{"id":6110,"date":"2015-12-20T15:42:16","date_gmt":"2015-12-20T02:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/?p=6110"},"modified":"2016-04-11T19:09:58","modified_gmt":"2016-04-11T07:09:58","slug":"yamaha-ysp-2500-product-review-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/yamaha-ysp-2500-product-review-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"Yamaha YSP-2500 Product Review 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

What Hi*Fi – Best soundbar \u00a3600+, Awards 2014.<\/strong> Yamaha\u2019s done it again \u2013 a superbly talented soundbar delivering captivating sound Tested at \u00a3800 gets a 5 star rating…<\/strong>
\nYamaha knows a thing or two about surround sound. Its YSP range of soundbars has impressed us for years, being one of the few one-box solutions that come close to giving a genuine 5.1 surround-sound experience.<\/p>\n

Its impressive sound-projection technology makes a return in the new YSP-2500 \u2013 a brilliantly designed soundbar with wireless subwoofer that\u2019s yours for \u00a3800.<\/p>\n

The YSP-2500 takes over from 2012\u2019s Award-winning YSP-2200, and remains one of the best solutions for those who don\u2019t want the clutter of a traditional 5.1 speaker package and AV receiver.<\/p>\n

Build and design:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"yamaha_ysp_ysp-2500_1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Avoid placing it in enclosed spaces or inside racks; keep it right in front of the TV and give it room to breathe<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a sleek, slim bar and the impeccable build and finish quality is worth every penny of its \u00a3800 asking price. Its 16 speakers are hidden under a grille, each driver powered by 2W of amplification.<\/p>\n

The display is bright and legible. The wireless subwoofer is discreet and can be tucked away in a corner, but the soundbar itself needs to be placed directly ahead of or beneath your TV for the best results.<\/p>\n

Make sure there aren\u2019t any obstructions around the \u2018bar, too: any obstacles will affect its sound projection capabilities and spoil the surround effect.<\/p>\n

The bar is low enough to be placed in front of most TVs without obstructing the screen. But in case it blocks the TV\u2019s remote sensor, don\u2019t panic \u2013 you can always use the YSP-2500\u2019s remote repeater.<\/p>\n

Set-up:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"yamaha_ysp_ysp-2500_5\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Yamaha’s feet are height adjustable so that you can raise or lower it to maximise sound integration with your screen<\/em><\/p>\n

Yamaha\u2019s soundbar success lies in the way it uses delay control to direct sound-beams so that they bounce off the walls and reflect sound around the room, thus creating a virtual 5.1 surround field.
\nIts IntelliBeam function further optimises the sound to match your specific room, although you can manually adjust the level, distance, angle and more of each channel to your heart\u2019s content.<\/p>\n

Performance:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"yamaha_ysp_ysp-2500_2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Play Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and it\u2019s apparent why Yamaha has long been at the forefront of soundbar technology. The soundfield is expansive, open and really does emulate a 5.1 surround system as well as any soundbar can.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s an impressive amount of apparent height as well (which makes giving the \u2018bar some space all the more important), especially when Falcon swoops over a skyscraper.<\/p>\n

\"yamaha_ysp_ysp-2500_3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Make sure you delve into the menus and check the speaker settings, including for the subwoofer, even after auto-calibration<\/em><\/p>\n

The film\u2019s sound effects are placed with surprising accuracy \u2013 bullets, footsteps and dialogue are easy to track as they move around the screen. It\u2019s exciting and fun to listen to.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s detail, power and punch in each effect. It\u2019s not too shabby with music, either. Metallica\u2019s S&M concert DVD is enjoyably atmospheric and gets us rocking, although we\u2019d switch to the YSP-2500\u2019s \u2018stereo\u2019 mode for tighter, more musical rhythms or opt for the Dali Kubik One which manages a more natural experience (the Yamaha’s voices are a little harder, too).<\/p>\n

The same goes for songs streamed over Bluetooth: the Yamaha is capable of solid vocals and melodic tunes, but it doesn\u2019t pretend to replace a dedicated hi-fi system.<\/p>\n

Features:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"yamaha_ysp_ysp-2500_4\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The remote has a premium feel and is just the right size and weight<\/em><\/p>\n

There are plenty of tweaks tucked into the YSP-2500, each offering a different way to tweak or jazz up the sound quality.<\/p>\n

You get a choice of \u2018Beam\u2019 or \u2018Playback\u2019 modes, which adjust the speaker configuration to suit your source, while Yamaha\u2019s Cinema DSP modes have a fun selection of sound-effects to play around with.<\/p>\n

We have to applaud Yamaha for its well-designed remote handset and control app too.<\/p>\n

The remote has a premium feel, is just the right size and weight, and has logically placed buttons that are instinctive to use. All other manufacturers, take note.<\/p>\n

Connectivity:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"yamaha_ysp_ysp-2500_6\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The HDMI supports 3D, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD MA and 4K, so you can take full advantage of Blu-ray soundtracks<\/em><\/p>\n

And the Yamaha YSP-2500 has a generous spread of connections as well.<\/p>\n

There are three HDMI inputs, all of which support 3D, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, as well as being compatible with 4K\/60p images. There\u2019s also an HDMI output.<\/p>\n

There are two optical and one coaxial inputs, along with a pair of RCA sockets and a 3.5mm headphone jack.<\/p>\n

Verdict:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The YSP-2500\u2019s expansive soundfield, punch and scale are impressive, and it\u2019s the most appealing solution for those that want cinema-style sound without going the full hog with a 5.1 system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What Hi*Fi – Best soundbar \u00a3600+, Awards 2014. Yamaha\u2019s done it again \u2013 a superbly talented soundbar delivering captivating sound Tested at \u00a3800 gets a 5 star rating… Yamaha knows a thing or two about surround sound. Its YSP range of soundbars has impressed us for years, being one of the few one-box solutions that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6110"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6110"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6388,"href":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6110\/revisions\/6388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abtec.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}