Photo gallery: Yamaha Air Xtreme YAS-71Surround sound from a single speaker is a tall order. Many have tried and failed, but one of the most convincing has been the "soundbar" or "sound projector". Yamaha was the first company to successfully implement this art of "beaming" sound around the room from a single speaker and now it has taken the technology a step further with its “Air Surround Xtreme" sound projection method.
Design and features
Whereas previous sound projectors used a multitude of tiny drivers, the Air Surround Xtreme uses a more conventional driver array to produce virtual 7.1-channel soundfields. The technology is known as Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF) and works by taking advantage of the fact that human hearing is not that discriminating. We can't detect the true direction of sounds at certain frequencies, so HRTF sort of fools you that there's actually sound coming from the sides and rear of the listening position. That's the theory anyway, and the effect is far more pronounced than phase cancellation techniques that are often used, according to Yamaha.
The YAS-71 is slimmer and smaller than previous models and fitted snugly beneath our 42-inch plasma. (Its width is approximately the same as a 32-inch screen). It can also be wall mounted with the bracket and mounting hardware supplied, and it's important to have your screen and the YAS-71 aligned vertically for the best audio effect. We also noticed that sitting it in front of the screen meant the centre unit's high gloss black finish was prone to distracting reflections.
Connected to the centre speaker is the subwoofer/system control unit which houses all the amplification, as well as a 70-Watt, 8-inch active sub. It also includes digital and analog audio inputs for other sources, such as a Blu-ray player or games console, a built-in FM tuner, plus you can hook up Yamaha's optional iPod docks and Bluetooth receiver via a "Dock" input. There's no video source switching, nor any USB connectivity.
Performance
Like a conventional AV receiver and speaker system, the YAS-71 performs test tone sweeps of all "channels" and you can adjust the output of each, albeit manually as there's no auto microphone calibration. Once you're happy with the levels, there's not much else to setting up the YAS-71 — we had it up and running in a matter of minutes.
Soundbars make perfect sense if space is short or minimal speaker hardware is required. They are not for everyone and every viewing situation though, but one thing Yamaha continues to deliver with its sound projectors is absolutely convincing pseudo surround sound. The YAS-71 is no different and when fed blatantly surround-packed movies such as Star Wars IV: Return of The Sith, Ronin and Spielberg's War of The Worlds, the effects, from both front and back, are uncanny. Like the Bose 3-2-1 Series III system recently reviewed, the Yamaha impressed most with more heavily surround encoded movie soundtracks.
Just four "surround" modes are offered and simplify things. Choose between "Movie", "Music", "Sports" or "Game" depending on the source. It also helps to have solid walls at either side and at the rear to reflect the sound off and back towards the listening position. However, we found this wasn't as crucial as with previous Yamaha sound projectors, thanks to the new Air Surround Xtreme's more conventional driver behaviour and dispersion patterns. The subwoofer unit also added plenty of its own dynamic weight to the mix. The system did, quite effortlessly, go pretty loud and things don't get messy either with the volume cranked. We liked the way it handled the DTS 5.1 encoded special edition of Alien Vs. Predator — the sub kicked in low and tight, reproducing the many gruesome sub-Antarctica fight scenes with genuine substance. The ambience and surround effects of the film are also really well handled and "steered" around the room — there's no doubt that the sound appears to be coming from all directions.
The stereo image is far wider than the width of the centre unit up front and the various movie soundstages the YAS-71 conjured up were really impressive. The same went for music DVDs — a live concert such as the Gorillaz' Demon Days Live was equally as immersive and engaging. The performance and audio quality of the Yamaha really draws you in, and before we knew it an hour and a half had slipped past while our attention was fully focused on the band and live gig.
Cutting out all the pseudo surround, in straight stereo mode the YAS-71 doesn't fall apart with music, as so many home theatre in a box systems can. OK, we're not saying this is the most musical speaker system around — there are times when only a decent pair of conventional speakers properly positioned will do music full justice, but for what it is, this Yamaha can certainly hold a tune. It's not fussy either — rock, pop, dance, jazz, classical all sounded great.
Conclusion
Yamaha's long been on a winner with its sound projectors and the technical jiggery pokery of its new Air Surround Xtreme has upped the ante amongst this product category. Speaker designers continue to lessen the physical footprint of providing surround sound and this latest Yamaha has to be one of the most space-saving solutions available at the moment.
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