Filling a small basement

I have a small odd-shaped basement with limited electrical power, so I chose this over a conventional set of speakers and amp. My basement is mostly long and narrow, but has an alcove on one side of the TV viewing area that somewhat distorts sound there.

I installed the unit on a high shelf, above the 40" LCD Samsung TV. It is connected to three sources - via optical cable to my Direct-TV HD DVR, via optical cable to my Blu-Ray DVD and via video cable back to the Samsung TV for air reception. It all works just fine, and for those movies that have good sound source the surround is not bad - very good in the front, somewhat good on the sides - virtually nothing behind me as you would expect.

With this device comes it's own remote so rather than mess with all four remotes (TV, DVR, Blu-Ray, DSP), I spent the money to buy a Universal Remote - Harmony 670. It is a dream - I now have a single keystroke that runs everything I need to watch DVD, watch Direct-TV, or watch TV using the air  more

Great little system.

I did not want wires and speakers everywhere.So i bought this ysp900 soundbar.Set up was a breeze.It was fast and easy.This Mother was made for a wall.So you should hang it.Otherwise if you sit it on a surface like a bookshelf.It could bend your wires like your optical outs or coxial out wire.This unit produces very little bass.So i recomend a subwoofer perhaps a yamaha yst-fsw100.Thats the sub i use they go great with each other.They are like peas and carrots.I have two of them hooked up via y-splitter.This bar only has one sub out.So if you plan on hooking up two subs like i did.You will need a y-splitter.Monster makes one for around $15 bucks which you will also find on this site.For most normal people one sub is enough.For me two subs really do the trick.Final note.(pros) Great sound from a compact speaker.Built in reciver with different sound fields.(cons) No HDMI support.Base unit does not produce enough bass.For the price the unit should come standard with a sub.

Good compromise

It's true that this system won't replace a setup with true surround speakers, but it's a good compromise for some situations. I have a small TV room and a wife that didn't want surround speakers on the walls. I also didn't want to rip up the walls to conceal wiring or in-wall speakers. Fortunately the room is rectangular and has hard surfaced walls which makes it a good fit for the YSP-900. If you are considering it, keep in mind that it bounces sound off the side and back walls to substitute for the missing left, right, and surround speakers. Without a good surface in the right place then it won't perform well. In my situation it sounds quite good. I hear a convincing stereo image that extends well beyond the device and enveloping surround effects. Dialogue clarity is excellent.

Other points to consider:

- The YSP-900 may seem expensive but remember that it includes a surround processor and amp so you just plug in your audio sources and go. This also reduces clutter in the  more

Perfect digital solution for small spaces

I have a very small studio but now that I have an xbox 360, a HDTV and computer all with optical audio out... I wanted full surround without having to have too much wiring. Secondly, surround sound needs a large array of speakers when small apartments just don't have the space to effectively generate "real surround". This creates a decent surround output, while saving space, and allows actual digital dolby. It includes a microphone to do an audio check of your space to optimize it, and outputs for a subwoofer if you want more oomph (the subwoofer on this is okay, passable, not great). 2 optical inputs and a digital coax, enough for me to be useful all for the same cost as a decent amplifier... I got this in the $450 range and am very happy with it. Definitely an upgrade from default HDTV speaker, and without the wiring nightmare of a "cheapo" $250 Logitech mini surround system which I was considering.