Yorkville

The Yorkville BLOC80B is a bass guitar combo amplifier, suitable for use in the studio, for practicing, or on the stage. It's not ideal for studio use or for live shows, but I've seen it in action for both. The amp is a solid state one which delivers 80 watts of power at it's max and has a 15" speaker in it. It has two 1/4" inputs on the front panel and also has a few other 1/4" jacks for further routing purposes. UTILIZATION Using the Yorkville BLOC80B isn't hard at all, even if you don't have much experience using amps in general. The parameters are as basic as they come as it just has a three band EQ with control for bass, mid, and treble, and a main volume control as well. That's everything that you'll find on this amp, so there's no need to search for a manual. SOUNDS The sound of the Yorkville BLOC80B is about average, as it's nothing too special but will get the job done for practicing for sure. The studio that I work at has one of these, and although it doesn't get used too much for recording, we've used it a few times for some live shows we've had at the studio. I can't say that I'm a huge fan of the way the amp sounds, as it can be a bit boomy at times, but for getting a simple bass sound for shows it works just fine. OVERALL OPINION While there's nothing too special about the Yorkville BLOC80B in general, it's still a solid bass practice amp. You can use it for other purposes, but it's definitely going to be best used as a practice amp for in home use. It can get pretty loud however, so it's suitable for live shows as well, although I wouldn't recommend using it for recording. I wouldn't recommend seeking one of these out, but if you do come across one at a cheap price and you're in need, it's certainly adequate...

Private sale, CAD 200, May 2005. This model if from 2001. Everything! Nice compact combo with lots of power from its 15-inch driver and horn. With a 2x10 extension cab this things screams. It is rated at 150W @ 4 Ohms. Has effect loop and headphone jacks too, simple yet adequate controls. Compact enough to fit in a small hatchback car. Odd-looking blue carpet covering, useless top handle, the thing is very heavy so I installed side handles and coasters to make it easier to move around. Very sturdy construction, looks like it's built to last. So far so good. Excellent value for the money, hard to find more amp for such a small price, even if purchased new. Powerful enough for gigs, small enough to carry around. Excellent quality. If you find one buy it! This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Bought this fine piece of equipment at a local music store, put me (or should I say, my parents?) down about $500 US. Bought it because I'd been playing gigs with my old band on a 30w Hartke, and she just couldn't keep up. In fact, that amp(which is now my practice amp) is more blown out than the chests of those dudes on Aliens. It's now my gigging and practice amp. It has a lot of nice little features. Multiple inputs, a mute switch, a limiter(with a switch), low and high mid controls, and my personal favorite, an adjustable scoop. This is my first amp with a scoop on it, and it's great. It really helps you get just the right amount of mid in for that punkish sound, or if you crank it, a nice full fat bass sound. This amp is also realy versatile. With a little tinkering, you can really get a huge range of sounds. It also packs a pretty good punch. Stand in front of it and you'll feel the power. If you're close enough, you can feel wind coming out during really low playing. It's sweet. The adjusment knobs feel a little cheap. I don't think they would break off easily, but they might crack if you hit them hard. York would do good by putting on some nice metal ones like Peavey does. The only performance setback is if you really turn up the scoop, volume, and bass near max, you get a little crunchy distortion when using percussive playing styles,(wow, that was long and complicated)ie, slapping. I don't honestly think you could really find an amp much more durable than this. Just pick it up and you'll know what i mean. It's heavy, with a nice solid feel to it. It's coated with some really hard material that won't chip or melt(don't ask). Each corner has a metal cover on it. Even the speakers, which are normally the most vulnerable part of the amp, are covered by a thick metal grille. If you want an amp that's gonna last you a while, I would definitely recommend this amp. All in all, this is a good amp. It packs a punch, while still maintaining versatility and a quality sound. The only big setbacks are the price and the distortion you get in really high settings. I'd give it a four. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I acquired the speaker through a Yorkville dealer that I know. I was looking for a pair of powerful, light, multi-application speakers for use in my band. They run about $650 each. There's a lot to like with the NX550P. They are a 550 watt bi-amped speaker with a 12" woofer and 1" compression driver. The unit has a mixer section on the back, complete with a selectable 100Hz high pass filter. The speaker can be stand mounted or used as a floor wedge with 2 different angles. So far the only knock against the speaker is that the enclosure is a bit "soft". It's an injection molded composite and will show scratches and indents if knocked around. Quality is very good. Neodymium magnets and lightweight, albeit expensive, amplifiers allow the speaker to pack a punch for as light as it is. The Yorkville 2 year UNCONDITIONAL warranty sealed the deal. Although not the cheapest powered speaker out there, the Yorkville NX550P is about the most versatile speaker I can imagine. On board mixer, dual angle monitoring, pole mount, light weight, 550 watts and excellent warranty make the $650 price tag well worth it in my book This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this amp after renting it to play at a house party. I didn't want to pack around a head and cab any longer so I decided that this was my best option. Brand new it was $899.00 This amp is a 400 watt hybrid amp with 750 watts of burst power. (When combined with a 410 cab it is almost too much) It has a single tube preamp. The tube gain and tube drive controls combined with the compressor and scoop controls, allow you to dial in a wide range of tube sound. From a clean punch to DIRTY distortion. This unit also has a mute button for changing instruments without turning it off. The 15 inch speaker handles the power well. Even when cranked to full it holds it together. This combo is far more responsive and better sounding than anything else yorkville makes. The only thing that concerns me is the lack of a cooling fan. With a tube this amp is going to get hot. The cabinet is well made with metal protective corners and a tough plastic type exterior. The handles spring loaded and are mounted on the sides. This unit is around 90 pounds, wich is average for a 115 combo. The face of the amp is silver as well as the grill. The box is black. I use to use a yorkville 400B head with a 4 by 10 cab and was constantly turning it up to 8 or 9 with the gain at 7 just to be heard. With this cab alone I have the volume set at 6. When I combine it with my 4 by 10 cab i am asked to turn down. I pretend not to hear them.....I like that. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

found it used on ebay...it was a studio amp that belonged to some guy who apparently didn't use his studio very often. Signed, sealed and delivered for $255 Lots of thump for not a lot of dough. These units are built and highly respected in Canada, but are not well known here in the states....thus the cheap price tag. The amp has basic controls, inputs for effects, and a cool contour button that spices things up if you like to slap (which I do). This amp is built like a tank...it's pretty stinking heavy, but if you take this amp with you places, you don't have to worry about dinging it during transport. Very sturdily built with a HEAVY grill to cover the 15 inch sub and the horn....plus an unusual color blue carpet job. I added a handle on the side of the cabinet because I found that due to it's weight (50+lbs) and the shape, it was pretty difficult to carry...using the handle on top I found that if I carried it to the side of me I was tipping over, put it out in front and I was busting my shins. I am 6'2" and I think that if you were any shorter you might end up having a tough time carrying this sucker with the original handle. beefy construction, limiter and contour buttons, controls for volume, bass, mid, hi-mid and treble. 1/4" inputs for effects, line and headphones. Love this amp...sounds really good, nice and clean. plenty of power for small to midsize gigs. Do some research of your own on these amps and compare them to others. I highly recommend! This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

bought this off an ad in the paper. Unemployed musicians do the craziest things, got the head and the cab for $250.00 The sound is great I especially like the "contour" button which really adds the bass and treble. The 9 band eq is also a plus. Lots of room to shape your sound. Did I mention it has 400 watts?? The cab gets some buzz at high volume. But considering the head is 400 watts, you have plenty of headroom. Construction and quality seem really good. The head is a rack mountable unit installed in a grundorf rack case by the previous owner. The cab seems really well made with a metal grill cover and thick wood. If you can find one of these by all means get it! Even brand new the yorkville brand of amps is an excellent choice for bassists who need maximum wattage for the least amount of cash. Their website is www.yorkville.com. You can look for a local dealer there. Hope this helps someone. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

This unit was bought locally in West Australia and cost about $1000 AUD. We needed a small compact sub to compliment our vocal PA, to beef up the sound and allow kick drum projection. We have 2 Peavey SP1 and a 1200W power amp, and the Yorkville, although only 200W fits in perfectly with this rig. This unit is small, lightweight and sounds good. It only has a 10inch speaker but you'd be surprised at how much it can put out. Once you get a sub on your system you cant go back. It also has a parallel inpu jack so you can daisy chain several of them together which is what we do for bigger shows (we hire a couple more). The unit also has a nifty input which can take a full speaker load (so you just run one from your last FOH speaker) without chaging the impedance of your system. The unit always uses it's own inbuilt power amp, you cant run it passively. You can also run an input to it at line level. There isnt much I dont like about this unit. For what it is, only 200W and 10inch speaker, it does quite an amazing job really. It comes in a blue colour which...well...you could either like or loath. Doesnt match the rest of our PA if that matters. The only other improvement would be to put the LED 'on' indicator down at the bottom of the back panel becasue you have to lean right over to see if it's on or not. Its light weight - excellent. Its very solid. Its carpet covering and big handles are very good - no hint of problems from serious use. Back panel has a big heatsink, strong input jacks and tought switches. All in all, great quality. You cant go wrong with this unit. Self contained, a breeze to set up and run and it add that woomph to small vocal PAs. It allows us to mic up the full band and achieve a nice punchy sound at a low volume. It would be the perfect addition to small PAs for solo/duo acts too. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Each speaker is biamped (powered), the 6.5inch woofer receiving 85 watts and the 1 inch tweeter 30 watts(115watts total) theres also a 2 inch cylindrical port beneath the woofer for a more open low end. beside the basics, the ysm1p also has a clip/limiter button allowing you to push these speakers without distortion and clipping. also featured on the back panel is sets of Dip switches which allow you to manipulate the eq response depending on where ure speakers are palaced, it has 6 choices, i just have it on normal. i can also place them real close to the my display monitor without screwin up my image, and what else... the amps shut off automatically when their over heatin, oh and i really like the little blue and red led's. the only thing it would benefit from is a simple volume knob, (which most monitors dont have anyway), because im running a delta 44 at the moment with no mixer its a bit of a hassle, my only volume control is from my computer, it does have an input trim level, but thats from -6db to + 9 db, im pickin up an 002r soon so itll all be good Price paid $575 CDN (with tax) SOUNDS Reccomended to me by two different sales persons at a local Toronto music store (long&mcquades), claiming to blow the KRK RP8's, alesis mk2's and event tr6's away accuracy wise, i decided to give them a try. i was skeptical because yorkville is a toronto based company so i figured they were bribed or somethin, but i put them to test(popped in rhcp blood sugar sex majic and bjork - post) and narrowed it down to the krks and the yorkvilles, the krks sounded sweeter, very listenable, buti noticed that the yorkvilles had a more controlled low end, and a very nice mid range, the krks seemed to lack in the mid range, to me the ysm1p mid range is their hit, ive always had trouble tightening up guitars with the bass guitars, usually a trouble in the low midrange but on these speakers ive managed to get a nice balance between the both. The high end is also very nice on these,smooth but accurate, not harsh. I use these as every day speakers also and i never get tired of their sound but these are not multimedia speakers, they don't seem to sweeten anything, and after hearing my old mixes on these, ive decided to upgrade my preamps also OVERALL OPINION Well you plug them in (1/4 inch or TRS) and you listen to them, and then u turn them off when ure done i only got them 3 months ago, and theyve got a 2 year warranty, so im ok, ive clipped them a couple of times by plugging in some mics without turning the input level down, but thats it, their factory is also arount the toronto area so if i had problems i could bring them there myself they seem very durable, they're dam heavy, but i wouldnt drop them well the first nite i got em, i hugged them before bed, so i do love them, im happy with them, my mixes have improved a lot and above that im more confident with my mixes, i know they will translate well into other systems. because i just got them and my ears are still learning their response, i still bring my mixes to other systems from time to time, but they're always on point. i know these arent available everywhere yet, i would suggest that if they are in your area to definately give them a listen. many people compare them to the Mackie HR824 and i think if they were given a chance in the world market, they would definately be one of the top choices in the 300-500$ range Originally posted on FutureProducers.com Posted by: zombiesaregoodforyou (January 2-, 2005)