Did my own comparo..
So back in college I needed a pair of computer speakers...
Working at Best Buy I bought the cheapest pair of 'loud' speakers I could find...a pair of Yamaha NS-A100XT tower speakers with a cheap 100w/channel receiver.
Sounded great then. Never over drove them, very neutral sound but ultimately nothing to compare them to. That was 2000. Fast forward to 2am this morning and I finally decided to put them in an A/B with some other speakers. My newest Craigslist find, a pair of beat up RT8s and a pair of those Best Buy specials - the insignia NS-B2111.
Why? did I do this you ask? Well first, I'm bored. Second I just read audioreview on the Yamahas and I wanted to see if those people were right about the speakers.
Now, I am by no means an audiophile, and you wil be able to tell by how I describe things, but the differences were widely apparent.
I put in my favorite cd - Seal (the original).
The setup today - NAD 112 preamp, Yamaha CDX-810u Cd player, Yamaha MX-1000U amp. Speaker cable is two sets of Monster M series.
The Yamaha amp has A/B/C posts and switches up front for easy comparisons.
I hooked them up, and hit play on track 4 - Don't Cry. The Polk RT8s came first. Seal's voice is clear, smooth, with a depth I'm used to. I let the guitars and drums kick in to see how those fare. It's punchy and the bass is definitely there. Remember boys this is only a two way speaker with one 6.5" speaker, but the bass is definitely more than you'd expect, but not overly so.
I switch A off and B on ... the Yamahas turn on slightly louder so i lower it to about the equivalent volume and quickly return to my seat. Is there something wrong with the wiring? Everything just got all muddy. It's almost like I turned a Bose system on, the highs are simply gone. All the drivers seem to be mushing together. I hit pause and check the connections for phase and secure them to be sure. Play again as i switch back and forth. The difference is night and day. I almost feel like there is no crossover in the Yamahas and the details are simply gone. Even the bass is different. People say these speakers are neutral because of their all-aluminum drivers. I don't think it's neutral, I think it's foggy. The song is almost unbearable to listen to. These speakers are in pristine shape with nothing blown, (but still newer than the Polks by years!) This is contrary to what the reviews said. These speakers can't be that bad I'm thinking.
Well I unhook the Polks and compare them to my Insignia specials. People have been raving about these cheapo-depot speakers from Best Buy. I got them for $30 back a few years ago and did a few mods like dampened the inside casing. I play the same song. A/B between them and the Yamahas. Once again, the Yamahas are totally muddy. The Insignias are definitely clearer, but not near as crisp as the Polks. I A/B the Polks and the Insignias. The difference between them is the same as the Polks and the Yamahas, but not only about 1/5th as much. So far everything is better on the RT8s.
I'm glad I did the comparo, up until now I never really had the setup to know the difference. It definitely opened my eyes up, and to think, there's much better speakers out there. I'll change up the source material and maybe the amp (Yamaha M-45 in Class-A mode!) tomorrow and see. Subsequently, the Yamahas are up on Craigslist now. Goodbye college speakers.
BTW, read these reviews on them. I now think they're full of crap. My $65 RT8s and $30 Insignias embarass them.
http://www.audioreview.com/mfr/yamaha/floorstanding-speakers/ns-a100xt-/PRD_126996_1594crx.aspx
Working at Best Buy I bought the cheapest pair of 'loud' speakers I could find...a pair of Yamaha NS-A100XT tower speakers with a cheap 100w/channel receiver.
Sounded great then. Never over drove them, very neutral sound but ultimately nothing to compare them to. That was 2000. Fast forward to 2am this morning and I finally decided to put them in an A/B with some other speakers. My newest Craigslist find, a pair of beat up RT8s and a pair of those Best Buy specials - the insignia NS-B2111.
Why? did I do this you ask? Well first, I'm bored. Second I just read audioreview on the Yamahas and I wanted to see if those people were right about the speakers.
Now, I am by no means an audiophile, and you wil be able to tell by how I describe things, but the differences were widely apparent.
I put in my favorite cd - Seal (the original).
The setup today - NAD 112 preamp, Yamaha CDX-810u Cd player, Yamaha MX-1000U amp. Speaker cable is two sets of Monster M series.
The Yamaha amp has A/B/C posts and switches up front for easy comparisons.
I hooked them up, and hit play on track 4 - Don't Cry. The Polk RT8s came first. Seal's voice is clear, smooth, with a depth I'm used to. I let the guitars and drums kick in to see how those fare. It's punchy and the bass is definitely there. Remember boys this is only a two way speaker with one 6.5" speaker, but the bass is definitely more than you'd expect, but not overly so.
I switch A off and B on ... the Yamahas turn on slightly louder so i lower it to about the equivalent volume and quickly return to my seat. Is there something wrong with the wiring? Everything just got all muddy. It's almost like I turned a Bose system on, the highs are simply gone. All the drivers seem to be mushing together. I hit pause and check the connections for phase and secure them to be sure. Play again as i switch back and forth. The difference is night and day. I almost feel like there is no crossover in the Yamahas and the details are simply gone. Even the bass is different. People say these speakers are neutral because of their all-aluminum drivers. I don't think it's neutral, I think it's foggy. The song is almost unbearable to listen to. These speakers are in pristine shape with nothing blown, (but still newer than the Polks by years!) This is contrary to what the reviews said. These speakers can't be that bad I'm thinking.
Well I unhook the Polks and compare them to my Insignia specials. People have been raving about these cheapo-depot speakers from Best Buy. I got them for $30 back a few years ago and did a few mods like dampened the inside casing. I play the same song. A/B between them and the Yamahas. Once again, the Yamahas are totally muddy. The Insignias are definitely clearer, but not near as crisp as the Polks. I A/B the Polks and the Insignias. The difference between them is the same as the Polks and the Yamahas, but not only about 1/5th as much. So far everything is better on the RT8s.
I'm glad I did the comparo, up until now I never really had the setup to know the difference. It definitely opened my eyes up, and to think, there's much better speakers out there. I'll change up the source material and maybe the amp (Yamaha M-45 in Class-A mode!) tomorrow and see. Subsequently, the Yamahas are up on Craigslist now. Goodbye college speakers.
BTW, read these reviews on them. I now think they're full of crap. My $65 RT8s and $30 Insignias embarass them.
http://www.audioreview.com/mfr/yamaha/floorstanding-speakers/ns-a100xt-/PRD_126996_1594crx.aspx
Main Surround -
Epson 8350 Projector/ Elite Screens 120" / Pioneer Elite SC-35 / Sunfire Signature / Focal Chorus 716s / Focal Chorus CC / Polk MC80 / Polk PSW150 sub
Bedroom - Sharp Aquos 70" 650 / Pioneer SC-1222k / Polk RT-55 / Polk CS-250
Den - Rotel RSP-1068 / Threshold CAS-2 / Boston VR-M60 / BDP-05FD
Epson 8350 Projector/ Elite Screens 120" / Pioneer Elite SC-35 / Sunfire Signature / Focal Chorus 716s / Focal Chorus CC / Polk MC80 / Polk PSW150 sub
Bedroom - Sharp Aquos 70" 650 / Pioneer SC-1222k / Polk RT-55 / Polk CS-250
Den - Rotel RSP-1068 / Threshold CAS-2 / Boston VR-M60 / BDP-05FD
Post edited by nguyendot on
Comments
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well, congrats on your newfound journey....it will be fun and upgrades are in the mailVideo: LG 55LN5100/Samsung LNT4065F
Receiver: HK AVR445
Source: OPPO BDP-93
HT: POLK SPEAKERS RTi6, FXi3, CSi5, VTF-3 MK2
2Ch system: MC2105, AR-XA, AR-2A, AR9, BX-300, OPPO BDP-83 -
Swapped the Yamahas out (they're on Craigslist now) for the B&W DM2000's I just picked up. WOW what a difference. The B&W's truly are neutral, but definitely are clear. I fed them with the NAD 214 and Yamaha M-45 amplifier and they sound much better than the MX-1000u (I don't know why, but that amp with these speakers doesn't sound so great). These speakers don't emphasize the bright treble like the Polks (which I like) but I can appreciate how they don't color the sound at all.
I can't wait to find more material to play. Right now I'm getting a custom stand/spikes set up for them. Unlike my RT8's, they don't have provisions for spikes so I'll have to do something custom!Main Surround -
Epson 8350 Projector/ Elite Screens 120" / Pioneer Elite SC-35 / Sunfire Signature / Focal Chorus 716s / Focal Chorus CC / Polk MC80 / Polk PSW150 sub
Bedroom - Sharp Aquos 70" 650 / Pioneer SC-1222k / Polk RT-55 / Polk CS-250
Den - Rotel RSP-1068 / Threshold CAS-2 / Boston VR-M60 / BDP-05FD -
I feel truly sorry for you, for you have discovered the slippery slope of sonic bliss. I would pull you back from oblivion, but it's to late as I have already fallen!:eek:
The best you can hope for now is someone to toss you a parachute before you loose your wallet:D
Congrats on your discoveries and enjoy the ride!The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
