They are an outstanding value of high end amps and you would be hard pressed to find anything better on the used market or new. Furthermore, with their huge heat sinks they run cool and thus are built to last as heat is probably the biggest enemy of longevity. Calgary Mobile Truck Repair

None . .

I was stunned at just how good this twin 8" sub is. Better than all the Velodyne's I've had.

It's not one for the doof doof guys, and it doesn't go down to subterranean frequencies, but it goes low enough, for listeners that what tight controlled very low bass to augment their quality main speakers. Ideal height to use (if you get two) as the stands for your quality book shelf speakers.

It's got all the controls you need, 24db adjustable xover ect. And it has a "movie" switch on the back, if you want to create a bit of "doof" but I use it in the "music" position for both movies and music.
Highly recommended, a sleeper grab one or two while their cheap on the used market, these will become a classic among subwoofers.

Cheers George

Not a true sub woofer, but more of a very high quality low frequency reproducer. Those writing less than enthusiastic reviews were undoubtedly looking for a 20 Hz. to 40 Hz. air mover, and that is not where these shine. They work best as bass extension units for high quality speakers, such as electrostatic panels, high quality bookshelves, i.e. Proac or Sonus Faber, or any SOTA speaker system that requires bass augmentation.
I use these in pairs, generally with the bass turnover set around 70 to 40 Hz. Currently being used with Magnepan MG-3.6R speakers set at 40 Hz., flanking the panels, in a stereo arrangement. These subs do what few others can; keep up with the fast maggies, They BLEND, seamlessly, while giving the Magnepans visceral slam. An area that the otherwise excellent Magnepan ribbon panels are somewhat lacking.
I've also used these subs with Proac Concertino's, a superb 2 way bookshelf speaker. The Yamaha subs again were able to both keep up and blend with the Proacs, and at the same time improve the low end cutoff to true full range speaker status. At the very bottom, I use HSU subs set to 35Hz., for super low bass down to 16 Hz. This combination is SOTA in my opinion and is sufficient to bring neighbors from 80 feet away, with closed windows and doors over to ask if I'm using a jack hammer, or similar tool! However, without the Yamaha's YST-160's in-line, the lowest bass just doesn't "blend" nearly as well. These have also been used with Dahlquist DQ-10's, Quad ESL-63's, and several other very highest quality home speakers where they provide extension, low distortion and surprisingly good ultra low bass. The ultra low bass though is not their strong suit.

Pros - They excel at extending the bass of otherwise fine speakers that are lacking in bass punch and extension. They are small enough to be used alongside large panel speakers, or to be unobtrusively placed in room corners where they then have quite decent ultra low bass output. They use twin 8" drivers, so they blend more easily with fast speakers than subs with 12" and larger drivers. Their size and height enable them to double as speaker stands for bookshelf size monitors too. Also, and something that is sadly not the case with most powered subs; the amplifiers used to drive them have proven to be exceptionally reliable. They never seem to over heat, and I've had "0" problems with them. Look at the products from other companies and you'll see; most have significant failure rates.
Cons - Not TRUE subs in that they don't produce bass thunder claps where just curtains and pants legs move but the bass itself is nearly inaudible. When driven hard you can push them past reasonable output and excursion limits. Again, if this is what you were looking for; look elsewhere. Lastly, they are not Gorgeous pieces of furniture. While there were some units built with cherry veneer, most are your basic Black on Black cabinets that are rather bland if not downright unattractive. Still, if that bothers you, they could be refinished I suppose. It wouldn't be difficult, but in my case was no big deal and since large electrostatic and ribbon type panel speakers themselves are sort of unattractive; who cares? Not me anyway. It's what they do that matters most; and what they do is improve the sound of high quality smaller speakers, mini monitors especially, AND improve the dynamics of high quality panel type speakers in the low end. All thumbs up for me...

Lots of controls

To boomy

I got this sub cheap, and thats what it is cheap. For a 120.00 smackers it is worth it,but the thing is so dam booommmyyyy and placement can be difficult. I had a energy that would kill this thing ,but it was also 500.00 more than this is, so I can say it was worth the 120.00, but I would not pay full price for this unit. Overall it's not a terrible peice just medicore.

Similar Products Used:

Energy, infinity BU-2

Goes low for the price, works as a speaker stand.

Lacks power and depth.

Somebody here said that SW 160 is too big. I disagree: Since it''s tall it works great as a speaker stand for small speakers. Doesn''t sound too bad either. It''s not the most powerful subwoofer there is but if you''re using small speakers it gives you some more power to the low range. A finnish hifi magazine ''measured'' it''s predecessor SW 150 and it went down to 25 Hz / -6 dB, don''t think SW 160 is any worse.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha SW 80, AMC B1-20

Uniform, low bass. Due to the variable xover, and attenuator, integrating the speaker into my system was super easy. Cost was a real plus, at $300 you really can't go wrong.

Not the quickest sub I've heard. Lacks the slam of some of the other larger cone subs like, Velodyne, JBL, Sunfire, etc... Can be a little muddy in the upper sub regions (>100Hz).

I just recently bought my second YST-SW160 subwoofer for my hi-fi. I'm currently running a two channel system with Acoustat 2+2's for main speakers. They have velvety-mids, crisp highs, but really lack the low low bass, we all love. I picked up one YSY-SW160 last year and was pretty impressed. Even at crossing over at 50Hz, the directionality of the speaker was detectable. I bit the bullet and bought another one to make my system symmetrical. What a difference! They give the super-low bass, however, lack some of the "slam" of some larger cone subs.

Kickin bass, Simple install, Very good value for the $

Slight pop at extreme levels....Whooooe Baby Sloooe Down!!!

I have been building a low dollar system for the last 8 mos. I had picked up a discontinued Optimus 500 watt, 5.1 channel, Dolby Digital surround reciever (which I love!!)for$170. I had an old (big, hardwood cabnet) pair of Magnavox 2 way Speakers. I also have a pair of Bose 201's for rears. The range of the Magnavox's and the low's were fantastic until I shredded the woofers. I picked up some like new 10" 3 way MTX's at the local Pawn Shop for $150/pr. I was very disappointed at the bass response of the MTX's, The mids and highs were much better. I went out and researched subs, and for the money the Yamaha was, by far, the best for the money. I have it setting between my rears and close to the back of my chair which makes for a good back massage!! It is also very impressive at lower volumes for home theater. I highly recommend that people like me on a tight budget follow suit, Search Radio Shacks or such for top of the line discontinued products, I am Very happy with mine!! I am almost Glad the 'ol Magnavox's blew!!

Similar Products Used:

MTX, Boston Accustics

Nice sub for the money, good tight bass.

I have to bang the back of it with my hand to turn on if I shut down power completely.

Not a bad sounding subwoofer, my wife and neighbor dont appreciate the boom and bang, but it definately improved my sound system 100%

Similar Products Used:

Sony

price
performance

can't go very low
somewhat distorted at very high volumn

I got two of this baby. At this price, I have nothing to complaint about. The performance is decent and it doesn't boom when listen to the music (which is good in my opinion). The transition from front to woofer is fairly smooth, sometimes I can't even feel the existance of the subwoofers. I listened to some Mayoyo cds to test out the set up; the sound is warm and the cello sounds a WHOLE LOT BETTER than before (without woofer of course). I don't have much money to spend, hence I never really checked out those expensive models from BOSS, Velodyne, etc. But I am very happy with this Yamaha. If you have a limited budget, think no further, grab this Yamaha YST-SM160!
My setup:
front: JBL LX500 (low 45hz)
surround: Infinity SM152
center: JBL MR CENTER
subwoofer: Yamaha YST-SW160 (50hz)
a/v receiver: Denon AVC-3030 & Sony STR-DE675

Rich, loud, bass with good punch, accuracy and tightness

It can get a little boomy on certain songs, but I think that might be the recording, not the subwoofer

I got the open box model at Best Buy for $140. I was originally going to get the Yst-SW90 because of the reviews here about its clarity, but I compared the 160 and 90 side by side and they both had about the same tightness, with the SW90 being just a tad bit less boomy. So I decided to go with the SW160 since it was normally a $300 dollar speaker and it had more power and a little more frequency range. Overall a very good subwoofer for an outstanding value.