Soundbars. They're a core component of the current home cinema scene, whether you like them or not. Many AV aficionados and audiophiles discount them as poor stand-ins for a full home cinema speaker system, but we're very much in favour of their simple, practical and often cost-effective solution for replacing your TV's rubbish built-in speakers.
They come in all shapes and sizes now, too; some are capable of handling immersive Dolby Atmos audio, and others even bundle surround speakers and subwoofers in the box.
Practically every TV brand and many big hi-fi companies have dabbled in the world of soundbars, including but not limited to: Sonos, Sony, Samsung, LG, JBL, Sennheiser, KEF and Marshall.
However, it's one company that we can attribute the conception of soundbars to, and that's Yamaha. It launched the YSP-1 back in April 2005, marking the first "digital sound projector" to hit the market.
This revolutionary product crammed in 40 small driver units – each backed by an individual amplifier – into one long speaker bar, accompanied by two built-in bass drivers.
These drivers were paired with a clever processing system that beamed sound around the room, bouncing it off walls to create a convincing surround sound experience.
We've come a long way since then, with redesigned drive units, smart platforms built in for music streaming, and room calibration systems to tailor the sound to your space.
But the concept still stands; make cinematic sound from one convenient all-in-one system.
Speaking of going a long way, our Technical Editor, Ketan Bharadia, and I flew out to Yamaha's headquarters in Hamamatsu, Japan, to see the company's latest True X Surround 90A Dolby Atmos soundbar system in action.
During a fascinating day touring the offices and listening rooms in which Yamaha tunes its products, we sat down in front of the new soundbar system to get a taste of what it's capable of.
I'll save my full assessment for our True X Surround 90A hands-on review; however, I will say that I was impressed by its sheer scale. The sound felt large and enveloping, and Yamaha's claims regarding the potency of its height channels were less exaggerated than I first thought.
The room we were situated in wasn't a conventional listening room, and it could be considered quite a difficult space for the soundbar to flourish, thanks to the high ceilings and unconventional layout. Plus, there were curtains hung around the room and various obstructions.
The new soundbar didn't seem phased in our listening session, as Top Gun: Maverick sounded wonderfully Atmos-y via the new Yamaha system.
The way that Yamaha has achieved this, however, is what interested me most. You see, my spiel about the history of soundbars and how Yamaha cleverly implemented beam speakers into its first soundbar wasn't all for naught.
Yamaha has actually looked back to move forward with this new soundbar, as the upward-firing drivers on the True X 90A system have been inherited from the YSP-1. It is, of course, a refined version backed by many years of technological development, but the concept still stands.
Sure, hi-fi manufacturers do this often; just look at all of the retro revival speakers we're seeing from the likes of Wharfedale, Mission and more. However, it's not quite as commonly found in the world of soundbars, presumably because there isn't quite the same heritage to look back on.
Admittedly, other manufacturers were hot on Yamaha's heels, with Samsung launching its first soundbar in 2008. However, we haven't seen it, or any of the other major manufacturers, implement fresh takes on their older technologies into their soundbars.
I suppose I just like the idea that Yamaha is considering heritage with its new soundbar system; something that's often overlooked within this sector of the market.
It's understandable, as 20 years in the world of home cinema and hi-fi is a relatively short time – less than half of the time that What Hi-Fi? has been on shelves, if you can believe it.
That being said, the True X Surround 90A system seems like an introspective product for Yamaha, as it melds all of the advancements we've seen in the last two decades with what made its very first soundbar so special.
Of course, we're eagerly awaiting whether it can recapture the magic of the original YSP-1 in our AV testing room, so stay posted for our full review.
MORE:
Check out our picks for the best Dolby Atmos soundbars
Read our full Yamaha True X Soundbar System review
And our Samsung HW-Q990F review
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