Yamaha Soavo-1 Towers

[admin]

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.

Discuss "Yamaha Soavo-1 Towers" here. Read the article.

 

[3db]

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.

Discuss "Yamaha Soavo-1 Towers" here. Read the article.

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.

 

[Fancypants]

I too would like to see some measurements.

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.

 

[Seth=L]

I too would like to see some measurements.

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.

 

[rynberg]

Clint,

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".

 

[Fancypants]

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.

 

[Pheaton]

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.

Pheaton

 

[Audioholics]

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.

 

[Seth=L]

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.

 

[Fancypants]

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.

 

[loxllxol]

Anyone know where you can go to audition a set?

 

[junchoon]

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.

Pheaton

hi, could u give me more details of the audition? tried bi-amp/bi-wire with the Yamaha? i am using NS-555 in a 5.0 setup now, itching to upgrade to 7.0, MA and Soavo are on my list. for the buck and my HT set-up, NS-777 will be the best choice, but sadly it is no longer in production.

cheers,
wps

 

[3db]

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.

If Yamaha builds their speakers ( and there's no reason not to think this way as far as I can see) with the same diligence as their electronics, I think you'd be be happy too.

There's another option as well. Sinclair Audio has been mnetioned on this site by a couple of other posters and they seem to be very happy with them.

 

[Pheaton]

hi, could u give me more details of the audition? tried bi-amp/bi-wire with the Yamaha? i am using NS-555 in a 5.0 setup now, itching to upgrade to 7.0, MA and Soavo are on my list. for the buck and my HT set-up, NS-777 will be the best choice, but sadly it is no longer in production.

cheers,
wps

Hi,
Sure.

My wife and I auditioned several speakers at a local dealer. The brands we listened to were Yamaha Soavo-1, Monitor Audio RS-8, MA GS-60, and Revel (I can't remember the model). All four listening tests were done in the same room with the same electronics. The speakers were set up in 2-channel only for the first round of listening. The electronics that were used were a Marantz 8001 AV reciever, a Marantz CD player (don't remember the model), and a Bryston Amp (again can't remember the model). Each set of speakers was rotated into the room for each test. We brought our own music to listen to; Stravinsky "Rite of Spring" , Dead can Dance "Toward the Within" , Joe Satriani "Crystal Planet" , and Soundtrack to "Macross Plus".

We tried to run the gambit with the music....

I went back to look for my original notes that I took during the tests, but I could not find them. So the following is based off of my memory;

The main sound quality differences that I could tell between the two is the clarity in the MA GS-60 was incredible in the highs, mids, and lows. Where the clarity in the Yamaha was only good in the highs, and lows, and I would say average in the mids. When we listened to the Rite of Spring on the MA's my wife made the comment that the sound of the opening bassoon solo was the sound she hears when she plays the bassoon. The MA's just delivered a sound that was crystal clear and natural sounding. The Yamaha's delivered a sound that was good, but it sounded like a recording. We were both WOWed with the MA's, and just thought that the Yamaha's were decent speakers.

Hope that answers your question,

Pheaton

 

[mike c]

.Pheaton

thanks for sharing

 

[junchoon]

Hi,
Sure.

My wife and I auditioned several speakers at a local dealer. The brands we listened to were Yamaha Soavo-1, Monitor Audio RS-8, MA GS-60, and Revel (I can't remember the model). All four listening tests were done in the same room with the same electronics. The speakers were set up in 2-channel only for the first round of listening. The electronics that were used were a Marantz 8001 AV reciever, a Marantz CD player (don't remember the model), and a Bryston Amp (again can't remember the model). Each set of speakers was rotated into the room for each test. We brought our own music to listen to; Stravinsky "Rite of Spring" , Dead can Dance "Toward the Within" , Joe Satriani "Crystal Planet" , and Soundtrack to "Macross Plus".

We tried to run the gambit with the music....

I went back to look for my original notes that I took during the tests, but I could not find them. So the following is based off of my memory;

The main sound quality differences that I could tell between the two is the clarity in the MA GS-60 was incredible in the highs, mids, and lows. Where the clarity in the Yamaha was only good in the highs, and lows, and I would say average in the mids. When we listened to the Rite of Spring on the MA's my wife made the comment that the sound of the opening bassoon solo was the sound she hears when she plays the bassoon. The MA's just delivered a sound that was crystal clear and natural sounding. The Yamaha's delivered a sound that was good, but it sounded like a recording. We were both WOWed with the MA's, and just thought that the Yamaha's were decent speakers.

Hope that answers your question,

Pheaton

great info Pheaton!

on a side note, where did u get the Macross Plus soundtrack? i have been searching high and low, no luck except in hmv japan. the US edition is much cheaper but out of production.

cheers,
wps

 

[alexsound]

Look at the NS-555s or NS-777s, those are some sexy looking and apparently good sounding speakers for the money.

Ehhh, not really. BB used to stock these at their stores. They look alot better than they sound.

 

[Pheaton]

great info Pheaton!

on a side note, where did u get the Macross Plus soundtrack? i have been searching high and low, no luck except in hmv japan. the US edition is much cheaper but out of production.

cheers,
wps

Hi,
Glad I could help. I purchased my Macross Plus soundtrack back when it was released in the US. Now I would try ebay.

If you are a fan of Macross Plus music you might also like the music from Cowboy Bebop. It was written by the same person, Yoko Kanno. The opening song from Cowboy Bebop is called "Tank", and I think it just rocks!

Good luck with your speaker search and your CD search.

Pheaton

 

[Pheaton]

thanks for sharing

Hi,
Your welcome.

By the way, those are some of the cutest baby pictures I have ever seen. They make me smile everytime I see them.

Pheaton

 

[junchoon]

Hi,
Glad I could help. I purchased my Macross Plus soundtrack back when it was released in the US. Now I would try ebay.

If you are a fan of Macross Plus music you might also like the music from Cowboy Bebop. It was written by the same person, Yoko Kanno. The opening song from Cowboy Bebop is called "Tank", and I think it just rocks!

Good luck with your speaker search and your CD search.

Pheaton

i already have the best of cowboy bebop, and also escaflowne: lovers only. they are very good. if u think cowboy is good, then u most definitely seek out escaflowne if u like orchestral work ( for example carmina burana or conan the brabarian soundtrack). no ebay for me, too many fake ones. so i will get them from hmv japan.

cheers,
wps