Yamaha NS-F210BL Floor Speakers Review: The Quirky Little Towers You Never Saw Coming

2023-01-10 | Yvonne

Tip: When we heard of Yamaha’s sixteen-pound tower speakers, we had to see if they sounded as good as they looked. While they’ve got some significant flaws, they’re still really fun speakers.

Yamaha NS F210BL Floor Speakers Review: Quirky Towers You Didn't See ComingWhen Yamaha's 16-pound tower speakers were announced, we wanted to hear how they sounded. They're fun speakers, even though they have some serious flaws.

Yamaha NS-F210BL Floor Speakers

We like this

Gorgeous, strong build
Slim and light
A crisp, airy sound that fills the room

The Things We Hate

Boominess is the result of sacrificing bass clarity for volume
Below 200Hz is serious distortion
The Treble could be even cleaner

Yamaha's NS-F210BL floor speakers are a remarkable experiment. However, they sacrificed sound quality in order to maintain their sleek design.

This article explains.

Expand

Design
Installation
Sound Quality
Prices
Concurrence
Final Verdict
Specifications

Yamaha NS210BL floor speakers were purchased for our reviewer to thoroughly evaluate and test. Continue reading to see our complete product review.

Yamaha NS F210BL floor speakers are slim and bouncy. Yamaha, unlike most other audio companies that are trying to create the best sound possible, focused its efforts on building a better chassis. The speakers look very slim with a striking silver grille and boom into your bones. These speakers are an excellent introduction to sound for those who are just starting to explore the world of sound.

However, those with more trained ears may be able to hear the big bass, which is muddy and monotonous. The treble and bass ranges are also affected by distortion. Although it doesn't suffer from any major flaws, the speaker is still superior to most other consumer speakers. However, there are higher-quality speakers available in the bookshelf and tower markets.

Light, slim

The NS F210BLs tower speakers are among the thinnest and lightest on the market. The NS-F210BLs weigh just 16 pounds and are very easy to carry around in a room. They house a ⅞' balance dome tweeter and dual 3.125' cone woofers and are very slim and sleek, with a round stabilizing base, and they stand at a little over 40 inches. You can cover the drivers with an optional gray grille. They are located on the top third. It is a beautiful silver plate, which we love.

The NS F210BLs tower speakers are among the most lightweight and thinnest on the market.

The tweeter's three spokes look almost like an aircraft rudder if you pay attention. These speakers are great if you want something minimal that blends into your background. It is made of black wood laminate and MDF. The speaker is extremely lightweight and rugged.

Installation: Easy and simple

The Yamaha tower does not work with banana plugs. This is likely due to European restrictions. To install the Yamaha tower, you will need to use either bare speaker wire or pins. Yamaha will provide a good amount of speaker wire for those who don't have any. If you're familiar with how to set up the speaker, it is easy and quick. The Yamaha NSF210BL amplifier is a sensitive unit with a sensitivity of 86dB/W. This means that you do not need a large amp to drive a pair.

Sound Quality : Strong with some unfortuitous missteps

Although the Yamaha towers may be small, they sound great. The sound was clear and crisp in our small living space. They were also very well priced at $150. They sound a bit flat and lack the aggressiveness you might expect from a tower speaker in a home theatre setup. This is my only complaint. These speakers feel more friendly than the louder, more in-your face models. The noise level is moderately high at between 96 and 100dB. This should be sufficient for small- to medium-sized living rooms.

We have taken several measures in REW for those with more technical skills to assess their performance. While they have an impressively loud bass for their size, the audio significantly distorts below 200 Hz— it has a total harmonic distortion of almost twenty percent in some spots! The sound quality should not be either crystal clear or muddy, as it has a very normal step response. The impulse and waterfall plots showed significant ringing at 14.5kHz. It is quite high, and should not be too annoying. However, it can become tiring for those who have good hearing.

We feel the Yamahas may be a bit overpriced at $150 for each speaker.

The Yamaha NSF210BL sound signature is the important thing. The sound signature of the Yamaha NS-F210BL has a flat middle range and treble that can get a bit harsh from 2kHz peak and 14.5kHz peak. It has a soft peak around 260Hz that makes higher voices sound more boomy. However, lower vocalists might sound flat due to the trough of 140Hz. Kick drums are also given extra energy by the 50-100 Hz boost. This boost is particularly useful for fast-paced genres such as pop and indie.

We recommend that Yamaha speakers are paired with good subwoofers to allow them to move in the upper and mid ranges. Although they're not the best speakers, these are enjoyable to use with a subwoofer. These towers are small and compact, making them a good choice for those who need a smaller tower.

Prices: a bit high

We feel the Yamahas may be a bit too expensive for their quality at $150 per speaker. Yamaha clearly spent a lot on research and development for these towers. However, discerning listeners won't find it worthwhile because of their tiny size and light weight. These speakers feel like novelty items, and are aimed at people who value form over all other factors. The Yamaha may be fine if size is your primary consideration when choosing a speaker. However, if price is a concern, you will find better speakers at lower prices.

Competiton: Struggles against an imposing field

The Polk T50 is Are you searching for tower audio that costs less than $300? The Polk T50 is a popular choice, and can be found at a price of $200 per pair. These are fantastic. They have a neutral sound and very little distortion. We are most concerned about its build quality, and how spacious it is. Although they don't suffer from poor stereo, there are much better bookshelf speakers. The build quality of the T50s is poor, particularly for tower speakers. The Yamahas, on the other hand, have a solid build quality and last for a very long time.

Polk T50 Review

ELAC Launch 2.0 B6.2 ELAC Bookshelf Speaker: If you are looking for something compact but still powerful, this bookcase speaker by ELAC is for you. These speakers have been a huge success in the audio industry since they were first released. They cost only $250 per pair. Bookshelf speakers are generally cheaper than towers and the ELACs offer true audiophile quality sound.

ELAC Debut 2.0 F5.2 Floorstanding Tower Speakers Review

JBL305P MkII These JBL-powered bookshelves retail for $300 per pair. However, you will often be able to find them and their MkI predecesors for as low as $200 per pair. These studio monitors are designed to show music and movies as recorded. These monitors are extremely well made, very detailed and tight.

Final Verdict

Great chassis, imperfect sound.

The speakers are slim and attractive, with excellent build quality. They also have a solid sound, although it's not the best in class. It is almost impossible to find towers that are this small and lightweight. However, if you value audio quality more than the price of these speakers, there are better models available.

Specifications

Product Name NS-F210BL Floor Speakers
Yamaha Product Brand
MPN NS F210BL
Prices from $150.00
Publication Date: May 2009
Weighing 16.1 lbs.
Product dimensions 9.4x9.4x41.4in
1-year warranty
Typ 2-way floorstanding bass-reflex speaker
Woofers Dual 3-1/8” cone
Tweeter 7/8" balance dome
Frequency Response 50 Hz - 45 kHz at -10db
Maximum Input Power: 40W
Maximum Input Power 120W
Sensitivity = 86 dB
Impedance 6 Ohms

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