What Hi Fi Sound and Vision
18 NOV 2008
Yamaha BD-S2900
An extremely solid player from Yamaha, but the impressive Pioneer BDP-LX71 prevents it from getting five stars
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From its recent test performances, it seems abundantly clear that
Yamaha is on its way back up.
After a few years being relatively quiet, the company has punched its way back into the mainstream this year with a raft of exceptional multichannel receivers. And now it intends to repeat that success with the BD-S2900 Blu-ray player.
Initial impressions are extremely promising, if not quite overwhelming. The ’S2900 is undeniably a smart-looking and solidly built unit, but it doesn’t impress to quite the same degree as the other two players here. It is a little shorter, though, so those with limited shelf space will be happy.
Anyone familiar with Panasonic’s Blu-ray players will quickly recognise the Yamaha’s menu system – it turns out that the ’S2900’s transport is a custom unit built by Panasonic.
The player itself, though, is built by Yamaha, and has the company’s own video and sound processors. And it is clearly an improvement over Panasonic’s own DMP-BD55.
Great motion handling Slot in the
Transformers Blu-ray, and the Yamaha reveals its premium credentials with a clean and stable picture that’s full of vibrant colours and punchy whites.
The early chase scene also proves that the Yamaha is an excellent handler of motion, making sense of the fast-paced action without judder or smear.
The ’S2900 is undeniably a terrific Blu-ray performer, but in thorough side-by-side comparisons with the
Pioneer BDP-LX71, it gives a little away in terms of outright detail and sharpness – and this all the more noteworthy when you consider the £100 price differential.
Weighty, dynamic soundThis feeling continues into the sound performance. In isolation the Yamaha sounds weighty, dynamic and detailed, with both stereo and surround discs, but it doesn’t quite have the extra level of subtlety and expressiveness of the Pioneer BDP-LX71.
What’s more, if you’re looking for HD audio decoding onboard, the Yamaha is even more of a letdown than the Pioneer, with neither variety of high-definition soundtrack being catered for.
Where it certainly matches, and in fact just surpasses the Pioneer BDP-LX71, is with DVD playback. The ’S2900 is just that tiny bit more detailed and stable than its closest-price rival.
And that, too, may influence a fair-few potential purchasers.
However, if you’re paying this much for a Blu-ray player, we expect Blu-ray playback should be your biggest priority – and in terms of both picture and sound the Pioneer just pips this Yamaha, and for a smaller outlay, too.