Sound quality: In its stereo sound mode Yamaha's YAS-207BL delivers sound quality that falls in the very good range - although it has some noticeable sonic quirks it reproduces music and dialog very well. The bass has good impact, but is a bit boomy and the deepest bass is lacking. The midrange is fairly even but is a bit hazy and echoey. The treble is extended and fairly even, but can sound a bit soft. While it does a decent job of recovering room ambience (the sense of the acoustic space in which the music was recorded), that ambience is somewhat obscured by the echoey quality of the midrange. The Surround mode imparts more of an echoey quality to the sound. The Clear Voice mode didn't seem to have much of an effect. There was no significant difference in sound quality between the HDMI, optical, and analog inputs; the Bluetooth input sounds a bit grainy, looses some of the clarity of the other inputs, and sounds a bit congested bringing it's sound quality down to the good range. The system can provide satisfying volume in a medium sized room.
TV setup and ease of use: Very good overall. Setup: HDMI CEC activation and deactivation is done on the soundbar and on the connected TV, clear instructions for turning this feature on and off come with this unit. Apple and Android mobile device Bluetooth remote apps are available for use with this soundbar, but references to them in the instructions provided with the soundbar do not give instructions for downloading; they refer to on-line instructions that might not be clear to some users. The soundbar comes with an optical digital audio cable for TV connection, HDMI digital audio/video or stereo analog audio cables must be purchased separately if you want or need to use either of those to connect your TV. Ease of Use: If this model has been set to respond to the volume and mute commands of an HDMI CEC compatible TV connected via the HDMI ARC ports with and HDMI cable it can work seamlessly with that TV. If you decide to use the soundbar's own physical remote you'll find it uncluttered, well labeled, and very easy to use. We found the the app remotes to be easy to use and glitch-free. The soundbar's console has power, source, and volume, and mute controls that are well marked and are easy to see and access. The display has a power indication and labeled source and DSP (digital sound processing) status indicator lights that are readable from arms length. It also has a mute indication and momentary graphical volume display with very rough increments that can be seen from the typical listening position.
Features setup and ease of use: Excellent overall. Setup: Bluetooth pairing is very easy - the soundbar is automatically in pairing mode once it has been switched on and the Bluetooth source is selected. Apple and Android mobile device Bluetooth remote apps are available for use with this soundbar, but references to them in the instructions provided with the soundbar do not give instructions for downloading; they refer to on-line instructions that might not be clear to some users. Ease of Use: The physical remote is uncluttered and its controls are well labeled. The app remotes were easy to use and glitch-free. The soundbar's console has power, source, and volume, and mute controls that are well marked and are easy to see and access. The display has a power indication and labeled source and DSP status indicator lights that are readable from arms length. It also has a mute indication and momentary graphical volume display with very rough increments that can be seen from the typical listening position.
