Home > Consumer Reviews > Yamaha TSS-1B 5.1 Computer Speakers (6-Speaker, Black)

After doing research on systems similar to the TSS-1...like the DTT3500, Inspire 5700, Onkyo GXW51, and some others, I found that this was the best bang for the buck (from Amazon for the black version). I was also fortunate to get the rebate. With no sales tax/free shipping, it was a no brainer).

I would say that for the room I'm in (12' x 11'), it is plenty loud. I use it in a desktop set up in my office, so I'm about 3 feet from each speaker...I was able to turn up to full volume for both DVD and music (music sounds better than DVD) and didn't get any noticeable distortion. BTW, full volume is louder than is comfortable for me to listen to. The speakers are very clear with no hiss and music using Dolby Pro Logic is pretty good as well (I know alot of folks don't like Dolby Pro Logic on music). The controls are very intuitive. Inputs include digital, 4 ch analog, and 2 ch analog and one button on the front to choose between them. When using 2 ch, you can either choose Pro Logic or not. With 4 ch, you have no choice (2 sets of stereo inputs are on the back for 4 ch). With digital, the system will tell you automatically if it is a DD5.1 or DTS signal (but you can choose to not use the decoder). It will also tell you if the signal is DD5.1/DTS and you've chosen not to use it (by accident, I would guess). It does this by dimming the light for DD5.1 or DTS.

I don't do gaming, so I don't have an opinion here. I got it mainly for entry level surround sound and for music.

The headphone is nice touch as well. It uses Yamaha's Silent Cinema which does virtual surround sound on headphones (like Dolby Headphone and DTS Virtual Surround). I found that this feature is pretty good (much better than just 2 ch stereo).

There's also a switch on the back to set output to all 5 speakers, 4 speakers (no center channel), or just 2 speakers (no center channel or surrounds). When in 4 speaker or 2 speaker mode, a phantom center and virtual surround channels are created by mixing the information that would have been sent to those speakers. They all sounded pretty good. But, I don't know why anyone would want to use fewer speakers.

It helped to listen to a demo of the TSS-1 and play with the controls (even though the store noise and store size impacted the sound). Tip: bring some sort of portable player (MP3, CD...or if you're rich, a portable DVD player) with a stereo jack M-M with you (if you bring a portable DVD player, bringing an optical or coax digital cable (toslink on the TSS-1 side) will let you hear the DD5.1 and/or DTS depending on the film(s) you bring). Alot of demos have the system plugged in but there is no sound source. This way you can input some music or something to listen to. It may be a little hard to find a demo...

The Onkyo GXW51 is an interesting platform (on paper)and sounded OK, but didn't seem to have the highs that the TSS has... The DTT3500 sounded similar to the TSS-1, but was more expensive... The features and sound qualtiy on the 5700 didn't convince me that the price difference from the TSS-1 would be worth it. I decided against the DTT3500 because it didn't have DTS, no headphone and a price difference.

Conclusion: I think for the price point the TSS-1 is great. It won't "wake the neighbors" but if that's not your goal, this system will provide excellent sound quality, good features, and an affordable price (and it is "loud enough"). The only drawback I can see is there's no remote control. ...

It's going to be tough to find a better price on a mid-range 6 piece amplified system with DD5.1 and DTS decoding, but I believe I found the reason behind the bargain basement pricing on this package...read on.

The TSS-1 has gained some well deserved industry recognition, due to the excellent mid and high end reproduction emitted from it's 5 identical 2" cones, adequately supported by the ported 5" sub's lows. Yamaha has employed a concept dubbed "Active Servo" in the design of this system, which seems to be a catch phrase to explain their reasoning behind the crossover threshold and use of a ported cabinet. You can read more about this on Yamaha's website if you like, but I believe that the end result of Yamaha's new math is a noticeible loss in midrange.

Setup is easy enough. Regulation RCA plugs cap the speaker cables, which are long enough to position the speakers just about anywhere within listening range. Inputs are straightforward, but it is in this category that Yamaha made their gravest mistake...THIS IS IMPORTANT...THERE IS NO CENTER/SUB ANALOG INPUT! They did include and analog input for front l/r, and one for rear l/r - why did they neglect center/sub? I have no idea. This IS a 6 speaker system, but this shortcoming really limits the system's capabilities when you don't have a 5.1 digital source (which is pretty much any time you are not playing a DVD). For computer applications, don't be fooled if you have a 5.1 capable sound card (Live!5.1, Audigy, Extigy) into thinking that it will encode your audio sources into a digital form that can be interpreted by this decoder. All you will get digitally is 2 CHANNEL STEREO, further modified by the amp's Pro-Logic circuitry. You can switch over to analog 4-channel mode via a front mounted toggle button, but you will lose any data contained in the front and sub channels. The result of this is you can't hear any sounds positioned to appear directly in front of you, and the loss of the sub-directed bass frequencies. Also, the switch from digital to analog mode requires a change to the sound card setting (on Creative cards, anyway), which is yet another nuisance. Alright, so have I made my point about this system being essentially useless for 6 channel analog audio? If your application is to drive 5.1 Dolby Digital or DTS exclusively in a close-quarters environment (i.e. DVD direct connection), then this product is the jewel.

The speakers themselves are not easily mounted to a wall so that they may be positioned well, but the stands have adjustable tilt up to about 15 degrees off level for desktop placement. The control panel is straight forward, and the Pro-Logic function seems to work well for pseudo-surround.

That's about all, and probably enough if you were considering this set for use with a computer. Hope it helps someone with their decision.

I got these speakers after looking around online for some better speakers for my room, to hook up to my PS2. I had seen a lot of speakers that companies make directly for the PS2 for like $200-300. Big waste of money most of them are only 2 channel, looking at the descriptions of the products just make me real mad. I found these speakers on a website for sale, but I wanted to buy them from Amazon.com because I know I wouldn�t have a problem with shipping time. Anyway after doing my reading on Yamaha�s website about the speakers, I learned these are the best speakers for the price to get the most out of your PS2 digital 5.1 setup. Only ... I went ahead and got the Acoustic Research Optical Digital Cable, these speakers sound amazing, for a bedroom. The best speakers you can buy for your PS2 Bottom line, Digital input, DTS, Dolby Digital and Prologic decoder (even comes with a small cable optical and RCA). I dare you to beat that. Get the most out of your PS2 sound wise.

I owned the TSS-1's for a few months and they served me well. For the price you won't find more options in a set of computer speakers - optical and coaxial S/PDIF, and Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS. The sound from the satellites are exceptionally clean and crisp, and the subwoofer packs a tight punch, especially in 5.1 sound. It is definitely among the best I've heard for computer use, for playing MP3's or games. The satellites are small and convenient to place even on a crowded area, and the subwoofer is compact enough to fit under your desk. The receiver/amp is also simple to operate, and the setup is easy and reasonably portable - all RCA-type connectors, no standard speaker wire.

With its compact size comes some drawbacks, namely the fact that it is underpowered, even for use in small living rooms. It can be difficult to hear dialogue through the center channel in 5.1 mode, even with it turned all the way up. Because of the 2" drivers you will miss a lot of the richness of DVD audio that even a low-end home theater setup can afford. However, at this price you can't expect much more from a speaker set.

My experience with the TSS-1: Great for games and music, OK for DVD. Nice for bedroom/dorm room use.

No doubt the speakers sound great(as suggested in the other reviews) but be careful on the rebate! The fine print says 'rebate void after 2 weeks of purchase date'. I lost out coz my speakers were delievered after 2 weeks and the order date was the date I placed the order.