AV CONTROLLER vs Sound Bar Controller
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AV CONTROLLER
Transform your iPhone or iPad into a Wi-Fi remote for compatible Yamaha network products. Control inputs, volume, power, and stream music directly from your device to your AV system. Enjoy seamless control over your home entertainment setup.
- Wi-Fi remote control
- Input selection
- Volume and power control
- Music streaming from device
- DSP and SCENE selection
- Blu-ray player control
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This AV Controller app will turn your iPhone/iPod touch/iPad into a Wi-Fi enabled remote control for your Yamaha network products(*). This App provides you the flexibility to control the available inputs, volume, mute and power commands. It lets users change a song from Internet Radio, USB and command FM/AM tuners or any other internally available source. Music Play feature allows you to stream music tracks directly from your iPhone/iPod touch/iPad to Yamaha network products to so you can enjoy high quality music through your AV system. Screen sizes of Tablet devices are also supported. It’s great to have all this control at your fingertips - and best of all it’s FREE! (*)Please check compatible model list below. Available in English, Français, Deutsch, Español, Italiano, Português, Svenska, Dansk, Suomi, Norsk Bokmål, Nederlands, Polski, Pусский,日本語, 简体中文, 繁體中文, 한국어, Thai, עברית, Український, Tiếng Việt, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Melayu, Türkçe Requirements - iOS10.0 or higher - A wireless Local Area Network (LAN) and a compatible Yamaha Network product(s)* residing within the same LAN. - Network Standby set to ONKey Features Key Features - Power on/off - Volume up/down - Mute - Music Play - Input Selection - DSP Mode Selection - SCENE selection - Blu-ray player fundamental control - Seemless control between the Yamaha AV receiver and Blu-ray player - Demo mode - Explains how to use this app Please refer to the following site for compatible models. https://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio_visual/apps/av_controller/index.html This application performs following functions for purposes described below. - Making a connection under Wi-Fi enabled environment The application uses Wi-Fi function on your mobile terminal for the purpose of operating network-enabled devices. - Accessing to music information stored in your smartphone / tablet This application accesses to music information stored in your smartphone / tablet for the purpose of displaying, playing and editing the music information and/or playlist.
Sound Bar Controller
Control select Yamaha sound bars remotely from your iOS device. Manage volume, input selection, and set up Alexa voice control. Stream audio from your phone or NAS drive over Wi-Fi.
- Alexa voice control setup
- Volume and input control
- Wi-Fi audio streaming
- Wireless surround speaker control
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The Sound Bar Controller app provides easy operation for select Yamaha Sound Bars using your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Key Features: - Initial setup of built-in Alexa voice control settings - Basic control functions such as volume up/down and input selection - Play audio files stored on your phone or NAS drive through Wi-Fi - Volume control for wireless surround speakers and wireless subwoofer (Only SR-X40A, SR-X50A, ATS-X500) [Supported Models] YAS-109, YAS-209 ATS-1090, ATS-2090 SR-X40A, SR-X50A, ATS-X500 [iOS Version Requirement] * This application supports iOS version 10 or above. - A wireless Local Area Network (LAN) and a compatible Yamaha Network product(s)* residing within the same LAN.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Sound Bar Controller at 4.4 against AV CONTROLLER's 2.5. Sound Bar Controller also leads on ratings volume (6.8K vs 760). AV CONTROLLER's advantage is review sentiment (39% vs 22%). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Sound Bar Controller holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sound Bar Controller has 6.8K ratings behind it against 760, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 39% of AV CONTROLLER's written reviews are positive against 22% of Sound Bar Controller's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
AV CONTROLLER ships an update every 3 months, Sound Bar Controller every 5 months. Both last shipped on October 12, 2026.
| Parameter | AV CONTROLLER | Sound Bar Controller |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.5 (760 ratings) | 4.4 (6.8K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 38.9% of reviews — better | 22.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 760 | 6.8K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 92 MB | 153 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yamaha Corporation of America | Yamaha Corporation |
Customer experience
AV CONTROLLER
Sound Bar Controller
User reviews
AV CONTROLLER
From 760 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Phenomenal internet radio and USB audio playback
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🚀 Flawless receiver control
- 👍 Excellent range of setup and ease of use
- 👍 Convenient remote control
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent connection issues and app crashes
- 🐛 Lack of support for newer receivers
- 🐛 Unreliable performance, often fails to connect
- 🐛 Buggy updates break functionality
- 👎 Cluttered and unintuitive user interface
Sound Bar Controller
From 6.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great sound quality
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Intuitive app
- 👍 Lots of sound settings
Room to improve
- 🐛 Connectivity issues
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 Unreliable Alexa integration
- 🐛 Unintuitive user interface
Bugs and requests
AV CONTROLLER
Reported bugs
4 issues- App stuck in demo mode, unable to connect to receiver
- Crashes when trying to access certain features
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Receiver not recognized after firmware updates
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to search and play music by song title
- Independent volume control for multiple zones
- Apple Watch and Apple TV apps
- HomeKit and Siri support
- Customizable user interface and favorites
Sound Bar Controller
Reported bugs
4 issues- App unable to connect to sound bar
- Sound bar randomly disconnects
- Firmware updates cause issues
- Bluetooth connectivity problems
Requested features
4 requests- Equalizer for more sound customization
- Better volume control options
- Improved Alexa integration
- Simplified app navigation
In-app purchases
AV CONTROLLER
No in-app purchases
Sound Bar Controller
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is AV CONTROLLER free?
Is Sound Bar Controller free?
Which has better reviews, AV CONTROLLER or Sound Bar Controller?
Do AV CONTROLLER or Sound Bar Controller have ads?
Which is updated more often, AV CONTROLLER or Sound Bar Controller?
Other comparisons
