Headsup on My Fav Nearfield Monitors

B

Beck

Guest
Yorkville YSM 1 Studio Monitor Speakers E911 | eBay

Can't believe these have been listed several times with no takers. The original Yorkville YSM-1. When these do come along in good condition they easily go for between $150.00 - $200.00. At $59.00 plus about $50.00 shipping this is a steal. (The shipping is on the high side, but with the low asking price it all works out) I consider these and the second generation YSM1i to be some of the best nearfields at any price. They were made in Canada before Yorkville started outsourcing later models to China (Hate when that happens). Very sweet monitors. I wouldn't use anything else for near to midfield monitoring.

I don't know this seller and I'm in no way affiliated. I just ran across them on my regular eBay browsing and thought I'd pass it along. Someone please buy these before I do and end up with three pair instead of the two sets I already have! :D
 
Why do you like them so much? I know I can Google for other people's thoughts but I'm curious why you like them. What makes them special? What amp do you pair them with? Do you use more than one set of nearfields?

Thanks!

Robert
 
They are very “true” monitors with exceptionally good bass for the small size. (16x10x9). The highs are nice and airy without the sort of sizzle that causes ear fatigue. Freq response 40 Hz to 20 kHz (+/- 3dB). Nicely tuned front firing port, which I consider best for a nearfield. You can put these pretty close to the wall in a small room, which I do with one of the pairs I have.

When it comes down to it these are just great monitors. Mixes done on them sound good on a range of other systems. I trust them. They don’t flatter your mix and that of course is what you want in a mixing/mastering monitor. When your mix sounds good on these it sounds good period.

I bought the original like these in the 90’s and later got the newer versions. They look a bit different, but sound the same. They were not pricey monitors… but only sound like they should cost about 3 times what they listed for.

I drive one set with an Alesis RA-100 amp and the other with a vintage 1980’s Yamaha P2050. They are especially great match with the RA-100. That is a nice power amp by the way if you match the right speakers to them.

There are three versions of the YSM-1 out there on the used market. (Unfortunately they don’t make them anymore and Yokville’s later Chinese made models are nothing to write home about.) These in this auction, original YSM-1. Next came the YSM1i and then Yorkville bought ART, so they made an ART branded version identical in looks and specs to the YSM1i, called the SLM-1… all made in the same facility in Canada. I have a pair of the Yorkvilles and a pair of the ARTs.

It’s taking all my will power not to buy these, but I can’t justify having three pair of basically the same monitor. The seller’s price is the lowest I’ve seen and on top of that he’s taking offers. I imagine that might be the case because there is some minimal corner damage in a couple spots, but no big deal. The MDF wood grain look is super easy to touch up. That’s another thing that’s driving me crazy. I could have these looking like new in no time with a dab of wood glue and a little spray paint.

Funny thing about the psychology of eBay; he could probably raise the price of these by $100.00 and sell them faster. So seriously someone grab these before he does!

Anyway, I’m definitely a Yorkie fan when it comes to these models. I’ve got a pair of cubes that I don’t use much and some JBL’s sitting in the closet, but the Yorkvilles are what I trust and actually use for years now. The look of the original YSM-1 is rather spartan... a little rustic and I do prefer the look of the YSM1i by a hair, but it's a matter of taste. There is a certain simple charm to them, and he even has the fabric covers, which are usually missing on most auctions I've seen.
 
Interesting info there, Tim! :)

The woofers. are they a foam or rubber surround? I used to have a pair of JBL studio monitors that suffered from foam rot and cost me a tidy sum to get them re-coned. Just wondering how they hold up over time in that regard.

Also, do you use them with a powered sub or just on their own?

Cheers! :)
 
Maybe the reason they haven't sold is that he has them listed in consumer electronics instead of pro audio? (Or does he have them listed in both?)
 
famous beagle said:
Maybe the reason they haven't sold is that he has them listed in consumer electronics instead of pro audio?
Click to expand...

Probably right. A lot of sellers don't know what they have. These were designed and built by Yorkville specifically for professional nearfield studio monitoring. They could make a decent hi-fi speaker too, but they don't have the boost in the highs and bass that many consumer speakers have of course because they're supposed to be flat as possible for their intended purpose as a studio reference monitor.
 
The Ghost of FM said:
Interesting info there, Tim! :)

The woofers. are they a foam or rubber surround? I used to have a pair of JBL studio monitors that suffered from foam rot and cost me a tidy sum to get them re-coned. Just wondering how they hold up over time in that regard.

Also, do you use them with a powered sub or just on their own?

Cheers! :)
Click to expand...

The specs describe these as a 6-1/2" foam-surround woofers and soft silk-dome ferrofluid-cooled tweeters. But the foam on the woofer looks and feels like some sort of rubber impregnated foam. They aren't known for rotting or tearing. In fact I have a spare set of woofers for these I bought just in case back when I had the originals. Never needed them. They're going on 20 years old and show no signs of deterioration.

My current YSM1i are well used and show no signs of cone or surround deterioration. I've never heard a complaint about problems with the woofers. I've seen a couple with blown tweeters listed over the years, but that's user stupidity. These are 70 watt nominal monitors and they'll take a good bit more peak power, so someone would have to abuse them to blow them out. As mentioned the highest wattage amp I've used with these is the Alesis RA-100, which is 75 watts into 8 ohms (100 into 4 ohms). That amp and these speakers are a match made in heaven... oddly enough, much better IMO than the Alesis Monitor One paired with the RA-100. Yorkville recommends an amp between 70 - 100 watts into 8 ohms.

I don't use a sub with these. They made an active sub in the style of the second generation Yorkies, but the bass is so good I don't need one for nearfield work. These are well designed... only 6-1/2" woofer and still pumps out the bass down to 40 Hz. My only question is how did they do it so well and so cheaply while still being made in Canada and not bummblef*ckingville Indonesia or something.

Here's the original spec sheet if you're interested. Ok now y'all let me know if anyone from the forum buys these, 'cuz I'm going to send the seller a bill for my services. :D

View attachment spysm1.pdf
 
Beck said:
My only question is how did they do it so well and so cheaply while still being made in Canada and not bummblef*ckingville Indonesia or something.
Click to expand...

When I got out of high school in 1980 I landed a job at Global Sound. We were a contract manufacturer for several well known brands of US and Canadian speakers. We had two huge building to the facility. The first one was the wood shop where all the cabinets were made and the second, the main assembly building which had the offices, assembly lines, warehousing and a smaller area where the drivers were constructed. I worked in the driver construction area making magnet assemblies and then stamping them onto the baskets with massive hydraulic presses! In those days, minimum wage in Ontario was around 3 bucks an hour and that's pretty much what they paid. They also worked us like slaves and we had to pump out at least 400 units a shift. Sometimes more. Electricity was also cheaper then dirt back then and the taxes were low too for the owners. We were also located just north of Toronto in a freshly constructed industrial area on land that was probably bought for a song off the farmer who previously owned and worked the land. All in all, a pretty good recipe for a successful manufacturing operation. There were tons of other manufacturers in the neighborhood. Life was good.

Somewhere along the way, all of those advantages evaporated and everyone moved off shore to find that same magical formula else where. I'm sure the folks of our age in the rust belt of America could tell similar stories. :(

Thanks for the additional info and insight on the Yorkies! ;)



Cheers! :)
 
Beck, despite your best efforts to help promote the sale, it looks like another listing goes without a buyer.
 
RFR said:
Beck, despite your best efforts to help promote the sale, it looks like another listing goes without a buyer.
Click to expand...

Umm, I'm pretty sure that's not true. In an unrelated story, I happen to be expecting some Yorkville monitors on Wednesday. ?
 
Huh. Interesting, the listing said unsold.
Did you get them to pull the listing?
Anyhoo, no matter. Good for you. I've heard many raves about them.
I was tempted, but have no room for more speakers?
 
Yeah that's strange. I bought it normally; I don't know why it says that. Anyway, yeah I'm looking forward to trying them out.
 
famous beagle said:
Yeah that's strange. I bought it normally; I don't know why it says that. Anyway, yeah I'm looking forward to trying them out.
Click to expand...

Welcome to Club Yorkville! Good score! And thanks because I had my finger on the Buy it Now button a few times. :D It took all my will not to have a third pair of Yorkies. They don't come along much anymore at any price. I will always favor these like you bought and the second generation style for nearfield mixing and mastering. :thumbs up:
 
Beck said:
Welcome to Club Yorkville! Good score! And thanks because I had my finger on the Buy it Now button a few times. :D It took all my will not to have a third pair of Yorkies. They don't come along much anymore at any price. I will always favor these like you bought and the second generation style for nearfield mixing and mastering. :thumbs up:
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip! If these are as good as you say they are, they have to be one of the best sleeper deals in all the home recording world.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top