So I recently got a Yamaha ats 1090 refurbed for about 45 bucks. I have to say, unsure of whether it's me not setting it up right or the product itself, but the audio quality sucks right now.

As such, I wanted to ask if I should stick with the bar or invest in an extremely budget home theatre system?

If home theatre system, I have to say that this is in my room, not a big room, and that I also want to listen to music on it.

Any solutions?

Thanks!

Around Christmas I noticed there was a Yamaha SR-B30A soundbar open box return in the Amazon Resale section (FKA Amazon Warehouse Deals) listed for $239CAD. The current sale price for the soundbar is $300CAD, and the regular price is $450CAD.

I also purchased a Sony HT-S2000 soundbar a week later to compare it to the Yamaha. The Sony was also an open box return at Best Buy for $359CAD.

Both soundbars were in like new condition and worked without issue. I put them through the motions yesterday and came to realize that the Sony is overpriced compared to the Yamaha.

Here's what I observed:

• The Sony supports Dolby and DTS audio, while the Yamaha only supports Dolby. Both support Dolby Atmos.

• The Sony has 3.1 channels while the Yamaha has only 2.1.

• The Sony's integrated sub is weak and lacks punch. I even set the bass level to max in the app. I set the Yamaha bass to 0, the sub to 2, and bass enhancer is disabled. The Yamaha had significantly more punch. The comparison wasn't even close.

• The virtual surround sound effect of the Sony seemed small and narrow. Definitely not immersive. The Yamaha's virtual surround sound is significantly more immersive and it wasn't even a close comparison again. The Sony's sound couldn't fill my bedroom, while the Yamaha could. Even raising the volume of the Sony to level 60 couldn't match the sound of the Yamaha on level 30. The Sony only got louder, which is what I wasn't trying to achieve.

• Both soundbars offer a dialogue enhancement feature, and they work well but I preferred leaving it off. The vocals tend to be too forward when it's enabled on both soundbars. At least with the Yamaha the dialogue can be adjusted a bit more by adjusting the treble level.

• The Sony's physical remote is better than the Yamaha's, but the Yamaha's app is significantly better with more options to change the sound. You can adjust the treble, bass, and sub in the Yamaha app, and only the bass in the Sony app. Both have options to improve dialogue.

• The Sony's build quality is better. I'm not a fan of the fabric used on the Yamaha. The fabric can get dirty/dusty easier and potentially tear.

• If all you care about is sound quality, the Yamaha sounds better IMO. If you're planning to expand by adding an external sub or rear speakers, then the Sony's might be a bit better.

In my case I only want/need an all-in-one soundbar with integrated sub. I have no interest in adding additional components.

I'm not sure if using HDMI ARC plays a factor, since I'm limiting the capability of both soundbars. Both would probably function better over HDMI eARC, but my TV is a few years older and only supports HDMI ARC. Would the Sony sound better than the Yamaha if I used HDMI eARC for both? I'm guessing it wouldn't.

The MSRP of the Sony HT-S2000 is $700CAD while the Yamaha SR-B30A is $450CAD. IMO, the Sony is completely overpriced for how it sounds. I was hoping it would sound on par or better for the price along with the added DTS support, but it was disappointing. I don't imagine the Sony HT-A3000 would sound much better either for an even higher price, since that appears to sound similar to the HT-S2000. The HT-A3000 just has more functionality.

I'm curious to know if anyone else has tried the Yamaha SR-B30A and what your thoughts are? It seems like an excellent option when on sale for $300CAD or less. I don't believe anything can touch the Yamaha in the same price range, unless I'm mistaken. Even the Sonos Beam Gen 2 is closer to the $500CAD price range when on sale in Canada.