Advantages: Great home theatre sound, fantastic value for money
Disadvantages: Unattractive styling, somewhat bulky

...My Home Theatre was a reasonable system by any measure and better than most. However, my wife re-arranged the living room furniture and in one stroke my cherished system was made redundant. My two rear wall mounted speakers were now on my left and with no possibility to be mounted somewhere else. It was time to look at the Polk & Yamaha products. Unable to audition a Polk SurroundBar and Yamaha YSP-1000 in an A/B comparison, I consequently decided to purchase both, with the idea that I would eventually keep one and sell the other. I have now had both units for about 10 weeks and when doing my A/B comparisons, both systems are set up so that one speaker is sitting just above the other, playing the same material at the same volume and with instant A/B switching via remote control. Note - It takes quite a few readings... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: No need for 5 speakers and cables. Really does work!
Disadvantages: Needs careful positioning

...What HiFi gave this a 5 star rating with good reason. Its an impressive piece of kit and now that it has come down in price, offers a real alternative to load of speakers around the room. This is why I bought one. The thought of 5 speakers plus cables trailed across your front room does not really appeal, especially if you have laminate flooring, so looking at an alternative option meant the Yamaha. Yamaha produce two different models. The YSP1100 is the more meaty one able to produce louder and deeper sounds by virtue of having more speakers, larger speakers and louder speakers - its as simple as that! But does it work? Well yes it does. The setup is the key. You have a microphone that measures sound in your room and how it bounces off the walls. It then does all the rest. Bottom line is that sound bounces off your walls... Read review

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Advantages: Crisp sound, good aesthetics, easy to set up, no messy cables, good features
Disadvantages: not much

...Recently, I found myself staring at a very large screen, in a very bare home entertainment room, trying to figure out what was missing, until I found this. My goal was to build and furnish a sleek clean, home entertainment system, with as little cables as possible, and the best sound system and TV available for watching DVDs, and sky on, and I had the TV, and this just completed the deal. Obviously, having 5, or 7.1 surround sound, wouldn't have been a good choice for me, because of the amount of cables and the fact that u have to space speakers around the room, and that's why I went for the Yamaha. The YSP range is designed to be a simple sound system which produces crisp surround sound without any fuss and mess, and the way Yamaha has done this is by utilizing 42 separate speakers, each pointed at different angles, which... Read review

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Advantages: slim and compact unit, No wires for the rear speakers!
Disadvantages: Absolutely needs a subwoofer for real movie bass effects

...We originally heard the YSP1000 at the Bristol HIfi Show in late 2003, and, as usual at these shows the situation wasn't the best with all the noise of the other speakers etc, but it did seem to give a good performance... not quite surrond... i.e. from directly behind you, but certainly nearly there. We thought no more about it as we were at the show to look at projectors.It became apparent that none of them would be bright enough for our situation above the fire in our fairly minimalist, and bright lounge. We had to think again, and a flat screen LCD seemed like the best option. The YSP800 seemed like a good partner for the LCD as it could be mounted on the wall below the flatscreen. We reviewed the unit at a local hifi retailer and liked it, but thought it was lacking in bass. Then the sales person attached a small subwoofer... Read review

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Advantages: You don't have to be 'arty' and it doesn't cost a fortune
Disadvantages: The time will fly, one visit just isn't enough

...Update November 2007: see end of review. We only discovered Yorkshire Sculpture Park last year and have already been back several times. This wonderful place has so much to offer, it's hard to know where to begin. It's described on the map guide (which is free, by the way) as '500 acres of historic landscape and international sculpture,' which sounds pretty dry to me and certainly doesn't do it justice. So I'll tell you what I think it is: it's a multi-sensory treasure that uplifts the spirit and delights the mind. If you haven't been to YSP yet, then GO! *How to get there* By car. Yorkshire Sculpture Park is situated on the beautiful Bretton Estate near Wakefield, just a mile from Junction 39 of the M1. The main entrance is off the A637 and is clearly signposted from the motorway. Public transport. You can go by train... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: beautiful surroundings, good free information given out
Disadvantages: some of the sculptures are poor, the gallery

...on the day I went. The main area near the visitor centre seems ideal for children, as there are vast areas of grass for running around on, as well as some of the more child friendly sculptures – Anthony Carp’s ‘Promenade’ in particular was the centre of a massive game of Rounders, with children who were ‘out’ playing amongst the huge forms. Having said that, the Sculpture Park has its own code, the YSP code – they ask that you do not touch or sit on sculptures, and that you keep your children safe. The fact you can’t play ball games, fly kites, climb trees, roller skate, skateboard and so on, means that if you just fancy a picnic, and keeping the children occupied, and you aren’t bothered about the sculptures, you might be better off going somewhere else. IS THERE SOMEWHERE TO EAT AND BUY DRINKS? There is a café inside the main visitor... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful