Yamaha DSR115

TrickRichards

TrickRichards

Inspired
Hey everyone, I just got a Yamaha DSR115 and couldn't be happier. I play a wide range of styles (from reggae to jazz to prog metal) and gig most weekends. I used to use a Mesa Recto 2X12 horizontal cab with an Art SLA-2 in bridged mono. While I liked the sound I was always struggling to get a bit more headroom and a more detailed sound like I get when I record. Well let me just say the difference between the guitar cab and FRFR is huge! The DSR has more than enough volume and the feel is freakin' awaesome. BTW I know it's probably been said a lot before but I can't stress enough the importance of volume when dialing these things in. I almost passed on this cab the first time I plugged in because it had kind of a dark sound to it at a low volume, then i turned it up to roughly my gig volume and shazam! Very stoked on this thing! Anyway, I just wanted to give a heads up to anyone looking for a good FR speaker. Anyone else rocking one of these?
 
I tested it against a QSC K10 and K12. All sounded good but I ended up going with the DSR115 because i've played tube amps for 12 years and I can't help but get inspired by the amp in the room "feel" and the DSR gave me that feeling I needed.
 
The main difference to me was a kind of thickness and also how well it holds together on the low end. One of my main guitars is a 7 string, so it was important to me that it had a strong bottom without being muddy. IMO you can't really go wrong with either cab but for my needs the DSR was just what I was hoping for in making the jump from amp/cab to FR.
 
The DSR115 almost blew the K12 I tried right out of the store :D No comparison at all IMO.

I tried a bunch of cabs before deciding on this one and coming from 20 years of 4x12's and tube amps, the DSR115 was the one that felt the most like I was standing in front of a cranked amp through a 4x12.

The only one that compared was a Mackie HD1531 which is more expensive, 30+ pounds heavier, and has proven to be very unreliable thus far.

I tried the DSR112 as well, it was great but again the 15" felt more like a 4x12 in the room to me.
 
I think these DSRs are wood cabs, but I haven't found any literature anywhere, including the owners manuals, that says what kind of wood and how thick it is. Do you guys know what these cabs are made of for sure?
 
How was the DSR112? I'm wondering is it really flat/neutral. Also, is it loud enough for a metal band and have a tight enough low end and smooth high ends? I'm kind of torn between the QSC K12/Mackie HD1221, and now this one. I just never thought of Yamaha as being a powered speaker choice.
 
Both the DSR112 and the QSC K12 sound quite good. But as Frostbyte mentioned and I couldn't agree more, if you're going for a sound and a feel thing like playing in front of a guitar cab the DSR115 is where it's at. If you play metal you owe it to yourself to check out the DSR115. DC23, My advice for you is to go out and hear these things for yourself. I never thought of Yamaha as a contender for a powered speaker choice either until I heard it.
 
FrostByte said:
Nope, just wood :D
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:) Driftwood? Dagwood? What are these cabs made of? haha.

Yamaha has a good selling angle on these being one of one 2-3 other "wood" cab FRFR speakers with their power in that K12 price range. You'd think they would exploit that angle. The Mackie HD's and the JBL PRX6's are the only other ones with wood cabs in that price range. Mackie says their cab is birch and JBL says theirs is poplar.

What is the wood Yamaha uses for their DSR cabs?

~edit~ I have written in to Yamaha for an answer. I hope the get back to me soon. I might pull the trigger on the DSR112 and use my GC Prez-Day coupon.
 
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I just received a call from a gentleman from Yamaha. Cool guy named Ed. He let me know that the Yamaha DSR series speakers are made from Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF).
 
Lution said:
I just received a call from a gentleman from Yamaha. Cool guy named Ed. He let me know that the Yamaha DSR series speakers are made from Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF).
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I guess that explains how they can compete in the K series price range.
 
Mackie (HD series) and JBL (PRX6 Series) are in the K series range using Birch and Poplar wood. I wonder why Yamaha did not choose to go that way too. From what I've read, MDF is ideal for getting the least amount of resonance, but I would be choosing a wood cab for a bit of that wood character that you don't really get with plastic/poly cabs.
 
Does the Atomic FR active cab compare with this? What are the pros/cons of each unit? Looks like the Yamaha can be had for $899 online, while the Atomic Reactor is $799/$849. Sure, it's solid vs. tube, but what kind of difference should I expect?
 
Lution said:
The Yamaha will be louder.
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What about tube vs solid state? Not a big difference? Since the price is the same, is there any reason to get the Atomic FR? I need something that sounds good at low volumes, and from the original post, it sounds like the Yamaha has to be cranked?
 
You're asking a good question and will likely receive responses all over the board regarding the atomic's tubes vs solid state. I don't have any experience with the atomics so I can't help you answer that one.
 
To: To [C_G]

The Atomic's should work great for you. I love mine. In my search I tried several different solutions (QSC, Verve, Mackie, etc.). I found that there were definitely louder solutions out there but none that sounded better than the Reactor FRs. What got me is they really had the amp in the room experience over the others (all IMHO, of course).

Oh, and they're marine grade ply.
 
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shredstock said:
To: To [C_G]
I found that there were definitely louder solutions out there but none that sounded better than the Reactor FRs. What got me is they really had the amp in the room experience over the others (all IMHO, of course)..
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Thanks shredstock! This is exactly what I was hoping to hear. I'm not particularly worried about the volume since I mostly just play at home. I just want it to sound as good as possible, as cheaply as possible.
 
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