Buy Yamaha YHT-S400BL Front Surround Unique Home Theater Package (Black) Reviews

July 15, 2010 Sclark 5 comments

Yamaha YHT-S400BL Front Surround Unique Home Theater Package (Black)

Subwoofer-Integrated receiver allows one-cable connection
World’s slimmest soundbard (2 inches) can be placed in from of most TVs
Digital built in amplifier
Yamaha’s exclusive AIR SURROUND XTREME
UniVolume keeps volume during TV programs and commercials at the same level

Yamaha YHT-S400BL Front Surround Unique Home Theater Package In Black

Rating: (out of 10 reviews)

List Price: $ 599.95

Price: $ 499.95

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Written by M. V. Camp about 2 years ago.

Review by M. V. Camp for Yamaha YHT-S400BL Front Surround Unique Home Theater Package (Black)
Rating:
Just received from Amazon today… My primary requirements were a low profile, black unobtrusive sound bar to go in the 3 inches of space I have under my wall mounted Panasonic TCP-65S1. Other options from Samsung and other manufacturers that fit my space requirement had fewer features, only 2.1 channels, and reviews indicating sound quality not quite up to snuff. It is replacing a Yamaha YSP-800 that works fine but simply takes up too much space.

I understand there is some doubt out there about the sub combined with the receiver but so far it sounds fine.

In fact the whole setup sounds better than good… very crisp clean surround 7.1ch emulation, louder and better quality/separation than the 5ch YSP-800 it is replacing.

Time (and a bunch of Blu Ray movies) will tell, and I will update this review with further observations as I further evaluate the unit.

Very easy to install and setup, the setup menus are easy to use. I am not a huge picky audiophile so the minimal setup options are plenty for me… and if I were an audiophile I probably wouldn’t be getting a soundbar.

I was curious to see how the HDMI-CEC would work with my VieraLink panny, and this was the one area I was disappointed… First off it loses the VieraLink “HD Theater sound control” setting when the TV turns off and back on. Secondly while the input button works to change inputs on the receiver, it doesn’t change it to the right HDMI input to match the panny onscreen display. Not sure how much these are the panny’s fault and how much the receiver.

On the plus side for controls, since my DVR control can turn the TV power off and on, using the HDMI inputs on the receiver instead of the TV does the trick… I control inputs and volume with the receiver control and am able to eliminate one control (the TV remote) from my coffee table. I know, I know, I should just get a universal/programmable remote but I haven’t had good experiences with them, and two remotes is fine for me.

Since the HDMI-CEC wasn’t a requirement for me and the HDMI input handling solves my needs, and everything else is great, I’ll tip over the edge from four stars and make it five… since this is a subjective review and I am not rating it against higher end solutions, just $500 or lower sound bars.

Anyways, I hope this account helps anyone with similar needs considering this product.

UPDATE 2.11.2010

Still love it, happy with the sound quality but I really like the little remote… just enough buttons not too many, HDMI passthrough works well and let me ditch my TV remote. So the HDMI-CEC complaint is less now, the only reason I cared about that was to ditch a remote… mission accomplished.
Written by MADHU S. DANDEY about 2 years ago.

Review by MADHU S. DANDEY for Yamaha YHT-S400BL Front Surround Unique Home Theater Package (Black)
Rating:
I was looking for a Home Theater in a box solution that is minimalist in appearance, without compromising on sound quality or available features. I tried the Bose 3-2-1 system and Cinemate speakers prior to this. I ended up returning both the products. For about $500 less, Yamaha delivers amazing sound quality in a very small footprint ! I highly recommend this product for apartment dwellers or someone who appreciates minimalism.

PROS:

- 3 HDMI Inputs + 1 Analog

- Solid Build Quality + Yamaha reputation

- One-of-a-kind receiver that has a built-in subwoofer

- Great price & fast shipping on amazon.com

CONS:

-The speaker bar sometimes blocks the infrared port on the TV, thereby making it difficult to use the TV remote.

(This is really not a con, as you can dismount the legs to lower the height or position the speaker appropriately)
Written by Stephen L. Caldwell about 2 years ago.

Review by Stephen L. Caldwell for Yamaha YHT-S400BL Front Surround Unique Home Theater Package (Black)
Rating:
I was entirely ready to purchase the Sony HT-CT500 from Amazon when I decided to go into the local HHGregg to hear it first. When I went got there, I was very underwhelmed by the Sony system. I started to look around at other options in the $400 – $500 range and found the Yamaha YHT-S400. I saw it on the internet a few days earlier but was reluctant to pursue it due to lack of customer reviews. Once I saw the very sleek soundbar in person, and heard the exceptional sound quality customary with Yamaha products, I just had to have it.

Setup was a breeze on my Mitsubishi LT46244 Television. I connected my home theater PC and satellite box using HDMI. I left my Wii connected to the a component input on my television. Then, I came back out of my TV with a standard RCA audio patch cable so the Wii and Antenna sound could be routed to the receiver. Unfortunately, the unit does not have a digital coaxial audio input, as that is the only digital out on my television. I used the NET Command system built in to my television to control the power and source switching on the Yamaha receiver unit. Everything works great together with using only the remote from my television.

The sound quality is exactly what you would expect from Yamaha. The highs are very crisp and clean. The lows are nice and really add a punch to a good action sequence. The surround sound simulation is actually pretty good as well. I wasn’t expecting much in this department so I was pleasantly surprised when it actually gave a sense of surround sound.

Pros:

Great Sound

Very Stylish (Wife loves the look)

Easy to setup

Small, non-intrusive visually

Cons:

Can’t stack components on receiver due to integrated sub

No digital coaxial inputs

This is a great product. I would definitely buy it again.
Written by J. Bewley about 2 years ago.

Review by J. Bewley for Yamaha YHT-S400BL Front Surround Unique Home Theater Package (Black)
Rating:
After waiting several weeks to receive this, I am very happy with it. First and foremost, the “bar” itself is very small…so much so, that when I took it out of the box I was convinced is was not going to have enough sound…luckily, this is NOT THE CASE.

In my 20×25 living room, the unit is plenty loud enough for TV, movies, and music….I’m very pleased with the sound as a stereo with the live stream Pandora function on my Samsung BD-C5500 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player. The sub works well, and the “surround effect” does exactly as it claims.

So, the Soundbar is currently hooked up to my Samsung UN55C6300 55-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV (Black)

via optical cable…..just go into settings and change to “external speaker” and thats about it get all your cable, any hdmi hookups, etc to run out of the bar…….Long and short, setup is very easy and took me about 15 minutes….more time hiding cables than anything else.

If you are looking for a very easy, minimalistic. (ie, no speaker cables, etc) this is, in my opinion, the best option within the $500 range of soundbars.

Cool to note, the above noted samsung blue ray is small enough to slide underneath the soundbar with just a couple of centimeters clearance (when the legs are on the bar….) very cool look. I’ll try to attach a photo that shows this….

Also, the unit looks really easy to wall mount, due to its suprisingly small size and the fact that the box comes with a cardboard template you just hold up against the whole to lineup your drill holes….looks really easy
Written by R. C. Hatley about 2 years ago.

Review by R. C. Hatley for Yamaha YHT-S400BL Front Surround Unique Home Theater Package (Black)
Rating:
Absolutely A Unique Experience. This Yamaha Soundbar exceeded my expectations with tremendous sound quality. Hook it up to a Blu-Ray player with great soundtracks like The Eagles and be prepared to be impressed. I did have to set-up the Sony Blu-Ray player by connecting it directly to my Samsung LCD and then once that was done it worked great through the HDMI on the amp/receiver/subwoofer. Very compact system with big sound and plenty of adjustments. You won’t be disappointed.