One of the drawbacks to soundbars is the diminishing of the surround sound experience. While convenient, these systems don’t provide as immersive a listening environment as traditional home theater systems. The Yamaha YSP-5600 Digital Sound Projector provides a possible solution.
Overall Findings
Provided you have a closed room and a flat ceiling that allows for good sound reflection, the Yamaha YSP-5600 Digital Sound Projector can provide a convincing surround sound listening experience.
Digital Sound Projection: A Quick Explanation
Digital sound projection is an audio platform that uses an array of small speaker drivers (each with its own amplifier) housed in a single cabinet that looks like a soundbar or sound base. The beam drivers (the small speakers) project sound with directional accuracy from the front to the main listening position as well as to the side and rear walls of the room. The sound bounces back into the listening space to create a realistic 5.1 or 7.1 channel surround sound field. The effect works best in a closed room with a flat ceiling.
How Digital Sound Projection Is Applied to the YSP-5600
With the YSP-5600, Yamaha adds an additional twist to digital sound projection technology by adding vertical channels. The YSP-5600 can be configured for a 7.1.2 channel setup that meets Dolby Atmos requirements. If you aren’t familiar with Dolby Atmos speaker layout terminology, this means the soundbar projects seven channels of audio in the horizontal plane, along with a subwoofer channel and two vertical sound channels. The YSP-5600 encases the room in a bubble that provides an immersive surround sound listening experience from compatible Dolby Atmos-encoded content. This includes most Blu-ray discs. If you have a compatible smart TV, you may be able to access some Dolby Atmos-encoded content through online streaming. To make the setup easier, a plug-in microphone is provided. The soundbar generates test tones that are projected into the room. Then, the microphone picks up the tones and passes them to the YSP-5600. Special software in the YSP-5600 analyzes the tones and adjusts beam driver performance to best match the room dimensions and acoustic properties.
What Else You Get
These are some of the other features you’ll find in the Yamaha YSP-5600.
Channel Configuration, Audio Decoding, and Processing
The YSP-5600 provides up to 7.1.2 channels (seven horizontal, one subwoofer channel, and two height channels). The YSP-5600 has built-in audio decoding for several Dolby and DTS surround sound formats, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Additional surround sound support is provided by the Yamaha DSP (Digital Surround Processing) modes (Movie, Music, and Entertainment), as well as additional listening modes (3D surround and stereo). A compressed music enhancer is provided to improve sound quality on digital music files, such as MP3s.
Speaker Complement
The YSP-5600 includes a complex array of built-in beam drivers, which are very small speakers. There are 44 beam drivers (12 tiny 1-1/8 inch and 32 1-1/2 inch speakers), each powered by its own 2-watt digital amplifier, and two 4-1/2 inch 40-watt woofers. The total power output for the system is stated as 128 watts (peak power). The speaker drivers are front-facing, with the vertical firing drivers located near each end of the unit.
Audio Connectivity
The abundant audio connections include two digital optical, one digital coaxial, and one set of analog stereo inputs. There is also a subwoofer line output provided for connection to an optional external subwoofer if desired. With regard to the subwoofer output feature, the YSP-5600 also has a built-in wireless subwoofer transmitter. To use this feature, you have the option of purchasing the Yamaha SWK-W16 wireless subwoofer receiver kit, which can connect to any subwoofer. Yamaha suggests its NS-SW300, but any subwoofer will work.
Video Connectivity
For video, the YSP-5600 provides four HDMI inputs and one HDMI output, 3D and 4K pass-through with HDCP 2.2 copy-protection (necessary for compatibility with 4K streaming and Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc sources), and ARC compatibility. There is no information regarding HDR compatibility.
Network and Streaming Features
The YSP-5600 includes Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity, local network content access, and internet streaming from sources such as Pandora, Deezer, Napster, Spotify, Sirius/XM, and Tidal. Apple AirPlay and Bluetooth are also included. The Bluetooth feature on the YSP-5600 is bidirectional. You can stream music from compatible source devices, such as smartphones and tablets, as well as stream music content from the YSP-5600 to compatible Bluetooth headphones or speakers.
MusicCast
A bonus feature is the incorporation of Yamaha’s latest version of its MusicCast multi-room audio system platform. This platform enables the YSP-5600 to send, receive, and share music content between compatible Yamaha components, including home theater receivers, stereo receivers, wireless speakers, soundbars, and powered wireless speakers. The YSP-5600 can improve the TV sound experience, and it can be incorporated into a whole-house audio system.
Control Options
For control flexibility, the YSP-5600 can be operated by the included remote control or by compatible smartphones and tablets using the free Yamaha Remote Controller app for iOS or Android. In addition, it can be integrated into a custom control setup using its IR sensor in/out and RS232C connection options.
Final Verdict
The YSP-5600 signals an advance in the soundbar concept. It’s an effective platform for providing a surround sound experience without a separate home theater receiver or individual speakers. However, it is more expensive. With a suggested price of around $1,500, it’s more in line with what many receiver and speaker setups cost than a traditional soundbar. The incorporation of Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and MusicCast are nice bonuses. Still, if you want the full home theater audio experience, you need to add a subwoofer at an extra cost.
