Tremendously musical tunes; this speaker sings!
Written: Dec 29 '00 (Updated Jan 07 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: very musical sound for such an inexpensive speaker, great bass pitch and rhythm, clear highs
Cons: limited bass extension & volume, a bit of a hole in the lower midrange
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| dorkus's Full Review: Yamaha YST-MS30 2 Speakers |
I bought these for my girlfriend because i was able to get a great deal on them ($55 - $20 rebate) about a year ago. I wasn't expecting very much from them, not being a big fan of 3-piece speaker systems, particularly cheap ones like this (see my YST-MS50 Review). But when I plugged them in, I was pleasantly surprised. As expected, there wasn't a whole lot of low bass, and they couldn't crank too loudly (total power is only 30 watts), but there was an alluring clarity to them that made music very pleasurable at low to moderate volumes. They were a little dry-sounding out of the box, but after a couple weeks they really started to loosen up and sing.
Feature-wise, you get a line input, a power switch, a subwoofer level control, and a volume control, that's about it. Barebones to say the least, but it's nice and simple and gets the job done. The lack of a headphone jack is the only really annoying omission, as it's probably the one feature that everyone could use. A second input jack would have been nice too. Oh well. The power and volume controls are handily located on top of the right satellite, which by the way is tiny and, in the words of my girlfriend, "really cute." A small angle stand/bracket is included to point the speakers up a little, they are a little annoying as you need a screwdriver to attach/adjust them, but once it's set it works fine and complements the overall appearance. The subwoofer is quite small, being about a 8" cube, and can easily be tucked away.
Back to the sound. If I were to single out the most striking feature of its sound quality, it's the combination of incredibly tuneful, rhythmic bass and crystal-clear transparency of the upper midrange/lower treble that make it so much fun to listen to. In particular, when listening at low volumes, the bass has such great pitch definition and pace it makes songs really stand out. In this respect, it is perhaps the best computer I have ever heard, period. For background music listening, these speakers can't be beat, even by its larger sibling, the YST-MS50. Dave Matthews songs have a great beat, with the bass coming across not as some amorphous thumping but as an integral part of the tune. The opening guitar in U2's "One" comes across as warm, rhythmic, and lyrical, not dry and lumpy as on other cheap speakers. Rage Against the Machine doesn't have the kind of booming wall-shaking bass that some may favor, but has a tight beat to it that makes songs sound fresh and alive. Smaller classical music such as string quartets are a tad thin, but have a delicate and clear treble without any sign of harshness.
Drawbacks: as previously stated, with only 30 watts total power and relatively small speakers, they will not shake your desk like other more expensive, more powerful models. For that, try the YST-MS50, or one of the slew of models from other makers. The bass is tight and tuneful as I said, but it's hardly the "deep, powerful bass to 45 Hz" that Yamaha claims in their promotional copy. I'd say it has decent bass response down to around 60Hz or so, not bad for such a compact unit and more than low enough to make the vast majority of music enjoyable. Also, the great sound quality definitely deteriorates above a certain point with increasing volume, getting hard and distorted at high levels. Furthermore, because the satellites are so small, there is the usual "hole-in-the-lower-midrange" disease that plagues so many 3-piece systems. Specifically, the lower-midrange region around 250Hz is definitely on the weak side, so the sound is not as full as larger speakers. Male vocals come across as somewhat thin, and string instruments lack body. However, this dip in response is nowhere near as the 70 - 700Hz range someone else quotes in their review on epinions. In fact, I'd say the 70 - 200Hz region is this speaker's strong suit; it's the octave or two above there that's weak. From about 500Hz on, response perks back up and is extremely clear. The sweet upper midrange and high frequencies also prevent the speakers from sounding tinny or metallic, despite the lower midrange dip.
Despite these problems, I still enthusiastically recommend these for music lovers. At low to moderate volume levels, they are definitely the most tuneful "cheap" speakers I've ever heard and make pop songs really enjoyable. If you need a lot of volume, look elsewhere, but these will play more than loudly enough for all but the deaf, and the transparent sound quality means you don't have to turn it up as loud as other inferior speakers to hear the music in detail. I personally own the larger YST-MS50, which is also very good, because I needed the extra features and power but I still love the MS30 and feel it does some things better than the MS50. This clarity and rhythm of sound is remarkable for such an inexpensive product and makes music addictive to listen to. I simply can't overstate how great the mid to upper bass is - bass notes have such perfect pitch and pace, not the dull thuds we're all so used to from cheap (and even not-so-cheap) subwoofers - it's really remarkable to hear. In this price range, and maybe even a little above, nothing I'm aware of comes close. Just sit back and enjoy the tunes!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dorkus
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Member: tasty donuts
Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 17
Trusted by: 4 members
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