20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
Good compromise
It's true that this system won't replace a setup with true surround speakers, but it's a good compromise for some situations. I have a small TV room and a wife that didn't want surround speakers on the walls. I also didn't want to rip up the walls to conceal wiring or in-wall speakers. Fortunately the room is rectangular and has hard surfaced walls which makes it a...
Ok if you are pressed for space and don't like wires.
Using this with a 46" Samsung LCD. Better sound than built-in speakers by far, but even with a subwoofer, not what you can call close to full-range, clear sound and very subtle surround effect. Useful if you don't want to take up space and run wires for true surround.
This review is from: Yamaha YSP-900 Digital Sound Projector (Black) (Electronics)
It's true that this system won't replace a setup with true surround speakers, but it's a good compromise for some situations. I have a small TV room and a wife that didn't want surround speakers on the walls. I also didn't want to rip up the walls to conceal wiring or in-wall speakers. Fortunately the room is rectangular and has hard surfaced walls which makes it a good fit for the YSP-900. If you are considering it, keep in mind that it bounces sound off the side and back walls to substitute for the missing left, right, and surround speakers. Without a good surface in the right place then it won't perform well. In my situation it sounds quite good. I hear a convincing stereo image that extends well beyond the device and enveloping surround effects. Dialogue clarity is excellent.
Other points to consider:
- The YSP-900 may seem expensive but remember that it includes a surround processor and amp so you just plug in your audio sources and go. This also reduces clutter in the minimal installations that the device is well-suited for.
- The bass output is weak so you definitely will want to add a subwoofer.
- If you are planning on wall-mounting, you will need to buy the SPM-K30 bracket which is NOT included. If you have a wall-mounted flat panel TV the YSP-900 will look great under it.
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This review is from: Yamaha YSP-900 Digital Sound Projector (Black) (Electronics)
I usually care about my audio equipment to be the best my money can buy, although I do not consider myself to be an "audiophile". I do spend more than $100 for my PC speakers, and I have spent more than $1,000 in high-end speakers in the past, but for my new LCD TV, I wanted something that was easy to set-up, yet gave me decent sound to enjoy. I heard about this new sound bar technology from Yamaha, so I gave it a try. I purchased a YSP-800 (the previous generation of YSP-900) to go with my 40" LCD TV. I originally was going to get a 7.1 surround system from Onkyo, but the thought of wires and cables running around the floor just gave me shudders, and even if I reduced the number of speakers down to 5, I'd still have to run wires across the room from the system, and around and behind the couch. I just didn't feel like cluttering the room with wires, and YSP-800 was the perfect answer for that.
For the sound, YSP-800 is amazing. I don't know how it really is doing it, but the rear channel sound actually sounds like coming from behind. And, the weird thing is the left and right channels just seems like coming from the left and right extremes, rather than from the sound bar location. My dog seems to be fooled by the YSP-800's phantom surround, and when the movie makes a big noise in the left direction, my dog and I turn to the left! The channel separation is really that good.
I've listened to two other sound bar systems before I made the purchase, and those are ones from Polk Audio and Philips. Both of them really gives you "virtual surround" but not actual 5.1 channel surround sound. They do a good job of giving you a feel that the sound is "surrounding" you, but not quite the same experience as the ones you get from YSPs.
The only complaint for YSPs, if at all, is the lack of bass. Of course this can be easily remedied by adding a subwoofer, but it would have been nice if a decent woofer was built-in to this unit.
So all in all, if you are even mildly interested in this unit because of the less clutter, but concerned about the sound quality and effectiveness of surround sound, I'd say you absolutely have nothing to worry about. The reason why these sound bars are not cheap is because it does provide great sound without complicated and cluttering wires. So give these YSPs a try, you won't be disappointed.
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This review is from: Yamaha YSP-900 Digital Sound Projector (Black) (Electronics)
I did not want wires and speakers everywhere.So i bought this ysp900 soundbar.Set up was a breeze.It was fast and easy.This Mother was made for a wall.So you should hang it.Otherwise if you sit it on a surface like a bookshelf.It could bend your wires like your optical outs or coxial out wire.This unit produces very little bass.So i recomend a subwoofer perhaps a yamaha yst-fsw100.Thats the sub i use they go great with each other.They are like peas and carrots.I have two of them hooked up via y-splitter.This bar only has one sub out.So if you plan on hooking up two subs like i did.You will need a y-splitter.Monster makes one for around $15 bucks which you will also find on this site.For most normal people one sub is enough.For me two subs really do the trick.Final note.(pros) Great sound from a compact speaker.Built in reciver with different sound fields.(cons) No HDMI support.Base unit does not produce enough bass.For the price the unit should come standard with a sub.
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This review is from: Yamaha YSP-900 Digital Sound Projector (Black) (Electronics)
I have a small odd-shaped basement with limited electrical power, so I chose this over a conventional set of speakers and amp. My basement is mostly long and narrow, but has an alcove on one side of the TV viewing area that somewhat distorts sound there.
I installed the unit on a high shelf, above the 40" LCD Samsung TV. It is connected to three sources - via optical cable to my Direct-TV HD DVR, via optical cable to my Blu-Ray DVD and via video cable back to the Samsung TV for air reception. It all works just fine, and for those movies that have good sound source the surround is not bad - very good in the front, somewhat good on the sides - virtually nothing behind me as you would expect.
With this device comes it's own remote so rather than mess with all four remotes (TV, DVR, Blu-Ray, DSP), I spent the money to buy a Universal Remote - Harmony 670. It is a dream - I now have a single keystroke that runs everything I need to watch DVD, watch Direct-TV, or watch TV using the air signal.
All in all - very pleased, and especially since when I move someday, this will likely become a system for my bedroom or family room and I will get a bigger more complete surround system for my next home theater room.
Good Value for the money, and seems very reliable.
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This review is from: Yamaha YSP-900 Digital Sound Projector (Black) (Electronics)
I have a very small studio but now that I have a HDTV and a computer system with SDIF optical audio out... I wanted full surround without having to have too much wiring. Secondly, surround sound needs a large array of speakers and small apartments just don't have the space to effectively generate "real surround". This creates a decent surround output, while saving space, and allows actual digital dolby. It includes a microphone to do an audio check of your space to optimize it, and outputs for a subwoofer if you want more oomph (the bass on this is okay, passable, not great). 2 optical inputs and a digital coax, enough for me to be useful all for the same cost as a decent amplifier... I got this in the $450 range (12/07) and am very happy with it. Definitely an upgrade from default HDTV speakers, and without the wiring nightmare of a "cheapo" $250 Logitech mini system which I was considering.
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This review is from: Yamaha YSP-900 Digital Sound Projector (Black) (Electronics)
You don't have to run wires across the room, all in one convenience and very loud. Those are the 3 reasons for purchasing this item. I also recommend getting the optional Sub if you want the explosions to really BOOM.
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This review is from: Yamaha YSP-900 Digital Sound Projector (Black) (Electronics)
Using this with a 46" Samsung LCD. Better sound than built-in speakers by far, but even with a subwoofer, not what you can call close to full-range, clear sound and very subtle surround effect. Useful if you don't want to take up space and run wires for true surround.
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This review is from: Yamaha YSP-900 Digital Sound Projector (Black) (Electronics)
The Yamaha YSP-900 sound bar is a great speaker system with an excellent fit and finish. I have the Polk Audio sound bar in my living room and although that sound bar is a bit better at music reproduction, the Yamaha is the best at creating the illusion of 5.1 surround with the intellibeam technology. The Yamaha is the sound system for our bedroom HDTV. My wife wanted less clutter and no wires in the bedroom so this fit the bill nicely. The sound is clean, crisp and well defined. It is not a discrete 5.1 system nor does it try to be. It is the best of the sound bar systems that I have heard for video sound. That is not to say that music on it sounds bad. It does not. It sounds quite good. It is just that it is not quite as good as the Polk Audio sound bar, or the pair of Klipsch speakers I have in the family room. The Klipsch are the best at music reproduction. For a small room the Yamaha YSP-900 is a great solution. I have my DLO iPod dock, the Roku Netflix player, an LG Blu-Ray disc player and the DirecTV receiver all hooked up to the Yamaha. I also bought the Yamaha YST-FSW 150 subwoofer as the main bar is light on the bass reproduction. That is to be expected. The sub is a great complement to the main system and integrates tightly with the YST-900. I am very happy with the purchase of the YST-900. Highly recommended.
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This review is from: Yamaha YSP-900 Digital Sound Projector (Black) (Electronics)
I was a bit skeptical about these Yamaha 'virtual' surround systems as I'd spent some time in studios when I was younger. I did a test run at a Yamaha store and was amazed.
The missus and I were watching a movie and could swear there were birds and such flying around in different parts of the house.
If you want surround sound but don't want cables and speakers (i.e. clutter) then the YSP series is the way to go.
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This review is from: Yamaha YSP-900 Digital Sound Projector (Black) (Electronics)
I replaced this with my Bose 321. I had a hard time hearing dialogue with the 321. The set up on this YSP seemed somewhat daunting at first when I was flipping through the instruction book. So I did what any good man would do, I pitched it! Then I hooked it up my way. I simply ran an optical cable from my blu-ray and one from my cable box to the YSP and I was finished. I had already run HDMI's to the TV. After I ran the optimization with the included micrphone I was in business. The sound is awsome. I did add a Yamaha subwoofer to this to help with the bass and would recommend that. The price currentaly posted for the YSP900 as of 1-12-09 is the best that I have seen. The Geek Squad wanted $200 to hook this up with my TV, cable and blu ray. I'm glad I did it myself. Great for a room that you can't run wires or don't want to. I have a Bose surround in my living room and this sounds just as good.
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