YAMAHA YSP 5600

MONEY NO OBJECT £1599 / stuff.tv/ysp5600

above. This is basically a 7.1.2 surround sound system, in a single bar that sits under your telly. Wow.

Is it any good?

Setup is a little more complicated than a regular soundbar, because you’ve got to calibrate this one so it knows exactly where to angle all its speakers for the bouncing. That means plugging in the dreaded setup mic – but don’t panic. It takes about a minute, and is as easy as tapping a few buttons on the remote.

You’ll also have to find some room for this thing – it’s chuffing massive. It’s so big, in fact, that it will almost definitely block out the bottom of your screen, unless you sit it on stilts. No problem if you’ve already wall-mounted your telly, but not ideal for anyone with an AV cabinet as shelves will block the upward-firing speakers.

Still, once you’ve got over any placement woes and stuck on an Atmos-enabled film, you’ll be amazed at just how well the YSP-5600 spreads sound around your room. It really does feel as if it’s coming from beside, behind and above you. Raindrops in particular really do seem to fall from the sky, which is impressive when you’re on the sofa beneath a nice white ceiling.

A little more subtlety in the dynamics would’ve been nice, but otherwise it’s difficult to fault the Yamaha’s sonics; you really won’t need the optional subwoofer. So if authentic surround sound is a must, and multiple speakers are an absolute no-go, this is the ultimate one-box alternative.

Tech Total power output 128W HDMI Yes Bluetooth Yes Wireless subwoofer Optional Dimensions 213x1100x92mm Weight 11.7kg