Customer Reviews

Yamaha YST-SW315 10-Inch Digital Pro Series Subwoofer (Black)

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I picked up the Sony 8" (SA-WM250 100-Watt) Active Subwoofer recently, and it's quite nice (especially the price at under $100.00). But this smaller system can't hold a candle to the Yahama. This 10" system pumps out clean, crisp base and its cut-off option allows the user to limit the higher frequency response of the sub-woofer (and let your mid-range speakers do the job). The result - a pretty massive, well defined bottom that can be as subtle or as "in your face" as you like it and which will nicely compliment just about any existing audio/visual system.

Because I use a pair of smaller AAD speakers, I keep the volume level for the subwoofer at below 50%, but the frequency cut-off a bit higher (110 hz out of max 140hz) for a nicely balanced, very full sound. Another nice feature is a bass button selection for either (i) music, or (ii) movies. The latter provides maximum bass response - suitable for achieving something similar to what you get in movie theatres - the rumbling bass that lodges in your stomach. The former, music option, is ideal and very complimentary to my existing stereo arrangement.

If you're unhappy with the response of your shelf speakers (want more oomph?), you'll love this Yamaha subwoofer. It'll add depth to your existing system, and add real luster to your audio-video setup. I recently re-watched "The Two Towers" on DVD using the Yahama - the experience was truly like a return to the theatre.

As I have surround sound systems in several rooms of my home, I own quite a few subwoofers. Although I have purchased subs from different manufacturers in the past, I have found that Yamaha subs give the biggest bang (or thump) for the buck. The YST-SW315 is a perfect example of Yamaha's ability to deliver serious bass frequencies from a rather simple, low cost device.

I purchased the YST-SW315 for my home office, to provide extra depth for the surround system that I have connected to my computer and other A/V equipment. The SW315 subwoofer sits on the floor, hidden below a corner desk unit. This sub enclosure measures 13-3/4" (W) x 16-15/16" (H) x 15-1/16" (D), and weighs roughly 42 lbs. Although it's not extremely small, this sub really doesn't take up that much room. It is a fairly square shaped box with a flat surface, so you can always sit something on top of it if you desire. I have the sub hooked to my surround receiver via the line level inputs. However, there are also speaker level inputs and outputs, for those that wish to connect the subwoofer inline, between their stereo amplifier and stereo speakers. It is magnetically shielded, so this subwoofer can be placed next to anything without worry of magnetic interference from the speaker itself.

The YST-SW315 subwoofer utilizes two technologies that are unique to Yamaha.

* Advanced YST - Advanced Yamaha Active Servo Technology is a unique system in which the speaker and amplifier work together to cancel out impedance so the speaker unit has a perfectly linear motion. Advanced YST helps to ensure the highest levels of sound pressure and overall performance.

* QD-Bass Technology - Quatre Dispersion Bass technology uses down-firing drivers with square, pyramid-shaped reflective plates to radiate the sound efficiently in four horizontal directions. The reflective plates negate any effects caused by the floor surface and reduce resonance between sound waves reflected from the floor and the unit.

I don't know much about Advanced YST and QD-Bass Technology, but I do know this subwoofer sounds great. Although relatively small, this little speaker box packs quite a punch, and fills the room with deep sound that you can feel as well as hear. I use this subwoofer for a combination of listening to music, for computer game play and for watching movies. There is a button, on the subwoofer control panel, that lets you select "Movie" or "Music" mode. There is a noticeable sound difference between the two modes, so a user would definitely want to utilize this button when switching between watching movies and listening to music. The control panel, which is located on the front side of the subwoofer cube, also contains a volume knob, an auto standby (on/off) switch, a high cut filter (on/off) switch, and a high cut filter adjustment knob. The auto standby feature is very handy, as it allows the subwoofer to power itself up when it receives sound and goes into standby (sleep) mode when no sound is present after about 5 minutes. Power consumption, while in standby mode, is only 0.5 watts, so I personally love the convenience and energy efficiency of the auto standby feature. If you prefer to power the subwoofer on and off manually, the main power switch is located on the back of the unit, rather than on the control panel itself. Next to the on/off power switch is also a Phase Control switch, so you can select whether you want the sub to work in normal or reverse phase. I will not go into what phase changing does to the sound, but audiophiles will understand that reversing the phase would be the same as reversing the positive and negative wire connections on the back of a loudspeaker. It simply changes whether the speaker cone moves inward or outward to produce sound waves.

The high cut filter adjustment control works very well, allowing you to determine the high-end frequency cutoff of the speaker. Obviously a subwoofer is meant to produce very low frequency sounds, so being able to cut out somewhat higher frequencies can produce much cleaner, punchier bass sound. This control allows you to customize the bass sound, to best match the speakers that you have producing the higher frequencies. When set correctly you should experience a full bodied sound, without any dropouts in the frequency range between the main speakers and the subwoofer.

Here are some technical specs of the YST-SW315:

* Advanced YST Technology
* QD Bass Technology
* High Efficiency Power Amplifier: 250-watts nominal / 270-watts dynamic power
* Multi-Range Driver: 10" Cone
* Magnetic Shielding
* Phase Control Switch: Normal or Reverse
* High Cut Filter: 40 - 140 Hz
* Auto Standby
* Bass Action Selector System: Movie Mode or Music Mode
* Inputs: Line-level in (RCA phono x 2), Speaker-level in (heavy-duty post x 2)
* Outputs: Speaker-level pass-through (heavy-duty post x 2)
* Frequency Response: 20 - 160 Hz (-10 dB)
* Power Consumption: 80-Watts (operation) / 0.5-Watts (stand-by)
* Warranty: 2 years (parts & labor)

Overall I have been extremely pleased with the Yamaha YST-SW315 subwoofer. The flat-black cabinet fits in well with most of today's stereo equipment, and this model is also available in silver and glossy piano-black finishes as well. It is small enough to hide behind a piece of furniture but looks good enough to leave out in plain view. There is an air outlet port on one side, so you will want to make sure to place the cabinet in an area where the air can escape without restriction, otherwise the sound will be affected in a negative way. A few inches of clearance should prove adequate for the air to move freely. The speaker cone itself is located on the bottom of the cabinet, which fires down toward the floor and therefore doesn't require any special clearance. The bass produced by the YST-SW315 subwoofer is very solid and punchy, and gives very little audible distortion at even high volume levels. I feel that this subwoofer is excellent for a mid-sized family room or living room, but may not be well suited for an extremely large room, unless you added a second subwoofer (one for each channel - left & right). My home office measures roughly 16' x 18', and this subwoofer is able to fill that room with gut-rumbling bass very well. I leave the SW315 in auto standby mode at all times, as I find this feature to work very well. It should be noted, however, that there is about a 6-second delay before the subwoofer begins working, after it receives a signal from your audio source. This may prove annoying for those that use the subwoofer for music. But for movie watching it really isn't an issue since the sub only misses the first few seconds of the opening music score (usually a movie preview that comes on before the actual movie begins).

Although I cannot guarantee that this subwoofer will prove to be perfection for every consumer, I honestly cannot find one fault in this device. I have pushed this speaker pretty hard in the past, and I have yet to notice any serious distortion or the typical overpowering boomy sound that many subs produce. The YST-SW315 produces clean, punchy bass at just about any volume level, and when adjusted correctly will not overpower the rest of your audio. It has a powerful built-in amplifier and looks, feels, and sounds very well made. Since this subwoofer has exceeded my expectations, and is an incredible value for the price, I am giving the Yamaha YST-SW315 10-inch Digital Pro Series Subwoofer 5-stars. I highly recommend it for anyone that is looking to add solid low-end frequencies to their stereo or home theater audio system.

Maybe I'm bias because I really like Yamaha, maybe, because I have kinda' good ears or, it's the fat check sitting on my table from Yamaha; but what ever it is I realllllllly like this sub-woofer.

I looked around a long time for the right sub, and, I like to think I got a good one here.
You want power? Ok, it's only 250 watts -not 1,000 watts like Velodyne, but in my room (30 by 18ish with a 25 foot ceiling) it ROCKS.

I love music, all kinds; loud or quiet no matter I like both, but I do like depth more than volume. However, I believe if you are going to listen to something real loud, being able to feel the music is as important as being able to here it.
And let me say you can FEEL music if you want to.
one of the things I love most about this sub is it's range; it can (maybe) reach 20 hertz. 20 hertz! that is astounding.
20Hz is the lowest frequency the human ear can hear, in fact it's starting into the range of sounds that are felt more than heard.

Maybe I have good ears and maybe I don't, but to hear rich airy low-end, and, bass notes. yes! bass NOTES! bass is not one big boomy lump of noise, it's huge, open, grazing pasture of distinct sounds!

In short, music sounds great, even hip-hop (which I don't like) sounds, well, better.
Also, their is no need to turn the volume way up to hear a improvement; at very quiet levels too, you can hear good clean bass notes. But, if you do a lot of quite listening, we're talking back ground music levels: disable the auto-on feature and manually turn it on and off, because if you happen to be listening to something quiet, even if you still can here low notes from this, it does not seem to be enough signal to keep the auto-on, well... on.

It improves movies as well, take something with a lot of dynamics like, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" or, "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" there are a lot of sudden loud, and very low sounds in those movie's and the Yamaha handles it all with aplomb.

With most of the controls are on the front set-up is and tweaking is made easy, and if you are wondering about the "BASS" button: if the button is in the "music" position you will have to turn the volume to a higher level to shake the termites out of the walls than if its set to the "movie" position (I think "music" is a flatter frequency response).
As this review seems to be getting a bit long I'll some it up:
yes, there are far better subwoofers out there (like from B&W), but I don't have the money for those, and if someone gave me a 1,000 watt Velodyne I would take it in a heartbeat- but, I wouldn't want to give this one up too.
It's a absolute pleasure to listen to.


Update: I have run some test tones on this subwoofer, and well, it can not reach 20Hz. 38Hz seems to be the limit for usable bass, although it is still audible to around 32Hz, 20Hz is a stretch.
If 38Hz sounds to high: their are not many movie's or CD's that have any sounds below 35Hz. And very, very few have sound below 25Hz.
Although it does not go as low as I would have hoped, it is still a good sub for the money, and still worth a five star review.

I had just bought a Yamaha HTR 5990 and decided I needed a real powered Sub to go with it without going too crazy. This seemed to fit the bill, from stylish looks to power and the fact that it had a great range down to 20hz.I have to say after it arriving and getting it setup, I was not disappointed! This pretty little Box can Hum. The 4 tuned bass ports put a lot of sound without it sounding like a truck on the highway, it sounds like music, or whatever else its trying to achieve. It has nice options for how you want it setup for cutoff, and I love the auto sensing power on/off. I was happy with how well it went with floor standing Definative Tech BPs, and M&K SATs in the rear. Anyone looking for a mid-grade Sub without too much over drive{as long as you don't over power it} This should satisfy your needs.I'm very happy with it. Movies, Games, Music it handles it all well. I don't feel you can do much better for the price. I listened to much more expensive Subs at the local tweeter, which I found much less appealing.

I needed a sub for my garage, and did not want to spend more than $200. Got it on sale for well under that.

Since this was just for the garage, when tinkering with my bikes, I didn't want something too expensive, and didn't expect much from such a small sub. I was very pleasantly suprised by it's performance, This thing will rock when needed, and hits suprisingly low for a small sub in a very large space.

I first tried a Polk PSW10, since Polk products had never dissapointed me in the past. Well there is always a first time... The Yamaha smokes the Polk sub, I returned the Polk immediatly.

Of couse it doesn't compare with the Energy S12.3 I use in my main music system, but for 1/5 the cost, I never expected it to.

I've had this sub for about and month and am very pleased with it. I wanted something that was large enough to be felt on movies but small enough that my wife wouldn't give me grief. It also had to be very musical. This Yamaha fits the bill. Be aware that it is a 15 inch black box sitting on a 3 inch plastic stand (the stand holds a cone underneath the speaker) and is not small enough to hide. I thought my wife would freak when I first set it up but when I asked her if it blended in with our other black components she said it was "Ok". I was very releaved as one of our biggest arguments ever was over speaker placement.

Sound: I have the Klipsch Quintet SL's main speakers(very nice) and a Kenwood receiver with 100 watts per channel. The Yamaha blends in very well with the main speakers. I have a very wide range of taste in music from classical to rock and I can't find any faults with this sub. I have the volume set at 25% and the cut off set at 40% and this seems to be ideal settings for music. I purchased the Tierney Sutton Dancing in the Dark (Multichannel Hybrid SACD) and couldn't be more pleased with the sound. The Yamaha augmented my Klipsch speakers perfectly and the sub just disappeared in the background. This is what a musical sub should sound like.

Movies: I haven't watched a lot of movies with the sub attached(because I am enjoying the music so much) but one that did make an impression is the movie "Twister". If you crank up the volume on the sub past 60% things start to move. When the twisters were in full force I could feel the sub moving my pants legs from 12 feet away.

Notes: You must supply input to both the right and left side connectors on the sub. My receiver only has one "sub out" connection so I had to use a "T" on the cable to supply both sides. If you just supply one side there is a large drop in sound volume.

Summary: I must have looked at 50 subs and was close to buying a Definitive Tech or a Klipsch sub. I'm glad I kept looking as this Yamaha is the best I have heard for under $500. If you just want an "In your face thumper" then this probably isn't the sub for you. If you are into quality sound over volume then you can stop looking. This is it.

I had been shopping for a powered subwoofer to beef up my yamaha suround sound. I came across this yst-315 and after reading a few reviews I bought it. Nothing could have prepared me for the sound that this speaker produces, it is amazing. I have never heard a "clean" bass sound before this. I highly advice buying this if you are shopping for subs.

This this pounds plenty. Dont spend 500+ on other subs when this is perfect for less than 200. I really cant imagine a subwoofer getting much better than this. Major bang for the buck. And it has nice features too. Only thing it lacks is a crossover bypass option, but you can just turn the crossover all the way up to get over that issue.

I got this sub about a year ago and i have it hooked up to an old NAD reciever. Not even old technology slows this black box down. I tried it on another Denon reciever and i hooked up a monster cable from the rec sub output into the sub and it sounded even more amazing. I can turn the bass on my Nad all the way down and adjust the sub and it sounds amazing. Its great for just plain music listening, parties, gaming, or watching movies that need subs like action movies. On my floor last year all the guys hooked up their stereos in teh lounge and we had a sound off..... no one even came close to my sub with 2 infiniti kappa speakers backing it up. there were guys with 4' tall floor speakers and one guy even had a 15" sub in a box brand new.. i dont know the brand, but it wasnt even close to mine. I was named the floor pounder for the year with the best stereo.
If you know what sounds good, and how to make things sound good.... you well get a big bang for your buck.... BUY IT!!!!!!

I first heard the YST series of Yamaha subs a few years ago at a buddy's house. It was the 8" 120 watt version and I noticed right off that the sound could be tuned from the front which is very convenient. Aside from the power button, there was also a button to toggle between music and movies which seemed to tighten the bass response for music, or add delay with a slower decay for movies. And lastly the output level and crossover frequency knobs. By way of comparison, my buddy bought a new surround speaker system made by JBL that came with a 10" 150 watt sub. The Yamaha sub seemed to have more flexibility with tuning and tailoring the sound to the respective listening area, as well as wider dynamic range when integrating with the midbass in musical passages. I was sold.
I ended up buying 2 YST-SW315s. I always buy subs in pairs because I listen to a lot of music and prefer bass frequencies to play in true stereo. Also, pairing up subs tends to make them 'disappear' as well as add more punch with less effort than a single sub system. My twin subs are mainly used with music, providing enhanced bass for a pair of audiophile calibur Eminent Tech Speakers that are extremely fast and accurate. The 'twins' hold their own nicely and add a bouncy punch to the bottom 2 octaves. The quality is undeniable, the fit n' finish is superb, and the sound is solid and clear. When you add a pricetag that can fit most any budget, you get much, much more than just a subwoofer, you get a respectable foundation upon which you can build the sound system of your dreams.