# Ultramarine vs Sound Bar Controller

The clearest difference is rating: Sound Bar Controller at 4.4 against Ultramarine's 1.6. Sound Bar Controller also leads on ratings volume (7K vs 40) and update cadence (every 5 months vs every 17 months). Ultramarine's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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 1.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sound Bar Controller has 7K ratings behind it against 40, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 9% of Ultramarine's written reviews are positive against 22% of Sound Bar Controller's.

Ultramarine ships an update every 17 months, Sound Bar Controller every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ultramarine | Sound Bar Controller |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [1.6 (40 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ultramarine/id934648828/reviews) | **[4.4 (7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sound-bar-controller/id1464871680/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 40 | **7K** |
| Positive reviews | 8.7% of reviews | **21.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 17 months | **Every 5 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 10 MB | 112 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ASA Electronics, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/924302000) | [Yamaha Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/353469356) |

## What reviewers say

### Ultramarine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ultramarine/id934648828)

Transform your mobile device into a wireless remote for your Polk Ultramarine stereo system. Control power, volume, radio tuning, Bluetooth streaming, satellite radio, and audio settings directly from your phone or tablet.

**Highlights:** Power on/off, Volume and mute control, AM/FM radio tuning, Bluetooth streaming, SiriusXM control, USB media playback, Audio menu adjustments

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Sound Bar Controller

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sound-bar-controller/id1464871680)

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.

**Highlights:** Alexa voice control setup, Volume and input control, Wi-Fi audio streaming, Wireless surround speaker control

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great sound quality
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Intuitive app
- 👍 Lots of sound settings

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Connectivity issues
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 Unreliable Alexa integration
- 🐛 Unintuitive user interface

**Reported bugs**

- App unable to connect to sound bar
- Sound bar randomly disconnects
- Firmware updates cause issues
- Bluetooth connectivity problems

**Requested features**

- Equalizer for more sound customization
- Better volume control options
- Improved Alexa integration
- Simplified app navigation


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ultramarine free?

Ultramarine is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Sound Bar Controller free?

Sound Bar Controller is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Ultramarine or Sound Bar Controller?

Sound Bar Controller is rated higher. Ultramarine averages 1.6 out of 5 from 40 ratings, while Sound Bar Controller averages 4.4 from 7K ratings.

### Do Ultramarine or Sound Bar Controller have ads?

Neither Ultramarine nor Sound Bar Controller shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ultramarine or Sound Bar Controller?

Ultramarine ships an update every 17 months, and Sound Bar Controller every 5 months. Most recently, Ultramarine was updated on October 24, 2026 and Sound Bar Controller on October 29, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*