Yamaha SRT-1000 Pedestal Soundbar Preview

We understand that not everyone has the space or desire for a surround sound system. Dealing with five speakers plus a subwoofer, an A/V receiver, not to mention a mess of wiring can be a daunting task. But what happens if you’d like an audio experience a few notches beyond what your TV speakers can provide? Yamaha’s new SRT-1000 pedestal soundbar might worth a look. Priced at $499.95, the SRT-1000 is built around Yamaha’s digital sound projector technology and features a pair of built in subwoofers. Want to know more? Keep reading.

The Design

So just what is a digital sound projector? In the case of the SRT-1000, Yamaha utilizes eight 2.8cm drivers to create beams of sound which are steered toward the walls of your room. These reflections are then bounced towards you, creating a surround effect that in our experience is a class above most “virtual surround” solutions. To back up the “beam drivers”, the SRT-1000 also boasts a pair of 4cm x 10cm woofers, as well as a pair of down-firing 8.5cm subwoofers in separate ported enclosures. Each beam driver is fed by a 2W amplifier, while the woofers and subwoofers are driven by 30W apiece. Of note, system response is rated from 45Hz-22kHz, though no tolerance is provided.

In our experience, Yamaha's digital projector technology is the next best thing to a discrete surround sound system.

As previously mentioned, the SRT-1000 is a pedestal soundbar. Unlike a conventional soundbar that’s placed in front of your TV or wall mounted, you’re meant to place your TV on top of the SRT-1000. The enclosure measures 30-3/4”W x 3”H x 14-5/8”D, and Yamaha states that it is sturdy enough to hold a 55” flat screen TV.

The SRT-1000's driver layout.

The Features

In addition to the hardware provided, the SRT-1000 sports quite a few features worth mentioning. First and foremost, the Yamaha boasts a remote learning function, allowing you to power cycle, adjust volume, and mute the SRT-1000 with your TV’s remote. The system also boasts integrated Bluetooth with AptX for streaming music from a smartphone or tablet, and Yamaha offers their home theater controller app for iOS and Android to control the SRT-1000.

Yamaha's controller app offers you a wide range of functionality including the ability to custom tune the SRT-1000 to your room.

Beyond Bluetooth, the SRT-1000 offers a modest array of connection options. Unlike some of Yamaha’s more advanced (and much costlier) soundbars, inputs are limited to a pair of optical digital inputs, a digital coaxial jack, and analog stereo. We’d expect in most cases, you’ll opt to connect the SRT-1000 to your TV with an optical digital cable, and let it handle source switching. Taking a closer look at the rear panel, one will also find a subwoofer output jack, which is a nice touch for those that would like an extra helping of low end fun.

Analysis and Summary

Looking at the $500 class of soundbars, there’s no shortage of competition. Pioneer has their SP-SB23W soundbar at $400, which has the benefit of being designed by speaker guru Andrew Jones. There’s also the SpeakerCraft CS3, which is a pedestal soundbar boasting a pair of 5.25” down-firing woofers and a low end response of 35Hz. While both options are undoubtedly worthy competitors, neither offers Yamaha’s digital sound projector technology. Frankly, if you’re looking for the best surround experience short of a discrete surround system, the SRT-1000 seems like a good bet. Add in goodies like remote learning and a subwoofer output, and Yamaha’s latest soundbar looks even sweeter in our opinion.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.