Customer Reviews

Yamaha NS-C125 2-Way Bass-Reflex Center Channel Speaker

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Here is a nice compact Center Channel Speaker for an entry level system. The Yamaha NS-C125 is a great Home Theater value. The sound is clean and clear. Not very powerful or deep but certainly acceptable. If you are looking for a speaker with good sound and won't break your wallet, then look no further. I would also suggest you use this center speaker with the matching NS-125 Tower Speakers and Rear Speakers by Yamaha, another good value.

NUFF SAID!

I wanted to add speakers to another room in the house and needed a middle speaker. As my other speakers were Yamahas, I wanted to keep them all the same. I came across this Yamaha middle speaker, which works great for the price and match's the other speakers.I'm very happy with the sound it produces.

I added the NS-C125 as the first move from 2+1 stereo to 5+1 surround. Child-proofing forced the main speakers to the side walls. That left just enough of a "hole in the middle" effect to make me look for a center speaker. It had to be compact but big enough to sound like real speaker. The Yamaha worked by being 4.25" high with the included velcro mounts. It follows the classic center speaker pattern of two main drivers flanking the center tweeter to keep the sound image "centered." The main drivers are some kind of paper. That's probably not too much of a drawback for 3.5" drivers when you use the receiver's controls to cut their bass off at 100 Hz or higher.

My set-up includes Axiom M3Ti's as the main speakers plus subwoofer & now surrounds. I'm pleased with the Yamaha. The sound stage of my system improved quite a bit even in 3+1 config before surround speakers were added. The hole in the center is gone. 3+1 is an easy, inexpensive improvement even for stereo speakers with good imaging like the Axioms and especially if placement or speaker quality have you lacking in the sound stage. The center-supported sound is now well placed & balanced in most of the room. Plain stereo worked well just on the prime sofa opposite the speakers. With the Yamaha in the center, you have to be 45-60 degrees off-axis before the nearer main speaker pulls centered dialog away from the screen. The tweeter seems smooth and clean. The speaker is balanced & musical despite the low overall price. A good but simple mono recording like Peggy Lee's Fever gives impressive depth & detail even when listening a few feet from the Yamaha but twice as far from the mains.

The list price ($100) is appropriate. $60-80 puts this Yamaha in the "why didn't get one sooner" category. There's also a version with piano black finish at a small price premium.

Another note: The NS-M125 sold in pairs as a main speaker looks to be the same speaker as the NS-C125 except for the logo & the placement of the small mounting clip on the back. If you want 2 NS-C125's (for center & rear surround) the NS-M125 pair would be a cheaper way to get them.

Space and appearance were the most important factors in selecting this center channel speaker; and I am not disappointed in the sound I'm getting either. It's a compact speaker that fits nicely atop my Samsung DVD player and under the shelf that supports my Samsung LCD TV (with about 1/16th of an inch to spare). The audio is smooth and right in the perfect range for good dialog presentation. When playing music it is a nice addition to my mains, surrounds and sub (5.1). I've always been partial to Yamaha and after this purchase I still am.

Purchased with my Onkyo Receiver. Love them both. Would highly recommend this speaker!

Compliments my rest of the sound system. cannot say great product but i have no complains.

Cheap. This is the only word that sums this speaker up. I bought this exact model from Radio Shack on special for $20, and I woulden't dare spend more. For $80, this speaker is a horrific mistake. It is "home theater in a box" quality at best.

Build Quality: First off, I will say it looks pretty good. And its very small, if that is your thing. The grille is really difficult to remove, and I didn't bother to take mine off. However the display model in Rat Shack was busted up so I could take a look inside. The twin drivers are paper, they can say polymer all day, but its paper. I woulden't dare touch these as I figured I would put my finger right through them. The binding posts in the back are big, stupid affairs to make it seems like they have real 5-way binding posts in them. But in reality they are wobbly plastic knobs, and would only accept a bare wire or a spade. They are pretty light, I was afriad this would fall of my tv, so i taped it down.

Sound Quality: Poor. I mean, for 80$ it is unacceptable. For $20 is is what you expect, but not amazing. I have had this going for about 60 hours now, so I figure if there was any break in to be done, It would have occured by now. It is very bright, voices seem to be very shrill and unbalanced. It is no better then what you are going to get from a HTIB system.

It replaced a cheezeball satillite for me, and it was a noticeable improvement. However even at $20 I regret the purchase. I was putting together a 5.1 system for as cheap as possible, but this is too cheap for even that system. The problem with a speaker like this, is that is is okay for what it does, but all It will make you want to do is upgrade again. For $20 I consider that a harmless mistake, but at $80, it starts to get painful. And at that price you can buy some great used gear from ebay or even this marketplace. (for the record, at $20 i'd give this 3.5/5)

Beware this unit is 6 ohm impedence. no use to me with an 8 ohm system

I do not have experience with some other center speaker (other than some basic home theater speakers) to compare this with, but it seems to me that for the price I paid, the performance (clarity/base) could have been better.