Klipsch Cinema 400 vs Yamaha YAS-209 (2021): Which Soundbar Is Better?

The Klipsch Cinema 400 and the Yamaha YAS-209 are two of the most highly rated soundbars in the lower end of the mid-range price bracket. They offer excellent sound and many useful features without costing an arm and a leg. The Klipsch Cinema 400 is known for its outstanding audio quality while the Yamaha YAS-209 boasts features such as Bluetooth and WiFi streaming, built-in Alexa, DTS Virtual:X support and more. So which of these two affordable soundbars should you buy? Below is our Klipsch Cinema 400 review and comparison against the Yamaha YAS-209 to help you decide.

Klipsch Cinema 400 vs Yamaha YAS-209 Comparison Chart

Design

Both the Klipsch Cinema 400 and Yamaha YAS-209 are 2.1 soundbars.

Looks-wise, these two soundbars couldn’t be further from each other. The Klipsch Cinema 400 is mostly covered with fabric but at its edges are two exposed speakers. It also has sharper edges. On the the other hand, the Yamaha YAS-209 has rounded edges and its fabric cover spans the whole soundbar. Due to its style, the Yamaha YAS-209 has a more minimalist look, but the Cinema 400’s design should also appeal to a lot of people.

Measuring 39.9 x 2.9 x 3.4 inches, the Klipsch Cinema 400 soundbar is wider and taller than the Yamaha YAS-209, which measures 36.6 x 2.5 x 4.25 inches. Even though the Klipsch Cinema 400 is taller, the two soundbars are still short enough that they won’t block your TV’s remote signal. Both of them can also be wall mounted if your prefer to do so.

The Klipsch Cinema 400 subwoofer is packing an 8-inch driver while the Yamaha YAS-209’s sub features a 6.5-inch driver. Due to having a larger driver, the former’s sub is bigger, measuring 11.9 x 16.1 x 11.9 inches. The Yamaha’s sub measures 7.5 x 16.5 x 16 inches. The two subs are ported and they connect to the soundbars wirelessly.

Connectivity and Features

The Yamaha YAS-209 has more ports and features than the Klipsch Cinema 400.

At the back, the Klipsch Cinema 400 has a 3.5mm input, an optical input and an HDMI ARC output port. Meanwhile, the Yamaha YAS-209 comes with an HDMI input, an optical input, an HDMI ARC output, an ethernet port and a USB port for servicing. Clearly, the Yamaha YAS-209 has the advantage here since it comes with more ports. Its HDMI input allows you to plug in a Blu-Ray player, a game console or any other device that you want to use with your TV. You can’t do this with the Klipsch Cinema 400 since it is lacking an HDMI input port.

When it comes to music streaming, the Klipsch Cinema 400 offers Bluetooth connectivity while the Yamaha YAS-209 can stream music over Bluetooth and WiFi. You can also connect it to your network with a cable if that’s what you prefer.

As for their controls, the included remote gives you access to all of their features and functions. They also have manual controls directly on the soundbars. On the Klipsch Cinema 400, there are physical buttons for power, input source and volume up/down. It also has a small screen that indicates the settings currently in use.

On the other hand, the Yamaha YAS-209 has touch controls for power, mute, input source and volume. It also has small LED lights with labels that let you know which settings are enabled. In addition to its manual input and remote controller, the Yamaha YAS-209 also has built-in Alexa support.

Audio Quality

The Klipsch Cinema 400 sounds better and is louder than the Yamaha YAS-209.

The Klipsch Cinema 400 beats the Yamaha YAS-209 when it comes to sound quality. When watching movies or TV shows, the Klipsch Cinema 400 is able to deliver clearer dialogue and speech, and its 8-inch subwoofer has better low-frequency extension than the 6.5-inch sub of the Yamaha YAS-209 for atmospheric effects and explosions in action-packed scenes.

When listening to music, the more neutral sound of the Klipsch Cinema 400 allows it to shine when listening to any type of genre. Also, its larger sub that has level adjustment can produce punchier and boomier bass when listening to bass-oriented music. It’s more versatile than the Yamaha YAS-209 in this regard.

In addition to sounding better, the Klipsch Cinema 400 can also get louder than the Yamaha YAS-209 without suffering from audio quality degradation. Its total output power of 400 watts trumps the 300 watts of the Yamaha. It’s more suited for parties and gatherings at your home.

Verdict

The Klipsch Cinema 400 sounds better, but the Yamaha YAS-209 has more features.

Choosing between the two will boil down to which factors are more important to you. If you want the better sounding soundbar, the Klipsch Cinema 400 is the better choice. It can output clearer dialogue, its low-frequency extension is better and it can get louder than the Yamaha YAS-209. However, it does lack some features such as a full HDMI input, voice controls and WiFi connectivity, all of which are available on the Yamaha YAS-209. If these quality of life features are important to you, you should definitely pick the Yamaha YAS-209. It doesn’t offer the same audio quality as the Klipsch Cinema 400, but all things considered, it is still a very good sounding soundbar, especially at its price range.

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