Yamaha SW1500
OK, so in the photo it looks like a Triffid with an extra appendage,
the Yamaha YST-SW1500 is quite elegant in the
flesh and is available in Black or Cherry real wood veneer. The box is reasonably large at 420mm wide X 511mm high X 448
mm deep and weighs in at a back breaking 29 kgs. With a box made of 25mm (1") MDF, resonance and vibration from the
cabinet is virtually non existent. Retail price is $2500 which puts it up against the M&K V125 and B&W ASW675.
As subwoofers go, this has to be one of the best value for money grunters on the market today, musically, it creams everything else under $3000 and many above that price point. With it's long throw dual bias 12" driver and 1000 Watt "D" class amplifier, moving air is no problem for earth shattering movie effects when the SW-1500 gets into its stride.
After taking one home for this review, I kept it! My M&K V125 now retired to the subwoofer aged care facility. Musically it's slightly smoother than the M&K, certainly more effortless at high levels, when it comes to movies however there was simply no comparison. During the explosion at the start of Terminator 3 the M&K freaked whereas the Yammy just sat there and scared the crap out of the Cat, Dog, Wife, Kids and all neighbours within 1 km. - I love it!
More to the point, it has the Nick Townsend seal of approval (he actually bought one for himself). Nick works for us and is the closest thing to an Audiophile that's ever walked into our store (and stayed more than 20 seconds). He runs his with a set of B&W Speakers and some esoteric amp. I run mine with a set of Paradigm Studio 100 Speakers and a Marantz SR-7400 Receiver (much more sensible). It also was reviewed in the UK magazine Home Cinema garnishing a 4.5 out of 5 star rating and a best buy sticker (maybe the Poms are crawling out of their parochial hole). In their words "It holds melodic bass lines well and has amazing precision on "music" setting. An amazing statement from the home of REL and B&W.
The really good bit is the supplied remote control - this allows setting all major parameters from your listening position and has 3 pre-set buttons for retaining the best in music and movie woofing.
A good subwoofer should never be obvious on music, you should only be aware that something is missing when you turn it off. I tried the YST-SW1500 with a set of Paradigm Studio 20's (bookshelf speakers with a 50 Hz bottom end) and with the Studio 100's (big buggers which go down to below 30 Hz) and the subwoofer interacted seamlessly with both speakers - a sure sign of versatility.
The only downside to this subwoofer is the physical size (although it does make a great pot plant stand) and it's retail price of $2500. I can't do much about the size but I can sure help sweeten the price - just call me on (02) 9874 2726 for the current deal.
Bottom line on this one - If it wasn't for the awesome Paradigm Servo 15 ($3850) this would be the best value for money subwoofer currently available in Australia - Big call? - Big Woof!