Yamaha YSP-1400 review: Virtual surround sound on a budget -- with a catch
Lots of sound bars promise to create "virtual" surround sound from a single speaker enclosure, but Yamaha's Digital Sound Projector line have historically been the only models that can actually do it well. It's an impressive feat, accomplished by bouncing sound off nearby walls and furniture, but the catch is the pricing tends to start at $1,000, putting them out of range for most buyers.
Yamaha's YSP-1400 brings the company's Digital Sound Projector technology to a budget price point, but a couple of caveats keep it from being a standout sound bar.
The Yamaha YSP-1400 sound bar features the company's Digital Sound Projector technology that bounces sound off the walls in your room to create credible virtual surround sound; The system has built-in Bluetooth and an IR repeater, so it won't block your signals from your TV's remote control; There's also onboard decoding for both Dolby Digital and DTS; And its budget price is far below Yamaha's other Digital Sound Projector sound bars.
Getting a true surround sound signal to the YSP-1400 can be difficult; While it does sound more spacious than a standard sound bar, it doesn't match the true virtual surround magic of Yamaha's pricier sound bars; And the lack of an external subwoofer means bass won't be quite as deep or powerful as systems with a separate sub.