As the sound base (or platform, or stand) genre continues to gain momentum, Yamaha made its inevitable move into the category today, unveiling its new SRT-1000 TV Speaker Base. The new single piece sound base joins Yamaha’s already robust family of sound bars in hopes to compete as the premiere choice for those looking to simplify their home theater.
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Yamaha is calling its new SRT-1000 the first of its kind to offer “true 5.1 channel surround sound.” Of course, that statement doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, considering true 5.1 surround would require separate physical speaker components (five of them to be exact) which “surround” the listener, along with a dedicated subwoofer for low frequencies.
However, the SRT-1000 does propose to offer users a more complete virtual surround experience via its Digital Sound Projector Technology, which utilizes five discrete channels spread across 8 small drivers to deliver carefully aimed “sound beams.” The “beams” are designed to bounce off surfaces in your home and create a more immersive listening experience.
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In addition, the unit packs two larger drivers (though driver sizes are undisclosed), to cover the midrange, and dual subwoofers for a total of 12 individual drivers in all. The unit offers a few other enticing features as well, including Bluetooth streaming with aptX for CD quality sound resolution, compatibility with Yamaha’s Home Theater Controller app for iOS and Android, and a three-inch high wood enclosure to prop up TVs as large as 55-inches in size.
Inputs for the SRT-1000 include dual digital optical inputs, a digital coaxial input, and dual analog inputs. There’s no HDMI, so users won’t be able to use their TV’s ARC HDMI input for easy control of the system with the TV remote, but the system is able to learn basic TV remote commands.
At $500, Yamaha has priced the unit fairly high for the category, especially when compared to Sony’s extremely capable $300 XT1. However, the company is hoping its Sound Projector technology will bring users in, claiming its system is “the next best thing” to multi-speaker surround systems. We’ve enjoyed the Sound Projector technology on other Yamaha gear, but we’re not ready to crown it as revolutionary by any means.
We’ll likely have an SRT-1000 in for review sooner than later to tell you how the system fares in practice, but if you’re already a believer, you can order your own soon. Yamaha has the new unit slated for release sometime in the coming weeks.
