Yamaha DBR10 vs Alto TS110A Shootout video

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DJ Ricky B

DJ Ricky B

DJ Extraordinaire
Mar 9, 2015
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I bought the Yamaha DBR10 speaker yesterday. Decided to make the video as soon as I got it out of the box. The cardboard that they keep the power cord in gave me a nasty paper cut! ...I gotta learn to wear gloves when opening big boxes up. ...That's why I have a band aid on my finger in the video.

Anyway, Let me know what you think! Any suggestions on what I missed or what I can improve on is appreciated. I will make another, and likely final Shoot out Video after my Alto TS212s come in next week.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYl4CLao5gY


I'm about to head out to do a alumni yearly afternoon picnic, but will be back on tonight to check comments.
 
The Altos seemed louder on the same cut, so you really need to balance them (with a tone generator and RTA) , as in adjust the sensitivity/volume controls. Psychoacoustically, people tend to list a louder sounding speaker as better sounding. Zero is not the same zero on all speakers.

The DBR seemed almost lifeless in the audio .. not sure why, as they sounded fine when I last listened.
 
steve149 said:
The Altos seemed louder on the same cut, so you really need to balance them (with a tone generator and RTA) , as in adjust the sensitivity/volume controls. Psychoacoustically, people tend to list a louder sounding speaker as better sounding. Zero is not the same zero on all speakers.

The DBR seemed almost lifeless in the audio .. not sure why, as they sounded fine when I last listened.
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Levels were the same on the mixer. Both speakers at Unity. I didn't want to blast the speakers because I didn't want that stupid feedback blaring noise through my phone microphone. I may do another quick video outside where I literally blast both speakers with a quick song clip on both speakers, and maybe stand back 15 feet or so from the speakers to avoid any blaring sound in the video.
 
DJ David has some cool moves!! IMHO, Dancing is intrinsic behavior - children, as well as tribes that have never had contact with the outside world, all dance. "Not Dancing" is learned behavior, primarily because we become self conscience as we get older. Keep your son dancing like no one's watching!

I shall leave the speaker comparison to minds greater than my own. :djsmug:
 
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i have the stagepas 600 - 8" passive speakers and they sound amazing. add a pair of 12" subs and they can do a lot of gigs. Mostly for ceremonies but with the subs cna handle 100 people no problem.

I then got the DXR12's as my 'main' speakers - good sounding not sure it's as 'clean' as the 8" ones.
 
DJ Ricky B said:
Levels were the same on the mixer. Both speakers at Unity. I didn't want to blast the speakers because I didn't want that stupid feedback blaring noise through my phone microphone. I may do another quick video outside where I literally blast both speakers with a quick song clip on both speakers, and maybe stand back 15 feet or so from the speakers to avoid any blaring sound in the video.
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The "Unity" setting is not accurate .. just a starting point. I have speakers where to be balanced, the setting on the speakers HAVE TO BE different, since they aren't usually calibrated at the factory.

So the mixer output settings and the speaker sensitivity settings are merely gauges .. you need to get the actual volume the same for both for any indepth testing.

And I suggest Studio 6 apps if you have an iPhone .. Studio Six Digital
 
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rickryan.com said:
I'm curious, if you already have 2 sets of Alto speakers, why buy a pair of Yamahas also?
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I just got home from my gig. Good Lord was it hot out. I was under a 9x9 pop up tent. I had to run about 125 feet of extension cord to the nearest GOOD Power. Closest outlet had a major hum coming out of it.

Anyway, I purchased the Yamah DBR10 for the sole purpose of making that Shootout video :sunny:


...Not really. My sister has been talking about wanting to buy a set of powered speakers for over a year now. I know she will never actually get around to doing it due to "I have bills I have to pay first" ...I know she will never save up enough money to responsibly purchase a pair of powered speakers. Sad, but true. So I offered to buy a pair of the DBR10s. They are light weight. They are Yamaha which will match the 4 passive Yamaha speakers she has, and they are fairly affordable. I told her she can pay me back in 3 monthly payments. She agreed, and I think this way she can manage the purchase.

So as soon as she makes the first cash payment, I'm handing the speakers over to her. Hopefully she pays me the other 2 payments consistently every 30 days.
 
The Alto is the better value overall. I used the Yamaha DBR10 in conjunction with 2 Alto TS110As at the picnic I did on Friday.

I cranked all the speakers up pretty good. The Altos and DBR10 both sound great, however, even at higher volumes, the Bass is still a tad better with the Altos. The DBR has very high quality sound with the processing, but it's only slightly noticeable in giving those highs a bit extra push over the Altos.

End result...The Alto keeps right there with the Yamaha. The only advantages the DBR10 really has over the Altos is being 4 lbs lighter, and has RCA input on the back, and a crossover feature for Subs where the Alto just has a Contour on or off button.

Buying a pair of Altos vs buying a pair of Yamahas...$498 vs $798. ...I'd save the $300 and go with the Altos.

Now test the new Alto TS210 vs the Yamaha DBR10 and I think Alto would beat them out in sound. I think a lot of sound enthusiasts try to ignore the Altos, and won't give them credit where it's due. The fact is that they have managed to come out with a better sounding, lighter weight speaker than everybody else at a lower price point. Luckily, the other brands have a lot of loyal customers who will continue to buy their gear.

I will do a Alto TS212 vs. Yamaha DBR10 shoot out video this week. I know it's comparing a 12 vs. a 10, but that will give an idea of how clear the new Altos sound.
 
You also have to take into consideration the 7 year warranty on the Yamaha, That was one of my biggest deciding factors after sound quallity, I have DXR10's and DXS 18subs, My retailer has free loaners and is an authorized repair center, I usually get stuff back in 2-3 days
 
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tunes4046 said:
You also have to take into consideration the 7 year warranty on the Yamaha, That was one of my biggest deciding factors after sound quallity, I have DXR10's and DXS 18subs, My retailer has free loaners and is an authorized repair center, I usually get stuff back in 2-3 days
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Something worth considering. I would say you shouldn't have to use that warranty though. I never had any issues with any Yamaha products I owned in the past. My sister still uses my old set of Yamaha SE-12s from the late 90s in her set up. They still work, never had any issues with those speakers. However, they are old, and she doesn't push them very hard any more.

I don't like gear that fails on me. I'm pretty unforgiving of the brand if I feel I hadn't got my money's worth out of the product yet, and it dies on me.

If a DJ were to get 3-4 years out of the speakers before any issues arise, and they were used routinely, then at $249 each speaker, I would say the DJ certainly got their money's worth out of the gear. Might as well buy another set to replace since the cost is low enough rather then spending money on repairing them if they do blow.

If I were to spend a lot more money, and only got 2 years out of the speakers I would be dissatisfied with the brand. A QSC K or DXR, or RCF, or FBT...none of those brands SHOULD be having a failure in their first few years of use anyway. At those prices they SHOULD be offering a longer full warranty for the product. I'd be suspect of the brand if I were looking at buying at a $799 - $1399 speaker and the brand only offers a 1 or 2 year warranty.
 
The early DXR 10's have an issue with some rather heavy transistor, that the proper glue wasn't used to secure them, at least the batch I have does, all 4 have been in for the same issue as the glue doesn't hold well enough and over time the component breaks free and cause the speaker to quit working simple fix and it has been correct in later production. I won't buy a speaker that doesn't have at least a 5 year warranty, if the company doesn't believe in their product enough to offer that then why should I believe in that product
 
tunes4046 said:
I won't buy a speaker that doesn't have at least a 5 year warranty, if the company doesn't believe in their product enough to offer that then why should I believe in that product
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That brand new Mercedes Benz at the dealer only comes with a 4 year/50,000 factory warranty. Lamborghini Factory warranty is only 1 year. However, a brand new Hyundai comes with a 10 year, 100,000 mile warranty.

Hyundais cost a fraction of what a Benz and Lamborghini cost.

Why should anybody bother with purchasing a Mercedes or a Lambo if they don't stand behind their product at least as long as Hyundai will stand behind theirs?
 
over 90% of Mercedes are leased for less than 3 years, their new car customers are rarely driving without a warranty, a Lambo is a high performance super car, those customer understand what they are buying, they sell a few less than 3000 a year, people buying a Hyundai are looking for value so that's what is marketed to them I would think the 10 year warranty which by the way only applies the the original owner is part of the marketing budget
 
DJ Ricky B said:
That brand new Mercedes Benz at the dealer only comes with a 4 year/50,000 factory warranty. Lamborghini Factory warranty is only 1 year. However, a brand new Hyundai comes with a 10 year, 100,000 mile warranty.

Hyundais cost a fraction of what a Benz and Lamborghini cost.

Why should anybody bother with purchasing a Mercedes or a Lambo if they don't stand behind their product at least as long as Hyundai will stand behind theirs?
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10 year / 100,00 mile is the limited powertrain warranty, it is not bumper to bumper. The Hyundai factory warranty is 5 year / 60,000 miles limited and 7 year rust (anti-perforation) warranty.

People aren't buying Lambo's for daily drivers and they know this - hence the very limited warranty. A sitting vehicle tends to run into more issues than one that is constantly moving. In addition, a Mercedes, Lambo and Hyundai are all very different automobiles. Very different creature comforts, expectations and performance.
 
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And a 10 year warranty doesn't mean it will go 10 years without issue .. just means Hyundai needed to do something to be competitive.
 
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