Last week, Yamaha introduced a pair of new AV receivers. However, if your home theater setup is lacking a few other pieces -- like everything -- the company has five new home theater in a box systems on the way.
All of the new solutions will come packing five speakers and a 100-watt subwoofer. Each one will also have a front-panel USB port, for adding an iPhone, iPod or USB devices into the mix.
The new crop will include three top models, the YHT-897BL, YHT-797BL and YHT-597BL. All of these systems also feature direct iPad connectivity and support for Apple AirPlay. Each one also works with Yamaha's free control app for iOS and Android devices, as well as Amazon's Kindle Fire.
Each of the top three systems has a 5.1-channel network receiver, with support for web radio and streaming from DLNA-certified devices. Other new features on these three models include 3D video pass-through with Audio Return Channel (ARC) and future-proofing via 4K video pass-through.
All five of the new home theater in a box systems feature YPAO system calibration, four SCENE Mode buttons, and HD Audio format decoding for Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio. The top three models have CINEMA DSP 3D technology, with the YHT-497BL and YHT-397BL including CINEMA DSP. Each feature packs in 17 DSP programs, allowing the user to tweak and personalize that listening experience.
Yamaha says that all five systems have five speakers with 2-way drivers and the 100-watt subwoofer. Subs for the YHT-497BL system and up have Advanced YST, which boasts a better overall performance. Other notable differences is that the YHT-797BL has five trapezoidal-shaped speakers, while the YHT-897BL comes with two tower front-channel speakers, a compact center channel, and two bookshelf surround speakers.
"Normally, the purchase of an HTiB system is a value or convenience play. Yamaha ups the ante by delivering high performance and adding features usually reserved for high-end separate components," said Tom Sumner, Yamaha's senior VP. "Our new systems redefine the category, providing the essential and enhanced performance features consumers need for fully immersive sports, gaming, music or movie experiences."
Available later this month, the YHT-497BL will be priced at $479.95, with the YHT-397BL listed at $449.95. The YHT-897BL, YHT-797BL and YHT-597BL will start shipping in May. Yamaha has listed MSRPs at $849.95, $799.95 and $649.95, respectively.
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