Yamaha NS-6490 Bookshelf Speaker (Pair)

Comments about Yamaha NS-6490 Bookshelf Speaker (Pair):

These are a great sounding speaker for the money. I find the tweeter to be unnaturally bright but that could be taken care of through equalization. The trouble is the highs get ragged at high volumes. Since I don't listen at high volume it isn't a problem for me. I like a more laid-back speaker sound.

What was appealing to me is the 3 way design. Most speakers in this price range are 2 way and usually need a sub - if they don't the bass is usually muddy. The bass on these are muddy - the mids are pretty good - the highs are quite bright.

Yamaha could really have a winner if they'd just stick a few more $s into the cabinet and stuff it with polyfill. It'd kill the resonating cabinet problem at mid level listening. I'd pay more for those features. The drivers sound like they do a pretty good job - they just need some help.

Corner loading these will help get some bass from the sealed (acoustic suspension) design. I've got mine about 6" from the back wall and the same distance from the side walls. I use them for TV radio and computer sounds - music during the day etc so I don't have to crank up the home theater equipment.

Comparing these speakers to my Infinity Cascade Model 3v I get the impression of a hollowness from the Yamaha speakers after listening to the Cascades after some time and switching back. I have both connected to a Harman Kardon 3390 stereo receiver with 80wpc.

For TV radio and background music from the computer (FLAC files) these will do the job. I just have to crank some treble out of them. They remind me of Klipsch horn loaded tweeters - they are that bright.

Overall sound quality is excellent for such an inexpensive speaker. Give them a try if you are looking to spend as little as possible and get some bang for the buck.

Comments about Yamaha NS-6490 Bookshelf Speaker (Pair):

Good "full" sound for the price. A better sounding speaker than Bose 201V - for less than half the price. I power these speakers with a 350W old school amp and they sound awesome and they are not yet "Broken in"

Comments about Yamaha NS-6490 Bookshelf Speaker (Pair):

sounds good

Comments about Yamaha NS-6490 Bookshelf Speaker (Pair):

I've been holding onto my older front speakers for years due to their excellent sound quality but their size just plain bothered me (15" woofer). Over the years I had tried other bookshelf speakers to see if they would fit the bill but they just couldn't hold their own with low frequencies. I didn't want to leave that much to the subwoofer for music as it just doesn't sound right.

These speakers sound absolutely amazing for their price range. The bass response is excellent. They are slightly larger then I would have preferred but well worth it. I only wish I had purchased these earlier.