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Last week we previewed Yamaha’s new high-end flagship speakers: the NS-F901’s. Priced at $5000 per pair, they represent a huge leap in cost over other current Yamaha speaker offerings (Yamaha’s $1200/pair NS-BP400PN bookshelf speakers are next in line). Today we are going to take a look at two new subwoofer offerings from Yamaha that appear to be better suited for medium to small room applications. Much like the NS-F901’s, these subs are priced at the top of Yamaha’s current model lineup, however their cost isn’t significantly higher than other Yamaha subs, keeping them in reach of prospective buyers with stricter budgets.
The NS-SW300 is Yamaha’s flagship subwoofer, priced at $550 MSRP. It features a 10-inch front firing woofer and a twisted side mounted flare port (more on that later). Yamaha says this 250 Watt sub is capable of playing down to 20Hz (but a lack of in-room and ground plane data make it impossible to know real world roll off and in-room frequency responses). Yamaha boasts that the SW300’s PWM Digital Drive High Efficiency Amplifier minimizes power consumption and heat production while eliminating the need for an output filter coil thus reducing noise and distortion. The sub also employs Yamaha’s Advanced YST II technology, which essentially drives the woofer cone in a more linear motion resulting in tighter control.
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The exterior of the sub features a flashy piano black surface and a rounded front speaker grill. Power and gain controls are mounted on the front of the unit (anyone that has fumbled with rear mounted controls in a darkened room will appreciate this). The backside features an LFE input, left and right Mono inputs, and input and output binding posts for speaker wire (making it possible to wire the sub speaker-level). The rear also features a manual crossover knob (marked in 10Hz increments), a standby power switch, a two-way selectable phase control switch, and a “B.A.S.S.” selector switch that allows users to select the sub for movie or music use (this feature is poorly documented in the sub’s manual, simply indicating that this switch optimizes bass for either selected source).
The NS-SW200 costs $100 dollars less the SW300, resulting in an affordable $450. It shares quite a few characteristics with the SW300, but is a smaller, less powerful, speaker. Its front mounted 8-inch woofer is driven by a 130 PWM Amplifier and features Yamaha’s proprietary twisted flare port. Yamaha says this sub digs down to 28Hz, but (much like the SW300) real world data isn’t available to illustrate this claim. The front of the SW200 has power and gain controls, while the rear features speaker clips for speaker level integration along with L/R Mono inputs, an LFE input, and phase and auto standby switches. The B.A.S.S. movie/music selection switch has been removed on this model.
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Yamaha focuses quite a bit of attention on the SW300 and SW200’s “Twisted Flare Ports.” It’s a featured proprietary technology on their website. As you can see in the illustration, they claim that the port’s twisted surface design results in an even diffusion of air through the port. Theoretically, this results in a less turbulent diffusion minimizing chuffing and extraneous noises that smooth ports create. Hopefully this technology has real-world merit and will help these subs deliver clean tight bass under more demanding situations.
The NS-SW300 and NS-SW200 subwoofers are available now.
Image credit: Yamaha
The NS-SW300 is Yamaha’s flagship subwoofer, priced at $550 MSRP. It features a 10-inch front firing woofer and a twisted side mounted flare port (more on that later). Yamaha says this 250 Watt sub is capable of playing down to 20Hz (but a lack of in-room and ground plane data make it impossible to know real world roll off and in-room frequency responses). Yamaha boasts that the SW300’s PWM Digital Drive High Efficiency Amplifier minimizes power consumption and heat production while eliminating the need for an output filter coil thus reducing noise and distortion. The sub also employs Yamaha’s Advanced YST II technology, which essentially drives the woofer cone in a more linear motion resulting in tighter control.
The exterior of the sub features a flashy piano black surface and a rounded front speaker grill. Power and gain controls are mounted on the front of the unit (anyone that has fumbled with rear mounted controls in a darkened room will appreciate this). The backside features an LFE input, left and right Mono inputs, and input and output binding posts for speaker wire (making it possible to wire the sub speaker-level). The rear also features a manual crossover knob (marked in 10Hz increments), a standby power switch, a two-way selectable phase control switch, and a “B.A.S.S.” selector switch that allows users to select the sub for movie or music use (this feature is poorly documented in the sub’s manual, simply indicating that this switch optimizes bass for either selected source).
The NS-SW200 costs $100 dollars less the SW300, resulting in an affordable $450. It shares quite a few characteristics with the SW300, but is a smaller, less powerful, speaker. Its front mounted 8-inch woofer is driven by a 130 PWM Amplifier and features Yamaha’s proprietary twisted flare port. Yamaha says this sub digs down to 28Hz, but (much like the SW300) real world data isn’t available to illustrate this claim. The front of the SW200 has power and gain controls, while the rear features speaker clips for speaker level integration along with L/R Mono inputs, an LFE input, and phase and auto standby switches. The B.A.S.S. movie/music selection switch has been removed on this model.
Yamaha focuses quite a bit of attention on the SW300 and SW200’s “Twisted Flare Ports.” It’s a featured proprietary technology on their website. As you can see in the illustration, they claim that the port’s twisted surface design results in an even diffusion of air through the port. Theoretically, this results in a less turbulent diffusion minimizing chuffing and extraneous noises that smooth ports create. Hopefully this technology has real-world merit and will help these subs deliver clean tight bass under more demanding situations.
The NS-SW300 and NS-SW200 subwoofers are available now.
Image credit: Yamaha
