Yamaha YHT-491BL Home Theater in a Box (Black)

I used to own a few Bose sound system and I still do. I was looking for a replacement speaker system for my computer (bedroom). The speakers _were_ working great but they are starting to produce cracking noises at normal volumes. I was looking to get a product that was equal to or greater than in terms of quality and performance. It costs $300 (Bose) when I purchased it.

I began to research and read reviews on which system can reproduce the sound from my computer accurately. The requirement was digital audio inputs, and this set had it, two of them.

After months of listening to hundreds of hours of audio and audio-samples, I will say that this system excelled on audio quality. I mainly listen to Jazz music, so I had to have audio clarity.

Buying speakers system are very much like buying cars. Each are aimed at a particular type of person. Although there are some features in this set such as "Enhanced" audio, which adds more bass and such, I prefer clarity, to be able to hear the fine notes in music. Some may refer to it as being able to hear all the bells and whistles.

I had extremely high expectations for this Yamaha product, especially with experiences with their grand pianos.

After going through the manual and listening under different settings, I stick to my favorite settings. Not much else to say about this system because I don't play around with the settings. I just turn it on and it is the way I like it.

Bought this from Amazon a couple of months ago and have been very happy with it. The sound is excellent for movies with excellent highs and plenty of power from the 8" sub. Not the purest sound for stereo music given the small speaker drivers, but the 5-channel stereo modes really enhance the music and create an enjoyable soundstage. The AVR has a good assortment of I/O and I was very happy to see 5.1 channel analog audio inputs. The 491BL does not have audio passthru via HDMI and has no TruHD or DTS MA decoding onboard, so I use the analog inputs to allow my Blu-Ray player to decode the lossless tracks, and to me that makes a huge difference.
There isn't much coverage on the home theater review sites for HTIBs which forces consumers to rely on anecdotal evidence before buying, but for around $400 you won't do better for a complete system such as this. The AVR is solid and the speakers are nicely balanced. The build quality is very good and the "tall boy" front speakers are a bonus.
Highly recommended for the price.

Everything works fine, looks cool.

Problems: doesn't decode audio via HDMI input, you need to use optical instead (for example, PS3 = HDMI + optical, you need both cables). So you'd better connect HDMI directly to your TV, and only use the receiver to decode audio.

My settings:
PS3: HDMI to TV, optical to receiver;
HTPC: HDMI to TV, 5.1 RCA to receiver (no optical on my HTPC, but if you have one, use it instead. The receiver has 2 optical inputs marked as "DTV/CBL" and "CD").

The benefit is that when you don't need Dolby 5.1 or DTS, you can just use TV (video and audio via HDMI to TV). When you need it, mute the TV, turn on the receiver, and then enjoy great sound.

Very nice set at great price. I love it.

I searched around and read lots of reviews on numerous different home theater systems in the box and this is the one I ended up purchasing. The only other review on here actually helped me make up my decision. I have this theater system hooked up to a Panasonic TC-P50S1 (awesome TV) and a Panasonic Blue Ray Player DMP-BD60K. This set up is truly amazing for the price I paid for everything. The only negative comment I have about this receiver is that the DVD audio input is for a coaxial cable and not an optical cable. My blue ray player outputs to a optical audio cable so I had to plug it into the CD input on the receiver (which isn't that big of a deal). Other than that, the sound quality is amazing and the sub thumps really hard. I haven't even turned the sub up half way because I'm afraid my neighbors may say something. Like the guy in the other review, I also purchased the Atlantic Stands of Amazon and they worked out great, except I had to install the speakers upside down on the stands so the mounting bracket could be screwed in. For the money this home theater system is definitely a good choice. You get a lot more inputs/outputs on this receiver versus the Sony,Samsung, Lg, etc home theater systems you will find at other stores with a 5 disc DVD player, which mostly aren't blue ray players. I went with this system because I did not need or want a DVD player because I knew I wanted to upgrade to Blue Ray. So if your wanting to do the same, I would recommend getting this home theater system rather than one that comes with only a upscaling DVD player.

To the 1-star reviewer: You Sir, cannot be taken seriously. Maybe if you had posted an actual review of the product instead of a paranoid rant you could be taken seriously, but as it is your words are a flaming tower of babble.

For me, purchasing a surround-sound decoder and speaker system was the last link in my HT setup. I decided on the YHT-491BL for 5 reasons in particular:

1. I decided all I really needed is 5 speakers for great surround sound, not 7. I've heard the
difference and 7 speakers just isn't kosher for a living room that is being asked to do double-duty as a theater.

2. The price point of the 491BL fit my budget. Also, free shipping was a $55 value.

3. HDMI, optical, and coax digital inputs: my DVR, PS3, and Mac Mini connect easily.
Note: The HDMI inputs are video only and you will still need to connect your digital sound
sources to the receiver via TOSlink optical (2 avail), or digital coax cable (1 avail).
These digital audio cables are very inexpensive.

4. Sound quality from the active-servo subwoofer: I've owned a pair of Yamaha desktop computer speakers (YST-M15) and matching subwoofer (YST-MSW8) for over 10 years and I have never tired of the smooth sound and surprising power from these little studs. The 491BL did not disappoint me from the second I turned it on. The active-servo subwoofer keeps the bass tight and accurate, and the crossover slope from the bass to the mid frequencies is very smooth. The front left and right channels are mounted on good looking stands -- which gets the sound off the floor and puts it at the level it's supposed to be. So far these speakers sound awesome with movies, games, and music.

5. Yamaha quality. The long-lasting aforementioned desktop speakers, and a well-built Yamaha motorcycle have made me a believer in the quality of Yamaha products. Now if I could only learn to play the piano...

I am very happy with this system and have no complaints.