Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 41
 Great simple budget system for enclosed rooms May 4, 2009
Dr. Enos (Dallas, TX United States)
69 out of 70 found this review helpful
I've been searching for a simple budget out of the box home audio solution that had great sound, ease of use and set up, all the connections I needed and lastly esthetically pleasing and not an eyesore. I looked at all the recommended budget 5.1 and 7.1 system (Onkyo is the best deal for full 5.1 systems) and was frustrated by the price and the over engineered complexity of them all. Real surround sound would be cool but ultimately I just wanted a simple solution with strong, rich sound and any simulated surround would be nice too. I have a Samsung 630 and love the TV but the sound sucks. This YAS-71 sound bar and sub-woofer really have enhanced my home theater experience tremendously. I want to watch all the movies I've already seen in HD again now just to hear them in fuller sound. My wife even likes it, I don't think she's nearly as intimidated by it as much as 5.1 component systems would.
This unit has 4 audio inputs plus a connector for an ipod dock; 3 of the inputs are digital audio inputs (2 optical, 1 coaxial). 1 RCA audio input. I highly recommend using the digital audio inputs to get the best and clearest simulated surround sound. I have a PS3 (my Blu-Ray player), a Toshiba DVD player and my DVR hooked up to the digital inputs and the Yamaha ipod dock hooked up. The ipod dock works well and you can control the ipod to some extent with the remote, though the screen on the front of the bar gives you very minimal information and control for your ipod. There are times I'd rather just select my ipod manually on the ipod itself. My 3G iphone worked with it as well as a 30 gig ipod. They all sounded great.
I have a very boxy, enclosed small to medium sized living room (12' x 18') in an older home and it's perfect for that environment. At volume level 50 (halfway) it really fills the room up with rich sound, at the higher levels it gets surprisingly loud without distortion and blowout. Though If you have a very open or large contemporary living room I wouldn't recommend this system; I'd go with more powerful true surround system where you could space the speakers out to fit the room. This YAS-71 really works best in a room with defined walls to work off of. I wouldn't expect any true surround sound from the YAS-71 but there are times while watching 5.1 DVDs and Blu-rays I notice that some sounds really feel immersive and you can feel the simulated surround effect. Prices have dropped on these recently, they used to retail for $500-$600 and for around $300 this is an exceptional deal.
Positives:
* Easy to set up, there aren't a bunch of wires to run around your room.
* User friendly. Wife friendly.
* 4 audio inputs (3 digital) plus yamaha ipod connector
* Clear, surprisingly powerful, robust simulated 5.1 sound for such a contained unit.
* Great value for the money if you can find it at or under $300
* Looks nice in front of most HDTVs. It virtually matched my piano finished black Samsung.
* Great for enclosed rooms.
Negatives:
* No onscreen information and controls on your TV screen, info is only on the soundbar screen. This does not have any video passthrough. (this hasn't been a problem for me though).
* It might not have have all the audio connections you need. Check your setup.
* All the inputs are on the sub woofer, so keep that in mind, you might need longer cables.
* Remote controlling ipod is very minimal.
* ipod dock sold separately ($50-100)
* Not so good for open areas.
Conclusion:
Powerful, clear sound and a good number of inputs for most needs. A simple solution for better home audio. I couldn't be happier with it.
Recommended for average user January 10, 2009
Q. Trinh (MD, US)
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
I am very satisfied with this product. The "virtual" surround sound is nice and the setup is real easy. Don't expect rear speakers 360 degree sound but a 180 degree. This is fine with me and for the average user. I have a 40in Samsung HDTV and this easily sounds much better than the TV speakers. I tested the Sony and Boston speakers at BB but was not satisfied with the volume. Sony was particularly very weak compared to other more expensive ones. Overall, no regret so far.
Powerful sounding audio for anyone who does not want lots of speakers and wires around their room November 30, 2008
Donnie Darko (Cordova, TN United States)
25 out of 29 found this review helpful
First of all, don't expect true surround sound with this unit. What you WILL get however is a very nice SIMULATED surround effect, especially with hi-definition Blu-Ray movies. The beauty and strength of the Yamaha YAS-71BL however is the following: The POWER, the PUNCH, and the BASS. Similar and cheaper units just do not have the power, volume or punch that this device has. It really is incredible. :-) I tested several devices thoroughly (less expensive AND more expensive) before spending $500 on the YAS-71BL and I am not disappointed! Some units I tested only allowed you to turn the volume up to level 50 -- the YAS-71BL however goes all the way up to 100!
I would thoroughly recommend the YAS-71BL for anyone who (a) has a small room (b) does NOT want multiple speakers or multiple cables around the room and (c) who wants powerful sound. This is THE solution for better sounding and more powerful audio for someone who likes a clean and small solution.
There are several audio modes (the Movie setting is the best -- it really has the room throbbing during action sequences, just like at the movie theatre), and there are buttons/options to control individual settings such as the sub-woofer, center-speaker and surround-sound effect. There's also an "enhanced surround sound" mode which attempts to spread the audio at a wider angle. Another very nice bonus with this soundbar is that it has a built-in FM tuner.
I am predominantly playing Blu-Ray movies through this soundbar and films like Transformers, The Incredibles and Wall-E sound SUPERB. I also stream my iTunes audio through the soundbar via my Playstation 3 and my audio has never sounded better. I love it! :-) But remember, do not buy this if you think this is a TRUE surround sound solution because it's not.
Set-up is a breeze, and the unit looks very cool with the piano-black finish. I really like the unit display, it reminds me of Philips audio displays, it's clean and simple and you have options to dim the display if you need. The remote control is wonderful because it is small and is very intuitive to use. Be sure to double-check the sub-woofer measurements before you purchase this soundbar as it is quite tall.
Although this soundbar is advertised as "surround sound", you will only get close to surround sound with Hi-Def movies. And even then, it's never going to be the same as a 5.1 setup with multiple speakers around the room. But this is a one speaker solution let's not forget, so if you look beyond the obvious surround sound flaw, you will appreciate that everything else about this soundbar is first class. Very-much recommended. :-)
Lovin' it January 15, 2010
TC Rei (Norcal)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I've had the Yamaha YAS-71 for about two weeks now.
First, some background on me:
I'm a music composer/audio engineer as a side job, so I'd like to think that I have a very critical pair of ears. I can hear EQ adjustments in .1dB increments, but take that as you will. This is also my first soundbar, and I have no other soundbar experiences to compare it with. However, I am not new to the world of audio, and I run a high-end monitoring setup with Lavry converters in my music studio.
I was looking for a budget solution to upgrade my existing bedroom sound experience, as my LCD TV speakers just weren't cutting it when watching Blu-rays on my PS3. A 5.1 setup was out of the question, along wit a 2.1 setup - I just did not have the space for separate speakers. A soundbar came to mind, and is something I wish I had considered sooner rather than later.
After much research, I narrowed my interest to three: the Sony CT-100, the Yamaha YAS-71, and the Denon FS-3. These are all models you can find below $400. There are a lot of higher end models out there than what I set my sights on, but I felt the price of these higher end models ($700-$1600) just didn't justify its functionality, especially in a smaller type room like mine (16ft x 14ft). The Sony generally had favorable reviews but one thing that kept coming up time and again was that it did not get loud enough, and that the center speaker generally made it more difficult than necessary to hear dialogue. The Denon would have been my top choice, but upon looking at the measurements, it would have blocked my IR receiver if placed in front of my TV. I also discovered that the channel levels on the Denon cannot be adjusted. I ended up getting the Yamaha YAS-71...
...and I'm glad I did.
I was a bit skeptical at first because the YAS-70 model garnered some unfavorable reviews over at AVS due to it's sound quality not being up to par against other models, and its less than stellar surround effect. However, name aside, the YAS-71 seemed to have a different design in its drivers, using four 3" drivers instead of the YAS-70's six 2" drivers. I am also quite fond of Yamaha's DSP effects on their receiver line, so that also influenced my decision.
After hooking it all up to my PS3/Cable box via optical cable, it was time to taste this baby out!
Notable Features-
Four DSP Modes: Movie, Music, Sports, Game
Movie: Wide horizontal projection, and a medium forward projection. Sound had a touch of reverb to it, and audio had greater low end.
Music: Narrow forward projection and medium horizontal projection. No reverb.
Sports: Stadium like effect. Heavy reverb.
Game: Like Music, except a very large forward projection, with a dip in the lower frequencies.
Dimmer: You can reduce the brightness on the front of the display up to four levels, or have it off completely. When making adjustments when it is off completely, you can see the adjustments you are making but after a few seconds of idle, the display then shuts off. Very nice.
Audio Delay: Essential function for syncing the soundbar's audio to your TV, as now audio and video are two separate sources. You can delay audio in steps of 10ms from 0 - 200ms (I don't remember the max number but it was somewhere around there). Without this function, I would have returned the unit.
Enhancer: Adds harmonic noise to enhance high frequency perception. Works very well for what it is, but in most cases, I left this off.
Sound Quality:
First impressions were very underwhelming. The sound coming out was more muddy than what I am used to. The subwoofer sounded bad no matter what level it was adjusted to. However, it still sounded better than my TV speakers, and that was the idea, right? After about an hour or so, I started to notice some subtle improvements in the audio quality, due to warmup time.
As I was calibrating the audio, I noticed the surround did add a "chorus" type effect to the overall sound, mainly due to the rear speakers being simulated by the front. Once I turned this down, the unit sounded significantly better. I found that Game mode sounded the best out of the four, by a large margin, mainly because I could hear blooming in the other DSP modes, and the bass sounded the most natural in Game mode. After tweaking the center and woofer channels, I became very happy with the unit. Contrary to other opinions, I thought the surround worked well, and there was a perception of hearing sounds behind you as if the audio were expanding from the sides. Let's be real though, room type and placement will have a large role in how well this will work, and don't expect to hear sounds behind you from just a front speaker.
After a week or so, my thoughts on the system remained the same. Very happy with the unit. I noticed that the rubber feet on the unit were pretty...well, flat. I purchased some isolation pads from Radio Shack ($2.50) and applied them.
Result? BIG difference. Sound was a lot more crisp and frequency energies were properly transfered (to the air, and not my TV stand). I was able to knock the surround channel up a notch without hearing that chorus effect. All of the DSP modes sound great, and now I am liking the Movie setting the best, which is strange because prior to applying the pads, I liked Movie mode the least...
I also must comment on the volume of this thing. It does loud, and it does loud well. I've cranked this thing to around 80% (at which any louder would begin to hurt), and showed no signs of any tinnyness.
Lovin' it!
Pros:
Great sound
Easy one touch mode selection
Easy channel adjustment
Some nice features (enhancer, dimmer)
Audio Delay
Loud
Great price
Cons:
Finicky with placement and adjustments
No HDMI
No settings lock (the settings save, but there is no lock to prevent them from being changed)
Other thoughts: If you plan on using a power conditioner, make sure it is TRANSPARENT, otherwise you will be sacrificing forward projection and some filtered frequencies. A power strip with surge suppression is all you need.
GREAT PRODUCT FOR MY SITUATION November 24, 2009
C. W. Rose (Cols, Oh)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
In my bedroom, I have a wall mounted Samsung LED UN40B6000(speakers located in rear). My Video and Audio sources are (1)Insight Motorola DCT6412 III cable box, and (2)Pioneer BDP-51FD Blu Ray player. There was no way I was gong to watch a beautiful blu ray movie and listen to the audio emitting from TV speakers facing the wall as close as 2.5 inches. And placing speakers and running wires in my bedroom was not an option. After reading many reviews of the various Sound Bar systems, I took the plunge for the Yahama YAS-71BL. Although I have 2 complete Home Theater systems(5.1 & 7.1), I did not expect this system to rival either. But I am surprised as to how well it simulates 5.1. If you have a small to medium size(i.e. bedroom) and a quest for quality audio, buy this system. Trust me, you will not be disappointed. You probably will have to adjust the different tuning options to get a feel for what fits your ear.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 41
|
![AmazonBasics Toslink Digital Audio Optical Cable (6 Feet/1.8 Meters) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B001TH7GSW.01._AA75_PU_PU-5_.jpg)
