Range: it is pretty smooth up through higher bass notes while still providing a nice rumble around the 30Hz range. AND it gives you variable "high cut" frequency 50-150Hz.
Price: I recall that this was under $150 or so when I looked at it, but I'm not sure how much the final price was because I received it as a gift. I'd say it's a good value assuming below $150 at that time.
Other: Clear reproduction; great for rock music - drum kicks sound very natural.

Not the best choice for a large room or for loud music. I tend to use my other sub while listening to hip-hop or 4/4 techno. It's okay for LFE in movies. But if that's your primary concern, go for something larger and more powerful.

I received this as a gift several years ago. I heard this along with the YST-SW150 at a store and immediately liked how this model sounded more faithful to recordings than others in its price range (without the turning all the details into one continuous rumble, as I have noticed many cheap ported subs tend to do). I have used this sub in my main setup for a while now and have been quite satisfied. It gets used for both music and movies with only a few exceptions; for louder, more obnoxious bass I switch to a 10" DVC car sub in ported box powered by a Realistic SCR-4500. Unfortunately this setup cannot match the YST-SW90's clarity.

Customer Service

N/A

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Sony, one of the 8" SAW-models

Nice bass, especially the lows so who ever says that it can't get the lows very well are lying as when i sit at my desk it hits below 45hz very well

If i didn't have my four B&W 601 S3's i wouldn't be able to hear the high's that the B&W's bring

This subwoofer is an amazing buy as i got it for only £50 and for any room it still fills the room nicely. I had to mess around with positions of the sub but after that i found that where ever i sit i can hear a nice sound from the sub in music and HT!!! For any one who wants a sub i think that this would be a very good investment as it will be as worht that much in later times.

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Gale 80 sub also very good.

Very tight bass, good price, great for music listeners,,, HT get 2

cannot play at loud levels

This sub is very good for the price. It has extremly tight bass and sounds good as long as you do not blast your music. I have two, one hooked up to my main system with a pair of Infinity speakers and a Sony reciever which is used to HT and music and also one in my room hooked to a pair of B&W 601S3 and a Technics reciever. I have not hooked them both up at the same time but I will next year when I move into my new house. Then I will add to this review. I would recommend this sub to anyone on a budget who still wants quality sound. I have listened to the sony also and it is loud but musically it does not compare.

Price, size, Low frequency extension to 23hz.

Auto signal sensing (ON/OFF) has a bit too much of a delay before responding.

I added the YST-SW90 as a reasonably affordable fix to a Bose system with pathetic bass output. I had compared it to a few other subs some of which were maore powerful, some with larger drivers, and most more expensive. The "Spuce cone" driver and the Advanced Active Servo technology ans well as the Helmholtz resonator out performed many of the larger, more powerfull subs. Considering the price and compact size as well as performance, this was a "no brainer". The bass I hear now is clean, tight, and like a punch in the gut with the right action movies on DVD. It has also greatly improved the sound quality of the music I play. I hightly recommend the Yamaha YST-SW90.

Similar Products Used:

Bose acoustimass bass module (passive).

LOW bass for an 8" cone. Great for music listening.

Might want to go bigger for home theatre. Kinda tall.

I bought this sub to go with a Yamaha MCR-5 minisystem. The combination is fantastic sound for under a grand (Canadian). It's great for music to get midrange-bass punch and even for the low thumping and booming. I am most impressed by the power and frequency range for an 8" speaker. It sounds WAY bigger than it looks and it's quite clear as well.

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Mission, Paradigm, Polk Audio...

bang for your buck quality, number of adjustments

set up time, configuration time

budget minded, does the job. The unusual vertical placement is handy if space is at a premium. Set up however is extremely personal. You'll pull your hair out with this piece if your looking for audiophile low end. I am using the SW90 matched with a pair of PSB 2Bs for audio only. 'Listening' room is 13x9. I tried using both A+B binding posts on my rec to the subs 'from rec', and then tried using 'from rec/amp' on the sub to the seperate spkrs themselves. Interesting how the first of the two ways sounds better, more accurate, the crossover in the sub tends to take some of the quality out of the 2Bs tone. I was not expecting that at all. So it is quite personal. The real benefit is the ability to vary the control on the sub for the price you pay. I was not expecting to have much control of such an entry level unit. The subs amp runs cool, plays a variety of music really well, blues, jazz, even the Kid Rock tracks. Offers slam when required, doesn't fatigue your ears when listening for hours, I highly recommend this sub if you are on a tight budget. System made up of Yamaha RX396 rec, Yamaha CDC675 CD, Monster XP cable, PSB 2Bs, Yamaha SW90 all through Panamax surge protectors.

Great price, rich bass, front panel controls, nice set of features, loud! Great for Music, excellent for HomeTheater.

A *little* bit boomy on the kick-bass drums.

I have been looking for a decent subwoofer under $200 to enhance bass on BOTH my music and DVD movies.
After trying out a cheap Aiwa SW ($145), and an moderately priced JBL subwoofer ($350) I found this puppy from Yamaha.

This does exactly what I want for my music, which is to enhance the whole bass spectrum, and not just the extremely low end (which is what a subwoofer is really meant to do, but go figure). The YST-90 is great. Music sounds a LOT richer with it, even with the cutover set at 60-80 HZ. The only minor drawback I find is that the kick drums don't sound as tight (or dry) as the JBL did - it is a tad 'boomy', but this is something I'm willing to trade for since the whole bass spectrum is enhanced nicely. The JBL did an outsanding job at reproducing tight/dry bass, but no good for overall music experience.

This subwoofer is quite loud indeed. I have it set at only level 3 out of 10. Anything over 3, and my neighbours will kick my door down ;) Mind you, my stereo equipment is a very very low volume ouput system (60 W).

I really love this Yamaha subwoofer. Got it for $159 at www.brandnamez.com

good bass for a small to mid-sized room, tight not boomy, very adjustable to fit seamlessly with speakers, ample power

The signal sensing feature should be turned off during home theater use. It is only good for music listening

I did a lot of research (two years) before springing for a subwoofer, and the Yamaha always seemed to be the best solution for me. I have an extremely tight budget, small 10x12 listening room, and not much space for a sub, and this does superbly for both music and home theater. Yamaha's R&D pays off big time on this one, and the Active Servo Technology and Helmholz resistor are not just marketing gimmicks -- they actually help make this sub sound much deeper than an 8" driver should. The "boominess" that is mistaken for bass in many entry to mid-level subs is not present. As with any sub, or speaker for that matter, room placement is critical. Placing this about a foot in from a corner works best in my room, but you will inevitably have to adjust the placement in your listening room. You can adjust just about every aspect of this sub's sound, including phase control and crossover points, and that is great given the entry-level price. I would recommend this to anyone who has a limited budget or a small to mid-sized listening room who wants good, tight, bass. Give this serious consideration as you review your options.

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Velodyne, Klipsch, A/D/S, Cerwin Vega

Cleanest tightest bass I could find in a small package.

None!

I used to have a Yamaha SW45 which was great but I have moved that into another room for a small home theater setup. I was going to go and purchase another SW45 but I found this SW90 so I bought it instead. It offers everything the SW45 did but more. Considering its small size, it offers great clean tight bass that is capable of easily letting you know its working. It has no problems with bass right down to 30Hz. It works below that but gets a bit thin but hey what do you expect for this price.

I'd really recommend this sub to anyone on a budget who doesnt want a sub that just booms. Sure there may be stuff that goes LOUDER but its primary function should be deep bass..not just loud bass.

Good, clean bass; low price

none at this price, but listen before you buy

I bought this sub about a year ago for my HT system, but it wasn't really doing anything I could tell with my 15 inch speakers at work. Most movies hardly use the sub channel anyways, so I just reroute that to my main speakers. This sub really shines when mathched with some decent bookshelve speakers, or a stereo tv, or whaterver.

It features binding posts and rca inputs, so it is easy to connect to other equipment. If I had the money I'd buy two!