UALOneKPlus wrote:Thanks cfitz. Have you personally compared these to the ATP3? I have the ATP3, and am conflicting about buying these Yamaha speakers. I want to hear from an authority such as yourself whether it's worth the hassle to "upgrade" to the Yamaha, or stick with my ATP3.
Sorry, but no I have not. And I don't consider myself an authority on audiophile matters. I do enjoy music, and I can tell the really cheap from the really nice when it comes to audio equipment, but I don't have the finely tuned "golden ears" of a real audiophile enthusiast. In fact, I jokingly say I have "leaden ears".
The only thing I can tell you is that many others have given these speakers very positive reviews, including our very own Asrale.
One point that might affect your decision one way or the other is the bass response. These Yamahas are said to have a more accurate but less pronounced bass reponse than many other systems. From my point of view that is a good thing. I usually prefer my bass to be clean rather than loud and boomy. That's why my stereo has an old pair of Boston Acoustics A70 acoustic suspension (sealed) speakers rather than a pair of ported bass reflex speakers. They don't knock you over with bass, but what they do produce seems to be pretty accurate and not the one-note bass of many cheap, high-output ported speakers. I prefer this for music. Of course, it doesn't provide the same visceral impact of a high-efficiency ported design when fragging enemies in your favorite first-person shoot-em-up or watching a car explode on your favorite DVD.
Now, these Yamaha speakers do have a ported subwoofer, and owners report that they can put out some good loud bass. But according to the comments, Yamaha has apparently tuned this system in favor of more accurate bass at the expense of some loss in overall bass volume. Given Yamaha's background in production of musical instruments, this might not be too surprising.
Make your decision accordingly. Of course it would be best if you could audition a set yourself and compare it directly to the ATP3, but that may not be possible for you in the available timeframe. Maybe dodecahedron can advise you, since I think these and the ATP3 were on his list of speakers he was
looking at a while back, and I believe he ended up buying the ATP3 (although that was at least partly due to the expense of the Yamahas in Israel). I am considering the Yamahas because my computer only has a set of no-name, single driver, $5 throw-away stereo speakers with no subwoofer at all. They are obviously no match for the Yamahas, and to paraphrase Asrale, at $36 I have no excuse not replace my current electric kazoos.
cfitz
