Yamaha
SR-B40A
Yamaha SR-B40A (2023): Dolby Atmos sound bar with a wireless subwoofer, Clear Voice, HDMI eARC, optical and Bluetooth.
Released 2023
MSRP $399.95
Check price on AmazonShop prices can differ.
- Dolby Atmos (virtual)
- HDMI eARC
- Wireless sub
Overview
The SR-B40A is a Yamaha Dolby Atmos sound bar from 2023 that comes with a wireless subwoofer. Yamaha announced it in July 2023, together with the SR-B30A, for sale from August 2023. The bar is 910 mm wide, 68 mm high and 133 mm deep and can hang on the wall from built-in keyholes.
Yamaha lists four 1.75-inch full-range drivers and two 1-inch dome tweeters in the bar and a 6.25-inch driver in the subwoofer, with 200 W of total output power (50 W x 2 for the front channels, 100 W for the subwoofer).
The TV connects over HDMI eARC/ARC or optical, and Bluetooth plays music, audiobooks and podcasts from a phone. There is no Wi-Fi and no voice assistant. Yamaha lists Clear Voice for dialogue, Bass Extension, a separate subwoofer level on the remote, tone controls in the app and four sound modes: Stereo, Standard, Movie and Game.
You control the bar with the buttons on top, the included remote, the TV remote over HDMI-CEC, or the Sound Bar Remote app for iOS and Android. The box contains the subwoofer, the remote with its battery, two power cords, a 1.5 m HDMI cable, a mounting template, spacers and the guides.
What the specs mean
- Speaker setup not stated: Yamaha does not give a channel count for the SR-B40A, so the table lists it as not stated.
- Dolby Atmos: Dolby describes Atmos as sound that can be placed around and above you. The SR-B40A decodes Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Digital, plus multichannel PCM up to 7.1 over eARC.
- HDMI eARC: HDMI.org describes eARC as the newer Audio Return Channel that carries high-bitrate formats such as Dolby TrueHD from the TV to the bar. From an older ARC TV, the user guide lists Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Atmos but not TrueHD.
- Wireless subwoofer: the subwoofer links to the bar over 2.4 GHz and can go anywhere in the room within about 10 m.
- No HDMI passthrough: the bar has no HDMI input, so a console or streaming box connects to the TV.
- Not expandable: Yamaha lists no wireless surround speakers for the SR-B40A.
Which soundbar is right for you?
| YamahaSR-B40A (current soundbar)MSRP $399.95Check price on Amazon | LGSPD7YMSRP $399.99Check price on Amazon | DenonDHT-S517MSRP $399.00Check price on Amazon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall value A rough features-for-the-price score, compared with every soundbar listed. Bars gain points for things like Dolby Atmos, Wi-Fi and room tuning, and lose points without them. Dolby Atmos with up-firing speakers earns more than virtual Atmos. Cheaper bars lose fewer points, or none, for missing premium extras (Dolby Atmos, HDMI eARC, up-firing speakers). 100 is the best deal listed. Based on specs only, not on how it sounds. | 10 | 74 | 56 |
| Price-band value Like Overall value, but each soundbar is compared only with soundbars in its own price band: up to $300, $300–500, $500–800, $800–1,200 or over $1,200. 100 is the best deal in that band. Based on specs only, not on how it sounds. | 10$300–500 | 75$300–500 | 57$300–500 |
| Speaker setup | Not stated | 3.1.2 | 3.1.2 |
| Dolby Atmos | Virtual | Up-firing | Up-firing |
| Form factor | Bar + sub | Bar + sub | Bar + sub |
| Audio support |
|
|
|
| Available inputs |
|
|
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| HDMI inputs | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Streaming support | None | None | None |
| Virtual assistants | None | None | None |
| Soundbar dimensions | 910 × 68 × 133 mm | 890 × 65 × 119 mm | 1050 × 60 × 95 mm |
Specifications
Overview
- Overall value
- 10
- Price-band value
- 10$300–500
- Speaker setup
- Not stated
- Dolby Atmos
- Virtual
- Form factor
- Bar + sub
Expandability
- Is extendable
- None
- Has wireless surrounds
- No
- Has wireless subwoofer
- Yes
Connectivity
- Available inputs
- Bluetooth
- HDMI eArc
- Optical
- Streaming support
- None
- Virtual assistants
- None
- Controllers
- Android App
- iOS App
- On Device
- Remote Control
- TV Remote Control
- App required
- Not stated
- Same-brand TV features
- Not stated
Audio & video
- Audio support
- Dolby Atmos
- Dolby Digital
- Dolby Digital Plus
- Dolby True HD
- LPCM 2ch
- Multichannel PCM
- Room correction
- No
- Dialogue enhancement
- Clear Voice
- Night mode
- Not stated
- Passthrough
- No
- HDMI inputs
- 0
Design
- Soundbar dimensions
- 910 × 68 × 133 mm
- Wall mountable
- Yes
- Colors
- None
- What's in the box
- Batteries
- Booklets
- HDMI Cable
- Power Cable
- Remote control
- Subwoofer
- Wall mount spacers
- Wall mount template
Sources
- https://usa.yamaha.com/news_events/2023/yamaha-expands-its-lineup-of-dolby-atmos-sound-bars.html
- https://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio_visual/sound_bar/sr-b40a/index.html
- https://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio_visual/sound_bar/sr-b40a/specs.html
- https://usa.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/8/1624438/web_AV23-0002_SR-B40A_ug_UABGRIN_En_B0.pdf
- https://www.hdmi.org/spec21sub/enhancedaudioreturnchannel
- https://www.dolby.com/technologies/dolby-atmos/
Updated 2026-10-22