paulg
10-07-2013, 10:47 PM
Always seems like a good idea to share an opinion about PA kit because there are so many posts on here asking about what to buy so here's a bit of info on the Yamaha DSR115's and DSR118w.
DSR115
A 1300W cab with a 15 inch cone and a 2 inch compression driver made in Indonesia - all the technical details are on Yamaha's website so I'll concentrate on sound and performance. Neither will disappoint!
Few of us could test and verify the claimed 136db sound output of the DSR115's but for comparison purposes, the cabs will out perform an RCF722a and an RCF725a with relative ease. We did a side by side test in the shop using an Allen and Heath mixer and the Yamaha has considerably more output across the range. It offered a better bass response than the RCF's although in a shop (small room) the top end seemed harsher (brighter?). In a larger room this harshness translates to a very impressive high end throw so you needn't turn the speakers up too much to get sound to the back of a room. I was very impressed by the throw but the compression driver is powered by a 450w amp so I guess it should be expected.
For overall sound quality, what sounds better? Possibly QSC's, but certainly they are not as 'loud'. It's very marginal though and probably not worth worrying about.
There is a button on the back of the speaker called DContour. According to Yamaha, this is supposed to monitor and vary EQ at any volume to maintain power against musicality. Basically, don't use it. You just don't need to mess with a clean signal into these speakers. The Dcontour makes things sound a bit odd - a bit muddy. The boost buttons on the RCF's were similarly pointless.
I know that some of this will only mean something to RCF users so far but I'm trying to be 'matter of fact' i.e. comparing to something that was very good in its day and had almost become the industry standard. My overall opinion is that the DSR115 cabs have, as claimed by Yamaha, a very high output and they out perform anything you would normally expect from the type of cab in the price range. Yamaha bought Nexo speakers a while ago and it seems they may have deployed some of their knowledge in to the DSR range.
Weight wise, the cabs are pretty heavy at 28kg but the handles are well placed and for a robust chap, it's possible to lift them onto a standard speaker stand at about chest or head height. You could always use those winding up stands and save any strains. However, see my thoughts on using a sub below.
The DSR's are undeniably very good but what's the worst thing? The speaker top hat on the underside is plastic. I don't like that at all. I suspect it will wear or break eventually. The coating on the cabs is tour grade non reflective but it is a swine to keep clean! As for looks, I've seen prettier cabs. I don't like to be able to see the speaker / horn behind a grille because it reminds me of the really cheap stuff you see on Ebay! - a bit of acoustic foam on the back of the grille looks better to me. However, many people do like the looks of the cabs. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I doubt very much whether any party goers would be concerned.
I ran 2 x DSr115's at an outdoor event at the weekend and I was amazed with the overall sound and power. I did the same gig last year with RCF722a's and by comparison the Yamaha's eclipsed them. Not just by a little but by an awful lot. The difference between the Yamaha's claimed 136db output and that of the RCF 722a/725a's is very obvious. I was also encouraged by the fact that the Yamaha cabs were used in full and red hot sunshine all day and never missed a beat, so overheating doesn't seem to be an issue.
DSR118W
The matching sub is an 800w, 18 inch 132db unit, again made in Indonesia. First impressions out of the box are that it is very well made and incredibly compact. It is not much bigger than many 15 inch subs and at 42kg, it's a lightweight in the 18 inch powered sub world. Now then, is it any good? Well, yes it is but this is where things get complicated. It's very punchy and more than capable of delivering the lowest frequencies. The manual states 40hz at -10db but in reality it seems to deliver lower frequencies at high volumes with ease. Trouble is, is it needed with the DSR115's? I'd say that for most events it isn't. That's not a complaint about the sub but it is a reflection of how good the DSR115's are. I've run the DSR115's in full range mode as stand alone speakers and then with the high pass switch engaged (the high pass is switched on the DSr115 and not on the DSr118 sub) coupled to the single DSR118 sub. OK, the bass range is a little deeper and warmer with the sub coupled up but it's marginal. This means you can confidently use the DSR115's without a sub and still get some impressive oomph. Running the DSR115's in full range mode along with the DSR118 sub gives a very full sound indeed.
COST
This is the best bit. 2 x DSR115's and 1 x DSR118 cost me £2294 so if you shop around, you can get a super PA system for very little.
It's worth pointing out that I use the Yamaha's with a Allen and Heath ZED 60 10Fx mixer. You'll struggle to get a better output from a mixer - highly recommended!!
DSR115
A 1300W cab with a 15 inch cone and a 2 inch compression driver made in Indonesia - all the technical details are on Yamaha's website so I'll concentrate on sound and performance. Neither will disappoint!
Few of us could test and verify the claimed 136db sound output of the DSR115's but for comparison purposes, the cabs will out perform an RCF722a and an RCF725a with relative ease. We did a side by side test in the shop using an Allen and Heath mixer and the Yamaha has considerably more output across the range. It offered a better bass response than the RCF's although in a shop (small room) the top end seemed harsher (brighter?). In a larger room this harshness translates to a very impressive high end throw so you needn't turn the speakers up too much to get sound to the back of a room. I was very impressed by the throw but the compression driver is powered by a 450w amp so I guess it should be expected.
For overall sound quality, what sounds better? Possibly QSC's, but certainly they are not as 'loud'. It's very marginal though and probably not worth worrying about.
There is a button on the back of the speaker called DContour. According to Yamaha, this is supposed to monitor and vary EQ at any volume to maintain power against musicality. Basically, don't use it. You just don't need to mess with a clean signal into these speakers. The Dcontour makes things sound a bit odd - a bit muddy. The boost buttons on the RCF's were similarly pointless.
I know that some of this will only mean something to RCF users so far but I'm trying to be 'matter of fact' i.e. comparing to something that was very good in its day and had almost become the industry standard. My overall opinion is that the DSR115 cabs have, as claimed by Yamaha, a very high output and they out perform anything you would normally expect from the type of cab in the price range. Yamaha bought Nexo speakers a while ago and it seems they may have deployed some of their knowledge in to the DSR range.
Weight wise, the cabs are pretty heavy at 28kg but the handles are well placed and for a robust chap, it's possible to lift them onto a standard speaker stand at about chest or head height. You could always use those winding up stands and save any strains. However, see my thoughts on using a sub below.
The DSR's are undeniably very good but what's the worst thing? The speaker top hat on the underside is plastic. I don't like that at all. I suspect it will wear or break eventually. The coating on the cabs is tour grade non reflective but it is a swine to keep clean! As for looks, I've seen prettier cabs. I don't like to be able to see the speaker / horn behind a grille because it reminds me of the really cheap stuff you see on Ebay! - a bit of acoustic foam on the back of the grille looks better to me. However, many people do like the looks of the cabs. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I doubt very much whether any party goers would be concerned.
I ran 2 x DSr115's at an outdoor event at the weekend and I was amazed with the overall sound and power. I did the same gig last year with RCF722a's and by comparison the Yamaha's eclipsed them. Not just by a little but by an awful lot. The difference between the Yamaha's claimed 136db output and that of the RCF 722a/725a's is very obvious. I was also encouraged by the fact that the Yamaha cabs were used in full and red hot sunshine all day and never missed a beat, so overheating doesn't seem to be an issue.
DSR118W
The matching sub is an 800w, 18 inch 132db unit, again made in Indonesia. First impressions out of the box are that it is very well made and incredibly compact. It is not much bigger than many 15 inch subs and at 42kg, it's a lightweight in the 18 inch powered sub world. Now then, is it any good? Well, yes it is but this is where things get complicated. It's very punchy and more than capable of delivering the lowest frequencies. The manual states 40hz at -10db but in reality it seems to deliver lower frequencies at high volumes with ease. Trouble is, is it needed with the DSR115's? I'd say that for most events it isn't. That's not a complaint about the sub but it is a reflection of how good the DSR115's are. I've run the DSR115's in full range mode as stand alone speakers and then with the high pass switch engaged (the high pass is switched on the DSr115 and not on the DSr118 sub) coupled to the single DSR118 sub. OK, the bass range is a little deeper and warmer with the sub coupled up but it's marginal. This means you can confidently use the DSR115's without a sub and still get some impressive oomph. Running the DSR115's in full range mode along with the DSR118 sub gives a very full sound indeed.
COST
This is the best bit. 2 x DSR115's and 1 x DSR118 cost me £2294 so if you shop around, you can get a super PA system for very little.
It's worth pointing out that I use the Yamaha's with a Allen and Heath ZED 60 10Fx mixer. You'll struggle to get a better output from a mixer - highly recommended!!