Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsSound is ok but electronics aren't up to scratch
Reviewed in Australia on 5 October 2021
I bought this as a replacement for an old inexpensive Sony sub, which I've used on a couple of mini hi-fi systems, the latest being a Yamaha MCR-N670 system. The sound is reasonable and comparable to the Sony, however the electronics are not good. One of the reasons I went for the NS-SW200 (instead of the NS-SW100) was that it has an "auto-standby" feature and an "on-off" button on the front of the machine. The "auto-standby" is useless as the machine turns itself off after a short period, that is if it turns on in the first place. Also, the front power button mostly has to be pressed a couple of times and even then it sometimes it turns itself off. Volume level makes no difference. Very unreliable and requires a bit of work to get it going.
I took it up with Yamaha who said "Generally, if the Auto Standby switch is set to high but the subwoofer is turning off after a short time, you will need to increase the output level setting on the amplifier (for the subwoofer) as the signal the amplifier is sending to the subwoofer may be too low. You could also enable settings such as 'Extra Bass' on the amplifier/receiver to help with this."
Unfortunately the Yamaha hi-fi system doesn't have a sub output setting or an extra base button, and I've tried all volume levels and adjusting all the associated switches, to no avail. Perhaps it's designed for use on AV systems, however I would have thought a Yamaha sub would be compatible with Yamaha's own hi-fi systems. Disappointing.
The Sony had all the features of the Yamaha NS-SW200, was half the price and worked without fail for many years.
I used to rate Yamaha speakers highly and it may be that their passive speakers are still good but, in terms of my experience, their powered speakers leave a lot to be desired.