest and most affordable soundbar in Yamaha’s entire line-up – the latest price from online retailers is shown just below. Mind you, ‘affordable’ is a relative term, especially where electronics are concerned – and there are any number of companies lining up to sell you a (theoretically) similar device for significantly less money than this. Whether any of them are as compact and strong-sounding as this is another matter.

It’s not as if the Yamaha is particularly lavishly specified, either. Oh sure, it’s fair to say that 100 watts of Class D power, driving two forward-facing 46mm full-range drivers and an upward-firing 75mm bass driver, is not to be sniffed at. A couple of 75mm passive radiators offering some bass reinforcement is good news too. 

And the suite of connectivity – an HDMI ARC socket, a couple of digital optical inputs, a 3.5mm analogue input and Bluetooth 5.0 wireless connectivity – should be ample for the majority of prospective customers. It’s just that it doesn’t particularly stand out for the price – cheaper options will tick a lot of the same boxes. 

But let’s not forget this is Yamaha we’re talking about. The company pretty much wrote the book on soundbars, and it seldom misses the mark with products like this.

YAMAHA SR-C20A REVIEW: SOUND QUALITY

We’ve already established that the SR-C20A, thanks to its small dimensions, light weight and very businesslike specification, is designed to do a job in any and all circumstances. Which is pretty much how it proves.

Connected to a TV via the HDMI ARC socket, the Yamaha is a far more spacious, well-defined and sturdier listen than any TV that doesn’t have a bespoke integrated speaker array (which is pretty much all of them, especially if you're looking at TVs under £1000 or TVs under $1000). There’s definite width and even a suggestion of height to the sound it serves up. 

Detail levels are high, and even at the bottom of the frequency range the Yamaha differentiates textures and tones well – which by no means a given in soundbars at the sort of money, regardless of their driver array. At the opposite end there’s plenty of bite and substance to treble sounds, but no lack of poise or dexterity. And in the midrange, where the overwhelming majority of a movie soundtrack exists, there are similar levels of refinement and attack. There’s always a balance to be struck, sonically speaking, and the SR-C20A strikes it dead centre.

Switch to the soundtrack of a console game – any game – and the Yamaha has the dynamic headroom to make the most of it. The ability to switch, sonically speaking, between ‘stealth’ and ‘shock and awe’ is important in games of all types, and the SR-C20A is deep-breathing enough to put proper distance between those two states. And as with its movie reproduction, the soundstage it creates is big enough and, crucially, well defined enough to make a sonic layout obvious.

Broadly speaking it’s equally successful when listening to music. Detail levels are good, staging is convincing and the frequency range is nicely integrated. There’s a shortage of rhythmic certainty here, mind you, and it can make the SR-C20A sound a bit ungainly when musical rhythms and tempos get even mildly complex.

A good deal of the Yamaha’s poise abandons it when you start to really crack the volume, though, and its confidence is replaced by a rather haphazard rush to get all the information to the front of the stage. If it’s out-and-out volume you’re interested in, you may want to cast your net a little wider.

In most everyday circumstances, though, the Yamaha has enough across-the-board talent to make it a leader for the price.

YAMAHA SR-C20A REVIEW: DESIGN & USABILITY

A big part of the SR-C20A’s charm lies in how small it is: at just 600x64x94mm (23-5/8x2-1/2x3-3/4 inches) it looks like a scale model of a soundbar. It’s plenty compact enough to sit happily beneath even quite small screens without getting in the way – it's not even as wide as the average 32-inch TV, let alone 43-inch TVs or bigger. At less than 2kg, it’s hardly a burden to move from room to room as you

The finish as you’d expect from Yamaha, is more than acceptable. The acoustic cloth that covers most of the soundbar is flawlessly applied, the plastics are sturdy, and everything is fitted and finessed smoothly.

There are a few touch-sensitive control on the top of the SR-C20A, and they’re accompanied by some LED tell-tales giving information regarding input and volume level. There’s a full-function remote control in the box too – it has everything you need, including independent controls for subwoofer level and overall volume. But it’s by far the cheapest-feeling thing about the Yamaha, so while it’s useful, it’s basically the opposite of glamorous. Of course, most people will look to control it with their TV's remote over HDMI anyway.

The nicest way to get the SR-C20A to do what you want is to use Yamaha’s impressive SB Remote app (free for iOS and Android). It’s logical, uncomplicated and works consistently – which ought to be a given with control apps but, as we all know, isn’t. So Yamaha is ahead of any number of nominal competitors in this respect.

YAMAHA SR-C20A REVIEW: VERDICT

(Image credit: Yamaha)

You’re not short of choice when it comes to very acceptable soundbars in this kind of price range and lower. But the SR-C20A creates a little niche for itself by being so usefully compact and so very adept across the board. As long as you don’t want a soundbar that’s happy to shake the room with sheer volume, this is an incredibly strong option to boost the weedy audio of a budget TV into something