YSP-2200

— Let's start with some basic facts. Conventional single-enclosure front speakers use only the front left and right channels to create an impression of ambience. By applying special processing algorithms to the waveforms reproduced by the left and right channel speakers, they purposely aim to create an aural illusion that makes the listener feel like they are hearing sound coming from behind. Most sound bar speakers on the market employ this so-called virtual surround technique.
By contrast, as the trailblazer in this field, the Yamaha YSP series takes a completely different approach. It projects focused beams of sound that are reflected on the walls and actually reproduce the rear channel content. While other surround sound bars make do with virtual surround, the YSP goes for real 5.1 channel surround, resulting in incomparably stronger presence. But what is a "focused beam of sound" exactly?
"Imagine a pebble being dropped into a still pool of water" says Mr Morihiro Murata who has overall responsibility for product development of the YSP series. Speaking in a calm and sincere voice, he continues,

Murata："You will observe a pattern of concentric ripples spreading over the water's surface. The way sound is propagated is very similar. For example, if you produce sound with one speaker, the acoustic waves will spread in a radial pattern. But what happens if you put two speakers side by side? This can be compared to dropping two pebbles into the pool at the same time. Their ripple patterns will interact with each other. In terms of acoustic waves, there will be areas where the sound is reinforced and others where the sound is cancelled out. If you further line up a larger number of speakers with identical characteristics and drive them at the same time, their acoustic waves will combine and result in a strong wave that progresses in a straight line. This type of straight sound wave is what we call a sound beam. The beam-shaped sound has similar physical properties to a wave and, like a light beam hitting a mirror, will be reflected from the walls of the room."

— Projecting the beam at an angle can be achieved by means of very slight timing shifts in driving the lined-up speaker units. Upon close inspection, one will see a large number of small identical speakers lined up behind the horizontal grille of the YSP. The product uses highly advanced processor chips to handle the signals, and each speaker is driven by its own digital amplifier. This means that each unit can be individually controlled with high precision, making it possible to freely shape the sound beam at will. To reproduce 5-channel sound with this type of speaker arrangement, five separate sound beams are created simultaneously using the superposition principle. The angle of each beam is adjusted for optimum reflection from the walls, thereby creating actual surround sound at the position where the listener is located.

Murata："The idea of producing surround sound using sound beams was already being explored through basic research within Yamaha for quite some time. The research finally was directed towards a concrete product starting in 2004. Our encounter with the superb realization technology developed by the British company 1 Limited (now Cambridge Mechatronics) was what prompted us to move into actual production."


— The YSP-1 introduced in December 2004 was the first digital sound projector enabling dynamic, lively surround sound reproduction without the need for any rear speakers or cumbersome cabling. This created quite a stir among home theatre enthusiasts. From the very first model onwards, Kazunori Tanaka has been involved in refining the sound of the YSP series. Before that, this engineer with the demeanour of a professor of mechanical engineering was engaged in hi-fi speaker development. He joined the YSP project because he was attracted by the challenge of entering a completely new field, where no established know-how as yet existed.

Tanaka："Loudspeakers are a fairly mature field, where developers diligently work towards achieving purity of sound through a relatively simple configuration of parts. This certainly has its rewards, but I felt that I wanted to try and tackle a new and unexplored area, namely that of front-based surround sound. To be frank, in the initial stage of the YSP-1 development, the sound quality was clearly below par, but with just a little modification, drastic improvements could be made. It was a refreshing experience for me, like exploring new and unknown countryside."

— Such impressions notwithstanding, the development had to overcome a number of serious hurdles in the beginning. For one thing, there is the fact that when using small-diameter closely spaced speakers to produce the sound beams, the reproduction frequency range is bound to be limited. If on the other hand the spacing distance were to be increased, the speaker bar would end up being wider than the flat panel television screen. Questions such as the number and placement of speakers, how to efficiently produce a beam, and other aspects were explored through extensive trial and error sessions, until the golden ratio was found.

Tanaka："For me personally, what I found interesting was the fact that enhancing the basic sound quality also led to an improved surround effect. Until then, I had thought that getting the surround to work better was what the "digital experts" were doing, while tinkering with the sound was the domain of us "audio specialists". But when we applied established speaker manufacturing know-how such as improving the driver unit performance and ensuring proper enclosure sealing, the beam technology based surround sound also came to life. We realized that there is an intricate mutual interdependence between these two sides."

Developer's Voice top

— What are the advantages that can be had by going for real 5.1 channel based YSP? The biggest impact no doubt comes from the fact that sound is actually reflected by the walls and comes from the rear. With "virtual surround", the impression one usually gets is that there is a kind of phantom channel that is coming from right behind one's ears. Because this simulated ambience is created in the head of the listener, there is considerable variance in the way different people respond to it. Watching a whole movie with this kind of arrangement is known to result in fatigue for some listeners. Another important aspect is the natural sound and realism of the ambience. As Mr Murata points out, this is where the YSP product really shines, performing on a par with many full-fledged home theatre systems.

Murata："For example, imagine a surround system installed in a very large room. When the distance between the individual speakers is too large, acoustic holes will be created. The sound arrives from five distinct directions but it does not form a harmonious whole. The YSP by contrast spreads the sound beams through subtle wall reflections that bridge the distance between the channels. The sound naturally fills the entire room, giving an impression quite similar to being in a movie theatre."

— Realizing this kind of natural ambience was not an easy thing to do, as Mr Tanaka, in charge of sound design, knows all too well. In his quest to find the right solution that would seemingly transport the listener into another acoustic environment without becoming obtrusive or tiresome, he started by repeatedly watching and listening to recordings of live performances with a surround soundtrack.

Tanaka："Of course the sound of a band playing must be reproduced properly, but what's even more difficult to get right is the sound of the audience applauding, clapping their hands. In order for the listener at home to feel like he is in the middle of the audience, applause must be heard not merely from the front or the rear, rather it must rise naturally all around. By making optimum use of the characteristics of a beam speaker, this enveloping effect can be achieved quite successfully. But this only happened after many false starts and as the result of extended trials and listening tests."

— The use of wall reflections also means that the room itself feels larger. This can be easily understood if one thinks of the walls as mirrors. Because the distance that the sound travels before arriving at the listener's ears is longer, the impression is that of a speaker located at a distance beyond the actual wall. The so-called sweet spot, referring to the optimum listening position, also becomes larger. The surround effect can be maintained also if the listening point is shifted somewhat. For example, if a couple is watching a movie sitting side-by-side on a couch, the aural impression will be largely the same for both of them.
If you are a lover of films, imagine watching "Field of Dreams" and standing like Kevin Costner in the middle of a large cornfield, hearing the rustle of countless leaves all around. If you see "Saving Private Ryan", you will experience the terror of hearing bullets whistling past your ears, like Tom Hanks during the Normandy landing. In "Silence of the Lambs", as Jodi Foster sneaks into the dark cellar, she and you will be startled by a sudden noise behind your back. This sort of sonic realism is what YSP brings to your lounge room.

Developer's Voice top

— Obviously, the rooms in which most people enjoy viewing television and movies are not optimal in terms of home theatre conditions. The shape of the room, the presence of drapes and curtains, bookshelves and other furniture, the material used for walls and ceiling, as well as many other aspects affect the way a room will sound, and there are myriad different combinations. The single-enclosure sound bar type speaker can be considered as a product designed to bring acoustic enjoyment to people in such rooms, which are a far cry from purpose-built and optimised home theatres. YSP incorporates a special technology that is aimed at getting the best performance out of any given room. This technology is called "IntelliBeam" and was introduced with the second-generation YSP-800 and YSP-1000 models in 2005. Already from the product concept stage, a function for automatically calibrating the sound to fit the room had been an indispensable requirement for the team of developers.

Murata："It's very easy to use. First, you install the speaker in its intended location. Next, you place the supplied dedicated microphone at the listening position. When you switch the system on, a series of sound beams automatically scans the walls all around the room and adjusts the optimum angle, level, tonal quality and other parameters. For the customer, this means that a certain level of home theatre type surround sound can be reliably achieved in any room. For us too, this represents a great step forward."

— The introduction of IntelliBeam not only provides good surround sound, it also enhances the acoustic representation of movie soundtracks, as Mr Tanaka is keen to point out. By precisely controlling the delay in each channel, the arrival of the reflected sound at the listener can be adjusted for a perfect match.

Tanaka："For example, imagine a scene with a building explosion in a movie. The sound of the exploding charge, the collapse of the building structure, the earth-shaking impact of the pieces, all these different effect sounds result in an intricate mix of frequencies, ranging from high to ultra low components. The creators of the movie aim to produce a very specific reality, and only when the five channels are reproduced with perfect timing will the listener be able to become part of that reality."

Developer's Voice top

— Around the year 2005, a major innovation swept through the audiovisual world. A new standard called HDMI for the transmission of video and audio data via a single cable appeared on the market and quickly became the new "super weapon" of choice. Of course the YSP also took advantage of its capabilities from the outset.

Murata："Before the appearance of HDMI, users wanting to enjoy hassle-free reproduction with a sound bar were in for an unpleasant surprise when it came to cabling. There could be the need for three component video cables and two analogue audio cables. For digital transmission of audio signals, things were further complicated by the fact that there are two options, coaxial cable and optical fibre. With HDMI all that is needed is a single cable, and on top there is the possibility to digitally delay the video signal. So this development was a great step forward, also in terms of user convenience for the YSP."

— HDMI in fact had another great advantage, namely standardization of CEC functionality for the exchange of mutual control signals between devices. This makes it possible for example to use the remote control of the TV to turn the YSP on and off, adjust the volume, activate muting etc.

Murata："Using standard functions provided by CEC, switching the source at the TV will automatically switch the input of the YSP. We embraced this capability to make things as easy as possible for the user. Starting with the 2007 models YSP-3000 and YSP-4000, CEC has become a standard feature in the entire YSP series."

Developer's Voice top

— Enjoying realistic 5.1 channel surround sound from a single-enclosure product that can be placed near the flat panel TV ‒ This was the overall goal that inspired Yamaha engineers to further refine the YSP series, resulting in variations such as the YSP-4100 which goes beyond 5.1 channels to provide 7.1 channel support. The very latest model is the YSP-2200 introduced 2010. While realizing the power and performance worthiness of a flagship model, it has been designed for utmost flexibility, allowing it to be easily added to almost any TV or rack. To achieve this aim, it features very compact dimensions made possible by moving the woofer units into a separate subwoofer enclosure. It is the first dual-enclosure product in the formerly single-enclosure only YSP series.
The task before the development team was defined by a number of clear-cut requirements. The product should be easy to place on a TV stand and easy to add to an existing setup. When simply placed in front of the TV, the product should be slim enough so as not to block the lower part of the screen. And it should realize truly satisfying 7.1 channel sound. Among other parameters, the available speaker height therefore was severely restricted. The person tackling that difficult task from a design angle was Shigeharu Okubo, working in his second year at Yamaha.

Okubo："Recent flat screen TVs also feature much thinner frames. In view of TV stand placement, the maximum height for the speaker unit was limited to about 50 millimetres. In case of the YSP, the beam driver diameter alone is already 30 millimetres, and on top of that, numerous other components and the entire DSP circuitry have to be accommodated. We therefore looked at the entire product again from a new angle, starting from zero and carefully examining each part, looking for ways to slim down. As a result, we were finally able to arrive at the new size. But the most difficult thing was to prevent a degradation in sound quality, in spite of the tightly packed internal construction."

— Needless to say, construction and sound quality are intricately related. Until two years ago, Mr Okubo was working for a different AV manufacturer on the design of high-end flat screen TVs. As a structural design specialist, he now for the first time was dealing with a speaker-only project. It was therefore a stroke of luck (probably not only for him but also for Yamaha and for end consumers) that his desk at the office was next to Mr Tanaka's. Whenever he drew up a design or explored a prototype, he could rely on the advice of the "YSP guardian saint" at the next desk. "He may seem a bit brusque at times, but he is really serious about what he is doing. Whenever I asked something of him, he always came through." recalls Mr Tanaka with a smile. Mr Okubo was given the chance of learning many new things during this undertaking.

Okubo："One of the things that struck me after I entered Yamaha was the extraordinary attention to detail. For example, when circuit components are placed close to each other in the process of designing a product, they may produce a very faint chattering noise. This in turn may result in a slight muddying of the speaker sound, a tinge of roughness. When working at Yamaha, unless even the most minute of component vibrations are eliminated by measures such as bonding with damping material, the quality control department will not give its go-ahead. And in order to create a good product, the manufacturing side then is willing to go the extra mile, even if the implementation is somewhat difficult. The YSP-2200 is a case in point. The intent of the designers can be fully realized in such an environment."

— To accommodate different dimensions and board thickness sizes of TV stands, the height of the speaker legs can be continuously adjusted over a range of 10 millimetres. And in terms of sophisticated external appearance, the enclosure for the first time in the YSP series is made of aluminium with a hairline finish.

Okubo："The aluminium enclosure not only makes the product look and feel great, it also brings practical advantages. First of all, there is the thinness aspect. Because a beam speaker produces a slight electromagnetic field, conventional plastic enclosures required additional internal shielding. With the new product, this is no longer necessary. Rigidity is improved, and the material is less susceptible to ringing which also contributes to better sound quality."

Developer's Voice top

— The drastic reduction in height meant that the woofers definitely had to be separated. While a subwoofer used to be available as an option for earlier systems, the new product now comes standard with a second enclosure that combines woofer and subwoofer aspects. As Mr Tanaka recalls, this novel type of system configuration presented an enormous challenge, "probably the most difficult thing we have ever done", that is to ensure that the sound lived up to the high expectations placed in the YSP brand. As a result of these efforts, the YSP-2200 delivers a powerful and dynamic low end that even surpasses its predecessors.

Tanaka："One of the reasons why we went for this system configuration was because market research revealed that many YSP users did purchase their own subwoofers to enhance the low end. In that case, we thought it would be better to provide a subwoofer as part of the standard package in the first place, to allow optimum matching and rich, accurate bass reproduction. If the speaker is not properly matched to the subwoofer, powerful scenes such as explosions may suffer from a slight lag between the sound of the blast and the ground-shaking rumble. The YSP-2200 perfectly solves this kind of problem. We also wanted to give users different placement options, including vertical and horizontal placement. The balance between convenience and powerful sound in this model represents a new pinnacle for the YSP series, I believe."

— Cinema DSP which has the capability to produce a sound field perfectly matched to the source, be it a movie, concert, sports event, or other type of environment, is also included. This proprietary Yamaha technology has received high acclaim in the field of AV receivers. For the YSP-2200, a new mode optimised for games with surround sound has been added. Not only effect sounds, but also the background music and game dialogue are reproduced with a lifelike quality that completely draws the player into the world of the game. Another noteworthy feature is called UniVolume, designed to maintain a consistent loudness level for example between broadcasting content and commercials, or between different channels when channel surfing. Thanks to automatic compensation, sudden jumps in volume which assault the ears of the listeners are a thing of the past.
With the addition of an optional docking station, the YSP-2200 becomes the ideal tool for listening to music from an iPod or iPhone. The "Compressed Music Enhancer" is a highly attractive feature in this regard. This original Yamaha technology restores the subtle nuances that are often lacking from compressed sources such as AAC and MP3. The high range regains its sparkle, and the mid and low range becomes more full-bodied again. Innovative algorithms are used to compensate for lost musical information, resulting in natural, lively sound with more depth.
In recent years, television sets have become amazingly thin. But an aspect of low-profile design that tends to be overlooked is the fact that it can lead to a significant drop in sound quality. The reason why the YSP series has met with such enthusiasm from the very beginning is because users intuitively felt that great-looking digital media should be complemented by equally impressive sound.

Murata："Because this product is intended for use together with a TV, it should offer acoustic enjoyment not only from high-quality movie and music sources such as Blu-ray, but also with various kinds of other material, including newscasts, live sports coverage, talk shows and much more. It should drastically improve TV sound in a wide range of situations, and be appreciated on a daily basis by a multitude of users. This has been the YSP concept from the very beginning, and it still is."

Developer's Voice top