Yorkville monitors

[Cratinus]

these monitors seem to be pretty highly respected by almost everyone, and i've decided to purchase a pair. i checked out the Yorkville website only to find that they now offer an ACTIVE pair (as well as the old standby YSM passive models). i've reached a bit of a quandry. are active monitors PREFERABLE to passive models?? if not, which amplifiers might be MOST suited for the Yorkville passives? this brings to mind another thought which i've perused occasionally: can the "quality" of the amplifier used (for passive monitors) influence the accuracy of the monitors in any way?? perhaps Yorkies with "built-in" amps might be the best choice. budget constraints are weighing HEAVILY on this decision. thanks for any responses.

 

[The Green Hornet]

Yo Cratinus: [How are things with the Roman Empire these days?]

I have the YSM - 1 monitors. They do a good job. I haven't talked to anyone who owns the new powered Yorkvilles.

Of course your sound from the monitors will be influenced on what sends it there. So, consider your rig and your wants and needs and objectives in recording.

If cash is tight, the passive monitors are a good buy and you'll get a decent sound.

I enjoy my Yorkvilles but I know there are better ones out there. But, these suit my needs at this time. Try to audition the power monitors if possible.

Green Hornet

 

[Cratinus]

thanks for the YSM-1 testimonial there Venomous Herbal Aerial Naviator. these monitors are a RARE product that gets positive reviews from both neophytes AND experienced veterans (and are certainly a safe bet). i guess i'll scrounge my AMS or MF catalog for an inexpensive amplifier to suit. i kinda like those protective mesh grills as well. cheers and long live the U.S.S. Yorkville.

 

[sibleypeck]

Cratinus,

I took delivery of a pair of YSM1s just last Friday. These are the first studio monitors I have owned.

My initial impression of them was that they have tremendous bass response (full, flat, low) way beyond my expectations, and that the highs were a little harsh (cymbals went "chhhh" instead of "shhhh").
But having listened to five or six different CDs now, I am beginning to think the harshness is in the recording (Lucky Peterson, NSYNC, Smashmouth, Alanis Morrisette) because when I listened to Steely Dan AJA, the cymbals were every bit as shimmering and transparent as I would have expected - not better than I would have expected, but every bit as good.
This leads me to conclude that the YSM1s will let you know whether your highs are harsh or not.

One other thing I want to mention is that with the YSM1s all instruments can be heard, yet nothing jumps out at you. What I mean by this is that everything seems equally loud; there, but not demanding your attention.

Also, with the YSM1s I am able to hear subtle percussive elements I've not heard before - on other speakers or on headphones, even though I've listened critically to some of those CDs dozens of times.

I really don't have anything to compare them to, but I cannot believe I could have found anything better for the price.

 

[giaschel]

When buying monitors with a built-in amplifier, it's a safe bet to think that the amplifier fits well with the monitors. When buying passive monitors, you'll have to test different amps.

 

[gnarled]

I've been using the YSM-1s for almost a year now. I think they have great detail and stereo imaging. I have had some trouble with accurate bass response, but I think it was more my room and the listening environment and placement than the monitors themselves (I have since moved to a new room with great improvement). The highs/high mids do wear on my ears after a while and I have experienced some fatigue. As a result, I have on ocassion made some mixes that were a little lacking in those frequencies and lacked some bite. But, the more I use them, the better my mixes translate - probably goes the same way for any monitor though. I power mine with a Samson Servo 550 and it works fine.

 

[sibleypeck]

I power mine with a Sansui AU-717 my brother bought the first year they came out - probably 1977.

He gave me the amp about three years ago because his wife thought it looked too complicated, and I just stored it in the basement until about two months ago, when I started using speakers to mix.

I am concerned that its 8 Ohm output is not matched with the YSM1s, which say "6 OHMS NOMINAL, 4 OHMS MINIMUM" on the back (which was a surprise, because the spec sheet on the Yorkville website says, "PGM 70 W / 8 Ohms").

I expressed this concern in an email to Yorkville, and Tom Keefer wrote back and said, "THEY WILL WORK FINE." I still don't feel comfortable with it though.

 

[philboyd studge]

I use them too and I've got to say there isn't anything out there like the Yorkvilles for the price. I'm using a big ass Japanese amp from the '70's too because of all the tasks. I use a stand alone hard disk recorder, computer recorder, mini disk recorder and so on and reference through three sets of speakers.