AV CONTROLLER vs Sound Bar Remote
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
Read full descriptionHide full description
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 Remote
Control select Yamaha sound bars directly from your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. Adjust volume, change inputs, and select sound modes with ease. Requires iOS 14.1 or later and uses Bluetooth for connectivity.
- Volume control
- Input selection
- Sound mode selection
- Bluetooth connectivity
Read full descriptionHide full description
The Sound Bar Remote app provides easy operation for select Yamaha Sound Bars using your iPhone or iPad. [Key Features] - Basic control functions such as volume up/down and input selection - Sound mode selection [Supported Models] B200A, SR-B40A, SR-B30A, SR-B20A, SR-C20A, SR-C30A,ATS-B400, ATS-B300, ATS-B200, ATS-C200, ATS-C300, YAS-108, ATS-1080 [iOS Version Requirement] This application supports iOS version 16 or above. -This application uses Bluetooth function on your smartphone / tablet for the purpose of controlling Bluetooth enabled devices."
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Sound Bar Remote at 4.7 against AV CONTROLLER's 2.5. AV CONTROLLER's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 16.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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 Remote holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 760 and 1.5K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of AV CONTROLLER's written reviews are positive against 45% of Sound Bar Remote's.
AV CONTROLLER ships an update every 3 months, Sound Bar Remote every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AV CONTROLLER | Sound Bar Remote |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.5 (760 ratings) | 4.7 (1.5K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 38.9% of reviews | 45.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 760 | 1.5K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 92 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yamaha Corporation of America | Yamaha Corporation |
Customer experience
AV CONTROLLER
Sound Bar Remote
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 Remote
From 1.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient remote control
- 💡 Visually see soundbar settings
- 🚀 Straightforward setup
- 👍 Great connectivity
Room to improve
- 🐛 Connection issues
- 🐛 Compatibility problems
- 🐛 Unreliable performance
- 🐛 Blank/black screen after updates
- 🐛 Frequent disconnections
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 Remote
Reported bugs
3 issues- Cannot find/connect to soundbar
- 3D mode turns off automatically
- App doesn't work after recent update
Requested features
4 requests- Add volume control buttons
- Support for more soundbar models
- Improve EQ/sound customization options
- Allow controlling multiple speakers simultaneously
In-app purchases
AV CONTROLLER
No in-app purchases
Sound Bar Remote
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is AV CONTROLLER free?
Is Sound Bar Remote free?
Which has better reviews, AV CONTROLLER or Sound Bar Remote?
Do AV CONTROLLER or Sound Bar Remote have ads?
Which is updated more often, AV CONTROLLER or Sound Bar Remote?
Other comparisons
