Yamaha YSP-1100 review

Performance
Our first impression was that the YSP-1100 sounds pretty amazing. We hooked up a standard DVD player and popped on some of our regular test discs. The sound was incredibly clear and there was a decent amount of bass too, something we didn't expect from a device like this.

Playing Spider-Man on DVD yielded an impressive overall sound. There wasn't any point where we felt the speakers were struggling to keep up, and we didn't notice any bass distortion on low-frequency sound.

A quick flick through some THX and Dolby Digital proved that the Yamaha is skilled at moving the sound around the room. Compared to our reference two-channel stereo amp, with attached Denon speakers, the sound was much wider, and felt more dramatic.

That said, we never found ourselves totally convinced by the rear-channel effects. The front channels were very mobile, creating an engaging sound, but the YSP-1100 never quite managed to fool us into thinking there was much happening behind us. With a traditional surround-sound system and a movie such as Spider-Man, the rear channel would be alive with effects. This just wasn't the case in our test room.

In terms of clarity, we can't complain at all. Dialogue was very clear and well separated from the front left and right channels. There is the option of adding a subwoofer to the system as well, which would add an extra deepness to the bass, although for most viewing, this would be unnecessary, as the YSP-1100 has great bass response.

Conclusion
The Yamaha YSP-1100 sits somewhere between a good set of stereo speakers and a proper surround-sound system. There will probably never be a virtual surround-sound system that sounds as convincing as real speakers placed behind you.

That said, if you really can't cram six speakers or more into your TV room, this is as good as it gets. Crucially, the sound from the YSP-1100 is some of the best we've heard in this category, easily beating the Sony RHT-G800 in the quality stakes, although you do pay for the privilege.

Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Nick Hide