"Presence" Speakers??

[JamesN]

Originally Posted by Tall Dog

My new receiver has the capability to hook up front "Presence" speakers. I currently have a 7.1 speaker setup. Before I spend the money on a couple more speakers, wanted to see if you guys thought they are worth it?

Thanks

Presence speakers are a part of Yamaha's "DSP" technology. Basically they provide additional ambience to re-create the sonic footprint of actual venues. Yamaha provides different selectable "sound fields" (concert halls, jazz clubs, cathedrals, movie theaters, etc.) The DSP processors add appropriate reflections, reverberations, echoes, etc. to the original sound source to re-create the various sonic environments. The presence speakers help distribute this ambience, although some of the ambience is mixed in with the other speakers as well.

The effect is very subtle and realistic and not at all as hokey as it might appear. I find the effect adds more to music than movies, but that is just my opinion.