Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This review isn't so much a "review" as something most people should understand. Many reviewers on this site have said these speakers lack considerable bass. It should be noted that most of these listeners do not realize that on a home theater amp, bass is usually optimized for a subwoofer, and therefor, taken out of any main speakers. I encountered this problem a few months ago when my 1984 Pioneers suddenly sounded completely bassless on my new theater setup. Having a seperate 2-channel stereo proved though, that the speakers were meant to be music speakers, and as a result, I needed a subwoofer(which I already had) with my home theater for bass. These Yamaha's play music nicely, and the bass, while slightly boomy, is quite apparent. Just do not expect to have bass from a home theater system without the use of a subwoofer. A 2-channel stereo is built to output all the notes directly to 1 pair of speakers, whereas home theater will seperate the sound according to the mix on the channels. This is why LFE inputs are used in 5.1(and up) systems. LFE is designed for subwoofers only. I just felt that the majority of the readers here should understand that, for a 2-channel amp, these speakers will have more than adequate bass. In home theater, regardless of wanting one or not, you will need a subwoofer for the lower frequencys, even when playing music. This is just the nature of most multi-channel amps. As for these speakers performance? They sound incredibly accurate considering the price you pay for them. If you're on a budget, you should be happy to buy these, even though they are discontinued. The treble is slick, and not harsh or brassy, while the midrange is clear and natural. As I've said, the bass is a little boomy, but you can fix that simply by dropping the bass in your amp. Of course, I realize that the majority of people buying speakers of this sort crave bass, and will probably find that a good thing. Also, as other reviews have said, there is an odd issue with the mid-range driver acting almost as a passive radiator. I've yet to notice any trouble caused by this particular problem, but it should be noted that it shouldn't happen to begin with. Of course, the driver has a rubber surround, so the chances of it wearing out are slim to none. Well, unless you think that playing a speaker at "max power" will mean it can actually handle that level. Overall, worth the money, and definitely not lacking in bass. If you're that into bass, buy a nice sub, and I'm not talking about some piece of crap Sony. Go to Parts Express(.com), get a Peerless or Dayton sub, and build your own. Much more cost effective and pleasing when you say, "yes, I built that myself."

Strengths:
Looks good even though black excellent highs and mids musically efficent, no exaggerated sound THE COST!!!! I cannot stress that enough

Weaknesses:
What's with the feet? Really. Bass a LITTLE boomy if on a 2-channel amp, but nothing worth complaining about. They are, unfortunately, discontinued. Better luck next time if you wanted them.

Similar Products Used:
1984 Pioneer 3-ways. Meadowlark bookshelf speakers(which were not mine, mind you). Various JBL, Sony, Klipsch, and Polk speakers. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Price Paid:  $199.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
Great sound for the price. Had to listen for some time at Best Buy, sound room very poor, but the solid imaging of sounds was outstanding. Hearing sounds to the left, right or center. I kept hearing, thinking, the sounds were from other speakers in line with them in the listening room and had to walk closer to verify the sound was from the Yamaha's only. Overall the speakers are well balanced and very clean. You have a feeling at times the bass is very lacking, until the sound or music calls for it and you realize it is there after all.

Strengths:
Great speaker for the price. Sound is clean, crisp, well balanced from top to bottom. Most impressive is the solid imaging of sounds, great for home theater use.

Weaknesses:
Not impressed with add on feet. Understandable using on this high narrow tower speaker, easy to tip over. I didn't use because of tight space, where placed.

Similar Products Used:
Jensen 4 and 6. ESS AMT2

Price Paid:  $300.00 from etronics

Summary:
I purchased an RXV-800 A/V receiver about 6 months ago. I have not written a review as I don’t have a DVD player yet and haven’t truly put it through its paces. This unit delivers 5 x 110 watts RMS. Naturally I wanted to find a speaker that would handle the maximum power the amp could deliver. Lots of time and effort went into choosing the main speakers and I finally settled on these Yamaha NS-A200XT. The first thing I noticed was the incredible size of the boxes these speakers arrived in. I turned on the speakers and was surprised to hear that they sounded terrible. It was so bad that my ears hurt after about 1 song. The treble was going to kill me. Knowing that some speakers have a break in period I decided to leave them on for a while. I left the house for about 2 hours with the stereo blaring and my neighbors probably wanted to kill me. When I came back I was surprised. The speakers sounded much better. As the weeks progressed I grew happier and happier and now I am convinced that I could not have gotten a better deal. I finally cranked the amp up to -14db (that is way louder than anyone would want to listen to it unless they were or wanted to be hearing impaired). The sound was clear as a bell but the woofers were having a little trouble keeping up (Sony Subwoofer test CD). The specs claim a 32hz cutoff frequency and I believe it is accurate. I used the test speaker feature of the amp and tested the speaker at 44hz and I could still hear some volume. I have not tested these speakers in a surround setting yet; I am still waiting on my center and rears (NS-AC40X and NS-A50X which have the same tweeter and similar mids). I would say that all in all these were the best speaker I could have purchased with 300 bucks. In response to all those who said that there isn’t enough bass … My wall was moving. This is about as much bass as I would expect out of an 8” woofer. Remember, these are not subs and never claimed to be. I am betting that with a sub I should be able to turn these bad boys up as far as I wanted without NO DISTORTION. They are large, and the feet that others complained about … they are just feet. I don’t really notice them though they are a little cheesy. And no, I am not a tool who actually measured the size of the woofers like someone else who gave terrible reviews, I don’t care what size they are, they sound great.

Strengths:
Great sound quality good looks price

Weaknesses:
cheesy feet but not detracting not subwoofers and those who want it all in one, not here. They put on a good effort though and if you are like me, slowly building a system and can wait on a sub, these will fill in nicely in the mean time

Price Paid:  $230.00 from Etronics

Summary:
Well the first thing that I want to tell everyone is that the bass is not good at all. I have a Yamaha SW305 subwoofer and when I turn that off, the bass out of these floor speakers suck. If you want bass you are going to have to buy a power sub or buy floor speakers with a power sub in them. The quality of sound through all the high and mid frequencies is very good for the price. I was looking for speakers with a little more bass, but I didn't want to pay 500 each for a speaker, so these were the next best. I use a Pioneer D411 and I hook that up to my computer's Audigy's card. If you have a power sub, have the receiver cut out the frequencies under 150 from the front speakers. This gives the listen the ability to play the speakers loud and not have the bass distorted at all. I also have the Yamaha NS 6390's and a sony center. (not sure the number, it is the one at best buy for $100) One key to any stereo system is use quality cables and set it up properly. I use Monster everything. They are expensive, but there is nothing like them.

Strengths:
The strengths are the speakers price for what you get. The sound is good and the quality of the drivers is good. You can't compare these speakers to higher end Infinity, Polk, B&W, Linn, etc. If you are looking at Bose, think again. Bose sound good, but they don't last. They use old technology in their speakers.

Weaknesses:
There are none expect for the bass and that is not bad for the speakers. One has to remember they are not powered subs in the speakers, so if you want a good bass you need to buy a powered sub with these speakers. The 8" drivers don't play like 8" subs.

Similar Products Used:
Anything in the price range. Sony makes a similer product, Pioneer does and JBL does. JBL's are not used for home audio. They are more for DJ equipment. They are built to handle more abuse then a spea

Price Paid:  $230.00 from etronics.com

Summary:
These are probably the best speakers for the price. They are great. Great bass and treble. I just hooked them off and theres stuff falling off my shelves.

Strengths:
Great bass. Will work good with almost any receiver. Good looking. THEY'RE JUST SO DAMN LOUD.

Weaknesses:
My neighbors complain too often...

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha NS-6390, they only have one 8, and they dump too