Receivers keep growing more channels, but few people have developed an affinity for running more speakers and their tethers 'round the living room. Yamaha's doing its part with a series of products that integrate things together -- soundbars, HTIBs, and the like. On the lower end are the YHT-S350 and YHT-S400, pictured after the break. Both offer a receiver with an integrated subwoofer, through which your various devices can be connected and the output end of their HDMI cables tickled with bass. The two differ only in how they get their highs out, with the S350 including a pair of squat stereo speakers and the S400 offering a three-channel "air surround xtreme" soundbar. On the higher end is the
updated YSP-4100, above, a rather tall but only 9cm deep soundbar with the receiver integrated that can be mounted on the wall right beneath your giant HDTV and then paired with a selection of wireless transmitters for
iPods and the like. It includes a whopping 40 4cm speakers arrayed within, with a further two 11cm woofers, delivering what Yamaha calls 2.5.1 channel sound -- though it looks as if it can power two additional speakers at the sides if you want something a little closer to 7.1. The YHT-S350 and -S400 are due to hit Japan in time for a
Halloween marathon, while the YSP-4100 should release in time for the holiday specials on TV. No prices just yet.
[Via
AV Watch]
Read - YHT-S350 and YHT-S400
Read - YSP-4100
posted Sep 18th 2009 7:26AM
You would have to be the kind of idiot that over spends thousands of dollars on crappy bose systems to buy a receiver with a sub in it.
Crapgadget?
Do sound bars actually provide a satisfactory listening experience or are you better off just getting a good 2.1 system? some of those sound bars are expensive
I have a YSP-3000 with a YST-FSW100 sub. It sounds better than most 2.1 systems, and competes against average 5.1 systems if its calibrated in a room with the right dimensions. Looks good too despite the fugly remote.
I can’t speak for all sound bars but the Yahama YSP-4000, in the correct room setup, will exceed a good 2.1 system. I currently own the Yahama YSP-4000 with a Martin Logan Dynamo Subwoofer. Once the YSP-4000 has been calibrated for a room, you’ll swear you hear sound coming off the walls. I love my current setup since I don’t have to run speaker wires under the carpet or in the ceiling. It’s true that sound bars can be expensive but if you find them on sale they can be a great buy.
I would love to do something like this in my condo as I have hardwood floors and to be frank, I don't want to have to run wires in the walls or try to hide them in other ways. Nor be tied to trying to find a place for all the speakers to fit or exist peacefully. Anything I can do to get a livable experience for immersive gaming and keep things relatively compact would be a total win.
How do these 2.1 soundbars perform in terms of dialogue which is usually delegated to the center channel? I've been researching the Sony 3.1 soundbar system as well. But wanna know if these 2.1 systems can do dialogue pretty well without having to turn volume up when it's a quiet dialogue scene and then have to volume down when explosions start to happen.
Perfect, now you cannot upgrade any of the three components without decomissioning the other two.
can't the vibrations from the sub damage the receiver's components over time?
You would certainly think so.
Soldered connections crack and break over time from the thermal stresses alone, so I would think constant vibrations would only accelerate that process.
11cm woofers?????????????????????????????? anyway
Yo, dawg. I hear you like amps and subs. So I put a sub in your amp so you can ....
sorry I almost did that meme.
This product is clearly aimed at people who would otherwise buy Bose products.
That is no subwoofer in the receiver. There is no way the driver in that enclosure could produce anything lower than midrange. There will be no actual bass. Plus the sound will be localized because it is not bass, so that midrange will sound like it is coming from the receiver.
Soundbars paired with decent (actual) subs make for a pretty fair 3.1 setup where you don't want to deal with setting up a proper 5.1 or 3.1 speaker rig. I might go that route when I move and upgrade my display. To keep things looking clean, I may just go the soundbar route since I won't have a separate room for the AV gear. I dunno.
Although I don't know how this YHT line will turn out, Its been proven over and over again through the previous generations of the Yamaha YSP line that it is one of the most impressive audio systems in small or medium sized enclosed home theaters.