In the world of electronic manufacturers of musical instruments, there are only a few companies that manage to become household names.
Yamaha, a company based out of Japan, is probably one of the oldest (if not the oldest) and most well-known of these manufacturers.
They have been around well since the late 1800s and have been considered by many to be one of the largest musical manufacturers in the world, particularly in the piano field. And while this may certainly be true, it is hardly the full story.
When it comes to Yamaha and its incredible works, their company goes well and truly beyond simply making pianos.
Today, Yamaha, as a brand, has garnered quite a reputation for creating a plethora of different musical instruments, speaker systems, and other digital entertainment devices.
As an example, despite first becoming known due to their impressive pianos, Yamaha has become an incredibly well-received company thanks to their amazing speakers, particularly among the world’s guitarists.
This is due to their speakers being able to project crisp and clear music that is amplified several times over.
And the sentiment doesn’t rest solely with guitarists either.
Music producers and DJs have also found refuge with Yamaha’s products, similarly finding them incredibly appealing options due to their amazing sound quality.
The History Of Yamaha Speakers
Initially gaining a reputation as an instrument and keyboard manufacturer, Yamaha has been around in the music industry for well over a century at this point.
They have attracted a plethora of fans from all walks of life; be they DJs, musicians, producers, or simply musical aficionados.
There, these individuals have all been able to harness and take advantage of Yamaha’s incredible sound quality, either for their benefit or the benefit of their fans.
All of this is thanks to Yamaha’s many talented and capable engineers, all of which have been trained to create and produce these high-quality products for the global market.
Because of them, Yamaha has become something of a “go-to brand” due to their amazing products that are sold at reasonable and competitive rates.
1967: The Year Of The HiFi Speakers
While the Yamaha company has been around well into the late 1800s, it was only during the latter half of the 1900s that they truly started to become known as a potential juggernaut throughout the musical speaker world.
It was in 1967 that Yamaha first began to make history with the creation of its HiFi speaker system.
At that time, Yamaha’s HiFi was considered an improvement on the Electone’s Natural Sound Speaker.
With the NS/30 and NS/20 speaker models being the first of their kind to bring “natural sound” to the masses – the NS690 arriving on the scene only a few years later – Yamaha had well and truly cemented themselves as a legitimate speaker manufacturer.
The 1970s: The AST-1 & The NS1000
During the 1970s, Yamaha further made themselves a mainstay in the musical speaker world, introducing both the AST-1 as well as the NS1000.
The AST-1 speaker model worked to further piggyback off of what they had done with Electone’s speakers, yet again revolutionizing the speaker industry.
This approach employed servo technology that broadened speaker limits through the controlling of air vibrations throughout the speaker.
This resulted in a true successor to Yamaha’s previous works, turning them from a “one-trick pony” into a true leader in speaker and sound equipment.
Later, in 1974, Yamaha released the first pure beryllium diaphragm via their NS1000 speaker model.
While not quite on the same revolutionary scale as the previous AST-1, the NS1000 speaker was considered an incredible piece of work, winning numerous awards around the world due to its amazing quality, crystal clear sound, and intense sound resonance that the listener felt while using it.
The Late 90s & Early 2000s: Furthering The Envelope
Later, during the late 1990s and the early part of the 2000s, Yamaha went even further, producing musical speaker equipment that was considered truly in a league of its own.
This was shown with their limited low-frequency playback speakers that also worked to enhance their near-field listening capabilities.
The Sheet Method: Yamaha’s Reason For Success
Yamaha, throughout the years, has managed to capitalize on their success time and time again, quickly and increasingly becoming a popular option among just about everyone.
The reason for this meteoric rise is almost entirely due to their production and manufacturing of high-quality products that were sold at competitive prices.
Of course, if it was just that easy, surely others would have jumped in as well, right?
The reality is that the reason Yamaha was able to do this was thanks to its specific method of manufacturing.
By way of what’s called “sheet manufacturing”, Yamaha had the unique ability of manufacturing speakers faster and more quickly than their competitors, thus ensuring they could produce enough to appease the mass market.
Not only was the sheet method instrumental in putting more of their products out into the global market, but it was also an incredibly affordable method of production.
This ensured Yamaha could keep their manufacturing costs as low as possible, thus greatly reducing their sell price for the average customer.
The sheet method was an essential element in Yamaha’s marked rise, as it allowed them to produce more than their competition at a cheaper rate, all while never hindering or lowering the innate quality or detail of their products.
Yamaha’s Success Into The Future
With all of their developments and progressions over the years, it isn’t a surprise that Yamaha has become – and continues to be – an incredible force to be reckoned with throughout the music industry, both by the public and the professional side at large.
Specifically within the speaker department, the Yamaha name and brand have become synonymous with high quality and success, to the point where many professionals and companies will only use their products.
By constantly striving for the goal of creating new and innovative musical technology for the world to enjoy, Yamaha has continually managed to stay, not only relevant but essential as a household speaker brand amongst businesses and the entertainment industry as a whole.
The Different Types Of DJ Speakers Yamaha Produce
When most people think of a speaker or a speaker system, generally, their first thought is of a unit that provides and produces a sound of varying quality for a specific song performance. In reality, while this is true to an extent, there is also so much more that goes into a speaker system.
Things like the speaker’s size, its type, or how it operates all play a factor when determining what type of system you’ll need.
This is true for all listeners.
Whether you’re a casual fan, a music producer, or a performing DJ, knowing what your speaker should include can play a dramatic role in your overall sound quality and experience.
Below, we’ll go over and describe the different Yamaha speaker system types so you can know what to add to your home studio the next time you’re checking out the latest in Yamaha’s wares.
Powered PA Speaker Systems
Arguably considered one of the more convenient and easy-to-use speaker types out there, Powered PA speakers are great for broadcasting your sound out for long distances.
These speakers come equipped with an internal power amplifier.
This helps push the sound out further than other speakers without negatively affecting the woofer or tweeter.
What makes the PA speakers such an easy-to-use system is that they can be directly connected to a mixer or controller.
This makes them incredibly convenient, particularly for DJs that need to quickly put a sound together.
Just as well, PA speaker systems are incredibly convenient in that they can limit the number of cables required when setting up your system.
Many DJs opt for powered PA systems thanks to their overall simplicity. If you have an interest in these speakers, consider the active speaker option.
This type of powered PA speaker requires much fewer cables and connections, generally making it the preferred option. If you aren’t sure which options to look at, there are the Yamaha DXR and DBR series.
These speakers are awesome for those that want to include a microphone in their setup.
Passive PA Speaker Systems
Considered the slightly reduced version of the Powered PA speakers, Passive PA speakers offer much of the same functionality with one exception.
Whereas Powered PA speakers will have a power amplifier built into the system, Passive PA speakers require an external power amplifier to generate far-reaching sound.
While it may seem that Passive PA speakers are innately inferior to their powered cousins, that isn’t always the case.
For many DJs, Passive PA speakers are preferable as they provide an added sense of freedom when it comes to moving the speakers around, dealing with a change in the venue, or altering the number of additional music equipment being used based on the gig type at the time.
Subwoofers
Subwoofers, while not a speaker system in and of themselves, are supplemental items specifically designed for low-frequency playback.
They are generally used with the main speaker to better strengthen its low-end sound range as well as boost its bass.
Depending on the type of speaker you get, subwoofers can range in their importance. For many smaller speakers and speaker types, subwoofers may be considered an essential requirement.
Conversely, larger speakers, with more impressive sitting woofers, may not need subs as a requirement, but rather as a true supplement.
Regardless, understanding the reason for subwoofers and their usage is important, especially if you are a performing DJ that plans to perform gigs to varying crowd sizes.
Studio Monitor Speaker Systems
One of the best speaker options out there is none other than the studio monitors.
These speaker systems are great for those that need as clear and as flat a sound as possible.
Performers and producers, in particular, find these speakers an essential purchase, as they make the process of keeping tabs on their sound much easier.
Studio monitors can be positioned in several locations, be it on the floor, on a stand, or along a stage.
They can be used solely in a closed home studio environment or they could be used to play at smaller venues based on the speaker’s inherent shape and size.
The most important thing to take into consideration is the type of music you plan on playing. Similarly, you’ll also want to keep in mind where you plan on playing these speakers.
All of these factors are important in determining whether a studio monitor is right for you as well as if it is, what type of studio monitor you may need.
What To Consider When Choosing Your Speaker Type
As you can see, there are a plethora of different speaker options to choose from. And, while all of them are great options in their own right, they each have their particular strengths and specializations.
When deciding what speaker type will best work for you and your needs, there are several things you’ll want to take into consideration.
- What does your space look like in terms of size?
- Where will your speakers be primarily located?
- How many people do you plan to entertain with said speakers?
All of these are vitally important questions that you must know before investing in any speaker system, either for yourself or any professional DJ music gig you may be performing.
Getting A Set Of Yamaha Speakers – What You Can Expect
All speakers are excellent in their unique way. However, just because all speakers are good doesn’t mean that they are all good for you.
Oftentimes, a person may invest heavily in a speaker setup only to realize that it does not work based on what they need.
This is especially the case in the world of DJs, where starting beginner DJs don’t know what they need as opposed to what looks good.
Below, we’ll go over some of the different areas you’ll want to focus on before making a speaker system purchase, particularly among the Yamaha brand.
Warranty
It may not be the most appealing part of deciding on a speaker, but the first thing you’ll want to check out is their warranty policy. Keep in mind the simple fact that a warranty is essentially the company showing how much faith they have in their product.
The more inclusive and extensive the warranty is, the more you can be sure that the product is good. After all, the company is betting that it won’t fall apart after you buy it.
Yamaha believes so much in their products that they offer a limited manufacturer’s warranty.
This means that, if there is any manufacturer-based problem, you can have the speaker either repaired or replaced at no cost to you.
Quality Over Time
Next is the product’s overall longevity.
This often goes hand-in-hand with the warranty. Generally the shorter the warranty, the shorter the overall lifespan of the product.
Yamaha’s products have consistently lasted for years and years at a time without the need for any repairs or replacements due to the incredible quality put into them.
Value For Money
Finally, you want to determine which speaker option has the best value for money proposition for you and your pocketbook. It’s no secret that, generally, the more you’re willing to spend directly correlates to the more impressive the speaker will be.
That being said, don’t automatically write off the more affordable speaker options as well.
Yamaha has made a name for itself by putting together stellar, top-tier speakers that don’t cost an arm and a leg. What’s more, they’ve made a name for themselves doing this for decades now.
In fact, because of Yamaha’s impressive engineers and research team, they’ve been able to produce some of the best-sounding speakers at some of the most affordable rates, ensuring an incredible value for money.
Yamaha Speakers: Summary
The Yamaha speaker brand has been a mainstay throughout the speaker and music electronic industry for decades at this point, and not by accident.
By using some of the best and most innovative practices, they have developed speakers with unparalleled sound quality at some of the most competitive rates imaginable.
By understanding what they have to offer, where they have been, and what their future holds, it’s easy to see why they are in a league of their own.
