Klipsch Cinema 600 vs Yamaha YAS-209 which is better?

I have to say that this comparison of Klipsch Cinema 600 and Yamaha YAS-209 is one of the fairest. Both the Klipsch Cinema 600  and Yamaha YAS-209 are offering you a soundbar and subwoofer combo for what I consider to be a very fair price. In our Yamaha YAS 109 and 209 is it a significant upgrade? article, we looked at the 209 and I felt it came out very well. I also think that the couple of times I have looked at the Klipsch Cinema 600, it has also come out good. This really is quite an event contest and one that I think is going to be really hard for me to pick a clear winner with.

The Price

At first glance, there is a fairly big price difference between these two, but it is not quite what it seems. This contest between the Klipsch Cinema 600 and Yamaha YAS-209 starts off on very even footing as if you shop around, the prices for these can be quite similar. I do feel that both of these soundbars do give you a very good bang for your buck though.

Klipsch Cinema 600:

Over at Amazon, you could look at the Klipsch Cinema 600  three times in one week and the price would change every time! Currently, it is sitting at $549, but last time I put it in one of these articles it was $539, the time before that was $513! Klipsch released a follow up to this called the Klipsch Cinema 800 which supports Dolby Atmos and is priced closer to a thousand bucks. I think that is why the price for the 600 is all over the place at the moment. Now, you can shop around on eBay and you can find some people selling this for 350 to 400 bucks! At that price range, the Klipsch Cinema 600 is a freaking steal! Just know that you can get a great deal on this, you just have to do some legwork to find it.

Yamaha YAS-209:

As I write this the Yamaha YAS-209 is priced at $349.99 on Amazon. I tend to keep tabs on stuff like this and I have found that the price on this does not seem to go lower or higher over at Amazon. I think that this is actually fantastic value for money. It is a pretty substantial upgrade over the cheaper Yamaha YAS-109 and I do think it is worth the over 100 bucks extra. You could always look on eBay for this and the price on there is really hard to gauge. I have seen this on there in the 300 to 350 bucks range. However, I have also seen some crazy people trying to get as much as $500 for this!

The Verdict: 

If you are willing to shop around and be patient then this is a very even round as they can both be had in the 300 to 400 buck’s range. However, if you are someone that likes to do their shopping more on somewhere like Amazon than eBay, the price difference of 200 bucks or more is pretty high and I would have to say that I am not sure the Klipsch Cinema 600 is 200 bucks better than the Yamaha YAS-209.   

The Design

While these two soundbars are similar in many ways, the design round in our Klipsch Cinema 600 and Yamaha YAS-209 contest is probably where the biggest differences between these two lays. These each have a very distinct style from each other so I have a feeling that this is going to be a much more personal kind of choice in regards to which one you like best.

Klipsch Cinema 600:

 
 

This Klipsch Cinema 600 Soundbar Review is one of the best videos that I have seen showing off the Klipsch Cinema 600. The first thing to note here is that there is a pretty substantial difference in the length of these soundbars. The dimensions of the Klipsch Cinema 600 are 45.1” x 2.9” x 3.3”. That 45 inches of length is pretty darn long so make sure it is going to fit where you plan on having it. To be fair, with a soundbar of this size, I would wager most people interested in it have a TV that is 50 plus inches in size like this Amazon Fire TV 50″ 4-Series 4K UHD smart TV. The soundbar does have a strong and solid design thanks to the thick plastic they have used. The front, top, and bottom of the soundbar are covered with this stylish looking fabric. I do like this, but you will have to make sure you keep it clean from dust and stop the kids and pets messing with it! The sides of the soundbar are what grab your attention as the speakers are made with a different color of plastic and they really do stick out. Overall, it has a bind of boxy design and if you like that style, you will love this.

An interesting design choice that Klipsch has gone for here is having the USB port on the side. This is there in case you need to do a firmware update, it is easy to reach, but depending on how you have it displayed it could be a bit of an eyesore. On the back of the soundbar, you have both an optical and an HDMI port. There is also a standard 3.5 mm jack as well. As you have both HDMI and optical, you are pretty much set for getting this thing easily connected to your TV.

The subwoofer that comes as part of the Klipsch Cinema 600 package is very cool. It has a much more imposing style than the Yamaha and it comes in at 18.4” x 14.3” x14.3”. It has a very cool style about it and it is lifted off the ground with these little feet and it is a very nice effect. This not only looks cool; this is a downward firing subwoofer so it is going to help with the quality of bass you are getting too. In all, I think that Klipsch has done a great job with this soundbar and I was very impressed.

Yamaha YAS-209:

Yamaha makes some amazing looking soundbars and this Yamaha YAS-209 has a very stylish and high-fashion kind of vibe going on. I found this Yamaha YAS – 209 Soundbar: Wireless subwoofer and Alexa built-in ! DTS Virtual-X ! video which shows the 209 off pretty well. The first thing to mention is that the Yamaha YAS-209 is considerably smaller, coming in at 36.4″ x 2.4” x 4.0”. Well, I say smaller, it is certainly not as wide. You would get away with this between the legs of a 42 inch TV like this Toshiba 43LF621U21 43-inch Smart 4K UHD with Dolby Vision – Fire TV. The 209 has a very curvy and rounded design which I like. It has a fabric covering that goes around the front and sides of the soundbar, with the top and bottom being made of a solid plastic. I like the way it wraps around and I think many people are going to love the style of this.

We do also have to take a gander at the back of the Yamaha YAS-209 to see what kind of connections are there waiting for us. This offers you both optical and HDMI connectivity which is what you would expect. They do also give you a handy USB port which is there in case any issues occur and you need to do a firmware fix. They also have an ethernet port on here to as well which I consider to be a nice bonus.

The subwoofer that comes with the 209 is not as large as the Klipsch Cinema 600. The dimensions are 7.5” x 16.5” x 15.8 which are decent enough. The design is very cool though, I like how it has that same kind of fabric as the actual soundbar to make it fit in with that design very well. There is also a bit of gloss to this as well which is something I like, but it will be a real magnet for dust! This is a wireless subwoofer which is nice as it means you do not need a cable trailing from the soundbar to it.

The Verdict: 

While the Klipsch Cinema 600 has a style that I like and I really do like the subwoofer, I have to give this round to the Yamaha YAS-209. I like the way it has a curvier design and I think the way it has a plastic top instead of the fabric covering it all is a smarter design. I will say that I think the design of the subwoofer is not quite as eye-catching, but as a pair, I do feel the 209 offers more style. To be fair, I can see why some folks would prefer the 600. For my personal taste though, the 209 has to win this one.  

The Sound

Is there a more important category in this Klipsch Cinema 600 versus Yamaha YAS-209 fight to the death than sound? The whole point of a subwoofer is to get better sound than what your TV speakers offer. Also, with these two, you are getting more of a cinema quality sound too! Both of these are massive upgrades on your TV speakers and I found them to both offer a similar kind of sound!

Klipsch Cinema 600:  

I have looked at several videos about the Klipsch Cinema 600  to see if other people share a similar view to mine. One video that I really liked is this Klipsch Cinema 600 Soundbar Review | Klipsch Home Theater Solution! which is fun and informative. I have said this a few times about this soundbar, but the balance of the sound is great. Not only is it great, but it sounds great out of the box without you playing around with any of the presets or features. The wife and I tested this out with the tense as hell, but not as good as the first, Don’t Breathe 2. The soundbar really came into its own with the ambient sound and loud action type scenes. It just gives you a very good mix of sound and it makes it so nothing really overpowers anything else. You know how with your TV speakers or even some cheaper soundbars someone can be talking so you crank the volume up. Only for something else to happen and it then is way too loud? You will not experience any of that annoyance here.

When my grandparents were in the market for a soundbar, it was mainly for dialogue that they wanted it. With the Klipsch Cinema 600, you get nice and clear dialogue, and while it was great out of the box. There is even a dialogue button on the remote control if you feel that you need it enhanced. This could be really handy for a movie like The Irishman which is all about the dialogue. I have tested so many soundbars over the years and I would rank this one very high on how it performs in terms of offering a clear voice level of dialogue.

Of course, we do also have to spend a moment talking about bass as the Klipsch Cinema 600 comes with that subwoofer. It might not be my favorite of the trilogy, but the scene with people changing for Bane in The Dark Knight Rises is truly epic when you have something like this playing it. I am very impressed with the bass that the subwoofer provides. I know that you do not always need a dedicated subwoofer and even some of the higher end soundbars do not have one or have some kind of sub built in. However, when you experience one that comes with this, there is no denying that it can add a great deal to a movie and give you a more cinema like experience.

Yamaha YAS-209:

The sound that the Yamaha YAS-209 provides is very, very comparable to the Klipsch Cinema 600. I found it to be similar in pretty much every regard if I am being honest with you. I do suggest you check out this Yamaha YAS-209 Soundbar Review | Wireless Sub and Clear Voice which has many of the same thoughts about the 209 that I do. Where to start? I will start with the overall sound quality that the 209 provide which I am happy to say is great. If you were to watch something that has all different kinds of sounds going on like Wonder Woman 1984 for example. You will notice that the music is great, the loud action scenes have some real punch to them and it manages to give you a kind of cinema experience that is impossible with your TV speakers. You are not getting Dolby Atmos out of this, but it has a very cool room filling effect which I think will surprise a lot of people. It has a dedicated button for 3D surround sound and I was impressed with it!

Now, one thing that Yamaha does very well with their soundbars is offering clear voice. Like the 3D Surround Sound button, there is also a dedicated button for clear voice. This is great and if you were watching something like American Horror Story where listening to what the characters say is vital. You will never miss a thing thanks to this soundbar. My grandparents actually have this soundbar and it is a feature they use all of the time.

Of course, we do have to take a real look at the subwoofer that comes with the Yamaha YAS-209. Even though it is not the largest subwoofer in the world, it still packs a fair bit of punch to it. I love the movie, X-Men: Days of Future Past and watched it with the subwoofer cranked up pretty high and I was very impressed. It has a much deeper and more powerful bass than I was expecting and it is a very nice way to give your movies and TV shows that extra bit of kick.

The Verdict: 

I have to say that this one is almost too close to call! I have gone back and forth in my head numerous times with this trying to decide which one that I like best. I feel that out of all the comparison articles I have done, when it comes to sound these two are the most similar in what they offer. I think though that I would have to give the edge only so very slightly to the Klipsch Cinema 600. While I have picked that as the winner, it really could not have been any closer. This was a very, very hard round to pick a winner in! I kept changing my mind while trying to pick a winner!

The Remote Control

Sound was a tough call in this Klipsch Cinema 600 and Yamaha YAS-209 battle and I have to say that I think looking at the remote control is going to be just as tough. These both come with a great remote control. The way you can tell that both of these are good is that Klipsch and Yamaha have used a similar design for some of their other soundbars.

Klipsch Cinema 600:

I am a massive fan of the remote control that Klipsch has included with the Klipsch Cinema 600. They give you all of the functions you need to take direct control of your soundbar and that is all you can ask for at the end of the day. They have made this as easy to use as possible and I think that is something many people are going to really appreciate. I also like how the remote control is a nice size and has some curves to it and it just feels nice to hold.

Yamaha YAS-209:

You really do get a fantastic little remote control with the Yamaha YAS-209. Yamaha has used a near identical remote for the 108 and 109 and I do not mind one bit. They got it right with the 108 so why change it? This remote is very easy to use, all of the main features such as clear voice, 3d surround sound and the six different presets have their own dedicated button. It is very easy to change the volume on both the soundbar and subwoofer. I legit cannot think of anything that Yamaha could have done to make this remote control any easier to use.

The Verdict: 

Ok, so I do like the look, feel, and design of the Klipsch Cinema 600 better than the Yamaha remote. However, I prefer the number of buttons and control that the remote the Yamaha YAS-209 gives you better. These are two great remotes and it really is a personal preference thing and my personal preference is for the Yamaha YAS-209.  

What Is In The Box?

In this category in the epic battle of the Klipsch Cinema 600 and Yamaha YAS-209, we compare what is in the box. This may seem like a strange category, but the aim here is to let you guys know exactly what you are getting with your hard earned money!

Klipsch Cinema 600:

When the Klipsch Cinema 600  arrived at my house, the size of the box it came in was so huge my kids played in it for about a week! Picking this up from the store could be a pain in the butt so please keep that in mind. You get your soundbar and subwoofer along with the power cables and instructions in here. They also give you the remote control and a bonus set of batteries. Klipsch does also include an HDMI cable, but there is no optical cable include here. They do though give you a set of brackets and a mounting template which is handy if you want to mount this on the wall.

Yamaha YAS-209:

With a large box for both the soundbar and subwoofer, the Yamaha YAS-209 could be a pain in the butt to get home! You, of course, have your soundbar and your subwoofer here. The power cables and instruction booklet are also here for you. One of the strangest things here is that Yamaha decided to include an optical cable and not an HDMI cable. To be fair, you can get one cable like this HDMI Cable for way under ten bucks! Very few companies give you both an HDMI and an optical cable these days. However, not many give you an optical cable over an HDMI!

The Verdict:

I know that I am not supposed to award any of these rounds a tie, but there really is not a winner here. One forgoes an optical cable whereas the other forgoes an HDMI cable. I guess, you could argue that it is way easier to find an HDMI cable in a store than it is an optical one so could that make the Yamaha YAS-209 the winner here? I am not so sure so I am sitting on the fence and calling this a tie.  

What Is The Best?

As we come to the end of our Klipsch Cinema 600 and Yamaha YAS-209 comparison, I have come to one conclusion. That is you really cannot go wrong with either the Klipsch Cinema 600  or the Yamaha YAS-209! As far as soundbar and subwoofer sets go, these two are great and I would say that most people who get either one of these are going to be extremely happy. Without spending 500, 600, or even 900 bucks, you are getting fairly close to that cinema style of sound. I do have to pick an overall winner here though and I am going to say that the one I personally preferred was the Klipsch Cinema 600.

However, there is a big askaris next to it. If you can get the 600 for around the 300 to 400 bucks range it is the winner. However, if you are looking at the prices strictly on Amazon then I would have to say you are better off saving a couple of hundred bucks and getting the Yamaha YAS-209. While I do slightly prefer the sound the 600 gives, it is certainly not 200 bucks better.

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