Customer Reviews

Yamaha YHT-391BL Home Theater in a Box (Black)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was my first surround sound purchase so the review is based on the basics. So far I've had this system for a couple of months and have no real complaints. The sound is a definite upgrade to my TV speaker and it is relatively easy to use.

Since this was my first setup I was a little worried about the complexity seeing as I had a DVD player (component), blu-ray player (HDMI), cable/DVR box (component) and a Wii (composite) and I wasn't sure how that would all work. It was fairly easy to get set up, it took a few hours to get the speaker wire cut, trimmed and plugged in and the components wired up. When I turned it on there was no sound so I had to go back and check connections and such, after doing that I had sound. Kind of. The Blu-ray ws hooked up via the HDMI pass through and an toslink cable and I could not get any picture or sound no matter what I tried. Eventually I gave up and hooked up the player directly to the TV. When I did that I have sound and picture so all is well. I had the same problem with the Wii. Hooked it up on the front of the receiver as the instructions said but no picture or sound. Since the TV speaker is fine for the Wii games I have I hooked it directly into the TV.

Once I had everything working I was a bit confused about why when using the DVD and cable box I didn't have the full range of sound selections, just pro logic or 2 channel. What I didn't realize was that I needed optical cables to get the full range. After I connected them up with coaxial and toslink cables all was good. I really can't complain about the sound. It's a hige step up from the TV speaker, the sub sounds great and doesn't need to be turned up that high and generally I'm pleased. I'm not so pleased with the component switching though. When run though the receiver the picture from the cable box was awful. The colors were off, there was a lot of noise in the picture and generally made watching the TV an unpleasant experience. I thought it was the cable from the receiver to the TV because it was a cheap one but I didn't have the same problem with the DVD player which was also going through the same cable. Once again I unhooked the box from the receiver and hooked it directly to the TV.

Since I got the system for sound rather than convenience or video processing I'm not really going to mark the system down too much for the issues I had but if those are things that are essential to you then maybe think twice about this system. I like the fact that it's essentially a home theater in a box but is really just a pre-packaged component system. So when I need to and can afford to I can swap out individual pieces of the system rather than having to ditch the whole thing. I would say if you are looking for an inexpensive, entry level, component based sound system then give this a look.

I am new to the HTiB setups. This was an excellent buy. The speakers all fairly small. I think they are as small as you can get actually. I paid 15% less than what's advertised, if you look around on bing.

I noticed a lot of HTiB at this price range feature lots of power, but the power is fairly dirty, this is rated at a .06%, while others like Sony HTS3660, are rated at 10%. That's a significant difference in Total Harmonic Distortion. Also, in this price range, it's nice to see that the satellite speakers are have both a 2.5in woofer, and a .5in tweeter. You can actually hear the difference in the highs, and high mids. The Onkyo THD is rated at .01%. So if you are looking around, try bing and Tiger...
The subwoofer was pumping. Considering that it's only 8in woofer, it's not too bad. At about -22db the system was clean and accurate. I wouldn't try to push this too much. After all, the woofers are only 2.5in.

Also the system utilizes various components, that can be upgraded if you so incline. The subwoofer model is YST-SW012, and the receiver is HTR-6230BL. So you can upgrade the pieces whenever you like, and no propriety connections throughout the HTiB.

The major crux with this system is that the receiver does not pass audio through the HDMI. I had to hook-up my optical cable from my PS3 directly to the receiver. I also hooked up the PS3 directly to the TV. That way I don't need an additional HDMI. Keep in mind that the Onkyos' at this price range also do not pass audio through the HDMI.

Considering, I have a home studio, and make electronic music, this stuff was fairly simple, but I think if you're not technically inclined, and hoping that the system will set itself up, it won't magically do so. You will NEED an optical cable.

It took about 2 hours to connect, but it was worth it. I watched some previews and it really shined once it detected the Dolby Digital format from the PS3. I felt like I was at the theatres. For about two-fifty from td with bing, that's really not a bad buy.

Low WAF, btw.

We are really pleased with this Home Theater in a Box system. The smaller speakers aren't as noticeable on our walls, yet put out plenty of sound. Our room is very open with high ceilings, and we just wanted a little boost on volume and quality of sound which we got from this total package.We had to find mounts for the speakers that we could adjust, but other than that we are really happy.I would recommend this system for anyone wanting mold to medium sound projection. Great buy for the money.

This was my first home theater system, connected to a Blu-Ray player and 50" Plasma TV. I went in to Best Buy planning to buy a HTIB from Sony or Samsung, driven by the included Blu-Ray player. The salesman convinced me pretty quickly that in the long run I would be much better off having a system that was upgradable, with a dedicated receiver as the power source. I was able to get out the door paying less for this system plus a Blu-Ray player than with a Sony HTIB powered by the Blu-Ray. The overall sound quality is wonderful, especially for the price. I'm particularly pleased with the surround speakers. Wonderful sound quality for the size of the speakers, these things are small! One of my demands was a system that wouldn't stand out visually without having in wall speakers, the stealthier the better, and these do the trick. If your upgrading from just your tv audio, you will love it. Now to my complaints. The manual is great if you want to start a fire with it. Otherwise its useless. Took 2 trips to Best Buy and an hour on the phone and still couldnt figure out why I was getting no audio through HDMI. Gave up for the night, got online to look at reviews and instantly saw that there is no audio HDMI passthrough, have to have optical cables for that. Really not a big deal and sound quality does not suffer at all, but still no one I talked to at Best Buy or through their toll free help line new what the problem was (after I was assured prior to purchase that HDMI was all I needed). Also, the powered sub, while better than not having a sub, is to me the weak part of the system. Even turned 1/4 to 1/3 of the way up, I still notice distortion during some especially low sound effects, though the wife doesn't notice it at all. Overall, great buy if your not an audiophile or if you may want to upgrade one piece at a time. This system is definitely superior to all in one HTIB Blu-Ray systems for an equivalent price.

We were delighted with this home theater system. The amplifier sounds awesome as well as the speakers. The hook up was simple -- instructions very easy to follow. We were able to hook-up all our components!!

Love the sound system. It sounds great and the instruction book was very good. Lots of adjustments make for a great sound no matter what the source. The radio gets very good reception. I would recommend this product to anyone wanting a lower cost sound system that sounds great.

This surround sound home theater system does its job. The only bad thing I have for this system is the HDMI cable not being audio compatible. Having a ps3 I connected an HDMI for video and component cables for sound... nonetheless the system still sounds great and the picture looks perfect. I have had no other issues with this system.

The unit we received was defective so I cannot attest to the sound quality, but if I had known that the HDMI did not pass the sound to the amp then I would not have ordered the unit. You must use additional cables to connect the sound which precludes the HDMI automation when your switching inputs. So I opted for the 591 model instead. (491 model does not pass sound through the HDMI either). RMA service was excellent.

Yamaha YHT-391BL Home Theater in a Box (Black)

I purchased this equipment together and got a great "Home Theater System". I am a Nursing student, and work-full time. When work and school are done the only thing I feel like doing is watching a movie in the comfort of my home. Bravo! Yamaha, and thank you Amazon.com for making it possible........

Yamaha Universal iPod Dock Cradle for The Yamaha YHT-391 - YHT-491 - YHT-591 & YHT-791 Home Theater in a Box - Docking Station Works with All Apple iPod Touch, iPod Nano, iPod Click Wheel, iPod Classic, iPod Mini MP3 / MP4 Players

Great sound when properly customized to your viewing environment. Love how specific you can be with your EQ settings and individual tone! There is a slight delay (but probably because I'm sitting far from the source and haven't fixed the setting) Other than that, a great system and clean, true, full sound for movies, TV, and music!