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Audio Review: Yamaha DSR Series Loudspeakers
"Yamaha may have pulled off a minor coup, as these high-fidelity, low-cost, portable loudspeakers deliver outrageous SPL. Oh, and they are lightweight and compact too. Portable churches need to add Yamaha’s DSR Series to their short list of loudspeakers."
The marketing materials for Yamaha's DSR series loudspeakers make it abundantly clear that the speakers are very loud. The exact language they use is "output levels pushed to the highest sound pressure levels possible." To be sure, these materials go on to tout excellent fidelity, light weight, and affordable pricing, among other things, but Yamaha really wants you to know that these speakers are loud (up to 138 dB from their full range speakers, and 130 dB from their subwoofer). In my recollection, over the past 15-20 years, extreme high SPL has not been a priority-it seems that most manufacturers have focused on providing excellent reproduction fidelity, lighter weight, more portability, ease of use, and recently, more bells and whistles in terms of mixing and equalization. I don't recall seeing any manufacturers put this much focus on high SPL in ... in ... well, forever. And in my experience, the speakers that have been touted as providing high SPLs have usually done so at least somewhat at the expense of fidelity or by using gimmicks, and always with the speaker straining at the very edge of its physical capacities to live up to the published numbers. I guess you could say I have always been at least a little skeptical when I'm told that the speakers are loud.
Packing a punch
The DSR series includes the 112, with a 12-inch LF (low-frequency) driver, the 115 with a 15-inch LF driver, and the 215, with two 15-inch LF drivers. The 118W is an 18-inch subwoofer intended for use with any of the above. All three of the full-range speakers feature a two-inch titanium diaphragm compression driver. The sub has an 800W amp, and the full-range speakers have 850W and 450W amps to drive the LF and HF drivers, respectively.
I was shipped a pair of 115s and a pair of 118Ws. I was concerned about the size and portability of these speakers based on my initial assessment of the shipping cartons, which were pretty darn large. The substantial polystyrene packing enclosures accounted for a big chunk of that space, and I was relieved to discover that the speakers contained within were of the size I expected. The subs were hefty and required two people to unbox. After pulling out the subs, I expected more mass from the 115s, but they were pleasantly lighter than I anticipated. Both types of speaker felt substantial and sturdy to me. Yamaha lists the enclosures as built from "LineX-coated wood". The fact that the subs are heavier does not bother me-getting the full-range speaker up to pole-mount it for "speaker on a stick" usage is what's important here, and a strong person can do it alone, but I'd still probably recommend having two people for that hoisting job. And indeed, this series features 35mm pole sockets (with the exception of the 215-that would not be safe).
The speakers' grilles are formed of 16-gauge matte black powder-coated perforated steel, and wrap nicely around the front face of the speaker. I like a really substantial grille to protect my drivers. The edges of the cabinet are nicely rounded, and there are two M10 rigging points on the top front of the full-range enclosures, if the speakers won't be going anywhere or if stacking or speaker-on-a-stick won't work for you. There's an additional application that I really like-the 112 is designed to work as a floor wedge monitor as well, with its 50-degree rear panel angle. The other convention that I like about the speakers' enclosures is the "deep pocket" recessed handles. They're located at the proper center of gravity, and the deep pocket made it easy for me to get my hands in there to pick up the speaker. Another unique feature that impressed me was the locking IEC power sockets. Locking plugs ship with the speakers, but if they're misplaced, regular IECs can be used to keep you in business for the moment.
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John McJunkin is the CEO of Avalon Podcasting in Chandler, Arizona, which offers high quality podcast production and consultation services to a broad range of clients. He’s also the host of the Podcast Pro Tech & Tips Podcast at www.avalonpodcasting.com.
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