Yamaha YSP-4300, 3300 and 2200 Soundbar
Comparison
I’m guessing YSP is an acronym for Yamaha Sound Projector but I’m
certain these soundbars utilize an algorithm and a series of speakers managed
by digital sound processors to decode source material (movie soundtracks,
music, gaming and content from smart HDTV’s which now may include VoIP like
Skype, Vonage and others) and send them into your room, bouncing off the
ceiling, the floor, walls and furniture to create a virtual psychoacoustic
surround sound experience.
What?
Well, I care about such things but you don’t have to. The bottom line
is, you can get nearly the same surround sound immersive experience from these
soundbars that previously required separate front left, center, right, rear
left and right speakers and a subwoofer - not to mention the cabling and amplifiers. Even at these premium
prices (there are many soundbars that cost much less), there are significant
savings over separates. The 4300 and 3300 include the same wireless subwoofer,
while the 2200 includes a smaller wireless subwoofer. Yamaha considers all
three models to emulate 7.1 surround sound. For those that are counting, that
would be:
1 – center channel (most of the
dialogue and other sound that is localized to the center of the picture)
2 and 3 – front right and left
(dialogue and other sound coming from stage right or left)
4 and 5 – rear right and left (sound
coming from far right and far left – also used to sweep sound dramatically from
one direction to the other)
6 and 7 – Surround back right and left
(Sound emanates from fully behind the listening position. Also allows for the
effect of a fly-over – think helicopters. planes or a monster sneaking up from
behind you!)
.1 – The subwoofer. Discrete Bass
information or extrapolated bass is isolated from the rest of the soundtrack,
music or gaming sound source and is amplified separately and sent wirelessly to
a separate subwoofer. Yes, the audio signal is wireless however you still need
to place the subwoofer near an electrical outlet as power is required for the
amplifier located within the subwoofer (that is what is referred to as active
or powered). Bass is mostly omni-directional, meaning placement is more
forgiving as the sound will emanate evenly from the speaker. A good rule of
thumb is to place the subwoofer in your favorite seating location while playing
a movie, music or game and then walk around to the spots in your room where you
can locate the subwoofer (reverse placement technique). When you find it, put
the subwoofer there, plug it in and your done!
Something’s missing … Well, the good news is, what's “missing” are the
wires and amplifier(s) or receiver. The bad news is, these soundbars are
also missing Bluetooth. There is an optional accessory called the YIT-W12 that
plugs into your source (like your iPhone or Android smart phone or tablet or …
) and then wirelessly transmits the signal as a source to the soundbar. This is
clunky and unacceptable given the proliferation of Bluetooth and the consumer’s
desire to stream content to a soundbar. But don’t stop reading. If that’s not
important or if you don’t really need to do this, these are among the best
soundbars available.
What are the differences between the 4300 ($1,899), the 3300 ($1,599)
and the 2200 ($999)?
Aside from the price, the differences are power, number of speakers and
size of the subwoofer in the case of the 2200. The 2200 also has 3 HDMI inputs
while the 3300 and 4300 each have 4. Not so important now, but what may become
important in the near future: The 4300 and 3300 support 4K pass through, the
2200 does not. In a typical set-up, your video source(s) will be routed through
the soundbar, thus the 4 or 3 HDMI inputs x 1 HDMI output. With 4K supported, the
full resolution will pass through the soundbar. Without this, 1080 will be your
max. Lastly, the 2200 does not have an option (from Yamaha) to wall mount the
soundbar although if you really want to, I’m sure you can rig one up or have
someone do this for you.
Here are the details on power and speakers:
YSP 4300 has 324 W total power: 2 watts
driving 22 beam drivers + 75
W driving 2 woofers in the
soundbar plus 130 W separate wireless subwoofer
YSP 3300 has 262 W total power: 2 watts
driving 16 beam drivers + 50 W driving 2 woofers in the soundbar plus 130 W
separate wireless subwoofer
YSP 2200 has 132 W total power: 2 watts
driving 16 beam drivers with a 100 W input power capacity subwoofer
Soundbars have come a long way. Initially, they had trouble with open
floor plans. Without a wall or walls to bounce sound off of, they had
difficulty imaging the surround sound field and localization suffered. That’s
the whole point of the immersive experience – to put the viewer or listener
exactly where the director wants you or where the music producer or game
designer wants you … Advanced processing and overall systems today have
overcome this and even in wide open spaces the magic still happens. Yamaha’s
proprietary processing is nothing short of magical. I highly recommend their
soundbars … but of these three, which would I buy?
YSP 4300
Sound Quality: 9/10 - This is across
all types of movies, music and games. The only reason the 4300 doesn’t get a
10/10 is separates still win when considering sound quality only. If the wires
and cost are not an issue, go with separates. If you are after a clean look,
simple installation and cost savings, soundbars are the way to go and the YSP
4300 is my number 1 choce.
YSP 3300
Do I hear a difference between the 22
drivers of the 4300 and the 16 drivers of the 3300? Yes. Is it a deal breaker?
No. Since it’s the same subwoofer, there is no issue there so why not save $300
and make this my number 1 choice? Because it’s only $300 and sound is that
important to me. This is still a very good system and full immersion is
achieved. I still recommend the
3300 but I’m parting with the extra $300 and opting for the 4300.
YSP 2200
Why is there a 2200? Purely for budget
conscious consumers. Yamaha has adopted the classic “Good, Better, Best” format
here but skimping on the subwoofer is never a good idea. With the 2200 they hit
the under $1,000 sweet spot and it is better than a lot of competitors at this
price. If that is what you want to spend on a surround system soundbar, I
definitely recommend the 2200 over the rest of the $1,000 field and I get it …
You only spent $1,000 on your 50” HDTV, how do you justify spending more on the
sound system? I do. Simply put: sound matters as much as vision to me but I
understand this is not the case with others. Therefore I can still
whole-heartedly recommend the 2200 for the price. For my money however, I spend
the extra $800 (I know, that’s a lot of money), and get the 4300.
Available now at amazon.com, Best Buy, BrandsMart,
hhgregg and others.
Manufacturer website: http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/hometheater-systems/digital-sound-projector/?psort=hightolow&mode=compare&selected=421013_421010_187242_