Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Reviews

Yamaha YSP-2500 Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer Review

Yamaha YSP-2500 Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer in room

Yamaha YSP-2500 Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer

The Yamaha YSP-2500 is one of the most advanced home theater sound bars you can buy. But it is going to cost you a grand for the convenience and versatility this speaker system offers. To begin with, Yamaha was able to pack in 16 individual speakers and amplifiers into a 2-inch tall speaker bar that decodes 7.1-channel Dolby True HD or DTS-HD Master Audio. Plus, its got Bluetooth wireless streaming, HDMI inputs with 4K pass-through, and a companion smartphone app for easier setup.

Yamaha YSP-2500 Sound Bar Speaker Array

But it’s Yamaha’s Digital Sound Projector technology that really makes it standout. If you haven’t heard it, you’ll be amazed how Yamaha is able to beam sounds to different parts of the room. It can even beam all the sounds to one seating location, which is fun to play around with, but only useful if trying not to disturb someone else in the room.

Yamaha Digital Sound Projector

As with most sound bars, the YSP-2500 is easy to setup, but its advanced technology adds a few more steps. You can connect via a single optical input from your TV, or use the HDMI inputs to connect up to three devices. An on-screen TV menu is available via the HDMI return input only. The next step is to plug-in the wireless subwoofer to any power outlet and wait for it to get discovered. You can force discoverability if needed, but the system found it right away. From here on, everything is controlled via the app or remote control.

Yamaha YSP-2500 Sound Bar Height

Once I knew everything was hooked up right and turned on, something just didn’t sound right. I realized there was one more configuration step — room calibration. For that, you need to plug-in a long microphone cable (included) and stretch it out to your center seat position. Once you start the setup, a series of loud test tones are produced for about 2 minutes, while the system automatically calibrates itself to your room. At last, that made things much better.

There are 10 Cinema DSP modes you can try out for extra effects. They each provide audio variations, but I found myself leaving them off most of the time. Both music and movies sounded better in a surround mode called 5 beam.

Yamaha YSP-2500 Sound Bar Remote ControlBluetooth wireless is built-in for streaming music from your smartphone or tablet, and there is a compressed music enhancer to make lower quality mp3 files sound better. Other notable features are UniVolume to keep volume consistent between channels and ClearVoice for improving dialogue with the touch of a button.

The remote control is loaded with 42 buttons to manage every feature, and for the most part was easy to figure out. My only usability complaint is I would mistakenly hit sub volume up/down instead of overall volume up/down. The remote serves its purpose, but the iPhone app definitely makes things easier. In either case, you can adjust the level of each individual channel, as well as the subwoofer with ease, to further fine tune to your liking.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

But how does it all sound? It sounds good, but the home theater enthusiast in me was expecting more. It takes a fair amount of time tweaking to get it to sound its best, and you’ll need a closed off room to really make the it shine. The subwoofer seamlessly blends with the sound bar and disappears into the room. The bass can be boomy and the extra critical listener in me will tell you the lower mid-range breaks apart. However, the system can play plenty loud for movies and the surround sound capabilities are virtually unmatched in the industry.

Yamaha YSP-2500 Sound Bar IR RepeaterI have heard Yamaha’s Digital Sound Projectors from the very beginning, over 10 years ago, and have always been impressed. This particular model falls in the middle of Yamaha’s current line-up, even though it is one of the newest. It is ultra slim, about half the height of previous models from a few years ago. Although, its size change was likely prompted by the ever thinning TV market. The good news is the YSP-2500 is short enough so it shouldn’t block the screen of any thin-bezel HDTV, which is something you’ll want to check before considering other sound bars. Plus, it has an IR repeater that allows your TV’s remote to function right through it.

Yamaha YSP-2500 Sound Bar Back

There was much to like about the YSP-2500 sound bar system, except the lofty price. It can be a little tricky for the more technically challenged individual to setup, but it rewards you immensely for spending the time to do it. If you haven’t heard Yamaha’s Digital Sound Projector technology, you’ll definitely want to check it out.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

New Products

The new flagship VTF-TN1 subwoofer from HSU Research has a 15-inch driver and some additional improvements for $1,199 USD.

New Products

ATC has made substantial improvements to their middle-of-the-range subwoofer which include a new 300-watt Class A/B amplifier and custom built 12-inch Sub-bass Driver.

Daily Deals

The SVS Outlet Store is offering up 40% off subwoofers and speakers on Cyber Monday until they sell out.

Ask an Expert

The ultimate RSL subwoofer guide for deciding between a Speedwoofer 10S MKII or 12S.

Headphone Amps

The very best personal audio experience from Yamaha combines the new HA-L7A headphone amplifier and YH-5000SE headphones. Total system cost is $9,000.

New Products

It has been well over 15 years since I sold my REL Strata III Subwoofer and whilst it was a fantastic performer at the...

Daily Deals

The SVS Labor Day Sale is on and there are some great deals on 3 subwoofers and other products from their outlet store.

Hi-Fi Components

The EISA Awards 2023-2024 include 82 winners across 6 categories. We have the full list of winning products.

Advertisement

ecoustics is a hi-fi and music magazine offering product reviews, podcasts, news and advice for aspiring audiophiles, home theater enthusiasts and headphone hipsters. Read more

Copyright © 1999-2024 ecoustics | Disclaimer: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.



SVS Bluesound PSB Speakers NAD Cambridge Audio Q Acoustics Denon Marantz Focal Naim Audio RSL Speakers