John Dickerson
Grip
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2003
- Messages
- 24
Review on Yamaha YHT340
Setup
The setup of the HTIB was pretty straight- forward. I did have a little difficulty however with inserting the speaker wire into the terminals in the rear of the receiver. If you push the wire too far into the terminal the wire won’t make contact with the receiver. Other than that minor problem the setup was pretty easy and was accomplished in about 30 minutes.
Pros: Easy, straight-forward setup
Cons: Rear speaker terminals (as described above)
Receiver
The receiver that comes with the 340 is actually a receiver that Yamaha sells as a separate, not some cheap receiver made just for the HTIB. The receiver has a tremendous amount of sound fields. The manual says 21 with 41 variations. The unit has plenty of power for the provided speakers. I recently had them up to almost full volume and the receiver never once showed any sign of power strain. The only things I would change about it is it would be nice if it had 2 or 3 optical inputs instead of the one optical and one coaxial provided. The radio presets for the receiver are really hard to figure out how to set. I’ve read the manual several times and I’m still having a hard time figuring them out.
Pros: Plenty of sound fields to choose from. Plenty of power
Cons: Difficult to set radio presets. Needs more digital inputs
Speakers
The speakers like the receiver are a separate set that Yamaha manufactures. The speakers sound very bright and clear and are great for watching movies. They sound equivalent to a $500 Polk or Onkyo system. They are the perfect size for a bedroom or an apartment.
Pros: Great for movies. Small size. Sound very accurate and clear.
Cons: Not the best set for listening to music.
Subwoofer
The subwoofer is a very good sub for the price range that it’s in. The sub has a 6-½ inch driver with a 100 watt built in amplifier. The sub is very powerful. I was originally skeptical about the small size of the driver but it proved my skepticism wrong the first time I heard an explosion.
Pros: Plenty of power.
Cons: Sound reproduction could be a bit tighter when listening to music
Conclusion
The Yamaha YHT340 is probably one of the best systems I’ve heard in the $350-450 price range. The first time I watched Saving Private Ryan I got chills from the realism the system produced. If you’re considering an entry- level system for a bedroom or other small room I would seriously look into the 340. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed.
Setup
The setup of the HTIB was pretty straight- forward. I did have a little difficulty however with inserting the speaker wire into the terminals in the rear of the receiver. If you push the wire too far into the terminal the wire won’t make contact with the receiver. Other than that minor problem the setup was pretty easy and was accomplished in about 30 minutes.
Pros: Easy, straight-forward setup
Cons: Rear speaker terminals (as described above)
Receiver
The receiver that comes with the 340 is actually a receiver that Yamaha sells as a separate, not some cheap receiver made just for the HTIB. The receiver has a tremendous amount of sound fields. The manual says 21 with 41 variations. The unit has plenty of power for the provided speakers. I recently had them up to almost full volume and the receiver never once showed any sign of power strain. The only things I would change about it is it would be nice if it had 2 or 3 optical inputs instead of the one optical and one coaxial provided. The radio presets for the receiver are really hard to figure out how to set. I’ve read the manual several times and I’m still having a hard time figuring them out.
Pros: Plenty of sound fields to choose from. Plenty of power
Cons: Difficult to set radio presets. Needs more digital inputs
Speakers
The speakers like the receiver are a separate set that Yamaha manufactures. The speakers sound very bright and clear and are great for watching movies. They sound equivalent to a $500 Polk or Onkyo system. They are the perfect size for a bedroom or an apartment.
Pros: Great for movies. Small size. Sound very accurate and clear.
Cons: Not the best set for listening to music.
Subwoofer
The subwoofer is a very good sub for the price range that it’s in. The sub has a 6-½ inch driver with a 100 watt built in amplifier. The sub is very powerful. I was originally skeptical about the small size of the driver but it proved my skepticism wrong the first time I heard an explosion.
Pros: Plenty of power.
Cons: Sound reproduction could be a bit tighter when listening to music
Conclusion
The Yamaha YHT340 is probably one of the best systems I’ve heard in the $350-450 price range. The first time I watched Saving Private Ryan I got chills from the realism the system produced. If you’re considering an entry- level system for a bedroom or other small room I would seriously look into the 340. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed.
It does indeed sound impressive for the price. I certainly wouldn’t expect to get full separates for that price - or any digital inputs at all!
