Features:
- 30 watts total power
- Full magnetic shielding
- Comes with 2 satellite speakers and 1 subwoofer
- Powered speakers, no amplifier required
- Advanced YST for deep, powerful bass
Description:
Adding new speakers to a computer is one of the easiest upgrades to make, and also one of the most dramatic. Going from the pair of chirping speakers that came with your computer to the Yamaha YST-MS30 will prove this beyond a doubt. The YST-MS30 is a powered speaker set (meaning no amplifier is necessary) that comes with two 6-watt satellite speakers and an 18-watt subwoofer. You control the power and volume from the right speaker and adjust overall bass levels from a dial on the subwoofer. The included speaker cables are long enough to allow for terrific stereo separation. We installed our system in less than five minutes after removing it from the box. A set of YST-MS30s won't get you kicked out of your apartment anytime soon, but there's more to a speaker system than raw volume. Most people are more concerned with the way the speaker reproduces sounds, and it is in this area that the YST-MS30 excels. The satellite speakers produce crisp highs and a full midrange with enough volume to keep the subwoofer from drowning it out. At full volume, the speakers exhibit no distortion, and they don't hiss like inferior products. Better speakers do exist, but you'll have a tough time finding them at YST-MS30 prices. Good subwoofers are nearly impossible to come by in this price range, but the one included with the YST-MS30s is a wonderful exception. Too frequently, cheap subwoofers thump with monotonous bass, with no variation to the frequency or volume of the sounds it attempts to reproduce. This subwoofer provides a nice frequency response, albeit through the limited range all subwoofers are capable of responding to. The result is tight-sounding bass with enough capability for variation. That the speakers sound so good is surprising considering their relatively tiny size. The square subwoofer unit measures only about 7 inches on a side but can be parked anywhere--including under a desk. The satellite speakers that sit upon the desk are very small, measuring less than 3 inches high and wide, and about 5 inches deep. It's a compact design that sacrifices nothing in terms of sound quality, making it a perfect match for a computer system. After a few days with these speakers we really missed not having a headphone jack. It's difficult to find desktop computer speakers with headphone jacks in the first place, so this isn't a serious drawback, but it would make a nice addition. What makes these (and most computer speakers) so great is they use a headphone jack for input, meaning they can be attached to a variety of devices, such as personal CD players, televisions with headphone output, and compact cassette recorders. These devices also can serve as a preamp, allowing you to boost the YST-M30s beyond their standard volume levels and add further versatility to a clean-sounding set of speakers. Anyone looking for a three-piece system would do well to consider the YST-MS30. Pros:
- Crisp, distortion-free sound
- Small speakers
- Responsive bass
- Easy to install
Cons:
- No headphone jack
- Could use a little more volume
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