Excellent bass and crisp sound
Written: Nov 17 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Audio fidelity, headphone jack, powerful
Cons: Hidden power switch
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| aflaw's Full Review: Yamaha YST-MS50 Speaker System |
I have been using these Yamaha speakers for quite some time now, and I am as pleased with them now as I was when I first installed them last year. I was using a set of Altec Lansing speakers that served my audio needs for about four years so I needed a set of speakers that could hopefully carry me that long again. These Yamahas appear to fit that role.
This Yamaha set boasts an impressive 80 watts of power -- a 40 watt subwoofer and two 20 watt satellites. Given that there are only three speakers (as opposed to having rear channels as well), that is a fairly impressive amount of power, and it shows. The bass from the Yamaha subwoofer is superb. I have had experience with Yamaha subwoofers before, and this one continues their tradition of excellence. The satellites are relatively small and unadorned, which is fine by me because I do not use computer hardware as desk ornaments. They are sturdy and powerful and kick out some terrific sound, clean and crisp. I have never turned these speakers up more than 1/3 of the way, as it just gets too loud!
One feature included on this set of speakers which often is excluded from many systems these days is a satellite front-mounted headphone jack. Why speaker manufacturers (Altec Lansing, are you listening?) think that people do not need headphone jacks is beyond me. Any apartment dweller who cares about his or her neighbors MUST have a jack, and placing it on the back is problematic at best and quite annoying at worst. I applaud Yamaha for their inclusion of the headphone jack in an intelligent location. My wife does, too.
Installation is nothing special. One cord comes from the back of the left satellite, and two come from the back of the right one. The subwoofer has the cord for the satellites (to the right one), the connection to the computer, and the power cord.
The only criticism of the layout of the speakers is the placement of the power switch on the rear of the subwoofer. There is a power switch on the front of the right satellite; however, it only turns off the satellites and leaves the subwoofer running (you cannot hear anything, but it still draws maximum power, I believe). Only when you turn off the subwoofer switch do you hear the telltale "thump" that says that the subwoofer is completely off. It's a minor detail, though.
Overall, this is an excellent set of speakers for all types of computer usage. They are plenty powerful for most users, are intelligently designed, and produce crisp, clean sound. I expect to leave these on my desktop for the foreseeable future.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
aflaw
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Member: Andrew Rush
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 2 members
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