WESTCOAST HIFI BOOMING BLACK FRIDAY SALE ON NOW !!!!!!!
UP TO 50% OFF STOREWIDE - www.westcoasthifi.com.au - CHECK OUT ALL THE OFFERS NOW
50% OFF YAMAHA 5.1 SPEAKER PACK INCLUDING AV RECEIVER
For any other deals you want to discuss please email - [email protected]
Always full size speakers and receiver.
Yes, full size speakers and receiver is always better than soundbar, IF you have the space.
Also, soundbars are generally a bit cheaper as it doesn't require an amp or rear speakers.
If you can run cables this is a no brainer. True surround vs simulated you would have to go true surround.
Any site wide coupon sales (like Afterpay day) on the cards for Black Friday? ;)
Not specific coupons @Morien. There will be more product offers that go live daily. If you are after something specific send an email to email above and we can work it out for you :)
Yes and no. Many of the soundbar systems have true surround speakers, and multiple upward firing channels for an ATMOS experience you simply don't get with this system.
This system will sound better in general, definitely vastly so for music. But for movies, at the pricepoint? Depends on what you value more.
They're HDMI 2.1 ports right, any caps? They pass through VRR etc?
Clearly an area that we can respectfully disagree.
Upfiring atmos is, in my opinion, a waste of time. If your ceilings are the perfect height for it, then it will be mediocre, and if they are too high or an odd shape, then it will add nothing.
But clearly if you think they can be good, then it is worth OP trying it for him or herself.
I have a dedicated system, but I can appreciate the simplicity and form of a soundbar. Though if I was to move away from a dedicated system, I'd be interested in hearing the Sony HT-A9 & SA-SW5. But then, at that point I may be losing most of the reasons for moving away from a dedicated system.
@Morien: The system you reference is generally regarded as on-par with the Q990's which can be had as a system for a grand or just under (ie half the price), which makes it a very hard to argue with value for money package.
But this would be a great first "next step", for sure.
@Morien: Yeah I forget the gotcha, I think it was a case of generally easier setup and management, some more features, but on par SQ wise with one big gotcha (maybe a very low pass-through hz rate or something on the HDMI, bypassed using EARC and your tv as the host) etc. Anyway it was enough for me to put the Q990 way ahead of it at the "tier" simply because of the $$.
@Morien: Amen, reflected sound is a mess, I'll put it up there with the other marketing vomit vocab. In my experience getting rid of reflections is one of the best ways to increase audio quality in a room so adding it on purpose seems counter-productive.
The thing with this Yamaha package though; the center speaker specs look trash, and for movies the center speaker is the most important because the dialog comes from there: "Woofer: Dual 8cm (3 1/4″) Cone, Tweeter: 1.4cm Balanced Dome". The surrounds are probably the same spec but that's not as important.
Also worth noting this AVR doesn't have 4K120hz HDMI if you plan on using PS5 and XSX 4K120hz
@reactor-au: @Morien @reactor-au Reflected sound may not be as good as properly positioned speakers, but in all the reviews for the Sonos Arc + Era 300 and Q990 I've seen the up-firing speakers do add quite a bit compared to not having it.
What I really want, is a proper 5.1 system like this, but with up-firing speakers to compensate for the fact that I will never actually mount speakers in my ceiling. In fact, I probably won't get the extra side speakers for 7.1, so optional speakers tuned for side reflection would be nice too.
Right now I need to decide which way to go to replace my aging Logitech Z5500s, Atmos over audio quality or better quality but not atmos.
At least either this or the Q990 should be an upgrade over the z5500s.
@WorstAgreeableRadish: The Z5500 is amazing, I still have a set in the original carton somewhere, not sure I'll ever sell it.
@WorstAgreeableRadish: Personally, I would stick with a 5.1. If you do want upfiring atmos though, you can get modules.
For example, https://www.westcoasthifi.com.au/shop/speakers/height-module…
Not sure if Yamaha do one.
@WorstAgreeableRadish: The tiny up firing speakers found in soundbars are a joke. They are for marketing purposes only. Depending on what you watch but the effect of most contents created by the height speakers is very subtle. Unless you can install speakers in your ceiling, I wouldn't bother too much on the height speakers.
Sound engineering has been evolved to fake your ears (with the aid of your vision) without actual need to put the sound source above or below you. Even a headset can create a 3D experience (kind of).
Soundbars these days are not bad. It certainly meets a lot of people needs. Especially if you sit close to the TV, they give you a decent surround sound effect.
Reflected sound may not be as good as properly positioned speakers, but in all the reviews for the Sonos Arc + Era 300 and Q990 I've seen the up-firing speakers do add quite a bit compared to not having it.
I have been running the SVS Prime Elevations - https://www.westcoasthifi.com.au/shop/speakers/height-module…
as up-firing bouncy house speakers for many months because I haven't gotten around to mounting them exactly how I want them (need to find a 45 degree bracket). These are highly rated for the job, and I have found they have added just above nothing. This is running t through my Integra AVR with DIRAC. I am sure whatever the reviews of the soundbars are getting is probably not much more than the placebo effect.
I have a ceiling height perfect for bouncy house reflectives to work, and I wouldn't advise anyone to specifically by speakers for that and expect much more than meh…..
aren't these a dying breed with all the clutter?
No.
There are more options now, but there will always be a market for dedicated systems.
No, while I do advocate for the top end soundbars at their pricepoint (as above) there is no replacement for full size, full range home theatre systems.
They'll blow away the bar systems for a full, warm sound.
Any decent true 5.1 system will utterly blow a soundbar out of the water. They've just made decent sound in the average home much more achievable, but if you seriously care about your AV experience it's a no brainer to go for a full system.
@WCHIFI Do you have any better option than Samsung Q990C ( which I can get for $1100 through someone internal in Samsung)?
Samsung Q Series Q990C 11.1.4 Channel Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/samsung-q-series-q990c-11…
We don't sell the Samsung soundbar options. The most popular soundbar option we have is the Sonos Arc, however we focus more on separates such as this system :)
Some general broad differences (not definitive as there are so many models out there) of the top of my head:
Soundbar pros:
Soundbar cons:
Sound bars systems and 5.1 systems (and above) each have their own place in the market.
This deal package is very good for the price - it is like getting the subwoofer for free and then some compared to other details.
If you (i) have the space (ii) okay with a bit of wiring (iii) do not mind not having ATMOS (iv) not in a hurry to upgrade anytime soon and know what you would have to replace outright to do so then it is a lot of gear for the money.
Thats alot of hardware for the money. I remember spending this much alone on an aventage amp back then
This is a clear example of 'Nothing can beat Yamaha's sound system'. A very good price for this pack.
S and S one for SSD one for camera.
I don't think Yamaha make good speakers, I have a set and I think for movies it was okay but for music it was horrible.
Try a Yamaha Sound Projector, sounds okay to me. Price was good.
+1 for not thinking yamaha speakers sound good for the money. Some mid size quality bookshelf speakers (like Q acoustics etc) would destroy these IMO.
For music I would not think they would be any good.
The amp in this set is the lowest model I think too.
My audio equipment for audio listening is really old now, from 30+ years ago.
Pioneer A400X amp, and Richter Harlequin (1st series), these sounded good to me back then, I did not like the sound of the Yamaha amp and speakers when I got some and tried them, I thought they sounded horrible actually.
I have not spent much money on audio for a long time, I just use headphones these days, that said my head phones are made by Yamaha, they are pretty old now, I have repaired them many times (cord issues), they are comfortable and sound good to me and put many 1000s of hours on them.
This or soundbars at the same price range?