Yamaha VS-10 Cinemastation Entertainment System for PlayStation 2 and DVD

by Yamaha

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 3.1 x 9.9 inches ; 11 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 20 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B00005B9AN
• Item model number: VS10
• Batteries: 2 AA batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #290,646 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Many affordable home-theater systems are mere toys: effective for the price but neither well made nor capable of performing very well. Yamaha's CinemaStation VS-10 is different. Designed to form the heart of a high-quality yet compact home theater, the VS-10 includes a preprogrammed remote control, a pair of fine two-way satellite speakers, and an elegant control module equipped with 25 watts of stereo power and five proprietary DSP (digital signal processing) modes, as well as Dolby Digital 5.1, four-channel Pro logic, and DTS 5.1-channel decoding.

Think of the VS-10 as your first home-theater building blocks. Although fresh out of the box it only produces stereo sound, Yamaha's Virtual Surround mode simulates surround effects from the satellite speakers, and Silent Theater does the same for headphone listening. To complete your system, check out Yamaha's NX-SW10, a set including a powered subwoofer, a center channel, and surround speakers.

The amplifier/controller is a small yet rugged piece of gear. You can place it either vertically or horizontally, and it accepts three sets of audio-video inputs. Two inputs are on the back and one is located behind a flip-down panel on the front to simplify hookup of camcorders and video games. In addition, you get two optical digital-audio inputs (one on the front panel), and one coaxial digital input. The output suite consists of stereo clip-type speaker terminal outputs, a composite-video output to your TV, an RCA subwoofer output, and a system control connector for the optional NX-SW10 network.

Setup is very straightforward from both the front panel and the remote control, and kudos to Yamaha for its clearly written and illustrated owner's manual. The cobalt-blue display is uncluttered and gives information pertaining to input selection, volume level, set-up status, and the various DSP modes: Game, Hall, Concert/Sports Arena, Mono Movie, and Virtual Surround.

The sound is impressive, with a good overall balance and feeling of spaciousness. The satellites, naturally limited in dynamic range and frequency response (though TruBass gives a nice added kick), sound inherently musical with CD sources and do a nice job of simulating surround effects when in the Virtual Surround mode.

Though serviceable on its own, and fine as a starter kit, we highly recommend pairing Yamaha's VS-10 with its CinemaStation companion NX-SW10 to hear what it can really do. As such it makes an impressive surround package and a sweet value. --Wayne Garcia

Pros:

• Well made
• Impressive sound
• Easy to set up and operate
• Nice array of connectivity options
• 2-year warranty

Cons:

• Limited bass response
• Satellites shouldn't be wall mounted

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A decent stereo amplifier for a small room and a poor man's home theater, July 15, 2005

By 

cive1em "cive1em" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yamaha VS-10 Cinemastation Entertainment System for PlayStation 2 and DVD (Electronics)

I was looking for a compact stereo amplifier for $50. The amplifier would drive a pair of Celestion Little One speakers and connect to my cheap Apex DVD player (or my laptop). This amplifier would be for listening to MP3 and watching DVD movies. This mini amplifier/DVD player/speaker combination would be my secondary listening device. I already have a home stereo system on my living room.

I went on the web and did a little research. There are really not many choices for compact stereo amplifiers:
1. Sonic Impact T-Amp ($30 from Amazon.com): There are quite a few good reviews and DIY articles on T-Amp. The problem is I couldn't find any dealers/stores carrying T-Amp in Houston. I also was not comfortable with T-Amp's low 6-watt power output.)
2. RCA/Radio Shack Mini Stereo Amplifier from eBay ($30 plus shipping).
3. Compact shelf systems: A good compact system from Yamaha, Denon, Onkyo, or Nakamichi costs too much for my budget. Even a used unit could cost more than $100.
4. Home audio receivers: I don't need a second home audio receiver. Also, a decent receiver probably will cost me more than $300.

Anyway, I was able to find an eBay seller selling a brand new Yamaha VS-10 unit in Houston for $50. I contacted him and picked up this Yamaha VS-10 for $50 the same day. I did a checking on the Internet and found Yamaha VS-10 is a discontinued model. Some vendors still sell VS-10 with a NXSW-10 speaker system together for around $300.

This VS-10 was made in Malaysia. The package includes a pair of speakers, an amplifier, a remote control, and two cables.
[...]
The amplifier is compact and quite heavy (12" width and over 10 lbs). It's fairly good looking. You can put the amplifier horizontally or vertically. The vertical position is good if you want to use this amplifier with your desktop PC. There is a huge heat sink on the back panel. It can only connect to one pair of regular audio speakers. Yamaha claims it has 2 x 25-watt output power. There is a proprietary connector that allows users to use Yamaha's NXSW-10 speaker system. I am not a big fan of Dolby Digital sound. I simply hook a pair of Celestion Little One speakers to VS-10.

Yamaha VS-10 has five DSP options: Virtual Surround, Game, Hall, Concert/Sports, Mono Movie. (Dolby Digital/Dolby Pro Logic/DTS and Digital Movie Theater/DTS Movie Theater options are available only with NXSW-10 speaker system.) There is a DSP Effect Off option which is basically the standard 2-channel stereo. There is no left-right channel balance control. There is a "True Bass" option which adds some bass to the sound. There are audio/video connecters both in the front and back panels. After just an hour of listening music, the amplifier gets warm. I think the amplifier should be put on a good ventilation location.

How do these DSP options sound? I don't have gold ears. I listen to classic and easy listening music mostly. Celtic Woman DVD was my choice for a test.

1. Virtual Surround option: This option supposedly makes two speakers sound like a five-speaker system. The input source needs to be Dolby Digital/Surround or DTS soundtracks. I put in Celtic Woman DVD. The music sounds very different and very interesting. I did enjoy watching/listening Celtic Woman DVD with this sound option.

2. Game, Hall, Concert/Sports, Mono Movie options: To be honesty, I couldn't hear much difference between those DSP options. They all sound weird to me.

3. DSP Effect Off option: With this option, VS-10 does a decent job to reproduce Celtic Woman music. I think I will use this "DSP Effect Off" option most of the time. I may use Virtual Surround option when I watch DVD movies.

The followings are my thoughts on Yamaha VS-10:
1. If all you need is a compact stereo amplifier for a small room, VS-10 is a good choice.
2. If you are a student living in a dorm, VS-10 is a good choice. Combined with a pairs of decent bookshelf speakers, it will definitely sound better than most fancy but low-quality computer speaker systems.
3. If you need a home theater system, this unit may not be your best choice.
4. If you need a home theater system but don't want to wire speakers all over your house, VS-10 is a good choice. It has a Virtual Surround option that makes two speakers sound like a five-speaker surround system.

BTW, I am very happy with Yamaha VS-10.

Pros:
1. It is a Yamaha product.
2. Good looking and fairly compact.
3. Excellent sound for the price I paid.
4. Front panel audio/video input.

Cons:
1. No left and right balance option.
2. Proprietary subwoofer connector.
3. Low quality speakers.
4. Get warm quick, need good ventilation.

4 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, December 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Yamaha VS-10 Cinemastation Entertainment System for PlayStation 2 and DVD (Electronics)

I cannot describe it well enough here. It is too good for words. 'Nuff said.