geetar4god

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00 from a neighbor

Summary:
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.

NicoR

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Given to me

Summary:
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.

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

Weaknesses:
Uneven frequency responce
Harsh treble
Bad build quality

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)

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Given to me by paren

Summary:
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$.

Strengths:
Great highs and mid's.

Weaknesses:
None if used correctly!

Similar Products Used:
Technics 5.1 channel SA-EX300 receiver.

jrfernan

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.25 of 5, 4.00 votes

Price Paid:  $150.00 from Soundtrack

Summary:
I had to chime in about these speakers after reading the review by the person who said that these are good speakers for professionals and recording studio engineers. I could not agree more with that assessment! I too own and operate my own recording studio and am surrounded by top of the line recording gear from Mackie, Event Electronics, Korg, Yamaha, Roland, Eventide. TC Electronic and the list goes on and on….The bottom line? I’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars on professional recording equipment and when I am done recording, mixing and mastering a piece of music and want the most ACCURATE representation of said music, what do I listen on? I feel that NOTHING can replace my Yamaha NS-A636s. They offer a very flat response(not very different than the legendary NS-10s and not far different than my Event reference studio monitors). Why is a FLAT response something to be desired? Because a flat response guarantees that the music you are hearing is as close to what the mastering engineer heard on his/her reference monitors. If you are the kind of listener who wants ultra brilliant highs, where cymbals sizzle so brightly that they sound like eggs in a frying pan; or you are the kind of listener who needs lows so deep that your internal organs vibrate, then stay away from these speakers. These speakers are NOT for the hip-hop crowd, nor are they for the dance crowd. They probably won’t work real well for heavy-metal heads, or anyone who listens to music that has been ultra compressed(music whose dynamic life has been sucked out of it!), or those that like their vocalists on the screaming edge. If your listening habits fit any of the aforementioned criteria then looks elsewhere. However, if you’re into acoustic jazz, classical music or perhaps even some symphonic electronica(ie early Vangelis or vintage Tomita) then I HIGHLY recommend these speakers. They will provide with a wonderful listening experience that will not be tainted with any shrills or spurious bottom end. These are flat speakers that accentuate the midrange characteristics of your music. If you MUST have bottom end, then do as I have and get yourself a subwoofer. I have the Yamaha SW315 and can say only great things about it. The bass response is very tight and clear with excellent definition. However, stay away from the SW315 if you’re a hip-hopper. Instead, get yourself a 15” woofer. The bottom line on the NS-A636s: If you like your music flat, then there is very little else that will compete with these; other than true studio reference monitors. If you like to set your EQ to resemble a smiley face, then don’t get these speakers. You will hate them.

Strengths:
Flat response characteristics. VERY clear in the midrange, without accentuating anything too close to sizzling highs or booming lows. An EXCELLENT speaker for those who like acoustic jazz and classical. Can't think of a better set of speakers for the money; specially if they are going to go into a small listening area.

Weaknesses:
Will probably not work real well in rooms greater than 16x16(approximation). Not that kind of speaker.

Similar Products Used:
Too many to list.

Price Paid:  $84.00 from American TV & Applia

Summary:
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

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

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

Similar Products Used:
BIC Venturi, Realistic Minimus-7