Considering Yamaha has such a good reputation with making fine instruments and some of the most reliable and accurate monitor speakers ever to hit the recording industry, it's astounding that they aren't equally appreciated for their home audio speakers. This past year Yamaha aimed to change that with the introduction of their new Soavo series loudspeakers. We were fortunate enough to get our hands on a pair of Soavo-1 towers - their flagship product and a magnificent-looking specimen to be sure. We got a sneak peek at these speakers during the 2007 CEDIA Expo, but now we actually get a chance to put them through their paces in one of our reference listening rooms.
Considering Yamaha has such a good reputation with making fine instruments and some of the most reliable and accurate monitor speakers ever to hit the recording industry, it's astounding that they aren't equally appreciated for their home audio speakers. This past year Yamaha aimed to change that with the introduction of their new Soavo series loudspeakers. We were fortunate enough to get our hands on a pair of Soavo-1 towers - their flagship product and a magnificent-looking specimen to be sure. We got a sneak peek at these speakers during the 2007 CEDIA Expo, but now we actually get a chance to put them through their paces in one of our reference listening rooms.
Thanks for the review. Sounds like Yamaha batted one well into the outfield with this model. Do you have any specs listed for this speaker? It would be useful to see meassured frequency response on and off axis vs manufactured claimed response.
While these are just slightly out of my price range (I am only 24, and just starting to get into Hi-Fi) it is a bit refreshing to see something with this level of quality come from a company with such a huge name as Yamaha.
While these are just slightly out of my price range (I am only 24, and just starting to get into Hi-Fi) it is a bit refreshing to see something with this level of quality come from a company with such a huge name as Yamaha.
Look at the NS-555s or NS-777s, those are some sexy looking and apparently good sounding speakers for the money.
Nice review but I felt compelled to address something mentioned near the beginning.
You stated that "some of the most reliable and accurate monitor speakers ever to hit the recording industry. Just try to find a studio without some flavor of Yamaha NS-10s - everyone uses them as the gold reference standard."
This is very very untrue. The reason people use NS-10s is because they are a great reference for the average CHEAP playback system. Engineers use NS-10s to get a feel for how the mix will sound on car stereos and boom boxes. They are NOT an accurate speaker in any way. Unfortunately, some uninformed project studio engineers have misinterpreted the widespread use of NS-10s and have made them their "reference" monitors. This is a huge mistake, as the NS-10 has neither the flat frequency response, nor the resolution needed to serve as any kind of "gold reference".
Very interesting and thought provoking insight rynberg, posts like this make me happy
Also, Seth=L, the NS-555 and NS-777 look phenomenal for their price range. I had planned on going with an Axiom Audio Epic 80/500 home theater system, but this kind of changes things. No doubt I believe that the Axiom system would be able to out perform a system built around the less expensive Yamaha NS series speakers, but as a young professional, the Yamaha option appeals to my budget much better. My theory behind originally wanting the Axioms was this "I need to get the best that I can possible afford before my wife and I have kids." However, with the possibility of building a theater around these Yamaha's, I may be able to afford more, spend less, and still have something I am pleased with.
Hi,
I audioned these while trying to figure out which brand of speaker to go with for the HT, and IMO the Monitor Audio Gold Series blew these out of the water. I found the MA to have a greater clarity and it felt as if I was there with the musicians. I am not trying to bash these speakers, they did sound nice, but there was no WOW with these like the MA's. Of course everyone needs to audition speakers for themselves, just giving my two cents.
You stated that "some of the most reliable and accurate monitor speakers ever to hit the recording industry. Just try to find a studio without some flavor of Yamaha NS-10s - everyone uses them as the gold reference standard."
I re-read that intro and realized that it was easy to misconstrue my text to imply that NS-10s were more than just a "reference" standard... as in "across-the-board" for good midrange response. In addition, they are always used in conjunction with higher-quality monitors, not as the sole or primary monitor.
I adjusted the text accordingly and thanks for the heads-up.
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Clint DeBoer
Editor in Chief Audioholics
Very interesting and thought provoking insight rynberg, posts like this make me happy
Also, Seth=L, the NS-555 and NS-777 look phenomenal for their price range. I had planned on going with an Axiom Audio Epic 80/500 home theater system, but this kind of changes things. No doubt I believe that the Axiom system would be able to out perform a system built around the less expensive Yamaha NS series speakers, but as a young professional, the Yamaha option appeals to my budget much better. My theory behind originally wanting the Axioms was this "I need to get the best that I can possible afford before my wife and I have kids." However, with the possibility of building a theater around these Yamaha's, I may be able to afford more, spend less, and still have something I am pleased with.
Thank you for the input.
Glad I can help. You are one of the most optimistic people I have encountered dealing with my recommendations.
Well, as much as I hate to admit it, cost is a huge limiting factor for me, so if I can get a nice upgrade and save money while doing it, then I am warm to the idea.
While I will not get to jump into what I consider the entry level elite (Axiom for example) I will be able to get something I will hopefully be happy with.
Yamaha Soavo-1 Towers
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