Yamaha YAS-201 Fuses Simplicity and Style in Sound Bar with Air Surround Xtreme and Wireless Subwoofer

BUENA PARK, Calif. — Yamaha Corporation of America, AV Division, today unveiled the YAS-201, its latest Front Surround System that supercharges the lifeless audio of flat screen TVs with stellar surround sound. The system is comprised of two components: a low-profile sound bar that can be placed in front of any flat-screen TV and a powerful 100W wireless subwoofer that can be placed anywhere in the room. Combining these advanced components with a suite of Yamaha-exclusive technologies – including Air Surround Xtreme, UniVolume and Clear Voice – the YAS-201 delivers an outstanding surround sound experience in a package that is easy to install and use. The YAS-201 will be available from authorized Yamaha dealers in November for an MSRP of $449.95.

For placement in front of televisions, the YAS-201 is less than 4-inches tall and features IR pass-through to ensure that TV remote control operation is unobstructed.

The YAS-201 features Yamaha's exclusive Air Surround Xtreme technology that delivers 7.1 channels of highly accurate surround sound, with precise positioning to more distinctly present dialog, sound effects and music soundtracks that immerse the listener in movies, sporting events, concerts or any other programming. The model also supports Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound formats. Yamaha's UniVolume function eliminates the annoying and unsettling spike in volume during commercials when watching TV programming, while its Clear Voice feature ensures that dialogue and narrations are easy to hear.

"Today's customers demand a richness and clarity in sound reproduction that mirrors the viewing experience," said Tom Sumner, senior vice-president, Yamaha Corporation of America. "The YAS-201 delivers the full-bodied surround sound that transforms any TV room into a home theater environment. Its performance, ease of installation and use, as well as its price point, make the YAS-201 a great choice for a wide variety of applications and consumers."

The YAS-201 can be operated by the supplied remote control, and can also be powered on and have its volume adjusted via the user's TV, cable or satellite remotes. This is made possible by the sound bar's ability to learn the control codes of other components in a home entertainment system.

The YAS-201 easily connects to any HDTV with a single digital cable (included), and provides two optical inputs, one for HDTV and one for Blu-ray/DVD.

The YAS-201 works with the optional Yamaha YIT-W12 yAired transmitter that can wirelessly stream music from Apple iPods, iPhones and PCs. It supports uncompressed linear PCM for high-quality audio. The YIT-W12 will be available in November for an MSRP of $59.95.

For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, AV Division, P.O. Box 6660, Buena Park, CA 90620; telephone (714) 522-9105 or visit http://4wrd.it/YAS-201.