Thoughts on cinema system Yamaha YHT1810
Discussion
I currently run a sony BDVE-3100 cinema system but looking to upgrade. The one below has caught my eye, seems to be discontinued now hence £249. Has 4 HDMI inputs which would do away with the HDMI switch I currently have (Bluray/sky/Android box/PS4)
Anyone have one or can comment on the spec ? I see it supports 4k pass through.
http://www.richersounds.com/product/home-cinema-sy...
Do it! I had the same Sony system that you have and changed it for the Yamaha in the summer and the difference is night and day even to an untrained ear like mine. I have the virgin box and Xbox plugged in and can switch instantly from one to the other.
I used to have all sorts of problems with the Sony, having to use optical switches or sending audio in and out of the TV, I never managed to get consistent surround sound and trying to sort it out nearly made my head explode!
I spent £100 more than it is up for currently so for £249 it's a bargain if you ask me. Just be warned that you only get about 25m of speaker wire in the box and you have to cut it to length yourself. No rel hardship but for a bigger room you might want to get more wire.
I used to have all sorts of problems with the Sony, having to use optical switches or sending audio in and out of the TV, I never managed to get consistent surround sound and trying to sort it out nearly made my head explode!
I spent £100 more than it is up for currently so for £249 it's a bargain if you ask me. Just be warned that you only get about 25m of speaker wire in the box and you have to cut it to length yourself. No rel hardship but for a bigger room you might want to get more wire.
I have the older version of this with the same speakers but an less well kitted out receiver, no 4K or 3D for example. It suits my needs very well, particularly just for watching TV where having Dolby Pro Logic makes speech so much more intelligible with the centre channel.
The speakers are okay for their size, but I have had a listen with some proper speakers (Tannoy DC6SE) plugged in and it sounds much, much better, so they are definitely the weaker part of the package. One thing to note is that the sub is powered by the receiver, so you may wish to get an active one if you need more oomph, but I've never thought bass was lacking (I live in a flat anyway).
The speakers are okay for their size, but I have had a listen with some proper speakers (Tannoy DC6SE) plugged in and it sounds much, much better, so they are definitely the weaker part of the package. One thing to note is that the sub is powered by the receiver, so you may wish to get an active one if you need more oomph, but I've never thought bass was lacking (I live in a flat anyway).
Thanks for the response.
24Lemons - did you ever have your sony system lose the sound when trying to play back recordings or switching channels on your virgin box ? I have it optically hooked up to my skybox and it sometimes drops out. You then need to put into standby (which takes a few mins when it drops out as if its crashed) and switch on again. PITA at times.
24Lemons - did you ever have your sony system lose the sound when trying to play back recordings or switching channels on your virgin box ? I have it optically hooked up to my skybox and it sometimes drops out. You then need to put into standby (which takes a few mins when it drops out as if its crashed) and switch on again. PITA at times.
CSK423 said:
Thanks for the response.
24Lemons - did you ever have your sony system lose the sound when trying to play back recordings or switching channels on your virgin box ? I have it optically hooked up to my skybox and it sometimes drops out. You then need to put into standby (which takes a few mins when it drops out as if its crashed) and switch on again. PITA at times.
Yeah it did sometimes. I thought it might be to do with me using an optical switch to control multiple devices. It was never happy unless you were either playing a Blu Ray or using a single input. As soon as you introduce additional things like games consoles etc it wouldn't play ball. I have to say that the Yamaha receiver makes life so much easier and the surround sound never fails to work whatever you are watching or playing. 24Lemons - did you ever have your sony system lose the sound when trying to play back recordings or switching channels on your virgin box ? I have it optically hooked up to my skybox and it sometimes drops out. You then need to put into standby (which takes a few mins when it drops out as if its crashed) and switch on again. PITA at times.
Taken from Yamaha site....
"This AV receiver provides advanced HDMI features including pass-through of 4K Ultra HD, which is gaining popularity. 4K Ultra HD refers to four times the resolution of a 1080p display. This receiver is capable of passing the 4K Ultra HD data from the source to the monitor, for image clarity far beyond present standards.
"This AV receiver provides advanced HDMI features including pass-through of 4K Ultra HD, which is gaining popularity. 4K Ultra HD refers to four times the resolution of a 1080p display. This receiver is capable of passing the 4K Ultra HD data from the source to the monitor, for image clarity far beyond present standards.
- This model doesn't support HDCP2.2. HDCP2.2 compatible equipments are needed to see 4K contents which are encypted with HDCP2.2."
I am particularly fussy about HDCP 2.2 mainly because I believe you need this to fully utilise HDR content.
A lot of noise being made about HDR at the moment so it might be worth considering for future proofing. I probably would have snapped this system up for £250 if it had HDCP support, instead I am contemplating the Denon AVRX520BT (£199) & an appropriate set of speakers.
A lot of noise being made about HDR at the moment so it might be worth considering for future proofing. I probably would have snapped this system up for £250 if it had HDCP support, instead I am contemplating the Denon AVRX520BT (£199) & an appropriate set of speakers.
As it happens, my 9 year old Yamaha 5.1 AVR gave up the ghost today. As I've been very happy with my old Yamaha system, I've just ordered the YHT-1810 to replace it with.
My old system did have an active sub, which this one doesn't have, but I had it on its lowest setting as it had a lot of oomph. I think the non-active sub will be fine for my requirements, but for large rooms you may want more.
The 4 HDMI ports will definitely simplify my wiring (with a bit of luck I won't need to use optical or coax).
I paid £199 for my old system including speakers 9 years ago (on sale), so £249 is a good price (especially as I wasn't expecting to have to replace it this soon).
I'll give you my impressions when it has been delivered.
My old system did have an active sub, which this one doesn't have, but I had it on its lowest setting as it had a lot of oomph. I think the non-active sub will be fine for my requirements, but for large rooms you may want more.
The 4 HDMI ports will definitely simplify my wiring (with a bit of luck I won't need to use optical or coax).
I paid £199 for my old system including speakers 9 years ago (on sale), so £249 is a good price (especially as I wasn't expecting to have to replace it this soon).
I'll give you my impressions when it has been delivered.
Edited by Born23Ride on Sunday 18th December 14:36
My YHT-1810 was delivered yesterday, and was pretty easy to set up. My impressions are good.
- Sound quality is very good (a bit better than my old Yamaha). The sub isn't as powerful as my old system with an active sub, but it is plenty for my modest lounge.
- HDMI connectivity works very well. 5.1 has been tested with terestrial TV, Virgin box, Samsung Bluray player, XBone and PS4. All work very well over HDMI (ARC works as well with my TV).
There is one slight incompatibility issue, but I think it is a problem with my Samsung TV. When playing Netflix or Amazon Prime from the Smart TV apps, the sound drops out every few seconds, which is annoying. This happens both with HDMI and optical. I don't get the problem with Netflix or Amazon on the Blu-Ray player, PS4 or Xbone, so not a major issue for me, just a slight annoyance. May be a showstopper if you need to use these apps on a Samsung TV though.
I'm not on 4K yet, so can't comment on this.
Overall I am very happy with it. Good vfm for £249 imo.
- Sound quality is very good (a bit better than my old Yamaha). The sub isn't as powerful as my old system with an active sub, but it is plenty for my modest lounge.
- HDMI connectivity works very well. 5.1 has been tested with terestrial TV, Virgin box, Samsung Bluray player, XBone and PS4. All work very well over HDMI (ARC works as well with my TV).
There is one slight incompatibility issue, but I think it is a problem with my Samsung TV. When playing Netflix or Amazon Prime from the Smart TV apps, the sound drops out every few seconds, which is annoying. This happens both with HDMI and optical. I don't get the problem with Netflix or Amazon on the Blu-Ray player, PS4 or Xbone, so not a major issue for me, just a slight annoyance. May be a showstopper if you need to use these apps on a Samsung TV though.
I'm not on 4K yet, so can't comment on this.
Overall I am very happy with it. Good vfm for £249 imo.
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