I bought this speakers at WIZ, is about $99. It is very best for me, and I compared this one with some over $500 speakers, but I like this one so much. It is with very clean sounds. It is very good for my to listen classic music. I love it and used it over 20 years.

I have been very impressed for a $200 pair of speakers. There were given to me by someone who was using them for a home theater system and was moving, and I found out later that they actually were studio monitors. They have a good flat response and are very transparent. I hear a lot of details and nuances of music on these thing that I never hear on anything else. They are not super-bassy, but they are perfect for nearfield monitors. They are very clear, especially the mids, not muddy at all. I do a lot of both mixing and listening to other music on them, and I would highly recommend them. They may not be as nice as a really expensive pair of high-grade studio monitors, but for $200, you can't beat it! A great purchase for anything who wants a good pair of monitors to mix on.

Imaging
Soundstaging
Looks like there are some good possibilities for modding this
Clear midrange

Uneven frequency responce
Harsh treble
Bad build quality

I had these speakers in my system for a little while, and to make a long story short, was not impressed with them. The midrange driver in them seems very good; it gives the speaker very good imaging and soundstaging, but other than that, the speaker is pretty bad. It is very boomy and sounds coloured and boxy in the bass/low midrange and the treble is too loud and too sibilant.

I would have to disagree with many of the other reviewers, in that this speaker does not give a neutral presentation at all. The equalization is far from flat, with muddy, uneven bass and way too much high end. It is a very boom and tizz speaker, one that would probably please alot of people who leave the "loudness" button engaged 24/7.

An internal look showed that the particleboard was as thin as it looked and sounded(1/2" if even), and did not have any bracing. There was no dampening and the wire clip cup was not attached in any way, I was able to push it out with my thumb. Finally, the "crossover" consisted of a cap on the tweeter and a cap on the midrange, certainly far from enough to prevent the drivers from operating outside of their ranges.

Customer Service

Never had to call, but I hear Yamaha is relatively good

Similar Products Used:

Other Speakers:
Acoustic Design Triad Speaker System
Axiom M3 v2
Bose 301 MkIII
A/D/S L470

Used the Yamaha speakers with:
Sony DA555ES (receiver)
Pioneer SX-434 (reciever)
Sony CDP-291 (CD Player)
iPod Video
Thorens TD-150 (Turntable)

Great highs and mid's.

None if used correctly!

These have been great speakers over the past 3 years since they were given to me with a Technics receiver.They are very very durable and can handle alot!
I mainly listen to rock and use them with my computer so have fine-tuned them to my receiver and the sound is awesome!!!These are not recomended for rap and heavy bass because give them to much bass and the woofers will rattle and make a popping noise.that is why i bought a sub for it to cure that.So I give these 5 stars+ because of the awesome quality the only problem was when i blew a woofer but that was replaced easily for 22$.

Similar Products Used:

Technics 5.1 channel SA-EX300 receiver.

Neutral, detailed sound. Tight, sealed-enclosure bass. Doesn't add much colouration to the material. Decent imaging. Overall, impressive for the price paid.

Accurate imaging seems to come at the expense of dispersion. This creates soundstaging issues when used in large rooms.

As a orchestral musician, I've found that these speakers deliver tight, accurate, neutral, and detailed sound. With careful installation, they are capable of very convincing and rewarding reproductions of classical and jazz recordings. "Close-miked" material works especially well. But make no mistake--these are "dry" sounding speakers. They don't "create" bass on their own or add high-frequency air. Less-than-brilliant recordings and/or carelessly broadcast FM material will have every fault mercilessly exposed. Many listeners will not like them for these reasons. But for my listening room and the material I listen to, they are near perfect. I love 'em! These speakers don't have really great dispersion, so careful installation on stands is an absolute MUST with these speakers. Fine-tuning speaker placement with a test-tone CD and an SPL meter is highly recommended to make the most of the speakers' bass response. These speakers work especially well in small, "live" listening rooms. In a large family room, however, dispersion becomes an issue--they tend to sound diffuse and "lost in space", and I would not recommend them for that type of application. WHO SHOULD CONSIDER THESE SPEAKERS: Listeners with small, "live" listening rooms; listeners needing inexpensive studio monitors; listeners desiring inexpensive neutral-sounding speakers WHO SHOULD NOT CONSIDER THESE SPEAKERS: Listeners who like speakers that accentuate bass or add high-frequency sizzle; listeners with large listening rooms; listeners who want to place their speakers on the floor instead of putting them up on stands

Similar Products Used:

BIC Venturi, Realistic Minimus-7

None really

Flat, muddy and lifeless

I cannot give these speakers allot of credit. They are muddy and flat. As a center speaker I found them totally lifeless. As surrounds, again, nothing of value. One's money would be better spent - but for $20.00 I can't complain.

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Advent

Durable: I only know one volume level- -which will undoubtedly lead to deafness- -and they''ve taken the constant punishment well ( only 1 driver blown in 3 years). Other than the lack of bass, they perform well on the mid and upper frequency levels compared to anything I''ve heard on the bookshelf level.

Bass response but most any bookshelve is not typically great in this area. Add the sub woofer to cover that low range.

Purchased these new and mounted them in the air on the corners of the wall when I moved into a very, very, small house back in 97''. As a radio and club disc jockey over the past 12 years, I have been exposed to terrifically built systems; thus, some really great fidelity experienced. My point regarding the quality of these speakers, or any piece of audio equipment, is about application. These sound great by themselves in my small environment even though I''ve just recently overhauled the entire system with new componets and only added new low end drivers to both these speakers ( only one of the drivers was bad after 3 years of pounding use). In addition, a Technics SX-DX950 ( 100 rms ) receiver, 2 Yamaha N-55?s surrounds, SWT-105 Yamaha Subwoofer, and a Yamaha center speaker. Device wise, every media is in the stack: GE DVD/CD playback, Technics dual cassette, Technics quartz TT ( the ultimate turntable tool for disc jockeys), RCA 10 band EQ, 6 channel mixing board, and stereo VHS. Each device, of course, requires its on special EQ configuration to provide max fidelity for the given media format and music format. Whatever the source or type of music, the AS-636s ( by themselves or in concert with the other speakers) have performed beyond the expectation of the price paid. Again, not that I need to mention it but it''s all about application. Many responses here have mentioned that these speakers were great in a small environment. And, I wholeheartedly agree. I honestly wonder though what some people here we''re expecting and what type of environment ( room size and room acoustics) they''ve put the product into. Rarely did any one mention where they were using them. Well any ways. The biggest complaint I''ve seen here is the lack of bass issue. The addition of the sub has taken care of 90hz cutoff problem and has added the bass fullness needed. In my opinion ( not to mention, my world), it''s a bang for your buck world, unless you''re paper''d up, and in that vein I think the speakers are a great bang for your buck. You could pay more for equal or worse quality you know. I did my homework before the purchase and I am still pleased 3 years later. Happy listening everyone and thanks for the opportunity to commennt.

Similar Products Used:

e.g.s 2 pairs of Advent speakers Pioneer SX-434 receiver I''ve had more equipment than my memory can handle right now.

Superbly Accurate for professional use, and an incredible value!!

Lacking Sub Harmonic frequencies... won''t satisfy the average "tin-ear"...

I suspect that most of the other reviewers of these speakers are the kind of people who have their bass and treble cranked on their recievers, with the loudness on, to boot! I am an Audio Professional... I have been both a music and broadcast audio engineer and producer for 20 years, and what I look for in a speaker is not door-rattling bass or rip-your-face-off highs... in my job in recording, mixing and mastering, I need ACCURACY!! For the money, I think my NS-A636''s are the most accurate speakers on the market! NO, they DON''t hype the low end... that''s why I like ''em (and THAT''s why they''re NOT PORTED!) If I''m recording a band and listening through speakers that hype the low end, I''m more likely to turn the bass frequencies down on the instruments I''m recording... same with highs! I find these speakers are the closest thing to the venerable NS-10''s (the speakers that probably most of your favourite BASS-CRANKIN'' songs were RECORDED ON!!) that I''ve found for under 1000 dollars a pair (Canadian). Yes, they lack slightly under 80 hertz, but I hesitate to add a sub to my mixing and mastering system for all the reason''s described above. If you like to "smiley-face" your graphic e-q, steer clear of these... your jaundiced ears will be dissatisfied. However, for project studio owners or TRUE Audiophiles, this is a best-buy among ACCURATE yet inexpensive speakers!

Similar Products Used:

KRK - Mackie - Infinity - JBL

Price

Flat Sound

My audiophile friends constant remind me what a worthless piece of @*%#$!* these speakers are, but I find it reasonable for the price. They work well with my Kenwood Receiver Amp. However, compared to high-end speakers I am now looking to buy, they are quite far behind. The sound is flat and muddy versus good speakers. However, you may need to spend $3G's to correct that. If you are truely budget constrained, the NHT Super 1's (classical) and Mission bookshelves (pop, dance, rock) are quite good and are well worth three times the price if you get them on sale.

Similar Products Used:

Boston Acoustics, Mirage, Definitive Technology, NHT

I don't see how Consumer Reports liked these. They are flat, unspacious, with no clarity and the bass is EMBASSASING considering the size. I've heard better sounding mini system speakers. Hell, I've heard better sounding TV speakers. There are MUCH better choices for the money, even considering their price.BTW, I've listened to them versus many other sets of bookshelf speakers with the same music, electronics, etc. Ah the benefits of working in retail...
Is there an option for no starts, because I'd rather listen to nothing than these.