If you are looking at spending above 5k, then wait for the latest... If you have budget contraint, then can get YSP3000 or the smaller YSP900, YSP600 or lesser .. even the older YSP-1 or YSP1100.. All these, I think would be below 4k..... the only model above 4k is the YSP4000.

There is a lot of type of soundbar, therefore look at the tech involve... YSP uses wall reflection, other could use time delay and other type...

I would not say other saparate would blow the YSP out of the water.. in the correct room.. YSP sound as good or even better than equivalent system.. but "in the correct room"

Maybe other YSP user can give their comment as well.. But I am satisfied with my YSP.....

This post has been edited by scsoo: Nov 16 2009, 12:11 PM

Understand that the new Yamaha series will be more expensive than the Denon, so its your call...

The Samsung look nice but I would suggest you try to listen to the lower end YSP.. ie the YSP600 or YSP900 that is below 3k... But these model do not come with dvd player... like the samsung...

As for me, I am using the YSP but I do not have a backwall..... my living areas opened up to the rest of the house.. only have 2 side wall and the wall behind the TV and YSP (which dun count....) I get good side surround but rear surround, I have to live with the shortcoming....

Still it give me good BOOM BOOM POW and biling balang... max volume for use never above 50 (YSP max out at 100). You require a subwoofer, as the BOOM from the bar quite minimal.. so get the Yamaha woofer as can be connected ie turn off together.....

I think most of us uses soundbar due to convenience... If you can accomodate speakers all around.. then do get a proper set..... If you decide to go the SoundBar way.. then dun listen to people saying "you can get a full system with the price you pay for the stupid bar"

As for AQ, better not compared to those full set... different ballpark... But just a note.. for music.. dun expect to much.. soundbar more for movies.. its HTIB.....

For Soundbar, sound positioning and sound movement are heavily room dependant.... This is because you do not have speakers placed in specific location in the room where you can know for sure the sound source.... If the room is not condusive ie do not have 3 wall in front of the bar.. then you have to live with certain shortcoming.... This is for Yamaha which rely on sound reflection.. other sound bar uses different tech and some only do up to 3.1...

If you can have your listening room made to cater for the specific requirement of the soundbar, then it will sound great.. but how many of us have that kind of luxury.. if we can have a room like that.. I believe most of us will go for a full-blown set.... We so call "compromise" so we ended up with a Soundbar and have to live with "For the kind of price, you can get a decent set"

This post has been edited by scsoo: Nov 18 2009, 11:40 AM

Square Room.. good... Bedroom.. problem.. bed absorb sound.. front channel kenna a bit...
Left Side .. Curtain absorb sound.. casement window..got glass... maybe sound escape
Right Side .. wardrobe.. unless perfectly flat along the wall 100% and solid like concrete door.. or still absorb a bit..
Back .. Solid Concrete wall.. good... make sure no Headboard.. no soft furnishing.. no wedding photo..
LCD .. Dry Wall .. can wall-mount the YSP there.. Look Cool...

Every night Biling Palang until wee hours in the morning....

The SoundBar is a Bar.. will you be placing it to face the curtain? That you have to answer yourself. Sound always reflect best on flat, solid, even surfaces... so you need to determine if you have this criteria. Normally for Bedroom you would have a lot of soft furnishing ie bed or carpets...

My suggestion, if you can pull wires .. then get a normal sets with all the speakers.. you can always hide all wires under the bed.... if you do not want the wiring issue.. then its the soundbar...for cheaper alternative, you can go for those samsung philip one... YSP4000 is more expensive.. pleasant like me.. uses the cheaper YSP......

If you already into the YSP4000 route, then I would suggest to wait for a while and see the latest .... For cheaper alternative.. then there is always YSP3000 and below.....

I believe the latest models should be slightly above 5k, both below the 6k mark.

You can still take the YSP4000 if you are not too particular, there is no review on the latest YSP yet, so you would be one of the first-timer.. but sometime being the first in the line is not too bad ....

Just saw the YSP4100 & YSP5100 available at Desa Home Theater... for quite a good bargain price..

Saw the YSP5100 appearing in Harvey Norman Mid-Valley... in their Yamaha Room....

Now I am hoping can get the YSP-4100 for the price you paid for your YSP-3000... Hope with Sub-woofer inclusive as well... WELL.. I need to continue dreaming...

Just for discussion sake, the YSP are mainly catered for matching tv watching, to provide surround sound for theater experience and they do quite a good job at it. But the higher range model can go above the 5k mark as they handle more codec and have more function built-in against lower range model that only peasant like us can afford
But for Music ie without the video function, from CD and MP3 might as well get a proper stereo set-up. Get a pair of stereo speakers with its proper set-up ie CD player, amp and receiver. Its nothing wrong having 2 set-up to make those biling-palang sound....

Just another note to inform that still need some wire at the back for power to the speaker and wireless receiver. Not forgetting need a power point/socket at the back at convenient place.

The one I saw was 50% off Purchase with Purchase of LCD for the YSP... Can get just the unit alone without buying TV?

This post has been edited by scsoo: Mar 19 2010, 11:25 AM

Good to hear from a fellow YSP user here, and in a small room it could be earth-shaking if the enviroment is suitable.

Just curious if there is a solid back wall (ie no curtain and with good reflective surface) directly behind the listening position, if not.. then there is your answer to the weak surround. The other option is to turn up the surround manually, as the YPAO normally set the surround to weak. Maybe the side wall with the curtain also hampering the reflection of the surround back to the listening position. I think the manual teaches on the surround adjustment, so go on a trial and error session.

The YSP need the support of a subwoofer or else really no earth-shaking bass. It handle the high and mid well but a let down at Bass. You need a sub that can go up to 150Hz as anything below it does not sound correct with the YSP.

The YSP is marketed as compliment to TV, to support HT experience, therefore stereo music is not its forte. I believe its play quite loud for its size, I seldom hear people need to push the YSP volume pass 50. Curious if anyone can stand it max volume.

Lastly, I would suggest better aftermarket cable but those non-believer, I would sound like a hypocrite. The supplied cable does indeed do the job, but with "enhance" cable it does have "marked" improvement.

Soundbar is an alternative, its still a compromise and even Yamaha mentioned that its a lifestyle thingy. To those that can afford it, can have all the wiring, can settle the logistic issue, I would suggest a proper system. But for certain peasant like us, with HM nagging, space contraint, must look nice, in-law friendly, children friendly and the list go on and on and on.. we "compromised". If I have all the money in the world....

Then no choice, you need to live with side surround.. you can actually tune the direction of the sound beam and also the length of travel. Also the volume per channel, suggest increase the db for rear to max of +10. You still need to trial and error as no room is the same. Items in the room may deflect or absorb the sound and therefore you need to play with the setting until you get to a setting that maximise the current enviroment the YSP is in. As for me, I do setup late at night when the other half is asleep or else kenna complain why the YSP sound like its rosak with all those white noise.

Unless, you get professional from Yamaha to do it. Not sure the local Yamaha have this service and how much will they charge you for it. Lastly, you need to consider the location of the YSP whether it can give the best sound. I also moved mine around to test and tilt up and down a bit to get the sound direction up to ear level. I also upgraded all the interconnect and do not use the supplied item that came with the YSP.

You need to play with it and see what is the best for you.. Need to waste time on it, no other way around it unless you spent money to get other to do it on your behalf. Not so simple as plug and play....

I am making a guess that the curtain (covering glass window) is on your left , therefore the rear left is being absorb instead of being reflected. Another guess, there isn't a solid wall there to do the reflection or it too far to be reflected back.

I guessing that the room is those Hong Kong design urban living-room, with soft furnishing and angle wall. As such, there is certain compromise that need to be made. You just have to trial and error until satisfactory level, to the best you can do. If not, then get the Yamaha professional to do it. Think even more expensive in Hong Kong.

As mentioned, we go the soundbar way as its lifestyle purpose, so compromise need to be made. If we intend to do a proper one (no compromise) then is how thick the wallet for equipment cost and logistic purposes. Wires can be hidden at a cost and its the wallet bleeding accordingly.

Compromise for the mean time loh... at least got some sort of surround.. can still piling palang until heart content. Need to trial and error and see what is the best to your ears.

This Hifi and Home Theater very painful one to the wallet.. always bleed dry if upgrade too often.. so becareful of the poison....

This post has been edited by scsoo: Mar 31 2010, 02:21 PM

Drop by Desa Home Theater yesterday, saw the lower range YSP going for a song.. some of the model going for less than 2k and with subwoofer.. That the price that is printed and think can get some discount as they wanna get rid of the lower range model, I heard...
Can consider YSP as the price seem reasonable now...

Hope you have actually seen the physical unit and actually there is size difference between the 2. The best is for you to test both unit and hear the difference to make up your mind.
I believe the mic port do not work as minijack input as it also not suppose for any other purpose but for intellibeam usage only....

If you are paying that much for a system, I believe you want to make sure it "worth" the money but unfortunately in Malaysia its hard to get a seller that let you "test it out". So its your money at stake and I believe I understand your doubt. If you take the cheaper alternative and it doesn't satisfy your need then you be forever thinking "Why I did not get the bigger one?" If you gotten the bigger one, you will be forever thinking"If the smaller one will do and save me 1k to buy something else"

If you have a choice that mean you can have wires.. I would suggest you go for a proper 5.1/7.1 with AVR and speakers as easier/cheaper to upgrade/downgrade. For lifestyle system you have to take risk. Every one of us owner of YSP will always think if we should have gotten the better one or the lower range one will still give us what we ask for. Also we will have doubt if the better one will be that much better and really worth that much more but in Malaysia there isn't that many feedback to tell us the answer....