Better surround effect: Yamaha YAS-107 or Sony HT-RT3

[Duck222]

Hello,

 

I need to replace my old and cheap 5.1 audio system for console gaming because it makes a weird noise every time I switch it on. The noise disappears after 30 sec-1 min, but I'm pretty sure one day it will explode.

As I said, it's an old audio system that has the receiver, DTS decoder, amp, everything integrated in the subwoofer, so there's no option to replace just that.

 

Things have evolved a lot and I don't know if the virtual surround sound of a soundbar would be enough for me or I would need something with rear speakers.

My budget is tight (250€-300€), I have literally no room for an AVR and I'm more interested in spatial sound that in sound power.

 

By now my options are:

 

-Yamaha YAS-107

-Sony HT-RT3

 

As I said, it's for console gaming (Xbox One) with a monitor with no HDMI output. The lack of an HDMI input in the HT-RT3 could be a problem for Xbox Series X. (An HDMI Audio extractor?)

 

The specs of my old 5.1 DTS audio system are:

 

-100W of RMS

-Frequency response: Bass: 20Hz-160Hz / Front, center and rear: 160Hz-20KHz

-Distortion degree 1%

-Sensitivity 300MV

-Subwoofer 40W / 2xFront - 2xRear - 1xCenter 10W each one

 

I have no idea what all those numbers really mean. I guess they will be crap for an audiophile but it sounds good enough for my ears. 

 

Bearing in mind the specs of my actual audio system and my interest in having a surround experience similar or better to the one I have now, the big question is:

 

-Would it be enough for me with a soundbar like the YAS-107 or I need something with real rear speakers like the HT-RT3? Any other suggestions?

 

Thanks.

[mariushm]

The Sony should be better but I'd be reluctant to order one.... the sound quality is great but it has a known issue with the fan inside it being too noisy... there's a service note and in theory some firmware update to reduce the fan noise : https://community.sony.gr/t5/home-cinema-projectors-players/sony-ht-rt3-sub-woofer-cooling-fan-noise/td-p/2193715

 

Also, the back speakers by default only work in "Clear audio" mode, but you can enable them through an app on your phone using bluetooth (basically change the profiles to raise the volume from 0 to some sane value on the other profiles)

 

Any other options?  What's your budget .. and what's your country?

 

[JZStudios]

My buddy has a big fancy "atmos" soundbar in his living room and a 5.1 setup same as mine. The soundbar does not in any fashion sound like surround sound. At best it muffles audio from the rear speaker signal so you can guess the sound is supposed to be behind you. In terms of stereo audio quality it's fine, but it's not a good solution for surround sound.

I have seen some sound bars that have little satellites that operate on Bluetooth or something, so you could look into that. Otherwise my buddy and I got a Yamaha bundle;

https://usa.yamaha.com/news_events/2019/Yamaha_Home_Theater_Systems_Offer_Immersive_Surround_Sound_Experience_in_Convenience_of_One_Package.html

 

The speakers included are pretty small so they're easy to place and sound fairly decent. I found mine for ~$360 when they were phasing it out to release the new bundle with 4k support n such.

[Duck222]

4 hours ago, mariushm said:

The Sony should be better but I'd be reluctant to order one.... the sound quality is great but it has a known issue with the fan inside it being too noisy... there's a service note and in theory some firmware update to reduce the fan noise : https://community.sony.gr/t5/home-cinema-projectors-players/sony-ht-rt3-sub-woofer-cooling-fan-noise/td-p/2193715

 

Also, the back speakers by default only work in "Clear audio" mode, but you can enable them through an app on your phone using bluetooth (basically change the profiles to raise the volume from 0 to some sane value on the other profiles)

 

Any other options?  What's your budget .. and what's your country?

 

Geez, thanks for the warning about that issue!

 

My budget is 250€-300€, that's why I'm just thinking in soundbars. The country is Italy.

 

In that price range, I only have found another Sony:

 

-Sony HT-S20R, it seems it's a new model. I hope this one has no fan noise issues.

 

There are tons of 2.1 soundbars of many different prices, but just a few 5.1 soundbars and most are beyond my budget.

[mariushm]

I'll try to give you some suggestions when I come back from work this afternoon ... just writing so you know I didn't forget about this thread. It's just gonna be a while until i answer.