on test
Yamaha Subtle Evolution?
Yamaha’s Soavo speaker range has repre-
Soavo NS-F901
sented the company’s best for a number
of years, during which time accolades have
been deservedly bestowed on a product
with bespoke proprietary high-quality driv-
Loudspeakers
ers, an outstanding level of fit and finish
and, of course, superb sonic performance
(this writer had the pleasure of reviewing
one of the first generation of Soavo speak-
T
he audio industry is heavily peppered ity factor of acquiring a niche item with ers, the Soavo-1, ‘way back in 2009). Now
with niche boutique manufacturers prestigious cachet. with new refinements the second gen-
that aim at the top tier of perfor- But what happens when a large, well- eration of Soavo loudspeakers has hit the
mance, build and design. These are often known multinational manufacturer—in this market, the flagship of which is the speaker
somewhat more obscure, exclusive brands case the largest and best-known reviewed here.
that enthusiasts—or even cognoscenti— music company in the world—enters that Externally, the new speaker has subtly
embrace for a number of reasons. niche with a worthy product… one that is changed, with the metal outrigger exten-
Some of these reasons, amongst others, the fruit of a massive and hugely sion feet giving way to a subtly elevating
are tied to the idea of buying into a single expensive and research and development plinth terminated via the provision of either
designer’s vision—with its potential for project? Yamaha’s Soavo NS-F901 loud- rubber feet or a set of metal spikes. The
performance benefits—and/or the exclusiv- speakers happen; that’s what! same superb finish is carried through to
80
Yamaha Soavo NS-F901 Loudspeakers On TEST
the new speakers, with expertise derived seen. They’re also one of the few loudspeak- within a very wide soundstage. I listened
from Yamaha’s renowned piano-finishing ers that come with a ten-year guarantee. to the Yamaha Soavo NS-F901s with very
division. Further, the collaboration between exotic ancillary electronics and the speakers
the speaker design team and the musical Graceful Voice scaled the performance accordingly without
instrument division now extends to the latter Firing up these beauties brought back revealing inherent shortcomings. This is a
providing some input into the sonic signature memories of their predecessors. Still there testament to the quality of the drivers and
of the NS-F901s. The svelte, faceted and in abundance were the phenomenal bass the overall design integrity.
well-braced enclosure, with its aluminium power and soundstaging/imaging quali-
top baffle section, is still one of the most ties of the Soavo-1. In terms of bass the Conclusion
attractive designs in speakerdom. In fact, new speaker dips a tad lower and expands Having made remarkable contributions to
the look was conceived by award-winning the bass frequencies’ dynamic expression the high-end landscape in the ‘70s and ‘80s,
industrial designer Toshiyuki Kita. while maintaining the same dexterity and Yamaha the powerhouse went on somewhat
The three-way four driver configuration is fluidity (that rhythmic ‘bounce’). Playing Nils of a hiatus, focusing its energies into then-
the same as the outgoing model with refine- Lofgren’s Live 2003 album, the track Bass & booming areas such as home theatre. Over
ments having been applied to the drivers. Drum Intro through the NS-F901 is a lesson the past few years the company has relo-
A 25mm-diameter aluminium tweeter with in dynamics and bass tautness. Feed these cated itself in the high-end audio space—via
a neodymium magnet system resides on speakers with a powerful amplifier and you’d a dedicated team of talented and passionate
the aforementioned aluminium plate which associate the bass punch and authority with engineers—with a number of products that
provides a solid mounting point and elimi- larger drivers in a bigger box. secure firm ground for this most ‘musically’
nates unwanted resonances. A new array The new tweeter is a rather special driver versatile of Japanese multinationals.
of midrange and bass drivers is now offered (something I also mentioned in the previous So Yamaha is back in high-end audio
with the high-power midrange unit featur- review) and, although the span of time is and the NS-F901 is a fitting beacon. It’s a
ing a 130mm-diameter A-PMD (Advanced ‘way too long for any accurate compara- package that combines outstanding bespoke
Polymer-injected Mica Diaphragm) cone tive reminiscence, there would seem to be driver engineering, flawless fit and finish
with a large neodymium magnet system and developments in detail and tonality. The and extraordinary sonic performance. These
an aluminium die-cast basket. Germany’s new driver is as open, delicate and nuanced speakers deserve to join the venerable
renowned Kurt Müller manufactures the as you could wish for—at any price. Sera Yamaha NS-1000s in high-fidelity’s ‘Hall of
ultra-linear spider. Una Noche’s Nublado features a number Fame’. Edgar Kramer
The upgraded twin 165mm-diameter bass of bells and percussive sounds that I have
drivers are powered via a large ferrite mag- been using as reference material for some Yamaha Soavo NS-F901
net and feature aluminium die-cast baskets time now. I am intimately familiar with the Loudspeakers
and rubber roll surrounds. The output from high-frequency reverberations and decays in
Brand: Yamaha
the rear of the bass drivers is vented through this recording and the NS-F901s reproduced
Model: NS-F901
a large, sculpted, wooden bass reflex port these with arresting verisimilitude. Also of Category: Floor-standing Loudspeakers
that’s mounted in the front baffle. note is the seamless integration between RRP: $5,999
Equal care has been applied to the high and midrange drivers—testament to the Warranty: Ten Years
crossover, which features high-quality parts, quality of the drivers themselves as well as Distributor: Yamaha Music Australia Pty Ltd
including Solen capacitors, and is the result the engineers’ skills in melding the two via Address: Level 1, 99 Queensbridge Street
of extensive listening sessions by the talented their crossover design. Southbank
design team at Yamaha headed by Masahiro The quality of the midrange driver also VIC 3006
Tobise. The high-quality gold-plated bi-wiring displays itself with any complex material. T: 1300 739 411
T: (03) 9693 5111
speaker terminals are linked via purpose- The speakers resolve profound detail while
F: (03) 9699 2332
made spade-terminated cable links rather excelling at separating musical strands.
W: au.yamaha.com
than the ubiquitous—but lesser-quality— Dynamic shading is also a strong point here,
metal bars. with vocals soaring when called to while all
Yamaha quotes a frequency range only the subtleties of expression and minutiae of Detailed & spacious sound
(32Hz to 50kHz) rather than a response inflection are bared to the ear. Beautiful design
Stunning build quality
(which would add a ±dB envelope), an ef- A narrow baffle at the level of the tweeter
ficiency of 89dBSPL/2.83V/1m and a nominal has always paid dividends for designers look-
impedance of 6Ω. Crossover frequencies are ing to maximise a dispersion pattern that,
Demand high-quality
stated as 450Hz and 3.5kHz. The 30.7kg en- in conjunction with quality drive units and a electronics beyond its price
closure stands 1060mm high and is 270mm competently-designed crossover, is conducive point
wide and 425mm deep. to the reproduction of a wide soundstage
A final reiteration on the aesthetic as- and accurate imaging. The cut profile of the
pects; the NS-F901 speakers are among the NS-F901’s narrow upper baffle allows images LAB REPORT: Turn to page 82
Test results apply to review sample only.
best-finished and most attractive designs I’ve to ‘float’ along different planes of depth
81
ON TEST Yamaha Soavo NS-F901 Loudspeakers
Laboratory Test Results Newport Test Labs it presents as being quite midrange driver (the pink trace). The out-
Graph 1 tells you the most important thing gradual, so it’s only 5dB down at 17kHz put of the bass reflex port (the red trace)
you really need to know about the Yamaha (which is above the limit of hearing for most shows its output peaks at 40Hz, though
Soavo NS-F901 loudspeaker: its frequency males over the age of 30, so not overly sig- it’s not so much of a ‘peak’, since output
response is flat… really flat. Yes, this re- nificant then) then 10dB down at 20kHz. is maintained within 6dB over the range
sponse was obtained by using a pink noise Low-frequency performance is shown from around 22Hz to around 75Hz. The
test stimulus that necessarily involves some in Graph 3, with separate acquisitions port’s high-frequency output rolls off fairly
averaging, but no more averaging than is for the bass drivers (though only one of smoothly, though there’s a shelf at 200Hz
done automatically by the human ear. You the two is shown—as the black trace—as and some unwanted output up around
can see for yourself that from about 180Hz the other was virtually identical) and the 600–800Hz. The bass drivers’ low-frequency
output rolls off below 100Hz to a minima
at 32Hz. The bass drivers’ response is
Phenomenal bass power and obviously rolled-off by the crossover above
200Hz to make room for the midrange
soundstaging/imaging qualities were driver, whose output starts making itself
there in abundance… audible at around 400Hz.
The impedance of the Yamaha Soavo
NS-F901 is nicely tailored, but drops
down below 3.5Ω at around 150Hz, so
up to 10kHz (the upper graphing the nominal impedance would be 4Ω
limit in this case… the loudspeaker’s even though almost everywhere else
high-frequency performance is shown the modulus makes it look more like an
in greater detail in Graph 2), the 8Ω design. Yamaha specs it at 6Ω, so I
response is within about ±1dB. Below guess it’s put a ‘real-world’ number in
180Hz there’s a slight rise in the fre- the box that accurately represents how
quency response, but only to the ex- it will look to most amplifiers, though
tent of 2.5dB, followed by a return to it’s not strictly in accordance with the
reference at 45Hz and then a gradual guidelines published in IEC 268-5.16.1.
roll-off to a much lower—but still use- The impedance has been tailored to rise
ful—output right down at 20Hz. above 10kHz, which shows excellent
High-frequency performance is design nous and means the speakers
shown in Graph 2, with the red trace will be very amplifier-friendly. The ‘sad-
showing the frequency response with dle’ at 33Hz between the two imped-
the Soavo’s grille fitted and the black ance peaks (the one at 17Hz reaching
trace the frequency response without 40Ω and the one at 59Hz reaching 33Ω)
it. It would appear to me that all the means you shouldn’t expect too much
listening sessions by the designers output below this frequency. There
were conducted without the grille, are a few ‘wrinkles’ on the impedance
because it is in this mode that the trace that suggest the presence of
Soavo NS-F901 delivers its best per- some minor resonances at 200Hz and
formance: very smooth up to 10kHz 800–900Hz. The high-pass/low-pass sec-
and, although it rolls off smoothly tions of the crossover show an electrical
above 10kHz, the roll-off is smooth- crossover at 500Hz. (Yamaha puts the
est when the grille is absent. The red acoustic crossover at 450Hz).
trace shows the grille introduces a The trace shown in Graph 5 is actu-
near-5dB dip between 3 and 4kHz, a ally two traces that have been spliced
2.5dB peak between 4.5 and 6kHz, together via post-processing. Below
and around a 5dB suck-out at 7kHz. the splice point (650Hz) the trace is
There’s also a 2.5dB difference in level the averaged result of nine individual
between the two traces between frequency sweeps measured at three
about 12kHz and 15kHz. So when metres, with the central grid point on-
you’re listening seriously, I’d suggest axis with the tweeter using pink noise
losing the grilles for the duration of test stimulus with capture unsmoothed,
the listening session, then re-attaching a more complete version of which is
them afterwards. For casual listening, shown in Graph 1. Above 650Hz the
you could leave the grilles in position. response is the anechoic high-frequency
As for that roll-off, as measured by response, an expanded view of which
82
Yamaha Soavo NS-F901 Loudspeakers
is shown in Graph 2. Graph 6 is another tion of 89dBSPL/w/m, which would seem to Yamaha’s Soavo NS-F901s are a classic
‘post-processed’ graph that superimposes suggest that the two are employing similar example of text-book speaker design and
the various different traces to show how test methodologies. It’s higher than average as a result returned an outstanding set
the drivers and port interact. Newport Test and means that, when read in conjunction of measurements throughout Newport
Labs measured the sensitivity of the Yamaha with the impedance modulus, the Yamaha Test Labs’ tests, most especially in respect
Soavo NS-F901 as being 88dBSPL under its Soavo NS-F901 will be easy to drive for any of the flatness and linearity of their fre-
normal stringent test conditions. This is only amplifier, plus you won’t need a whole lot quency response. Steve Holding
just a little lower than Yamaha’s specifica- of watts to get the best from them.
dBSPL dBSPL
100 100
Newport Test Labs Newport Test Labs
95 95
90 90
85 85
80 80
75 75
70 70
65 65
60 60
55 55
50 50
45
45
40
40 600 Hz 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K 40K
20 Hz 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K
Graph 1. Averaged frequency response using pink noise test stimulus with capture Graph 2. High-frequency response, expanded view. Test stimulus gated sine. Microphone
unsmoothed. Trace is the averaged result of nine individual frequency sweeps measured at placed at three metres on-axis with dome tweeter. Grille on (red trace) vs grille off (black
trace) Lower measurement limit 600Hz. [Yamaha Soavo NS-F901 Loudspeaker]
three metres, with the central grid point on-axis with the tweeter. [Yamaha Soavo NS-F901]
dBSPL
100 Ohm
40
Newport Test Labs
95
30
90
85
20
80
75
70
10
65 9
8
60 7
6
55
5
50
4
45
40 3
10 Hz 20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 10 Hz 20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K 40K
Graph 3. Low frequency response of front-firing bass reflex port (red trace), woofer (black Graph 4. Impedance modulus (black trace), plus high-pass section of crossover (green
trace) and midrange driver (pink trace). Nearfield acquisition. Port/woofer levels not trace) and low-pass section (red trace). [Yamaha Soavo NS-F901 Loudspeaker]
compensated for differences in radiating areas. [Yamaha Soavo NS-F901 Loudspeaker]
dBSPL dBSPL
100 100
Newport Test Labs Newport Test Labs
95 95
90 90
85 85
80 80
75 75
70 70
65 65
60 60
55 55
50 50
45 45
40 40
10 Hz 20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K 40K 10 Hz 20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K 40K
Graph 5. Frequency response. Trace below 650Hz is the averaged result of nine individual Graph 6. Composite response plot. Red trace is output of bass reflex port. Dark blue trace
frequency sweeps measured at three metres, with the central grid point on-axis with the is anechoic response of bass driver. Light blue trace is sine response of midrange driver.
tweeter using pink noise test stimulus with capture unsmoothed. This has been manually Green trace above 670Hz is anechoic response, below is in-room averaged pink noise
spliced (at 650Hz) to the gated on-axis high-frequency response, an expanded view of response. Black trace is h.f. averaged in-room pink noise response. [Yamaha NS-F901]
which is shown in Graph 2. [Yamaha Soavo NS-F901 Loudspeaker]
83
Lab Report Yamaha Soavo NS-F901 Loudspeakers
REVIEWED
Sonus faber
Olympica III
Loudspeakers
Aragon 8008
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