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Yamaha's YSP-900 Digital Sound Projector: a 5.1 sound bouncer that works
The YSP-900 Digital Sound Projector joins Yamaha's high-end YSP-1100 in their digital sound projector line-up of simulated surround-sound speaker-bars. As a followup to the YSP-800, the YSP-900 comes in silver or black and introduces the "My Beam" and "IntelliBeam" functions previously found only in the YSP-1100. Just press and hold a button on the remote control and the My Beam function will instantly "beam" the sound in your direction -- useful for the hard-of-hearing or late-night movie fests while the rest of the household slumbers. IntelliBeam then, is the auto system calibration software which optimizes the unit's placement in the room. Just keep in mind that the sound will bounce best in a rectangular room with the couch offset from the center of the back-wall. That limitation aside, Yamaha's sound projectors come highly touted for quick and not-so-dirty home theater setup. Hitting Japan on February 22nd for ¥94,800 or about $602. Better yet, these will come Stateside soon enough.
Yamaha's YSP-1100 Digital Sound Projector
Yamaha is set to roll with their new YSP-1100 Digital Sound Projector unveiled at CEDIA. Like the YSP-1000 it replaces, the YSP-1100 is said to do a decent job of creating the illusion of surround-sound by bouncing sound off the walls via 40 built-in beam drivers and 2 built-in woofers with 42 corresponding digital amplifiers. However, the YSP-1100 brings a larger sweet-spot than its predecessor, an RS-232 port, IR in/out, component-video in/out, and an improved version of Yamaha's IntelliBeam automated system calibration to adjust the sound for best effect. Yours for $1,699 starting September, if you dare. [Thanks, Mike P]
