I understand there is some doubt out there about the sub combined with the receiver but so far it sounds fine.

In fact the whole setup sounds better than good… very crisp clean surround 7.1ch emulation, louder and better quality/separation than the 5ch YSP-800 it is replacing.

Time (and a bunch of Blu Ray movies) will tell, and I will update this review with further observations as I further evaluate the unit.

Very easy to install and setup, the setup menus are easy to use. I am not a huge picky audiophile so the minimal setup options are plenty for me… and if I were an audiophile I probably wouldn’t be getting a soundbar.

I was curious to see how the HDMI-CEC would work with my VieraLink panny, and this was the one area I was disappointed… First off it loses the VieraLink “HD Theater sound control” setting when the TV turns off and back on. Secondly while the input button works to change inputs on the receiver, it doesn’t change it to the right HDMI input to match the panny onscreen display. Not sure how much these are the panny’s fault and how much the receiver.

On the plus side for controls, since my DVR control can turn the TV power off and on, using the HDMI inputs on the receiver instead of the TV does the trick… I control inputs and volume with the receiver control and am able to eliminate one control (the TV remote) from my coffee table. I know, I know, I should just get a universal/programmable remote but I haven’t had good experiences with them, and two remotes is fine for me.

Since the HDMI-CEC wasn’t a requirement for me and the HDMI input handling solves my needs, and everything else is great, I’ll tip over the edge from four stars and make it five… since this is a subjective review and I am not rating it against higher end solutions, just $500 or lower sound bars.

Anyways, I hope this account helps anyone with similar needs considering this product.

UPDATE 2.11.2010

Still love it, happy with the sound quality but I really like the little remote… just enough buttons not too many, HDMI passthrough works well and let me ditch my TV remote. So the HDMI-CEC complaint is less now, the only reason I cared about that was to ditch a remote… mission accomplished.

PROS:

- 3 HDMI Inputs + 1 Analog

- Solid Build Quality + Yamaha reputation

- One-of-a-kind receiver that has a built-in subwoofer

- Great price & fast shipping on amazon.com

CONS:

-The speaker bar sometimes blocks the infrared port on the TV, thereby making it difficult to use the TV remote.

(This is really not a con, as you can dismount the legs to lower the height or position the speaker appropriately)

Setup was a breeze on my Mitsubishi LT46244 Television. I connected my home theater PC and satellite box using HDMI. I left my Wii connected to the a component input on my television. Then, I came back out of my TV with a standard RCA audio patch cable so the Wii and Antenna sound could be routed to the receiver. Unfortunately, the unit does not have a digital coaxial audio input, as that is the only digital out on my television. I used the NET Command system built in to my television to control the power and source switching on the Yamaha receiver unit. Everything works great together with using only the remote from my television.

The sound quality is exactly what you would expect from Yamaha. The highs are very crisp and clean. The lows are nice and really add a punch to a good action sequence. The surround sound simulation is actually pretty good as well. I wasn’t expecting much in this department so I was pleasantly surprised when it actually gave a sense of surround sound.

Pros:

Great Sound

Very Stylish (Wife loves the look)

Easy to setup

Small, non-intrusive visually

Cons:

Can’t stack components on receiver due to integrated sub

No digital coaxial inputs

This is a great product. I would definitely buy it again.