Y No YG ?

How many have $100 grand speakers?
https://www.stereophile.com/content/yg-acoustics-sonja-13-loudspeaker

Given their price points, I can't imagine that they sell a whole bunch of product. Accordingly, it's likely that there are few owners and even fewer of those who may frequent AG.

The people that buy YG are few and far between and these folks don’t waste their time posting anywhere on the Internet.

You do see occasional used lwr models of them for sale for 20 to 30k and It’s generally dealers that have taken them on consignment or trade ins.

They do have nice brochures and website also.

Kenny.

They seem to maybe be more respected than loved?  Note they're never bought by reviewers even after positive reviews.  Too much science, not enough art?  Too much lab, not enough listening?  Kind of reminds me of Halcro in a way. 

Probably the same reason you never see one of these at the local Friday night cruise night!
https://www.caranddriver.com/mclaren

I had one of those cars. It had Bose speakers.

ozzy

It's a cost no object luxury product.  Lots of money is spent on things that don't make it perform better and don't even make it look any better.  It's pure vanity.  You've got something that most people can't afford and that knowledge makes you less miserable.  meh.  

"Not only the cones, but all the metal parts in the Sonja, including the trim rings around the drivers—even the biwiring binding posts—are made by YGA. The aluminum panels that form the enclosures are milled from large sheets of aluminum."

My friends who were Veloce partnered with them at shows, and provided the preamplifier and power amplifiers, both to stellar reviews.  They felt honored to have YG choose them, and thought the loudspeakers sounded exceptional.

I've personally heard them, and also felt impressed.  That said, maybe I come across as a bit of a fraud, but I would never spend that sort of money for any audio product

I've heard several YG "models" at AXPONA two years running and at a dealer's home about two years ago. In fact, this year I thought the large YG/Audionet room was very, very good. You would need a cavern to put all the gear in--which always strikes me as impractical, but you can't fault the SQ coming out of that room. Overall, I think YGs are generally too forward for me--the top end wears on me bit by bit over time. But, in the AXPONA YG/Audionet room, that system was conducting a powerful dynamic reproduction of symphonic/orchestral bliss.  

I love my YG Carmels. 

Mark, how do they compare to your JA Perspectives?

Erik,
    You consistently come up with great conversational ideas.  
YG speakers are great quality.... But they are very proud of them and charge according to their pride level.  Dollar for dollar there always seems something that performs on par or meets someone's taste for a lot less.  Of course with a good buy on the used market, they can be an incredible value. 

YG is like a beautiful woman in everyway but just not my type. It looks lovely and sounded really nice but I just couldn't fall for it. And it was way too expensive.lol.

@timlub 

Erik,
    You consistently come up with great conversational ideas.  

Thanks Tim!

Erik

Yes Erik you do come up with some really good conversational topics,unfortunately mine usually get removed.

Keep the thinking cap on,
Kenny.

Kenny,  you got another one removed?  You know on the stripper one, it was really good.  I didn't think that you'd get away adding the wire stripping.

Oh well Tim,
Rest assured I will come up with another one all in due time.

Thank’s for all your kind words and input,
Kenny.

I attended last Fall's Capital Audiofest and visited a room with what I think was the Carmel 2 smaller floor standing YG Acoustics models.

So many of the demos at that show featured systems that (IMO) were playing too loud and (IMO) sounded "grainy" as a result...like the system was "shouting".

I found that the YG's were NOT like that, very smooth yet detailed sound, and though the demo room was not the greatest, had nice sound stage as well.

I don't know of any dealers that carry the YG's and I live in a major metropolitan area.

I also liked the Carmel speakers at the 2017 Capital Audiofest.  I also heard them with Veloce preamp and Soulution amps at a much earlier audio show and liked them then too.  I generally prefer warmer sounding speakers, but, for a "modern" sound, these speakers are a lot more in line with my taste than competitor high-tech designs like Magico and Raidho speakers. They are very good at getting the timber of acoustic instruments right.   

Been living with carmel 2s for the past two years. As pointed out above, I agree they excel in resolution, acoustic timber, vocals, have nice width and are still able to pressurize my small/med room with my sub off. Not the warmest speaker for sure but I would say not icy either. I do have them paired with a REL B3 and they do make a good combo.  

I'm  on my third pair. Carmel to Kipod II signature to  Anat III Signature. I have upgraded the Anats to Sonja 1.2 internally.  There are alot of owners out there.  I won't  own anything but YG speakers after living with them. I have heard them sound amazing with alot of different gear. But the Audionet gear is special and perfect with the YG's imo.

All,

We're dealers for YG, and have been doing it for the past 3 years. I do agree that the usual YG buyer does not frequent forums.
But I call bullsh*t on the "no reviewer buys them" thing.
By 2015, there were at least 12 reviewers worldwide who had purchased the review pair. By now, there's probably a lot more.
http://www.yg-acoustics.com/category/reviews

I also call bullcr*p on the "no soul" argument. YGs are utterly transparent. You put soulless electronics with them, and they'll be soulless. Most people walk into a room at a show, dislike the sound, and blame the biggest thing in the room, usually the speakers. 
If anybody cares to look at the mentions of our rooms with YG at the last LAAS show (2017), you'll read nothing but praise. Be it with solid state (D'Agostino Progression) or all tubes (Audio Research). 
Besides, how many manufacturers gets a writeup like this:

"YG Acoustics Sonja XV stands as the finest and by far the most accomplished loudspeaker I have yet heard, and by no small margin at that."
Chris Martens, HiFi+, who's certainly been around and heard plenty of other speakers.

We welcome everybody to come to our store and listen to the Sonja 2.2, with solid state or tubes, digital or analog. 

cheers,
Alex

I have Carmels as well.  Once matched up properly with the right electronics (I use a vitius ri 100) they sound fantastic.  One of the very special things about them is that they have a clarity and prescience at low volumes that I’ve never heard with any other speakers.  By the way I also have sonus fabers, Vienna acoustics and TAD speakers.  I do think that there are those who trash products they can’t afford.  But there are good alternatives.  AJ’s new ELAC, the Tritons, etc.  But let’s not trash a company because they are not affordable by all.

We had a pair of Carmel 2s in at our Oct. 2017 Classic Album Sundays listening session here in Colorado Springs. They were provided by a true gentleman of the audio world, Jim Haubenschild of Aberdeen Audio from the Denver area. Our other gear is indeed modest by comparison and the sound was fantastic, rich musical and detailed...not harsh or etched in any way....As you go up the range of YG, you get more bass and impact, but the quality is consistent for all YG speakers. Yes, very expensive, and with the right partnering gear, very engaging.   

@almaaudio

Hi! 

Glad you chimed in! I don’t think you need to use expletives to correct misinformation, but your points are well taken.

In the US at least, I’m not a big fan of how reviewers buy loudspeakers anyway, but that’s for another thread.

Personally, based on specs YG are crap. If you disagree, please send me a pair to my home address along with a complete set of tube amplifiers from CAT to .... << grin >>

Best,

E

Hi Erik,

Well, I'm sure I can provide you a pair of suitable YG speakers, provided sufficient funds are given in exchange :) 

Good call on the CAT, BTW. I bet they'll sound great on the YGs.


cheers,
Alex

co93, 

This liveliness is one of the remarkable things about the YGs. If you just go by the quoted efficiency, you'd think you'll need a ton of power for them to even start singing. But with modest power, at modest volumes, they're already very lively and rich sounding.
And this is the reason why, no cabinet stuffing:
http://cdn.exiteme.com/exitetogo/www.yg-acoustics.com/userfiles/files/PDF/Technologies/YG_FocusedEli...

cheers,
alex

I heard the YG Sonja 2.2($76K) with modestly priced Auralic equipment at Axpona.  Really the best sound I heard at the entire show.  Super transparent but an extremely involving sound.  I could probably afford the Auralic equipment(even though 6 amps were used) but the speakers and speakers cables(Kubala-Sosna) will never be within my reach.

I'm fortunate enough to own both the YG Hailey and Avalon Eidolon Diamond and I swap between the 2.  IMO both speakers belong to the "modern" "cool" school of sound.  The YGs sound like electrostats when playing easy programs at moderate volumes, even when driven with moderately powered amps (say 50W tube and 100W SS).  But to get them to really bloom and sing you have to "skip the next rung" and go with mega high current amps that are unconditionally stable yet sweet sounding.  If you think a 150W to 200W amp can play it full range, then you are missing a whole lot of potential from the speakers.  Placement is wickedly difficult because the bass is definitely lean.  The Hailey is supposed to be a full range speaker.  Not quite, when compared to the similar sized Eidolon Diamond.  But the truth of timbre and texture it reproduces when driven properly gets it right at the level of Focal Utopia  Bes without the noticeable mid-bass hump and sluggish lack of pace of the Focals.  In my far from perfect room was able to get pretty good results bi-amping, and adjusting the bass amp to be about 2-3dB higher in gain than the main amp.  With that combination I can play the Haileys loud enough to fill the room and have enough authority and no thinning out.

@jackmonster I agree that the YG/Auralic setup at AXPONA was very good. It was the first room I walked into Sunday (because it opened early) and I was really impressed. I personally liked the YG/Audionet combo better, but of course the price differential between those two rooms was substantial. I walked out of the YG/Auralic room with a good deal of respect for the Auralic equipment. YG already had my attention before I walked into the room.

@soix 
Perspectives vs. YG Acoustic Carmel. My wife picked the Carmels and will not let me move them, a finger print issue. I am driving them with different electronics and different cables, and use a sub with the Carmels. I love them both, the way you love different children.  

Indeed...We were using a Rega Maia 3 amp with 85 wpc and a Croft Micro 25 Basic preamp and it drove the Carmel 2's beautifully in a large room....plenty of power, plenty of current...

@erik_squires To me personally, YG is the most well rounded of all those brands you mentioned.

All of those brands share their respective strengths and weaknesses. Everyone also has their own personal tastes as well.

However, if you are looking for a speaker to give you what you put in front of it the YG would fit that criteria.

They are extremely neutral and have almost an electrostatic like midrange. To me personally Mr. YG has gotten as close to the absolute sound. E.g. give use a dynamic driver with all the positives of an electrostatic but, none of the downsides. They don’t sound like a box. I don’t think B&W is in the same league as YG. As far as US made speakers you have to be looking at Magico and Wilson.

However, The cumulation of all of YG’s technologies working together. Making the drivers as stiff as possible (without some exotic materials). The cabinets without stuffing in them etc.. The Dual Coherent crossover is probably what sets them apart from Wilson and Magico.

Yes, this comes at a price but, the Sonja XV sounds incredible as do their other speakers.

My only regret is yes new they start at higher price than a Magico or even Wilson. However, YG only has one line not 3 like Magico has now. The A, S and M line all have different technologies and all have different sonic character.

I would love to see a YG under the 20K MSRP but, keep all the same technologies and qualities that make their big brothers so great. Perhaps we will see this now that the Magico A3 is a success at that price point.

At AXPONA the MUCH cheaper A3 sounded A LOT better than the Carmel. And that was a much cheaper setup.

About 8 or 9 years ago I heard a large YG model, I don’t recall which exactly, at CES. I had them play a track from Neil Young’s ‘Live At Massey Hall’. I swear I could see the stage in front of me. A truly memorable demo. They were, then and now, well out of my price range, but no sour grapes here- I wished at the time I could take a pair home.

I think YG’s are a superb speaker. Some of their older first rung models leaved a lot to be desired, but the new models are all pretty fantastic, IMHO.
No flea powered amps need apply, and one had better get the upstream gear singing, otherwise the speaker will highlight the deficiencies.
Nonetheless, for those with the funds...and the space....should be on their very short list. Alex at Alma is a great representative of the line....go and listen for yourself before coming to a conclusion. ( and possibly buying an inferior speaker for similar money..:0( )

I have just heard the Carmel with Gryphon at Lone Star Audio Fest and got a cool brochure as well. I actually think the Scan Speak Carmels are awesome. They have better bass than the IIs but otherwise are not really as good. I like YG’s slightly ethereal, ribbon-like quality. They are coherent, heavy on detail without the clinical sound. All that plus you get one of few sealed bass speakers for retail sale. What is not to like? Oh yeah, the price with cheapest full range at $43000. Nothing made to price point like their more discussed competitors. One could get an S3mkii for about the same as Carmel. The other band not discussed so much is Vivid Audio.

I actually think the Scan Speak Carmels are awesome.

Those two drivers are far far better than usually credited. The mid-woofer often appeared in WA designs, and the tweeter is beloved by many high end manufacturers from Sonus Faber to Krell, and for good reason.

I'm listening to the tweets, while I listen to the mid-woofers in the evening.

But, I'm sure Fritz or Taylor Acoustics could put them together for far cheaper. :) 



Best,

E

Going back to 2010, the YG Carmel was Absolute Sound’s Upper-End Loudspeaker of the Year. The Joseph Audio Pulsar was the Mid-Priced Loudspeaker of the Year. 

Wow Magico A3 better than Carmel? Was that carmel 2?

Any comparison between Sonja 2.2 and M6 or M3 ?

Too much lab, not enough listening?

One year at RMAF YG was distributing leaflets that they made the Best Speaker. Now as we English speakers know, The Best means there can be only One, so I figured it might be worth a listen :)


I brought a CD up to their room. I do not know the model, but it was a 2 1/2 way (tweeter, midrange and woofer, midrange mechanically crossed over).

The cut was the opening track of Peter Gabriel's 'Long Journey Home', the soundtrack for the Rabbit Proof Fence. There's a pretty big bass note in the first 30 seconds or so. When it hit, the midrange driver buzzed loudly(!) against the metal frame mounted in front of it. The amplifier, which was quite powerful, was putting out a bit of power and since there was no crossover to keep the bass out of the midrange, despite being mechanically crossed over, the midrange nevertheless had a lot of excursion.


I know of a number of speakers that can play that track effortlessly at a lot higher volume with less power. So I had to conclude that at that time at least, there wasn't only one.


Disclaimer: I've not heard any of their speakers since.

Interesting. Was curious about the track just mentioned. I’ve seen that posted before on agon. Just played it a few times at increasing volumes on yg Hailey 2.2s. Shook the house, and my dog didn’t like it, but barely closed the gap between the drivers and the front guard. Easily another another 1.5 inches in between.  That is a good test track albeit a bit spooky

@zprr how do you like your haileys

I heard YG speakers.....they were much too bright giving a sense of more information.  They offered a major discount to anyone present in the HiFi Club I attended....no takers.

Interesting. Was curious about the track just mentioned. I’ve seen that posted before on agon. Just played it a few times at increasing volumes on yg Hailey 2.2s. Shook the house, and my dog didn’t like it, but barely closed the gap between the drivers and the front guard. Easily another another 1.5 inches in between.  That is a good test track albeit a bit spooky

Yes- and good! Its entirely possible they fixed that problem in the intervening years!

@zprr how do you like your haileys?

Really enjoying their sound to say the least. Over the last 12 years I transitioned from the Dynaudio Confidence C1s to the Carmel2s now the H2.2s.   I had moved to a larger room and the H2.2s pressurize the room in a way that the Carmel2s could not.  Vocals with the new tweeter are sublime. Of course matching components and cabling, as well as room considerations, are important.  I do still pair it with a JBL Fathom 112 v2 crossed over at 28. 

Haileys are indeed very bright and current hungry. I have some luck pulling them all the way out and placing them at 72” from the front wall to get room-coupling bass out of them to neutralize the brightness. The conventional wisdom of trying to get more bass by placing close to front wall did not work. Minimal toe in and placing them wide gets me a warmer less lean balance.  I was able to play organ pieces and the infamous tricycle with no midrange flapping problem.  

Totally respect above post. My experience has been different as I have less than 18 inches from wall to speaker and get a nice rich textured bass. My room is 25x15x9 and no trouble filling it out.  My dealer spent some time w setup but didn’t take long. Nothing I would consider lean w current setup. Decent toein as well although I know yg recommends not too much. Agree they need current. I run a SS amp 300watts/channel at 8 ohms. Perhaps this is a key for relatively inefficient ygs as well as components that pair well? I have never heard them w tubes...