Any opinions on Yamaha Soavo-1 Speakers?

[FauxHall]

Local auction site has a pair of used floor-standing Yamaha Soavo-1 speakers at what looks to be a reasonable price.

They might be positioned as part of a 5.1 system which would be a bad sign for sound quality but I'd be interested in the opinions of others with experience with Yamaha gear.

 

[808_state]

Local auction site has a pair of used floor-standing Yamaha Soavo-1 speakers at what looks to be a reasonable price.

They might be positioned as part of a 5.1 system which would be a bad sign for sound quality but I'd be interested in the opinions of others with experience with Yamaha gear.

I'm going to guess that I am one the few, if only persons on here who has a full set of Soavo's on this forum (except the SW900 sub, don't have it). I also have the newer NS-F901's. To save you from the "why they may or may not sound good" posts from people who have never seen or heard them and the obligatory "well I've used B&W XXX's for years..." other type of posts you see on virtually every other forum (be honest...it's true!), here is my summation after three years of listening and experimenting:

Soavo 1's: Nice, well built speakers. A little mild in the mid-range but still a decent amount of detail on the top end. Can be a little boomy/bloated in mid-range bass if not carefully placed. No issues with the top end treble if you have good equipment and have made some effort to isolate/dampen your equipment.

Soavo 2 & 900M: Again, nice well built speakers. Honestly really nice for two channel listening but mesh perfectly with the 900C center channel and Soavo-1 towers for a very detailed 5.1 soundstage. I love them all together.

Soavo NS-F901's: Beautiful piano black and solidly built speakers. More forward in the mid-range (updated crossover & drivers from the Soavo 1) and added bass extension, not as boomy in the midrange bass and not as sensitive to placement. These can really put out some punchy bass. No issues with top end treble that some European commenters have claimed. I like these best in two-channel and to be honest I don't have the full 901 surround set to compare.

I could have gotten the sub that came with the set but didn't. I sort of regret this but oh well, I've got plenty of speakers. I think the Soavo 1's & 901's image really well when properly placed and if you can get them for a good price I'd say go for it. If you have any other questions (ie. what is a fair price) you can PM me. I think the Soavo's get along quite well with the vintage Yamaha gear and have no plans of off-loading them.

-808

 

[samosui]

List price for the original 5.1 set was over $7,000 IIRC. They where TOTL for home theater and would typically be mated to $2k HT receivers. Yes, lots of HT junk available but I wouldn’t call Soavo’s junk. Google Soavo I’s to see how they were made/marketed/reviewed. Got mine soon after intro but at a good discount. Otherwise I’d never spring for anything so pricey.

If they’re priced reasonably then get them. Will you like them? Who knows, speaker performance is so subjective. And few mention the environment (carpets, drapes, bare floors, etc.). To me, listening to a familiar song, years ago, through C-2x/MX-2000/NS1000 versus RX-A3010/Soavo I towers in 2-channel mode sounded very similar. But that wasn’t a scientific test and I find it difficult to A/B compare when something (like a source) has to be disconnected from one component and transferred to another.

Cheers,
John

 

[Dr. Ear]

Soavo‘s sound very polite compared to NS-1000 or -2000, the NS being a completely different league. I prefer the smaller Soavo 2 because bass is less boomy and imaging is better. They are well built speakers, but there is nothing real special with them.

 

[808_state]

NS-F901's & NS-1000x's...

 

[musichal]

List price for the original 5.1 set was over $7,000 IIRC. They where TOTL for home theater and would typically be mated to $2k HT receivers. Yes, lots of HT junk available but I wouldn’t call Soavo’s junk. Google Soavo I’s to see how they were made/marketed/reviewed. Got mine soon after intro but at a good discount. Otherwise I’d never spring for anything so pricey.

If they’re priced reasonably then get them. Will you like them? Who knows, speaker performance is so subjective. And few mention the environment (carpets, drapes, bare floors, etc.). To me, listening to a familiar song, years ago, through C-2x/MX-2000/NS1000 versus RX-A3010/Soavo I towers in 2-channel mode sounded very similar. But that wasn’t a scientific test and I find it difficult to A/B compare when something (like a source) has to be disconnected from one component and transferred to another.

Cheers,
John

Few of who mention environment? You certainly aren't speaking of this group.

Interesting Yamaha speakers I missed along the way - the Soavo, I mean.

 

[FauxHall]

Thanks for sharing guys.

I think I'll pass and stick with my Spendor A6rs.

 

[samosui]

Few of who mention environment? You certainly aren't speaking of this group.

Interesting Yamaha speakers I missed along the way - the Soavo, I mean.

Perhaps most mention their particular environment when discussing or describing or comparing speakers. Not disparaging this or any other group. To me, speaker preference is such a subjective thing and environment plays a huge role too, just sayin’.

Cheers,
John

 

[samosui]

NS-F901's & NS-1000x's...

View attachment 1321834

Love the look of those NS-1000x’s. They must sound awesome. Never had the opportunity to listen to a pair and most likely never will. Once I got some NS-1000M’s and NS-1000’s, I quit searching.

Cheers,
John

 

[musichal]

Perhaps most mention their particular environment when discussing or describing or comparing speakers. Not disparaging this or any other group. To me, speaker preference is such a subjective thing and environment plays a huge role too, just sayin’.

Cheers,
John

I fully agree. I'm of the opinion, small room - small speakers, large room - large speakers. I've posted many times that I prefer the sound of my slender-tower Silver 6 over the Klipschorn which preceded them in my space, due to the room - not so much a size issue as a matter of shape and a compromised corner. But we have entire threads expressing various issues and opinions regarding environmental effects with speaker/room interaction, as well as room treatment.

If I had the placement freedom to situate a speaker further from the wall, I'd probably have a pair of Magnepan 1.7 in my den, but have never had that luxury. I give them as much as I can without interfering with furnishings and traffic patterns. I chose my speakers based on my room, and it worked out very well. I don't think it's a factor that goes unnoticed by many/most enthusiasts. So, yeah, many of us agree that the room exerts a major impact, but will obviously disagree over the particulars of what works best.

 

[808_state]

Love the look of those NS-1000x’s. They must sound awesome. Never had the opportunity to listen to a pair and most likely never will. Once I got some NS-1000M’s and NS-1000’s, I quit searching.

Cheers,
John

They are extremely nice speakers but are severely dependent upon positioning to sound their best. Anything other than the right spot sounds flat and dead. I'd love to put a set of Beryllium tweeters in the NS-F901's just for that final splash of magic but either way they're both great speakers.