Sound Bar Discussions (Yamaha, Polk, Etc)

[Huskylord]

Hello to all,

I've been reading about the Yamaha YSP 1000/800 and the Polk Audio Soundbar where you can obtain 5.1 surround sound from a single speaker mounted near your TV. I actually had the chance to hear the Yamaha YSP at a local home theatre shop and it sounded great...(they do recommend you purchase a separate subwoofer)...

the ultimate reason to buy one, the wife factor, (no wiring, no obtrusive extra speakers, etc)..

Anyways, I was wondering if anyone has any first hand experience with either of these two products and would be willing to share their thoughts?

cheers

[CamG]

I had the opportunity to see the Yamaha unit set up at a near by home theatre shop. I sat with the salesmen in the demo room while he placed a small microphone in the middle of the room. He then put it in some type of set up mode and it basically bounced white noise off the walls for about 1 or two minutes. What was really strange was that I was hearing the white noise coming from the wall behind me that had no speakers.

After the set up he put in a movie. Can’t remember the name but it was an action movie with lots of gunshots. I swear if I had not seen this with my own eyes I would not have believed I was not listening to a 5.1 speaker set up.

That being said, I love my speaker set up and would not change it for one of these units, however I was lucky to be able to run all my cables when the walls were being built. If that were not the case I would have really considered the Yamaha unit. As for the Polk unit I cannot comment as I have never seen or heard one.

Take care,
Cam

[Huskylord]

Thank you, much appreciated

[Huskylord]

I've found the YSP 800 selling for approximately $1100 at Futureshop and Bestbuy, but can't seem to locate the YSP 1000. I'd still like to know the quality difference between the two and hear what I would be giving up if I went with the YSP 800.

has anyone else had the chance to compare the two, or at least hear the 1000 version?

[terkar]

I have heard the ysp1 (same as the 1000 without the auto setup/microphone) I am looking for clear center dialog and this unit seems to fill the bill. Just recently discovered the Polk Surround Bar and have yet to hear it to compare to the Polk. The ysp is a bit more $$ but no receiver is required - the Polk Surroundbar does require a receiver.
I too would like to hear from someone who has compared the two or seen an article from one of the audio magizines comparing the two.

Terry in NC

[MarcP]

Originally Posted by CamG

I sat with the salesmen in the demo room while he placed a small microphone in the middle of the room.

That's what bothers me. A demo room. Probably has optimal wall material and room measurements. I'd like to hear from someone who actually has it at home in a fully furnished room with hardwood flooring. I wonder how it performs with an unusually high ceiling.

[drunkgeo]

I am setting up my first home theatre system on a budget of about 1500Cdn, would this unit be a better alternative than buying speakers, sub, receiver, and cables seperatly.

Does anyone know how many audio inputs this thing has?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[Huskylord]

It might be. The YSP 800 is selling for around $1000 Cad at BB/FS, and I've seen it going for around $600 Cad on Ebay (but buyer beware as always). From what I've read, you should probably consider a separate subwoofer and a mounting bracket is extra. I think it would fit your budget, but then again the Polk soundbar might be a consideration as well.

[57]

Yes, the room configuration would be very important for this type of speaker. If you don't have walls in certain places, you won't get the appropriate reflections, etc.

It's not the money that's usually the important factor when making these decisions - it's WAF, or difficulty in installation, etc. These units also have a "sweet spot" that is much smaller than a true DD5.1 setup.

If you've got the room and locations for actual speakers, you should use actual ones instead of virtual ones.

[Toy Nut]

Just bought the YSP-800 for our family / media room (not the dedicated theatre room). Anyway it's connected to the HTPC and Sat Receiver and XBOX through an optical splitter. I had read up on it and when I finally heard it a Trutone in Toronto, I knew it would pass the wife test while giving the surround capability I was looking for. Got it at boxing day prices for $850.

Anyway the room it is in is part of the kitchen as well so it is 20 ft wide, tall and about 35ft in length with Hardwoods. I do loose some rear effects due to the lenght of the room but it is still very good. Left to right imaging is excellent. Sound does not appear from directly behind but I would say it comes from about 3/4. With this side room, I sould have to add a sub but I already have a Servo15 downstairs which the wife thinks is just another end table.

Anyway - pretty happy with it for what I paid and use it for. It doesn't measure up to the dedicated theatre system I have but it's not bad and astheically it can't be beat.

[Kevin S]

I have the Polk Surroundbar and was sold on an in store demo at FS (purchased an HK AVR 335 at the same time), in the middle of a main isle. The Yamaha relies on bouncing signals off walls so a HT specific/ideal room is almost a requirement - you will only see this product demoed in a sound room as mentioned above. The Polk uses SDA technology and is more suitable for odd shaped/regular rooms. You don't get true rear, but it is a wide soundstage and sounds great with the bonus 10" powered sub that came with it. My main reasoning was I didn't want to run the wire, and for the price/convienience you can't go wrong.

See here for more details:
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/p...s/surroundbar/

[Joeskie]

I have my YSP800 in an odly shaped room and even though it does rely on walls to bounce the sound, it will find a wall thats as conviniently as possible. That's what the microphone is for -
Now it dosen't mesure up to a dedicated home-theater but it's a great peice for setup right under my plasma. I have the matching subwoofer which makes for a nice sound setup.
the YSP1000 is just much louder - the difference in sound quality is minimal.
And it dosen't give you a better 5.1 feel.
All i heard from a FS rep was that the YSP is much better then the sound bar.

I honestly don't think I'll be going back to wired home-theaters for a while.
I'm not an audiophile and this is just great for me. I do wish it had more inputs/outputs. Maybe even a couple HDMI connections.
Maybe in the next version.

[bobcat99]

Originally Posted by Joeskie

All i heard from a FS rep was that the YSP is much better then the sound bar.

Hmmm..I heard the opposite from a FS rep that the surroundbar is better which I have. I just thought having a dedicated receiver was better than a built in and I think that the polk one also looks better..having said that, it is all subjective.
I love my surroundbar under my panny plasma with the HK receiver.

[financialpanther]

Hello,

Any updates from people who have tried the YSP-800? Is it worth the money?

I can't really have a "booming" system where I live so this would be a great addition if it is great as Yamaha says....


Thx

[Phelsuma]

I just purchased a YSP-1 from a dealer in Kingston on Monday. It was a floor model, so I got a very good deal on it. Although it differs in some respects from the 800/1000 series (namely the lack of a "measuring" mic & DSP presets) it has the same beam throwing technology.
All I can say is WOW!!!
I am a audio engineer by profession and it exceeds my expectations in every way! The manual setup takes a little time, but is well worth doing, especially if your room is not an optimal box.
The sound is extemely clear, well defined & the surround is startlingly good!
Even music (which is not the YSP strong point) is surprisingly clean. There is an extensive suite of parameters & adjustments that can be tweaked to give the best sound possible. It does require the addition of a subwoofer to fill out the lower end however, so budget for that.
Good sound, sleek, unobtrusive look, happy wife! It's all good
Can't wait to pair it up to something like the new 50" Panasonic plasma!