Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)We wanted an HTB (Home Theater in a Box) for less than $300 for our Master Bedroom, to go with the new small HDTV. We already had the other components (DVD, etc.), so we wanted an HTB without the DVD but with plenty of component connections for future expansion. After some shopping we purchased the Yamaha YHT-150.
However after purchasing this product, I struggled for 2 weeks to like it, but in the end I finally did. I debated about taking it back and I looked at several other systems during these 2 weeks, but really couldn't find anything better in this price range.
Both the receiver and the powered subwoofer are excellent, but my 2 week struggle was with the other 5 speakers (NS-AP-1500s).
After setting the system up, I tried the DVD movie "Twister" (always a good HTB test movie), but the sound was "flat", "hollow", somewhat "tinny" and low volume (IOW, had to turn the volume way up). The speaker sound reminded me of being at the drive-in theater (remember what those speakers sounded like). This is when I entered my 2 week struggle with the system.
To start sorting it out, I tested 2 of the speakers on another system, and quickly discovered that they are not very efficient (it takes power to get sound out of them), but I also discovered that the sound they produced was very clear and clean, unlike the YHT-150.
So back to the YHT-150, I realized that the speaker wire that came with the system was only 22 gauge wire (though it looks heavier) which I used to set it up. So I theorized that this wire was too small for the power required to drive these speakers, and that this might be responsible for the unwanted sound effects. So I bought $5 worth of cheap 16 gauge speaker wire at Home Depot for a test, and rewired the front 3 speakers. Then I turned on the local classical FM station, and WOW, what a world of difference the 16 gauge wire made! I could hear richness and detail in the piano solo, and even people quietly moving around in the background of the recording.
However at the new more powerful and cleaner sound levels, I could now hear that the speakers had no low-end bass (which is noted in the manual specs), but the subwoofer was not filling in the bass correctly to compensate for this. There would be a sound from the speakers (like a voice for example) that should have a bass component, but only a rumble from the subwoofer. This problem turned out to be the cheap subwoofer cable that came with the system.
So I ordered a 100ft roll of good quality 16 gauge speaker wire and a good quality subwoofer cable, both for $38 total (I caught both on sale), and both of these have transformed the system. The speakers now deliver good clean clear sound at significantly reduced volume settings. The required volume settings are still higher than I'd like due to the speaker inefficiency, but the receiver has more than enough power to drive them in a bedroom setting, so this is not an issue. The excellent subwoofer is now very clean and tight, and it accurately fills in the bass for sounds that have bass.
In the end, I've come to like this system, and it does a really good job for the reasons we bought it. I'm not sure I'd recommend it for a large living room as I don't think it has the power to fill a large room, but it can fill a bedroom or a smaller living room just fine.
I have a couple of other issues with the sytem. First, the remote looks a little cheap, but it works fine. Second, the system was a little complicated to figure out and setup, and I think this system needs to be setup correctly for it to deliver its excellent sound potential.
All in all this is a nice system, and I recommend it.
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Yamaha YHT-150 600-Watt 5.1-Channel Home Theater in a Box (Silver)Hunting for exciting, dynamic surround sound on a budget? You've landed at the right system. It's no mirage: Yamaha's affordable YHT-150 includes the 5-piece NS-AP1500 speaker ensemble, a YST-SW010 subwoofer, and Yamaha's HTR-5730 home theater receiver, which pumps 100 watts per channel x 6 discrete channels (at 1 kHz) and offers a host of options for rendering the type of surround sound best suited to your taste or programming.The powerful HTR-5730 receiver accepts the DVD player's Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, and DTS 5.1-channel surround signals and routes each channel to its designated speaker. Additionally, the receiver's Silent Cinema and Night Listening modes enhance headphone and low-level listening, respectively, while Yamaha's 32-bit Cinema-DSP processing gives you an additional 24 surround effects to enhance your movies and music. With the HTR-5730's 5.1-channel analog inputs, you're ready for high-resolution DVD-Audio/SACD playback, too, whether from your current disc player(s) or from any future devices to which you might upgrade. The receiver offers a total of 4 AV inputs, and its tuner section offers 40-station AM/FM preset tuning.The 6-speaker complement includes the 5-speaker NS-AP1500 for the front, center, and surround speakers and Yamaha's YST-SW010 subwoofer for deep bass, which is important for effective home theater sound. Each speaker in the NS-AP1500 ensemble uses a sealed, acoustic-suspension design with dual 2.5-inch pulp-cone woofers. The center speaker is specially configured for TV placement and--as it handles upwards of 70 percent of a movie's audio, including most voices--it's engineered for slightly more full-bodied sound than the other speakers.The 100-watt, 6.5-inch subwoofer uses a spruce-cone driver and Yamaha's patented Advanced Active Servo Technology (Advanced YST), generating incredible bass from its small enclosure. Advanced YST uses negative-impedance feedback in the amp and a Helmholtz resonator in the speaker to provide strong and accurate bass.QD-Bass (Quatre Dispersion Bass) technology uses a down-firing driver with square, pyramid-shaped reflective plates to radiate sound with equal effectiveness in all directions. The sub's individual volume control permits the perfect matching of the sub's output to the overall volume of the system. The sub has a signal-sensing circuit, too. When it detects an audio signal, it powers right up. When it senses no signal for several minutes, it shuts itself off.All speakers included with the YHT-150 feature magnetic shielding, so they can be placed near a TV or monitor and cause no picture degradation.What's in the Box Surround amplifier, 5 speakers, a powered subwoofer, a remote control, remote batteries, a user's manual, all requisite cabling.
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