Yamaha YAS-109 drowns out the competition in the Tom's Guide Awards 2022

Yamaha YAS-109 drowns out the competition in the Tom's Guide Awards 2020

(Paradigm credit: Tom'south Guide/Yamaha)

The battle to become the best soundbar has simply become more competitive over the years, especially at present that we're all spending more than fourth dimension than ever enjoying entertainment at habitation. But even in a crowded field of high-finish competitors that offer an immersive theater-like feel, it'southward the Yamaha YAS-109 that takes the inaugural Tom's Guide soundbar award for its superb value and performance.

The Yamaha YAS-109 builds on the already fantabulous YAS-108, delivering rich sound, 4K passthrough and intuitive controls within a sleek and compact design. The soundbar includes a built-in subwoofer for deeper bass, likewise equally crisp high-end for bringing out the finer details in your favorite movies and shows.

The YAS 109's sparse, minimalist 35-inch-wide design looks great nether almost TVs as well as mounted on walls, and its 120 watts of output can easily fill up most living rooms with neat sound. The soundbar'south Articulate Voice feature helps bring dialogue to the forefront, while its built-in DTS Virtual:X support brings virtual 3D surround sound into the mix.

But where the YAS 109 really stands out over its predecessor is the introduction of Alexa vocalism controls. This lets y'all command the soundbar with your phonation alone, whether you want to burn up some music on Spotify, hear the latest news, or have command of any connected smart devices in your home.

And while great soundbars typically cost a premium, you tin can usually find the YAS-109 for as low as $199. With its swell sound quality, bonny pattern and vocalization assistant smarts, the Yamaha YAS-109 sets the standard for soundbar value, and wins this twelvemonth'south Tom's Guide Award with flying colors.

Mike Andronico is Senior Writer at CNNUnderscored and was formerly Managing Editor at Tom'southward Guide. When not at piece of work, yous can unremarkably catch him playing Street Fighter, devouring Twitch streams and trying to convince people that Hawkeye is the all-time Avenger.