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Overview
The Yamaha Sound Projector YSP-1000 promises full physical 5 channel surround sound from one single box. This was the solution for me to be able to install a home theater in my new living room without wiring up the whole place and risking divorce.
The secret behind the Yamaha Sound Projection technology is the use of the walls to reflect sound.
The Yamaha YSP-1000 is one of those gadgets that increased my heart-rate when I opened the box. I do not exactly know why it makes my body produce happy making gadget endorphins, but it does. Maybe is the size of 1 meter and the 13kg weight. Or maybe it’s the knowledge that it contains 42 digital amplifiers to power 42 sound drivers. Anyway Yamaha gave the YSP-1000 a very clean design, which makes the device blend in under a LCD or Plasma TV. The size actually fits to 42” Flat-Screen TVs.

 

Setup
Installation is pretty straight forward. The manual gives easy instructions and guidance for the setup. The position of the speaker is important. I placed mine dead center in front of the sofa and under the TV (photo, Excuse the cheapo TV, it will soon be replaced with a Panasonic Plasma TH-50PX60U. I watch movies with a Sanyo PLV-Z4 HDTV projector).
The Yamaha Sound Projector also can be placed in a shelf. For that to work, the configuration needs to set accordingly. The unit can also be placed off center. In the configuration a vertical shift can be configured.
I connected the YSP-1000 via the bundled optical audio cable with my Panasonic DVD player. I also purchased the Yamaha YST-FSW100 subwoofer and connected it to the YSP-1000. The YSP-1000 has a built-in subwoofer, but how big can it be. Before connecting the power, I connected the component TV out with my TV. Yes, the YSP-1000 has an on screen display (OSD). It is actually just necessary for setup and not during use. The last step is to connect the Intellibeam microphone to the main unit. A supplied paper tri-pot can be used to place the microphone in the room. The optimizer microphone has to be placed more that 2m away from the unit. It must stay within 1m vertically from the center of the YSP-1000. I sat mine on the sofa with the paper tri-pod. This closely resembles the position of my ears when sitting in front of the TV, which based on Yamaha is the ideal position.
 

Now after power-on, I just have to select Auto Setup from the OSD. The on screen guide asks for how I have placed the unit (parallel or shelf) and the optimization type. For the first time its recommended to select Beam optimization and YPAO sound optimization.
The unit makes alien sounds for about 2 min. and then it is done.
After the auto setup, I have the option to save the parameters into memory as a profile. You could store up to 3 profiles to choose from.

Of course all parameters can be tweaked, but the auto setup worked perfect for me. My living room has a glass window front on the right and on the left there is a wall separated by a hallway. In the back is lots of room that also opens up to the left. These are actually not ideal conditions, but the result is amazing. Yamaha would of course prefer a square room, but the system is smart enough to adapt to my situation. You need to have some walls left and on the right. Else this system want work for you.
 

Performance
After the easy setup, I was of course excited to try it out. I popped in one of the Matrix DVDs and leaned back on the sofa. I searched for scenes where things or people flying around and I was totally blown away by the surround sound effect. The sound is crystal clear and I can experience the spatial located sounds. At first its kind of magic as I just look at the box in front of me. But the sound is coming from the side. Did I mention I am sitting in front of a 106 inch screen? Life is good.

The YSP-1000 has different beam modes. For watching movie DVDs you want of course the 5 beam mode. You could also just use it as a stereo speaker for normal TV watching. In regards to surround sound technologies the YSP-1000 supports Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Pro Logic II and DTS Neo:6. The available signal will be displayed on the YSP-1000 display.
The YSP-1000 also offers sound fields for movie, sports and music programming that can be easily selected from the remote control.
To emphasis the bass, the Yamaha Sound Projector supports SRS TruBass. Switch it to Deep and you will rock the neighborhood. A night time volume mode also comes in handy when your family is slepping.


Yamaha Sound Projector Models
Yamaha has currently three home theater sound projectors on the market: YSP-1, YSP-1000 and YSP-800.
The difference is that the YSP-1 does not have the IntelliBeam automatic setup feature, besides that it is comparable to the newer YSP-1000. The YSP-800 is smaller and has less speakers and power.


Conclusion
The Yamaha Sound Projector YSP-1000 is an amazing piece of consumer electronics. It delivers superior home theater sound from just one box. No wiring, no satellite boxes standing or hanging around in your living room. The IntelliBeam auto setup is working perfectly and is making the installation a snap. Verdict: Highly Recommended


How to Buy
I bought my Yamaha YSP-1000 in Germany for 750 Euros (TechnikDirekt), which is about $900. In the United States Amazon.com sells the YSP-1000 for $1,499.95. That is quite a price difference. I see actually more and more consumer electronics being offered cheaper in Europe than in the US - kind of interesting development. The YSP-1000 comes in black and in silver.

There are some stores offering the YSP-1000 cheaper – compare prices.


 

Specification
Speakers Section
1-5/8" x 40 drivers
4-3/8" x 2 woofers
Digital Amplifier 120 W total power:
2 W x 40 + 20 W x 2

Dimensions
(W x H x D) 40-9/16" x 7-5/8" x 4-5/8"
1,030 x 194 x 118 mm
Weight 28.7 lbs.; 13 kg
More details on Yamaha Sound Projector site.