Yamaha’s new Dolby Atmos soundbar wants to make Samsung’s 3D sound look pitiful – this speaker setup is wild
- The Yamaha True X Surround 90A is a new four-box Dolby Atmos soundbar
- 12 up-firing drivers, four oval full-range drivers and three tweeters in the bar
- Newly developed subwoofer, and rear speakers are also stand-alone Bluetooth speakers
What’s better than having a couple of upward-firing Dolby Atmos speakers? Having a dozen of them. That’s what Yamaha has delivered in its new True X Surround 90A soundbar system, aka the SR-X90A.
The True X Surround 90A is a high-end, high-spec home theater soundbar system with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support, and that builds on the firm’s True X 40 and 50 models, while incorporating tech from Yamaha’s Sound Projector range.
According to Yamaha it delivers “an amazing home theater experience that goes beyond the realm of conventional soundbars”.
Yamaha True X Surround 90A: key features and pricing
The SR-X90A takes the same beam technology from the YSP-1 soundbar and applies it to a dozen up-firing speakers powered by Yamaha’s YDA-141 amplifier. There are six speakers dedicated to the height channels projecting upwards at each end of the speaker, and according to Yamaha the results rival true ceiling-mounted speakers.
The very best Dolby Atmos soundbars tend to use four up-firing speakers (in the case of the Samsung HW-Q990F) or even five in the case of the LG S95AR. Some custom-install Dolby Atmos home theaters might use six in-ceiling speakers. 12 up-firing speakers is… hardcore.
The soundbar also features the Surround:AI processing from Yamaha’s AV receivers, which is the first time it’s been made available in a soundbar.
Those up-firing speakers are teamed up with newly developed eye-shaped oval drivers, which Yamaha says can deliver powerful audio without making the soundbar massive. There are four of these large oval drivers to cover the full frequency range, in conjunction with three tweeters. The speakers are arrange in left, center and right configurations on the soundbars front.
There’s a newly developed subwoofer too, which keeps Yamaha’s patented symmetrical flare port, and which has an internal plate to control the airflow in order to reduce vibrations from air turbulence and speaker movement. Yamaha says port noise is reduced by up to 20dB compared to more conventional designs.
The True X Surround 90A uses Yamaha’s True X wireless connectivity for soundbar, subwoofer and satellite speakers, and the rear speakers it comes with can also be used as stand-alone Bluetooth speakers.
The system also has Yamaha’s MusicCast network system for multi-room audio and in-app customization and configuration, and it’s Apple AirPlay compatible too.
The True X Surround 90A will be available from September 2025 with an expected recommended retail price of £2,499 / AU$4,499 (about $3,300) – you can expect a more concrete US price closer to the time, depend on the latest tariff situation.
But before then, you can expect our early verdict on this soundbar – it’s on its way to us, and this looks like a very exciting addition to the world of the best soundbars.
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