YAMAHA
Yamaha YST5600
IT MAY APPEARincongruous to produce
a Soundbar with Atmos technology –
after all, one is a simplistic and relatively
inexpensive solution, and the other is
cutting-edge technology aimed at homes
with high-end Home Theatre installations.
Yet Yamaha appear to have married the
two beautifully.
There is no way that any Soundbar,
irrespective of how good it is, will ever
give you the performance of a component
system with individual speakers. In all
fairness, though, this is not the intention.
A Soundbar is a valid option for
anyone when 1) they cannot fit numerous
speakers into their living environment;
2) traditional speakers do not suit the
aesthetics, or 3) the interest in the05
The Atmos
Soundbar
technology is not great enough to justify
the cost and effort.
Nevertheless, the Yamaha YST-5600
is a remarkable Soundbar, and their take
on Atmos technology in a speaker that
sits at screen level is surprisingly effective.
Yamaha were pioneers of Soundbar
technology, and they obviously intend to
continue pushing the envelope.
The technology developed to produce
the sound performance they achieve is
extraordinary for a product at this price
point. The YSP-5600 houses 44 speakers,
which can be configured in 46 ways. Each
speaker has its own amplifier. Twelve of
these speakers are angled upwards and
reflect from the ceiling to provide the
height channels, and when combined
with the speakers handling rear channel
information it results in the equivalent of
7.1.2 Dolby Atmos or DTS-X reproduction
Let’s step away from the performance
aspect for a moment, and consider other
attributes that this product provides.MusicCast. This is Yamaha’s wireless
multi-room distribution system, a
category that is now becoming very
crowded. Once the YSP-5600 is connected
to the home network you can stream
music stored on your hard drive, access
on-line offerings including streaming
services like Spotify or digital radio, and
by adding wireless speakers in other
rooms these services can be accessed
in those areas as well.
Bluetooth and AirPlay. Stream
to the YSP-5600 via either of these
technologies. Also the Yamaha outputs
Bluetooth, meaning you can stream
from the YSP-5600 to any Bluetooth-
enabled product, irrespective of brand
(including headphones).
4K compatible.
Clear Voice. If you are having issues
discerning voice (and this is a common
complaint) this feature allows you to
accent dialogue. Plus many more!
The Yamaha YSP-5600 retails for $2,299.Like /lenwallisaudio on Facebook