Music Connoisseurs Lend Me Your Ears
Written: Dec 25 '99 (Updated Apr 11 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: High quality sound for music connoisseurs on a tight budget
Cons: Intermittent reverb (tunes featuring deep bass only)
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| wildvirgogirl's Full Review: Yamaha YST-M8 2 Speakers |
I know quality sound when I hear it. Last Christmas I received a treasure in the form of a pair of Yamaha YSTM8 speakers for my computer. After withstanding the hum of this machine for nearly 2 years, I now jam while I write epinions and work on websites. The neighbors are probably laughing at me...
MY REVIEW
I'd only made an offhanded remark to a friend a few months before the holidays that I really missed my music. (My JVC cd boombox began to act funky after 9 years without a hitch, which made it impossible to enjoy listening to anything for extended periods of time. Don't get me wrong -- I love JVC products. I just beat mine into the ground until it finally went through an excruciating, but much-needed, death last February. I suppose some things can only take abuse for so long...)
I've never owned anything made by Yamaha, but these speakers are proof positive that Yamaha creates good, solid products. The Active Servo Technology (YST) feature without a doubt blows the no-name-brand I received with my computer into the Milky Way. You see, music has consistently heightened (more than my fair share of) joyful and angst-ridden moments. At long last, the music fast is over!! I'm feasting my eardrums on an eclectic assortment of genres.
MY MUSIC CREDENTIALS
As the eldest daughter of a music teacher, my life has been inextricably enriched with music. In fact, my folks tell me that I bounced up and down while gripping the armchair, frantically dancing to The Mamas and The Papas, Jethro Tull, and The Beatles months BEFORE I finally attempted to walk as a toddler.
As a teen, Mom had a rule that was enforced much to my chagrin at the time. When she was doing her lesson plans, she made us sit in the living room for a total of 10 minutes as she played everything under the sun for us to listen to and critique. I was such a rebellious teen, I would bring the timer into the room with me and set it for precisely 10 minutes so I would not have to admit that I was actually getting into the groove of whatever was being pumped into the air.
During my post-graduate studies, I developed a penchant for classical music, drumming, new age, and eventually some forms of rap and jazz. I have now listened to these speakers for over four months (of consistent usage, I might add) and I have a really good idea of what they are all capable of -- and I'm grateful to have them. Yes, they still produce the sound I have come to expect from the Yahama brand, thankfully.
A BRIEF SAMPLING MY VAST COLLECTION OF CDS WITH "SOUND QUALITY" RATINGS
I've rated the following cds with stars (*) indicating how the music sounds on these speakers to try to give you an accurate rating of this product. Five stars indicates the best sound quality. My remarks about the sound quality are in parentheses.
COMPLETE CD PLAYLIST FOR DECEMEBER 25, 1999
Billie Holiday - Love Songs *****
(dynamite, clean, sultry - I played it TWICE!)
Tracy Chapman - New Beginnings *****
(excellent in all respects)
Nigel Kennedy's Vivaldi - The Four Seasons *****
(superb, especially the strings)
k.d. lang - Drag *****
(hauntingly soothing voice)
Queen Latifah - Black Reign ****
(bopped my head through the entire disc - wonderful!)
Me'Shell NdegeOcello - Peace Beyond Passion ****
(some fuzziness in deep bass songs)
Nirvana - Unplugged In New York (Live) ****
(brings Cobain back to the living for the duration - my impulse was to clap with the audience at the end of each tune... oh, how I miss his talent)
Seal - Seal **
(his voice is distorted 50% of the time)
Janet Jackson - Design of a Decade **
(her voice gets lost 50% of the time, but since I know all the lyrics that really didn't matter much to me)
Olatunji! - Drums Of Passion *
(not recommended, too much reverb which is a shame - it was a great play on my JVC before it got tired of my abuse)
NOTE: I did not even attempt to surpass the MIDDLE volume level during any of these cds for fear that the power behind the volume would blast me through the wall. I don't weigh enough to withstand such a force.
SPECIFICATIONS
Amplifier Output: 5W/Channel x 2
Frequency Response: 80 Hz - 20 kHz + or - 3dB
Speaker Unit: 6.5 cm Cone, Full Range
Magnetic Shielding: Yes
Dimensions (WxHxD): 3-3/8" x 8-1/2" x 5-3/4"
Weight: 7 lbs.
Included Accessories: AC Adapter, stereo mini plug cable, RCA pin plug cable
Color: Platinum White (also available in Calypso Black)
UPC Codes: Platinum White: 0-86792-27488-1 (Calypso Black: 0-86792-27489-8)
OPTIONAL
Multimedia Headphones
MSW8 Subwoofer
MSW10 Subwoofer
YAMAHA'S TAGLINE
"Yamaha Active Servo Technology (YST) give Yamaha multimedia products their competitive edge."
HOLIDAY BONUS
Enclosed I found a $10 rebate on these speakers. I plan to go buy an Ella Fitzgerald cd as soon as possible. Go figure! :)
CONCLUSION
Yamaha YSTM8 speakers, for a mere $35, are in a word: AMAZING!! I suggest you find the nearest store to you in the real world by visiting the Yahama Dealer Locator online at http://www.yamaha.com/dlrsrch_paudio.htm. Then go get some fresh air and buy these speakers.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
wildvirgogirl
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Member: Elle Hills
Location: The Adirondack Park
Reviews written: 47
Trusted by: 136 members
About Me:
Art historian. Avid reader. Lover of etiquette, life, and music. Loyal to God.
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