Yamaha YSP-1400 Digital Sound Projector Review

Yamaha YSP-1400 Introduction

We haven't reviewed a soundbar or a surroundbar or digital sound projector in ages. One of the first ones we did was the YSP-4000, a near top of the line offering from Yamaha. Since then, Yamaha has expanded their surround soundbar line by leaps and bounds, becoming for many the defacto recommendation whenever their friends ask about a surround soundbar.  

I have to admit that I fall into this category.

I've probably talked with friends about surround soundbars a dozen times in the last year. Each time Yamaha's name has come up. "If you have to buy a surround soundbar, look at Yamaha," is my mantra. They've been doing it as long if not longer than everyone else. They don't just do phase adjustments to "trick" your ear into thinking you're hearing sounds from behind you, they actually bounce the sound around the room.

That's been the real defining reason I've suggested Yamaha so much - they implement both phase and bouncing techniques in their surround soundbars. But that is only at the highest cost offerings. With lower cost ones, they have to make a choice. Enter the YSP-1400 Digital Sound Projector.

First Impressions and Build Quality

The YSP-1400 came in a blue and white box reminiscent of their motorcycle colors. It is a fairly simple unit to unpack and set up. There is the surround soundbar, the remote, an attached power cord, a manual with an optical cable, and a template for wall mounting. Including the template was a nice touch as it has the entire outline of the YSP-1400 on it so you can see exactly how the bar is going to look on the wall. The integrated keyhole mounts are offset (rather than evenly spaced) on the back so I could see people making mistakes without the template and getting quite upset with Yamaha. A piece of cardboard probably saved them dozes of customer service calls.

Yamaha is targeting a very specific customer with the YSP-1400. These are customers that want surround sound and as much bass as possible from a single bar. While that doesn't really describe many audiophiles, it does describe a healthy segment of the buying public. The fit and finish of the YSP-1400 is very good. There is a central grille that hides eight, small, 1.125" drivers. Those familiar with Yamaha surround soundbars will recognize these immediately. On the larger bars, the entire front of the unit will be covered with these small drivers. On the left side of the grille is a number of LEDs to give you information when you are using the unit. The right side has a couple of control buttons including power, volume up and down, and an input scroll button.

Love the colors

The back of the unit has the keyhole mounts and a couple of larger "feet". These feet double as grilles for downfiring 3.25" woofers with rear-firing ports. They call them subwoofers but I don't for the same reason that I don't call a camel a horse with a hump. Because it isn't. This is a pretty nifty design for those that plan on shelf-mounting their YSP-1400. For those that plan on using the keyhole mounts for wall-mounting, the dangling feet take away from the clean lines. When you have downfiring drivers or rear firing ports, you are always worried about boundary reinforcement. My thought is that Yamaha compensated for either the ports firing into the wall or the feet firing into the shelf. I'm not sure how possible that actually is. I imagine that if you put the YSP-1400 on a shelf against a wall, the additional boundary effect would distort the bass more than they planned.

You can both put the holes in the right places and see what the YSP-1400 will look like on the wall

Also on the back are the inputs. The YSP-1400 has an optical and a coaxial digital audio input. It also has an analogue audio (stereo RCA) input and a "portable" 3.5mm input. For outputs, the YSP-1400 is limited to a single subwoofer connection. There are a few ways to look at this lack of inputs. First, you might assume that the YSP-1400 is designed to be used with only a display in mind. If you connect the display to a source, you can usually pump the audio down to the surround soundbar. This gives you all the inputs of the TV plus two additional the YSP-1400 (three if you count the portable). The other way is up to three connections on the YSP-1400 direct from your sources (I'm thinking a cable box, Wii, and a VCR because, why not?). Either way, there is no HDMI input or video pass-through so you'll have to run a separate cable to your display.

Though I'm sure many would argue, it won't explode if you plug a DVD player into the optical port

Yamaha YSP-1400 Setup, Surround, and Remote

Setting up the Yamaha YSP-1400 is simple at first though you can do a lot more with it if you want. Really, all you need to do is connect the applicable cable and turn it on. There are lights on the front to let you know what input you are on and what mode you are in (surround or not). But that is really the tip of the iceberg. You'll have to check the manual closely to make sure you have everything set up properly. If you have a sub connected, you'll need to let the YSP-1400 know by powering off the unit and holding down the subwoofer volume down button for a few seconds. If you want the unit to default to a certain sound setting (not just last setting used), there is a keystroke for that as well.

Yep, the template matches

One of the things that everyone seems to want to do these days is Bluetooth. If I had a dollar for every product that now featured Bluetooth, I'd be writing this from my private island while drinking a beer out of a coconut. Why a coconut? It's a private island. Why beer? Because beer is good. Don't worry; I had the inside of the coconut sealed so it doesn't taint the flavor of the beer. I'm not a Neanderthal.

Here's the back, ignore that last bit about the coconut

One of the problems with Bluetooth is the fact that it is Bluetooth. It's a universal wireless solution that works with just about every portable device on the market. I've had more than my fair share of Bluetooth devices in my home for review purposes and I can tell you one thing: Not all Bluetooth implementations are created equal. Invariably when I complain about Bluetooth the manufacturer will ask for the device I'm using and then tell me that they (or someone in their employ) have one and they've never had a problem with it.

Never? Really? 

Perhaps Bluetooth is like the wireless lottery. Perhaps it sometimes glitches and sometimes those glitches happen during a review period. I don't know. But I do know that the Yamaha YSP-1400 had, hands down, the best Bluetooth experience I've ever had. Once I paired, I could switch off the Bluetooth input and switch back without having to re-pair. I could even leave the house and, once I powered on the YSP-1400, it reconnected without me having to do a thing. It was a pure joy. I even found better coverage than I've experienced. As far as Bluetooth goes, Yamaha nailed it.

Surround Sound

Of course, you don't buy a surround soundbar without using the surround. Yamaha has included a "Stereo" mode for those that don't want the surround effect but those people could have spent half as much on a soundbar and called it good. While higher-cost Yamaha offerings have both phase and bounce options, the YSP-1400 is a bounce-only bar. There are three buttons on the remote so that you can tell the bar where the YSP-1400 is placed in relation to the sidewalls. To change the setting, you have to hold the corresponding button down for three seconds or so. This is a perfect solution as prevents accidental changes.

Eight small drivers located dead center

The options are walls equidistant, left wall closer, and right wall closer. According to Yamaha, the surround effects won't work properly if you sit too close to the bar (at least 2 meters away), if the room dimensions are outside of 3 to 7 meters wide or deep and 2 to 3.5 meters tall, if the bar is too close to a wall or there is no wall to bounce off of, if there is furniture in the way, or the unit is installed in a corner. So, basically, you need walls on either side in a small to medium sized room and preferably a wall in the back. 

Fortunately, I have this.

I haven't finished treating my home theater so I have room treatments in all of the corners and that is about it. I have a wall on the right side with a window in it. I have blackout curtains on that wall. The left wall has a cutout for a closet (were I keep my gear) and one for the door (where I keep my door) but is otherwise a bare wall. From a quick glance, I was pretty sure I had a perfect room for this sort of surround soundbar. If anything, the left wall with its cutouts were going to be a problem. But if a room needs to be more perfect than mine, I don't know how Yamaha can reasonably believe it has a large enough pool of people to sell to.

One of the nice features of the YSP-1400 was the ability to adjust the channel levels. With a press of a button (long, three-second press), you can put the bar into test tone mode. This will rotate test tones from each of the real and simulated speakers. You can then adjust the volume on each of these speakers with the remote. Other then dialing in the level matching, you can quickly grasp how well the YSP-1400 is capable of bouncing sound around your room. I'd highly recommend turning on the test tones and letting them run to help you lock down a placement position. 

Remote

I always harp on remotes that aren’t backlit. I'm sorry; I just can't stand non-backlit remotes. You can make all the excuses you want but the fact remains that when I use a remote, I like to see it. Call me crazy. My room is light controlled and I don't want to have to turn on the light just to see my remote. That said, the Yamaha YSP-1400 remote is not backlit though it is easy to find the volume control buttons on it. There are input specific buttons (great for integration with universal remote solutions) but they are impossible to locate in the dark. The remote is small but still manages to have subwoofer volume control, five surround mode buttons, and a stereo button. There are toggle buttons for Clear Voice (a dialogue enhancer) and Univolume (maintains consistent volume levels), and a Audio Delay setting.

My largest beef with the YSP-1400 remote is the lack of a "Flat" or "Straight" setting in the DSP modes. While it might be like the "It goes to 11" argument, I don't want to set my surround sound to Music, Movies, Games, Sports, or TV Program. I want flat. I want no change. Of those options, I really don't know what to pick. I found myself constantly switching between Movie, Music, and TV not ever knowing which one I liked the best. Generally, however, I went with Music. It was the richest of the modes and had a more laid back top end. In the end, Yamaha confirmed that TV mode was their "straight" mode.

Lastly, the YSP-1400 had a pretty neat feature for those that want to shelf-mount their speaker. If you have a cabinet where you place your display on top, you may run into the problem of the speaker blocking the IR receiver for the display. Yamaha has planned for that and has an IR blaster on the back of the speaker to pass your IR codes through. I thought this was a pretty nifty little feature that I hope other manufacturers pick up on.

Yamaha YSP-1400 App and Sound Quality Tests

Yamaha sort of blew (get it?) my mind with their App. While there was mention of it in the manual, even on what I thought was a careful inspection I missed it. I "discovered" there was an app from a statement on the side of the box that indicated that there was an app for control. A control app? Without a Wi-Fi connection? Yes, this is the case. It takes place over Bluetooth (now you get it) and you can fine-tune your room and the performance of the YSP-1400. You can use it to change every setting on the unit including selecting for a subwoofer and adjusting the subwoofer volume. The only setting you couldn't adjust was the volume of the individual channels.

What was nice was that you could dial in the size of your room with the app. While the adjustments were gross (length and width of the room were in 2 foot increments), they were better than nothing. Oddly, the test tones sent through the app were different than the ones generated from the remote control. I downloaded the app in seconds from the Google Play store and it worked without a hitch. While this doesn't completely make up for a remote without backlighting, it is better than nothing.

Or you can use these buttons. Your choice

Surround Evaluation

The proof is in the listening, as they say. My room is 17.5' by 11' approximately. Some would call that a small theater. Since it is a dedicated room with its own bathroom, I call it a mini-fridge and a hot plate away from me barring the door and moving in. It is still a work in progress but it is more of a home theater than most people have. It is certainly more of a home theater than the type of person that is looking at a sub-$500 surround soundbar would hope to have.

When I think of surround soundbars, I think of people that have big rooms and no place for freestanding speakers. I can forgive these people. They don't have many options. But everyone admits that a surround soundbar is a poor substitute for dedicated speakers. 

The first thing I did was plug in my Oppo DV-970HD into the YSP-1400 via a coax cable and HDMI to the Yamaha CX-A5000 processor I have in for review at the same time (Yamaha might have to send a WWE wrestler to get their separates out of my house or else take them from my cold, dead hands). I put in Porcupine Tree's Deadwing DVD-A and let it play. I then connected my Samsung Galaxy Nexus via Bluetooth so that I could test the switching. I placed the Yamaha YSP-1400 on the small table where my beloved Aperion Audio Verus Grand Center Channel sits and started up the tunes.

My room isn't particularly large but it is sealed so it isn't so hard to pressurize. With the hard walls on either sides and the back, I expected to get very good surround from the YSP-1400. When I figured out how to turn on the test tones, I did that and started playing with placement. 

And here is where things got weird. 

The right wall, the one that is completely straight except for a window and blackout curtains, proved the most problematic. The left wall, the one with the cutouts for the door and the closet worked much better. The right front and right rear channel seemed to basically come from the same place - the front of the room. When the test tone switched to the right rear speaker, the character changed (sounded more trebly) but the location did not. The left front and rear speakers were definitely better defined and sounded much more convincing. The left rear speaker, in particular, sounded like it was coming from much further behind me. 

It was time to play with placement.

Inside that AC vent foot is a small driver

Leaving the test tones running, I moved the speaker forward and back. I moved me forward and back. I angled the speaker. I pulled back (and eventually removed) the blackout curtains. All to no avail. I just couldn't get the right rear speaker to sound like it was coming from behind me. 

It was a 12th hour idea that made the most difference. 

The window, under the blackout curtains, has wood blinds. These, as they tend to be, were shut but still had a slight angle to them. When I pulled them and left the bare window, the right speaker suddenly materialized. It still didn't sound as good as the left rear speaker but at least it was sort of there.

Sound Quality Evaluation 

When testing sound quality, I like to start with test tones. This is just an easy way to figure out, in a subjective way, how a speaker performs in room. I started with the lowest tones and worked my way up. The "sub" woofers on the YSP-1400 kicked in fairly early but were mostly distortion and noise until they hit around 100Hz. There was definite output lower but the stuff under 80Hz was weak and/or distorted. I was glad that there was a way to tell the YSP-1400 you were using a sub. If this engages a crossover, it would make a big difference.

I flipped through the higher test tones and noticed something I hadn't before. When the YSP-1400 hit 5kHz, the character of the notes changed. They no longer sounded like a progress of musical notes and started to distort. In fact, there were many test tones that sounded echoy. At first I thought this was because of the surround mode but the effect persisted even when I switched it to stereo. There could be multiple reasons for this but I feel it was either because of the mix of the forward and downfiring drivers or that the multiple drivers on the front were not playing as one. There could have been a slap echo in my room but I've listened to those same tones on my Aperion Audio Verus Grand Floorstanding speakers and never heard this phenomenon. 

During critical listening, the YSP-1400 did not hold up very well. At higher volumes it distorted both the highs and the lows and driver cone breakup and distortion was well evident. I was ready to write the YSP-1400 off but then I left the room.

That sounds weird, but hear me out. 

Who is buying a surround or soundbar? Are they really doing a lot of critical listening? No. They are watching Duck Dynasty or So You Think You Can Dance. They are looking for something to augment their display's speakers and give them a simulated surround experience. They aren't blasting their surround soundbar and trying to catch the nuances of their vinyl collection. They are just watching TV. Maybe playing some background music while they clean the kitchen. With a Bluetooth connection, they can do all that and more.

Lots of little lights

For casual listening, the YSP-1400 does a more than adequate job. In stereo mode, it presents a wide soundstage though it does tend to sound very mono to me. I played a couple of tracks with left/right pans and the YSP-1400 really couldn't do them. There was a hint of a pan but nothing like you'd expect. I believe this is because of the speakers all being placed in the center of the unit. When I switched these same tracks to surround mode, they simply sounded more echoy. Sort of like a permanent "Concert Hall" mode.

With the speakers all in the center, the sweet spot for the center channel when in surround mode was miniscule. Even when I optimized my room for the surround effect, I would only describe it as "sort of fuller" and not really surround. When I really enjoyed the YSP-1400 was when I wasn't worried about surround and I just had it playing in the background. Watching TV or for the kids, it was fine. With my critical ear, the YSP-1400 didn't measure up and I'd prefer conventional speakers or one of Yamaha's other, higher cost surround soundbars.

Yamaha YSP-1400 Conclusion

Yamaha has tried to bring the consumer their vaunted beaming technology at a low price point. This is a great idea but the simple fact is that it has to work. I've heard many Yamaha surround soundbars in my life - both in my home and at tradeshows - and I've consistently been impressed. But with a $450 price tag, you really need to bring something to the table. There are plenty of soundbar options out there with wireless subs for less. With the sound quality and the finickiness of the beaming, it's hard to give the Yamaha a high value rating.

I love Yamaha surround soundbars and I will continue to recommend them to my friends. That's not what is in question here. The Yamaha YSP-1400 is attempting to bring Yamaha's vaunted "beaming" technology to the masses at a price they can actually afford. While they have done all that, they had to cut so many corners that is seems that the magic has been lost. With mediocre surround sound, distorted and sibilant lows and highs, and a price tag of $450, the YSP-1400 is a hard sell to any other than those casual listeners that want the Yamaha name and reputation for reliability at the lowest possible price.

Yamaha YSP-1400

$449.95 

Yamaha Electronics Corporation, USA
6660 Orangethorpe Avenue
Buena Park, CA 90620
              (714) 522-9105       
www.yamaha.com

The Score Card

The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:

Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating

Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.

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Metric	Rating
Build Quality
Appearance
Treble Extension
Treble Smoothness
Midrange Accuracy
Bass Extension
Bass Accuracy
Imaging
Soundstage
Dynamic Range
Fit and Finish
Performance
Value