Yamaha YST-SW215 8" Powered Subwoofer

Other products by Yamaha

Product Details

Product Manual [1.71mb PDF]

• Item Weight: 28.7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 29 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000W59F4
• Item model number: YST-SW215
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #36,240 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 3, 2003

Product Description

From the Manufacturer
The Yamaha YST-SW215 powered subwoofer features an 8-inch cone driver and 120-watt amplifier, the latter ensuring enough power to deliver shattering, movie-theater-like bass effects, and the former translating the power into clear bass sound. The speaker also includes Yamaha's Advanced Active Servo Technology, a complementary amplifier/speaker system that utilizes negative impedance feedback in the amp and a Helmholtz resonator in the speaker to provide strong and accurate bass tones. Other features include a BASS (Bass Action Selector Switch), which tailors the sub's output for video or music at the touch of a switch, and QD-Bass Technology, which uses a down firing driver to radiate the sound in all directions for greater impact. In addition, the user-adjustable high-cut filter sets the highest frequency the subwoofer will deliver (anywhere from 50 to 150 Hz). If the filter is set at 75 Hz, only frequencies below or equal to 75 Hz will be delivered. This allows the user to match the sub with other speakers in the system and the room's acoustics. The subwoofer has an overall frequency range of 30 to 200 Hz.

The YST-SW215 also features magnetic shielding, which lets you place the speaker on a TV or video monitor without degrading the picture, and an individual volume control so you can match the sub's output to the system's volume. To further increase efficiency, the sub's auto signal on/off detects when an audio signal is no longer present and shuts off after several minutes. Yamaha also made it easier to phase the subwoofer into your system with its Phase Normal/Reverse switch.

The sub features dual inputs that accept either line level or speaker level input signals, and the three-way speaker terminals accept banana plugs and a variety of other speaker connectors, as well as speaker wire. The sub is constructed of thick MDF to increase rigidity and reduce vibration and resonance, and it also fits with a variety of room dŽcor due to its handsome black ash finish.

Product Description
The YST-SW215 is Yamaha's newest subwoofer model, designed to provide extremely high quality bass performance for the enjoyment of both music and movies. It uses two highly acclaimed technologies, Advanced YST and QD-Bass, to deliver deep and powerful bass with an amazing degree of clarity. A BASS (Bass Action Selector System) switch lets you choose between Music and Movie modes and you can also adjust the cutoff frequency of the high cut filter, giving you the best possible response with every sound source. Sophisticated and powerful, this subwoofer will make every system sound a great deal better.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Small Sub, BIG Sound!, December 30, 2004

By	M. Berube "Stone Crazy" (Nashua, NH USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Just got this subwofer from Amazon today, and boy am I impressed! When I ordered it I was looking for something affordable, but with a decent amount of power and good sound. Since the price was right and I already have 2 Yamaha front speakers, I decided to give this one a shot. Well, the Yamaha SW215 fits the bill perfectly. At $99 from Amazon, it one of the lowest priced subs anywhere, yet it has more features and more power than the comparable priced Sony product. It is very ruggedly built, and sounds great. It is also super easy to hook up and use, and the automatic shutoff feature works flawlessly with my Sony STR-DE595 receiver. As some previous reviewers stated, the B.A.S.S. switch doesn't seem to do much, as I cant discern any difference in the two settings, but I like the location of the controls on the front of the sub. Overall, I would say this sub is a great deal. If you are looking for the best budget sub, this is it!!!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great value & sound in a small package, December 8, 2004

By	mdchachi "mdchachi" (USA) - See all my reviews

I got a pricy Carver amp and Tanvoy speakers a few years but held off on a subwoofer because of the expense. I didn't think a cheap speaker would be worth buying and I didn't want to spend the money for a audiophile-quality subwoofer. In the mad rush of after Thanksgiving sales, I saw this speaker and decided to take a chance. I am not sorry in the least. The speaker puts out a lot of sound for the size & price. It doesn't rattle the windows or vibrate things off the shelf but it adds that much needed depth in the low frequencies to my system. The controls made it easy to set the frequency cut off and volume to blend in well with my other speakers. It has a power-down feature which fortunately has a sensitivity switch because I found that in the default position, it wouldn't kick back on at low volumes even when it would clearly have made a difference. That was easily adjusted. It still powers down when not needed but not as readily. It has a movie/music switch which, for the life of me, I couldn't discern a difference. I wish they had explained how it worked so I could better determine if I could just leave it in one position or the other. Switching it back and forth for one or the other is an irritant especially when I can't detect a difference.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars surprisingly great for the price, January 23, 2005

By	techmannn "techmannn" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

I didn't expect much from this fairly cheap subwoofer: I wanted a subwoofer for my home theater, and that's it. I was impressed with all of the options built-into the subwoofer. There is a "super-bass" option in addition to the usual volume option. There's a power button to turn it off without having to unplug it. The bass is directed downward which is exactly as one would want a subwoofer. There are RCA type plugs on the back so be sure your stereo receiver uses this type of connection. Pleasantly happy with the sound.