Mr. Yoav Geva has left YG Acoustics

PeterA

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As we say constantly this is a subjective hobby, but it seems to me that displeasing advertising is a rather remote reason for disliking the sound of a loudspeaker. :)

I agree but that advertisement was hyperbole to the max and people mocked it for a long time. And as Jeff wrote, those early models did not sound very good.
 
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DaveC

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I agree the only YGs that are good are the most recent ones, but they achieved what they were going for in the end.
 

microstrip

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As we say constantly this is a subjective hobby, but it seems to me that displeasing advertising is a rather remote reason for disliking the sound of a loudspeaker. :)

Although it can be look strange at first sight, it is a real reason for it. Our subjective appreciations are always affected by our relation with the brand and other non sonic characteristics.

People often refer to suspension and disbelief and enjoyment. I think we must add peace of mind to the important aspects to enjoy sound reproduction - excessively aggressive marketing spoils my appreciation for some brands. For example, I have all the reasons to like Magico - good experience with the brand sonics, great building quality and advanced technology, but a thirty minute session with Alon a couple of years ago managed to spoil it in part ... :oops:
 

sbnx

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I agree that he arrived at a great loudspeaker. It has everything but one last thing. The tweeter is a work of engineering greatness. The cabinet is rock solid. The crossover has custom made parts to minimize losses and have very high tolerances. The drivers are very stiff and pistonic. So what is left? IMO the motor system needs work. The speakers aren't very efficient. Most people say that to really get them to sing you have to give them some juice. I think part of that is that while the drivers are stiff they are also (relatively) heavy. If the motor system was redesigned with more magnetic field etc then that should be an improvement.

I am certainly not a speaker designer. So take my comments with a grain (or two) of salt.
 
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asiufy

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While I can't say whether your diagnosis is correct about the motor system, I do agree that YGs have always needed power to open up and sing, and it still holds true today.
But improvements have been made, first from the older lines to the Hailey/Sonja, and now from 1.x to 2.x, so they are now considerably easier to drive, and from what little I know of the pipeline, they will be even more so in the near future. And that doesn't involve the "motor system".
 

DaveC

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I agree that he arrived at a great loudspeaker. It has everything but one last thing. The tweeter is a work of engineering greatness. The cabinet is rock solid. The crossover has custom made parts to minimize losses and have very high tolerances. The drivers are very stiff and pistonic. So what is left? IMO the motor system needs work. The speakers aren't very efficient. Most people say that to really get them to sing you have to give them some juice. I think part of that is that while the drivers are stiff they are also (relatively) heavy. If the motor system was redesigned with more magnetic field etc then that should be an improvement.

I am certainly not a speaker designer. So take my comments with a grain (or two) of salt.

Agreed, they could be more efficient. I'm not sure how practical it would be to increase Bl or magnetic flux density much more than they already are, I've seen the drivers and they don't skimp on magnets. I think it's just a tradeoff in terms of achieving that "pistonic" performance, which requires a very rigid cone. While they take pride in machining everything out of aluminum in-house it's possible they may achieve a lighter cone that is just as rigid out of other materials, this + increasing cone surface area would be one way of making further improvements in terms of efficiency and I think it would help with overall bass quality and dynamics as well. If I could fault them for one thing it would be lack of woofer surface area, but then you can just buy Sonja XV I guess... :)
 

chuck

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Agreed, they could be more efficient. I'm not sure how practical it would be to increase Bl or magnetic flux density much more than they already are, I've seen the drivers and they don't skimp on magnets. I think it's just a tradeoff in terms of achieving that "pistonic" performance, which requires a very rigid cone. While they take pride in machining everything out of aluminum in-house it's possible they may achieve a lighter cone that is just as rigid out of other materials, this + increasing cone surface area would be one way of making further improvements in terms of efficiency and I think it would help with overall bass quality and dynamics as well. If I could fault them for one thing it would be lack of woofer surface area, but then you can just buy Sonja XV I guess... :)
XV + Boulder 3060. Problem solved.
 

sbnx

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The Hailey's and Sonja run that little 5.5" driver down to 65Hz. A testament to how good that little driver is. I agree the XV fixes some of the issue as we get three of the 8"ish drivers for 65-337Hz. But I really need to pay 200+k to get this?? I think the best YG would be a mini-XV-jr. Forget the woofer from 65Hz and down. I can just integrate a pair of JL gothams to easily cover this range.

Maybe the modified it but the magnet structure on the YG drivers looks the same as that of the scan speak revelator series driver. This would make sense as they send their aluminum cones to scan speak to have them bonded to the frame.
 

asiufy

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There's a lot of speaker in the $185,000 XV Jr.
It's all a matter of preference. For instance, you like Vivid bass, so, to me, it's clear that you'll not be happy with YG's bass, regardless. Other folks might prefer the other way around.
 
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chuck

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The Hailey's and Sonja run that little 5.5" driver down to 65Hz. A testament to how good that little driver is. I agree the XV fixes some of the issue as we get three of the 8"ish drivers for 65-337Hz. But I really need to pay 200+k to get this?? I think the best YG would be a mini-XV-jr. Forget the woofer from 65Hz and down. I can just integrate a pair of JL gothams to easily cover this range.

Maybe the modified it but the magnet structure on the YG drivers looks the same as that of the scan speak revelator series driver. This would make sense as they send their aluminum cones to scan speak to have them bonded to the frame.
Yes. The XV does more at all frequencies, by a big margin.
 
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andromedaaudio

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As far as I know the Audio Research, Sonus Faber, McIntosh group is being successful.

Unfortunately many times when audio companies are purchased by investors this was due to their poor financial or market situation. Funds are attracted by desperate people wanting to sell cheap.

Probably the last thing i would invest in is in the audio bizz to make money .
Audio companies are born out of passion mostly .
Problem is the small customerbase , for it to have a large customerbase its nescessary to make a cheaper / compromised product which is no challenge for most .
 
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KeithR

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The Hailey's and Sonja run that little 5.5" driver down to 65Hz. A testament to how good that little driver is. I agree the XV fixes some of the issue as we get three of the 8"ish drivers for 65-337Hz. But I really need to pay 200+k to get this?? I think the best YG would be a mini-XV-jr. Forget the woofer from 65Hz and down. I can just integrate a pair of JL gothams to easily cover this range.

Maybe the modified it but the magnet structure on the YG drivers looks the same as that of the scan speak revelator series driver. This would make sense as they send their aluminum cones to scan speak to have them bonded to the frame.

they arent 5.5” in the Hailey
 

asiufy

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More like 7.25", with a 10.25" woofer below.
 

andromedaaudio

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Doing 65 hz with a large stiff woofer is a complete different ballgame .
The goal shouldnt be : look my little mid can do 65 hz .
At that stage it should be crossed already .
Thats why people sayimg my little 2 way can also do 50 hz -3db means nothing , its all about stiff large membrane surface which causes impact
 
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andromedaaudio

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The stupid thing is i ve never even heard a YG as there is no representation in holland /belgium.
I ll probably hear them when i m in munich next year .
Many companies use the scanspeak motor designs there are also a lot companies that use the complete scanspeak units with membrane and all.
I like Yg they take great care in measurements and have exellent built quality .
I dont think i would buy the old active woofer designs though
 

Zero000

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As we say constantly this is a subjective hobby, but it seems to me that displeasing advertising is a rather remote reason for disliking the sound of a loudspeaker. :)

Strange post Ron I didn't say I disliked the sound of the speakers due to the advertising.

As it happens, though, I have never heard a pair I like.
 
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Ron Resnick

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Any private equity purchaser worth his salt would put something like that in the contract for at least a few months.
 

Hamburger

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For example, I have all the reasons to like Magico - good experience with the brand sonics, great building quality and advanced technology, but a thirty minute session with Alon a couple of years ago managed to spoil it in part ... :oops:

Interesting that you had such an experience.

I had a similar experience with Alon too, more that a decade ago; I was enthusiastically looking forward to meeting him and listening to his products, when he visited my country. Well, good products, but way, way below par people skills. Since then, Magico has been a brand off my list.

On the other hand, I met Yoav too. He was enthusiastically sharing his knowledge and insights. He is not a marketing person, but I could feel the energy and enthusiasm in him. YG will be the one I buy when the time comes.
 

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