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The surround channels are hard to localize, and it's difficult to determine where the sounds are actually coming from.Conclusion:Overall, the surround bar produces *much* better sound than the yahama. I've had to power cycle the sound bar several times in some cases because it hangs on the HDMI switching. The YSP was a good choice because it sits nicely in our tv cabinet directly below the TV.The sound is truly amazing. For starters, there's only two hdmi inputs, there's no support for dolby true hd, or DTS hd.
The clarity and detail in the sound is really impressive. The surround channels aren't nearly as pronounced as the left and right channels, and some times you can't hear them at at. I think a lot of the sound detail from the Yamaha this gets lost in all of the sound manipulation/signal processing that the yamaha does. Net-net, the yamaha is a great speaker, not a good audio+video receiver.Polk Pros:Beautiful, sleek design. I've had trouble when switching between the inputs. Still, sounds fantastic as the separation of channels is excellent.Yamaha Cons:It has built in amplification and HDMI switching (for two channels).
The sound definitely appears to be coming from somewhere it's not. It's a very large, cavernous room with no place for me to mount side or rear speakers. Seeing as I ran this through the wall, it saved me a lot of trouble. I will try to outline the pro's and con's for those looking for a comparison.Yamaha Pro's:The Yamaha is in use in our front room. Speakers sound really good; sonically far superior to the Yamaha.
On the outside that may seem like a good thing, but it's really not. I added rear surround speakers (a pair of polk rm8's), and now the sound really does envelop you. The component switching happens with my universal remote. I have both the Polk SurroundBar (42") and the Yamaha YSP900. The unit installs really nicely, and looks amazing under a surface mounted flat screen. Also, polk has provided a single wiring harness that contains connections for all of the speakers. I also appreciate the fact that I can use a high quality receiver of my choosing, knowing my speaker choice isn't going to dictate my video processing / audio amplification choice.Polk Cons:On its own, the surroundbar doesn't create enveloping effects.
It does create a wide 'sound stage', which is very pleasing to the ears. It's also helps the performance of the rear surround coming from the sound bar (not the back channels). You get a very large spatial sound field, that sounds fantastic. If you're looking for a way to add 7.1 sound to a room that's only really capable of handling a 5.1 setup (due to room layout), I'd say you should get the polk. Amplification of the sound is good, but in my case, I had to buy a universal remote and let the tv handle hdmi switching, while running optical and coax digital audio cables directly to the sound bar from all my components. Gets the job done, but sub optimal for sure. Spatially, no where near as enveloping as the yahama.
If you really want 5.1 surround and you cannot accommodate other rear speakers, I'd say the Yamaha is your best bet (if you can deal with the limits of the amplifier/receiver on the yamaha)Yamaha YSP-900 Digital Sound Projector (Black)
Plain and simple, we had an ongoing problem. Lows and low, highs are high and the rest is very crisp clean sound. We originally attempted a different configuration and the results were inferior.in fact, we thought something was wrong with the speaker so took the time to review everything, realized our mistake and were very pleasantly surprised by the superior sound quality.
When we recently purchased a new television set decided to give this a try. At least to my sensory input, I've always hated the "disconnect" between seeing something on a screen in front but hearing it behind you. He loves big sound and I hate wires running all over the house.
While others have complained about the lack of "true surround" from not having speakers physically placed behind you, I find this quite superior. We already owned a sub-woofer so hooked this into the stereo receiver, connected the television and dvd - great sound, no ugly mess of wires and easy installation. Like others have mentioned, use the instructions.
This provides a much more realistic sound quality in that it totally wraps around the room in much the same way that typical sound does. Best of all - banished the wires.
It does sound fantastic, no doubt. I've been a home theater buff for years now, and have only had "true" 5.1 or 7.1 surround setups, with obligatory wires everywhere and unhappy wife as a result (wives I'm convinced care little about home theater, just it works is about it.). The super low roofline makes running wires in the attic to the edges of the room virtually impossible, so my only real option was either wireless or a surroundbar setup. But I digress.My decision after reading the reviews on the SurroundBar from Polk was to try it out and keep the room clean of wires. Get the matching Polk PSW10 sub, or a similar 10" forward firing sub. Unless you plan on spending a mint, wireless speakers are pretty good at being surrounds or iPod accessories but that's about it.
Your room dynamics will affect how the speaker sounds granted, my parlor room is a near perfect cube and pretty large. But I hate looking at wires as I get older, and prefer my current home to be as wire free as possible. No, you will not get the same effect as you do with speakers that are behind you. There's just not that certain sound you get from a hard wired speakers. Wireless rear speaker setups are a better option, where you have one receiver and two mini-amps connected to the rears. I will add some wireless rears and run a 7.1 surround setup, since I have the amazing Onkyo TX-SR576S receiver (new also).
An 8" is too small to balance out with the SurroundBar effectively.
The speakers are great, but I was disappointed that Amazon (ordered direct) sent a package that had obviously been previously returned, contained the wrong manuals, and was missing the hardware necessary to attach the speaker to the wall mount bracket. It seems there wasn't even an attempt to QC the package prior to sending out to the next customer. :(
The surround effect is not what you would get with dedicated surround speakers, but I do get a sense of enveloping surround, especially if I'm sitting directly in front of the surroundbar.I purchased this speaker along with the Polk PSW10 subwoofer, and together they form a nice setup for watching movies, especially Blu-Ray. I researched this speaker for months before I finally decided to give it a try. The surroundbar is also adequate for my environment for listening to music, but I got it mainly for watching movies. My living room is not conducive to a 5 speaker setup, so I thought a single surroundbar solution would be perfect. I was not disappointed. I'm more than satisfied with my purchase and I recommend the Polk surroundbar. Just make sure you match it with a powered sub.
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