[NardoW12]

I'm re-arranging my room and thinking about switching to a sound bar with HDMI just for the simplicity, plus my current sound setup is pretty crappy so I'm sure it will be an improvement anyways. (I got a decent Denon 2112CI AVR right now paired with some lower end Yamaha speakers, would love to go with a proper setup but the house/room is not pre-wired.)


I don't listen to a lot of music, basically just Blu-ray movies and some TV shows like Top Gear and stuff, most BD movies are action.


The sound bars I'm looking at right now are the Yamaha YSP-2200 and YSP-3300, seems like the Yamaha sound projectors are pretty decent when simulating the surround sound effect. Plus I want to get ride of my AVR as well so the 3/4 HDMI input is a very nice feature to have.


Now the problem is, none of the stores in my area carry both YSP-2200 and 3300, so I can't do a comparison between these two, so I'd love to get some input from you who had the chance to play with both or one of these two.



Based on what I have read so far, the YSP-2200 is good for movies, but it's crap when it comes to music, and the 3300 is slightly better with movies and much better when it comes to music. Any comments on that?


Do you think the YSP-3300's improvement in movie sounds is worth the premium?


Are there any other sound bars with at least 3 HDMI input that you would recommend?

 

[tomandjudy]

I have been using my YSP3300 for about a year. I'm no audiophile, but to my ears, the sound and music are significantly better than the 2200. But, my experience with the 2200 is limited to brick and mortar showrooms.


The 3300 seems to simulate 5.1 fairly well. The wireless sub connects seamlessly and does not drop connections. The HDMI CEC just works: turn on (off) the TV and the YSP3300 turns on (off), every time. I'm also using ARC for OTA broadcasts, and that just works too.


My only complaint is that an extra appliance/accessory ($$) is required to connect mobile phones or tablets, for playing music.


HTH,

Tom

 

[trueno92]

Sounds like we have the same video tastes!


Some things to note. I watch topgear in 720p and from what I can tell, it doesn't broadcast in 5.1 surround - only 2.0 or even if it does 2.0, it doesn't come close to the full and enveloping engine/racetrack ambiance like in the movie RUSH.


The YSP2200 I think gets a bad rap for MUSIC because if you are just listening to a 2.0 signal source, it does sound a bit unnatural because the soundstage is no where NEARLY as wide as it is in 5.1. From the testing that I have done, I cannot detect any 'sonic hole' as was described in earlier revisions of this 2200.


Frequency response aside, the 2200 has all the drivers in the center of the bar and this doesn't do much for stereo imaging. Pressing surround works to resolve this but it just splits up the stereo into 5.1 i think, which for music sounds fine for me, but purists would comment that the music is now 'processed' and no longer 2.0 - how it was intended to be listened to.


It still sounds plenty musical and clear and great at instruments and music reproduction! but if you are set on listening to 2.0 content in 2.0 speaker environment, then I would just get 2 speakers and an amp over ANY soundbar. as that will eliminate any stereo issues.


The 3300 has a wireless sub, but it also has 2 larger midrange drivers at either end of the bar (speaker purists wouldn't call these midrange) and these drivers specifically help out in creating a better stereo image in the confined restraints of the bar. The end result is a stereo sound that we are much more accustomed to if you ever listened to a boom-box/ghetto-blaster/mini-hifi type of stereo system, or any situation where the left and rights are still pretty close relative to each other.


Both of the projectors are very room-dependant and room setup is critical for a convincing 5.1 listening experience - ideally with the bar in center front of the room and listening position a few feet away from the rear wall. The sound needs to reflect off objects on the left and right and if those are bare walls, great!, if you have furniture on either side, it could be more of a challenge.


That being said, both projectors include a room-setup microphone based correction that will guestimate level and phase for all channels, 5.1 and can compensate decently for a variety of room setups.

 

[trueno92]

btw, my room is about 11'x17' with 9 ft ceiling and the 2200 has exceeded my expectations using a lot of panning sound effects from RUSH/gran turismo 6 and also action stuff like The Dark Knight, as my reference material.


Since the frequency response I can tell is only 45hz - up past 14khz, It only hits down to i would say 48hz audibly, so the Double Bass on Chris Botti in Boston is somewhat lost when the musician strums the lower 2 strings... Since the 2200 has a wired sub, I am going to wire in a real dedicated powered sub. to fill in everything from 25hz+ if I can afford it.


Also, in Canada, the current pricing is:


2200 = $599

3300=$1599


there is no way the 3300 could sound $1000 better, or 2.0 purists could take that $1000 and get a dedicated 2.0 system.