I know that the Yamaha YAS-209 vs Bose Soundbar 700 is a strange matchup. However, I have had a lot of fun putting the 209 against other soundbars, most recently with my Yamaha YAS 109 vs 209 is it a significant upgrade? article. And if you check out my Bose Soundbar 700 Review you know that it is one of my all time favorite soundbars. Still, on the surface, it is a very uneven matchup, but the Yamaha YAS-209 has really won me over since I got the chance to test it out and I think it is a damn fine soundbar and I am very interested to see how I feel about it when I put it head to head with the monster that is the Bose Soundbar 700.
The Price
Ok, so there is a pretty massive price differential between these two. So much so I bet more than a few of you are saying “how can you even compare the two?”. Well while the price difference is very significant, I do feel that at the end of the day what we are looking at here in this category of our Yamaha YAS-209 vs Bose Soundbar 700 showdown is if you are getting some real bang for your buck with both of these.
Yamaha YAS-209:
The pricing for the Yamaha YAS-209 is kind of strange. The best deal that I could find for this was over at Amazon and they are asking around 350 bucks for this which I think is excellent value for money. Some may wonder why it is significantly more than its brother, the Yamaha YAS-109, but there is a good reason. This comes with a dedicated subwoofer and it has a wee bit more power in general. I will say that I would suggest you stay away on eBay as the prices for this are all over the place with some people trying to get as much as 500 bucks for this! At the end of the day, I feel that this is fantastic value for money.
Bose Soundbar 700:
For a while, the Bose Soundbar 700 was the most expensive soundbar that Bose offered with an RRP of $799.99. That is no longer the case as the Bose Soundbar 900, the follow up to this is priced at just under 900 bucks. You may think that as this is over twice the price of the Yamaha YAS-209, there is no comparison. However, for a while I think that the Bose Soundbar 700 was the best you could get so in that regard, I do feel it was great value for money. However, now that Dolby Atmos is really all the rage, you do have to question spending nearly 800 bucks on a soundbar and it not supporting Dolby Atmos.
The Verdict: I have to be honest and say that six months or so ago, I probably would have given this one to the Bose Soundbar 700. Even though it is considerably more expensive, the quality you are getting is second to none. Now though, I do not think I would spend that kind of money if the soundbar did not offer Dolby Atmos so I am giving the win here to the Yamaha YAS-209. It is a cracking soundbar and it is excellent value for money.
The Design
I am a real visual kind of creature and that is why the design is a very important category for me in our Yamaha YAS-209 vs Bose Soundbar 700 fight for supremacy. I like my stereo and home theatre equipment to look cool and something like a soundbar that is always out on display, you need to be easy on the eyes. I can tell you right now that both of these are very appealing in the looks department.
Yamaha YAS-209: I really think that the design of the Yamaha YAS-209 is very cool. Yamaha gives their soundbars a kind of fashionable look which is something I do appreciate and I am sure the majority of people are going to really like. It is about the average size for a soundbar, coming in at 36.4″ x 2.4” x 4.0” so it is not as if it needs a ton of space. The soundbar is made of strong plastic like they all are, but it is the covering that is interesting here. They have covered it with this fabric mesh which has a very sleek and cool look, this goes around the front and wraps around the sides.
If you look at this Yamaha YAS-209 Soundbar: Wireless Subwoofer & Alexa Built-in! video, you can see just how stylish the soundbar looks. As I have said a million times about this and any other subwoofer that goes the fabric route, you do have to make sure the kids or the pets are not poking at it!
Round the back of the soundbar, you have the connections. There is an HDMI and optical port. There is also an ethernet and USB port as well. They give you all the connections that you need and at the end of the day that is all I can really ask for.
As well as the soundbar, this comes with a subwoofer too. This is a decent enough size coming in at 7.5” x 16.5” x 15.8”. The design of the subwoofer is very complimentary to the soundbar, using that same kind of fabric mesh design. It is wireless so apart from the power cable, you do not have to worry about a ton of wires running out the back of it. I like it, I know it looks like your typical subwoofer, but it fits in very well. I was also impressed with just how solid the subwoofer felt when I took it out of the box for the first time.
Bose Soundbar 700: The first time I held the Bose Soundbar 700 it was like love at first sight!
Have a look at this BOSE SOUNDBAR 700 UNBOXING video and you get a little peek at why I am so in love with this thing. The dimensions of this are 38.5” x 2.25” x 4.25” so there is not a great deal in it between this and the Yamaha YAS-209. They will both fit comfortably under a good-sized TV. I have to say that Bose makes the best looking soundbars on the planet and this is coming from a self-confessed Sony fanboy. As usual, this is made from a strong black plastic that has a very nice and weighty feel to it. Now, the top of the soundbar is where this thing really shines. Bose has given this a high-quality glass covering and it looks amazing. Seriously, this thing is fantastic and if you saw it in a showroom, it would stop you in your tracks.
While that glass is gorgeous to look at I can tell you from first hand experience as I have this under my TV right now, this thing is a magnet for dust and fingerprints. I swear, you can give it a nice clean with some glass spray and then a few hours later, there will be dust on it. Also, if you have kids that love to touch anything that is out, it gets covered in fingerprints very easily too. The front and the sides of the soundbar are covered with this mesh that feels like metal. I much prefer this to fabric as it not only is safer, but I think it looks very cool as well.
Round the back of the soundbar, you have your various hookups and Bose loves to spoil us. There is of course your power jack, but this also gives you both an HDMI and optical port so you can connect it to your TV however you may like. There is also a special port for a subwoofer (more on that later) there is also a USB port on the back which is there for any potential updates or fixes of issues that you may need to do. You do also have an ethernet port on the back of here as well.
The Verdict: Look, the Yamaha YAS-209 is a nice looking soundbar and the subwoofer is the perfect design to go with it. However, nothing so far has managed to topple the mighty Bose Soundbar 700 when it comes to the design. This is a real showpiece soundbar and one that I am very proud to have in my living room right now. I do not see how anyone could not love the design of this soundbar.
The Sound:
I am sure that some of you guys have come straight to this category in our Yahama YAS-209 vs Bose Soundbar 700 review. I think that modern TVs look very sleek and cool, they are nice and light, they are super thin, but this comes at a cost and that is the speakers. Manufacturers just cannot put large speakers into TVs these days. There are some expensive TVs like this awesome Phillips OLED+ 4K UHD Android TV – Bowers & Wilkins Sound which do have better sound. However, most folks are going to need to buy a soundbar to get better sound.
Yamaha YAS-209: I know that comparing the Yamaha YAS-209 to the Bose Soundbar 700 seems pretty unfair. However, I do not think that it is just a case of the Bose steamrolling this. This comes with a dedicated subwoofer, but I also think with each improvement they made from the 108, Yamaha fine-tuned things. This is a great sounding soundbar and movies like Avatar really showcase just how good this can sound. From the ambient sounds of the alien planet, the loud noises of the guns, and the dialogue. I think that without Dolby Atmos, Yamaha has done a very good job at giving you close to cinema sound as you are going to be able to get at this price range. You have a dedicated clear voice button if you want to use it, but there are also a handful of presets you can play around with to in order to get the sound just the way you want.
Check out this Justice League Snyder’s Cut- Yamaha YAS-209 sound test to see this in action and I am sure you will be very impressed.
I will be fully honest and say that I did not think the included subwoofer Yamaha was throwing in with the 209 was going to be that great, but it is far better than it has any right to be. It adds a nice level of bass and deepness to the overall sound. You can change the level of bass on the remote and in all, I was impressed. I am a big fan of the live action Transformers Movies and I watched the first two with this and it really did not disappoint.
Yamaha takes care of you in the music department too. The Yamaha YAS-209 offers you Bluetooth connectivity. This is great as it means you can listen to music streamed from your phone or tablet through the soundbar. I played around with this for a while and was impressed with the sound quality. If you just want to quickly listen to some tunes and not use the speaker on your phone, you will be very happy with the sound quality this provides.
Bose Soundbar 700: Until the 900, the Bose Soundbar 700 was arguably the best soundbar I had used. I have put this thing up against many other soundbars and so far it has always come out on top. It gives you three high-quality speakers and the level of sound is truly outstanding, even without a dedicated subwoofer. I know that this does not have Dolby Atmos and I will say that once you have experienced Dolby Atmos there is no going back. However, I am going to stand up and say that I feel the Bose Soundbar 700 provides the best sounding experience without supporting Dolby Atmos. This well and truly fills the room with sound and it is just amazing. Just the other night the wife and I watched, Joker and the clarity of the dialogue and the music were both amazing.
You may think the lack of a soundbar will be an issue, but it really is not. I watched an action heavy movie in Alien Resurrection and first of all, this is a really fun and underrated movie in my opinion. However, I do feel that the Bose Soundbar 700 more than holds its own with loud action movies and offers more power than any other soundbar that is lacking a subwoofer. Now, Bose does make the amazing Bose Base Module 700 which is designed to go with this soundbar, but that is an extra 800 bucks! There is also the Bose Base Module 500 which is cheaper, but it still costs you over 400 bucks!
Have a look at this Bose Soundbar 700 & Bass Module Review: Worth $1500? video if you want to see both the soundbar and the bass module in action.
Bluetooth connectivity is part of the Bose Soundbar 700. This is currently the soundbar we have in our living room and my wife uses this feature all the time. She is always streaming music from Spotify through this and while I may not like all of the music she listens to, I can tell you that the sound quality is always fantastic.
The Verdict: I think that the Yamaha YAS-209 offers amazing sound, even more so when you consider that fantastic asking price. Your average Joe, is going to buy that and be completely blown away and feel like they are getting cinema quality sound. However, I do have to say that even without the bass module, the Bose Soundbar 700 is the winner here as the sound just nails everything that you want it to. Only its predecessor the Bose Soundbar 900 tops this for me.
The Remote Control
I love a good remote control! We had this Sony Hi-Fi back in the late 80s and the remote control blew my mind. I also remember a friend of mine having this weird TV and the remote control was done in a horizontal style. Anyway, let’s take a closer look at the way you will be controlling both of these soundbars.
Yamaha YAS-209: I really like what Yamaha has done with the remote for the Yamaha YAS-209. I also liked what they did with the 108 and the 109! You see, Yamaha nailed the remote control design a few soundbars ago and rather than reinventing the wheel for the sake of doing so they have stuck with what works and I greatly appreciate that. It is a nice and compact remote control. It has dedicated buttons to control the regular volume and the bass. You also have dedicated buttons for “3D surround sound” and clear voice, plus they give you six easy to access presets as well. This remote is ideal and I can see Yamaha using it for a very long time.
Bose Soundbar 700: The remote control that they give you with the Bose Soundbar 700 is one of the greatest remote controls that I have ever used. The remote control here is just as premium as the rest of the soundbar and I have been using it for a long time and still love it. It is quite large and it has a ton of buttons on it. It gives you many different presets and options for tinkering with the sound just the way you want. It even has little lights on it so when you have a particular setting activated on the buttons that are relevant to that setting light up. I know to some people this remote may seem like it is overkill, but I really do love this thing.
The Verdict: Both of these are winners. When you put them side by side, the Yamaha one looks kind of pathetic, but that is not the case. Both of these remotes do a wonderful job and give you complete control over your soundbar. The Yamaha one is so good that they have used it for multiple soundbars. The Bose Soundbar 700 remote is like the ultimate remote and something that fits in with the premium style of the actual soundbar. While the Bose is my favorite remote, I think that the Yamaha one is great too.
What Is In The Box?
No cheesy Seven pun here that I have done a million times! Here we are looking at what you can expect to find in the box of these soundbars…. And it is not Gwyneth Paltrow’s head like in Seven… sorry I could not resist.
Yamaha YAS-209: The Yamaha YAS-209 actually comes in two boxes. One has the subwoofer and its power cable, but it is the other box we are more interested in. In this box, you have your soundbar, its power cable, and the instructions. You have the remote and they even throw in batteries which is far rarer these days than it should be. They also give you an optical cable… you know where I am going with this! They should give you an HDMI cable with this as there is an HDMI connection on the back! Yes, HDMI cables are cheap, but it is an extra step you have to take that you should not in my opinion.
Bose Soundbar 700: The Bose Soundbar 700 is a premium product and this means it comes with everything that you need. It has the actual soundbar, power cable, and instructions. The remote comes with batteries which is awesome. What I give them major props for is giving us both an HDMI cable and an optical cable so you are covered no matter how you want to connect this. They do also give you the Bose ADAPTiQ headset, which is supposed to make it easy to calibrate the soundbar. I never needed this and I ended up flipping it on eBay and got enough money to buy a couple of movies. They also give you a handy little cleaning cloth for taking care of the glass top.
The Verdict: I have to give this one to the Bose Soundbar 700. I really cannot think of anything else that Bose could have put in the box. They give you everything that you need and that is great. The lack of an HDMI cable in the Yamaha YAS-209 box is something that really bothers me.
What Is The Better Soundbar?
At the start of this Yamaha YAS-209 vs Bose Soundbar 700 battle, I did say it was not the fairest matchup. However, I do have to say that both of these are great soundbars. The value for money you are getting with the Yamaha YAS-209 is just incredible. I would say that anyone looking to get better sound at home who wants to be way, way under the 500 bucks mark probably needs to get the Yamaha. On the flip side, the Bose Soundbar 700 is my favorite soundbar that I have so far used. It delivers a phenomenal sound experience, but it is a premium soundbar that costs over double what the Yamaha does, it actually costs over four times what the Yamaha does if you get the Base Module!
There is no clear winner here as they are both offering different things and are aimed at different people. I will say that if you like the look of the 700, I would actually recommend that you spend the extra 100 bucks and get the newer Bose Soundbar 900, which does what the 700 does, but it also offers Dolby Atmos and that is more than worth that extra 100 bucks.
