Yamaha, which has one of the most popular digital surround sound soundbar line ups in Australia, is set to announce a major upgrade with the introduction of new volume-levelling technology, wireless and new codecs for iPods and iPhones
The YSP-5100 and the YSP-4100 will also come with optional tabletop pedestal and floor stand, pricing for Australia has not been announced.
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The new models will incorporate speakers, amplifiers, surround decoding, virtual surround processing and an FM tuner in a single horizontal enclosure that can be mounted to a wall underneath a flat-panel TV. Both are thinner than their predecessors at 3.5 inches in depth.
New volume technology will allow users to maintain consistent sound levels when connected video sources are switched and TV channels are changed. It will also deliver TV commercials at the same sound level as a prior program.
The new models will also come with a new wireless transmitter, which uses proprietary yAired technology. This allows the speaker to be attached to iPods and iPhones to stream music in uncompressed PCM form to the surround bars from a distance.
A supplied accessory package consisting of a yAired transmitter and receiver lets users add any powered subwoofer, which can be placed in an inconspicuous location in a room. The Blu-ray audio-codec complement includes Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS HD High Resolution.
Digital Sound Projectors incorporate multiple tiny drivers, each driven by its own dedicated digital amplifier, to create focused “beams” of direct and reflected sound waves that produce virtual multichannel surround effects. The YSP-4100 features 40 beam drivers plus two woofers, each with dedicated amplifiers. The YSP-5100 is identical but adds two tweeters with dedicated amplifiers.
