There are three ways to end speaker wire clutter:
go wireless, get a soundbar, or shun the ways of the surrounds entirely. The former option isn't for everyone, the latter simply won't do, and so Yamaha keeps pumping out endless new installments of its
Digital Sound Projector line. Latest is the YSP-5100, an update to the
YSP-4100 that's all of two and a half months old, so new that Yamaha didn't even bother to do another studio shoot, just chopped in the same remote from the earlier press image. Natural, really, since the devices sport the same HD decoding abilities (like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD), the same suite of ins and outs, and the same 55W power rating. The only differences are a slightly greater width on the 5100 and what's claimed to be "dramatically" evolved sound, richer bass and clearer highs -- things you can't really verify from a press release. No word on price, but they should be shipping before the year is through.
posted December 3rd 2009 9:43AM
Oooh. That sound's nice
I dunno if any digital sound bar will ever be able to obsolete satellite speakers.
It would be nice to be proven wrong (I got a lot of wires running along my baseboards)
@(Unverified)
Agreed; especially for wall mounted setups. Would be nice to wall mount this under the TV for a nice clean clutter free setup.
One thing to watch out for...
My cousin bought one of the Vizio sound bars at Sam's a few weeks back. He plugged it up and everything was ready to go, but quickly found out the height of the soundbar blocked the IR remote eyeball on his Samsung flatscreen. It was just too tall to sit in front of the TV.
It sounded pretty good for $200, so I helped him build a small 4" riser matched to the footprint of the TV that blends in with the color of the table. That way the soundbar does not block the IR port anymore.
You still have to use a separate remote to control volume on the soundbar, but I don't think that would be a problem if you had both a Vizio soundbar and TV. I guess that would be the same for other manufactures too, but I don't know how Yamaha handles that.
Hello! Is that the soundtrack to Less Than Zero? Awesome!!!
@gs6456 You win the prize.
@TimStevens Sweet! I knew my vast knowledge of the 80's would one day pay off!
The 4100 is two and a half months old? Um. The product announcement was, but I don't see it being listed for sale anywhere.
Gizmodo is reporting a price tag equivalent of $2,280 USD.
I guess I would have to hear this thing before I make any judgments on the value of it.
I wonder how it compares to Bose in terms of sound vs. "significant other friendliness"? (Please don't waste your time telling me how much Bose sucks, I am well aware of their short comings, but it is still better than the 2.0 sound built into most TV's)
The lack of having to cut holes in your wall to get a potential 7.1 set-up might make it worth the price tag for some people.
Yamaha > BOSE
Yamaha makes audio equipment that is very well-respected in the audio community. BOSE... not so much.
@letstakeawalk
I own a Yamaha RX-1800 receiver so I am no stranger to the quality of Yamaha.
What I was referring too was the difference in sound quality of a simulated 7.1 experience vs. the real 5.1 experience but with the poor sound quality of Bose speakers. In other words can Yamaha do a better job of mimicking full surround sound than Bose can do with actually having all the speakers in the right place.
Sorry, I misinterpreted your question.
The only practical thing for you to do is go to the dealer, get a demo unit, and take it home and test it in your own room.
If that thing really is $2200 then why bother? You can Build a decent HT system for less that will almost certainly sound better.
@drelusive
For the same reason that people buy a 13"> laptop vs. a 15.6" laptop. The 15.6" laptop might offer a better computing experience but the person with the smaller laptop has a very specific need that can not be met by the standard available product. Therefore you have to pay a premium to get a product that suits your specific needs.
It is fairly basic product segmentation...
@drelusive This isn't a price issue. No matter the price, not everyone has a room layout that is conducive to having a "real" surround sound setup. Not everyone has a significant other that is okay with having a minimum of 5 speakers spread out around the room.