Floor Loudspeaker Reviews

YG Acoustics Carmel 2 loudspeaker Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Two-way, floorstanding loudspeaker with sealed enclosure. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) ForgeCore soft-dome tweeter, 7" (178mm) BilletCore aluminum-cone woofer. Crossover frequency: 1.75kHz. Frequency range: 32Hz–40kHz. Sensitivity: 87dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Minimum impedance: 3.5 ohms.
Dimensions: 39" (991mm) H by 9" (230mm) W by 13" (310mm) D. Weight: 76 lbs (34kg).
Finish: Anodized aluminum.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: Not found.
Price: $24,300/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 15.
Manufacturer: YG Acoustics LLC, 4941 Allison Street, Unit 10, Arvada, CO 80002. Tel: (801) 726-3887. Fax: (303) 420-0156. Web: www.yg-acoustics.com.

COMPANY INFO
YG Acoustics LLC
4941 Allison Street, Unit 10
Arvada, CO 80002
(801) 726-3887
www.yg-acoustics.com
ARTICLE CONTENTS

COMMENTS
jporter's picture
Submitted by jporter on November 26, 2015 - 8:13am

I will take the Triton Fives and save the $22,300 for other things. Many other things. The Carmel 2's seem like they have way to many significant issues for that price point.

corrective_unconscious's picture
Submitted by corrective_unco... on November 27, 2015 - 4:24pm

That's interesting. Just for clarity's sake, what would "many significant issues" mean? Four significant issues? And then what does "to many significant issues" mean in numerical terms? Eight significant issues? And what are these too many significant issues afflicting the Carmel, exactly, in your view?

jporter's picture
Submitted by jporter on November 28, 2015 - 1:26pm

1. "problamatic" set up...
2. Limited bass extension for a $25k speaker
3. mid range colorations..."But with some spoken-word recordings, such as David Wilson's commentaries on the high-resolution files of his reissued Wilson Audiophile–label recordings, I became aware of a slightly resonant quality. Similarly, naturally recorded solo-piano recordings, such as Robert Silverman's traversal of the two Rachmaninoff sonatas (CD, Stereophile STPH019-2), had a little too much upper-midrange bloom.
Read more at http://www.stereophile.com/content/yg-acoustics-carmel-2-loudspeaker-page-2#TEgqFOyQ33YQHhyt.99"
4. Finicky amplifier pairing.

At $25k I consider those significant issues. Thanks.

corrective_unconscious's picture
Submitted by corrective_unco... on November 29, 2015 - 7:58pm

Those things apply to just about every other $25k speaker. It is true that some speakers under that price point will go lower.

I think you blew up the report of this bloom into somehow unacceptable midrange colorations.

Dynamic's picture
Submitted by Dynamic on April 2, 2016 - 10:58pm

These are the best speakers I heard last year at "The Show " in Newport . They were Incredible. I'm not one to fall or think a speaker is good just because they are expensive but these were. Magnepan, Martin Logan , Jbl LSR708i, were others that impressed me, Everything else regardless of price was bad, Infact some people seemed impressed by regular sounding speakers probably because of the design or brandname.These reviewers need a lesson in real proper speaker setup. Proper amplifier setup? LOL WOW , use a solid state amp and you are done you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between an amplifier if your life depended on it.

Anon2's picture
Submitted by Anon2 on November 28, 2015 - 6:08am

I heard the Carmel 1s at a show. I liked them. I probably don't have the discerning ear, placement flexibility, nor the access to as many speakers as JA, so I won't refute his findings.

I wonder what differences, if any, there are now that YG is making its own drivers, as opposed to the Scanspeak Revelators that were on the Carmel 1s.

The Carmel 1s that I heard at a show were located pretty far from the walls. I'd say at least 4 to 6 feet. I heard the Carmel 1s with Vitus amplification, if my memory serves. Kris Kristofferson's rendition of "Hemingway's Whiskey" was the featured track of the hour. These small speakers projected a large sound and a surprising amount of bass for a sealed enclosure.

Those are my recollections.

jazzdude6's picture
Submitted by jazzdude6 on November 13, 2017 - 12:11pm

We were lucky enough to have a pair of YG Acoustics Carmel 2 speakers delivered and properly set up by Jim Haubenschild of Aberdeen Audio, Centennial, CO, a gentleman we met at RMAF 2017. These offered truly beautiful sound at our Oct.22 Classic Album Sundays listening party in Colorado Springs. The album featured was Kraftwerk's 1977 classic Trans Europe Express. The partnering gear was VERY modest in comparison to the YGA Carmel 2....The results were well beyond our high expectations....Wonderful transparency and detailed layering of instrumental textures, rich mid-range and deep, fulfilling bass. A very involving, moving listening session. Partnering equipment;
TT: Rega Planar 3 w/Elys. Pre amp: Croft Acoustics Micro 25 Basic w/Telefunken NOS 12AX7 tubes in the phono section. Power amp: Rega Maia 3. Power Cables by Cardas and JPS Labs. Pre/Power amp cables by Cardas. Speaker cables; Analysis Plus Clear Oval.

Chris O'Shea - Classic Album Sundays-Colorado Springs

jtrimm's picture
Submitted by jtrimm on December 23, 2022 - 12:37pm

I own a pair of the original Carmels, and they are a very special speaker. That said, mine needed about 750 hours before their sound opened up and became glorious. If the reviewer got a pair of review speakers that hadn’t broken in, I would echo many of his complaints on my original Carmels pre break-in. During break-in, I second guessed my purchase, not really being happy with the sound… harsh on the highs, mids sounding thin, bass not full…. Then there is a magic 2-3 day period where the sound starts to radically change, and when you come out the other side, the sound is astounding. Tone, bass, detail, soundstage… everything explodes. So, either the Carmel 2’s are not a good speaker, or the reviewer got a pair that weren’t broken in.. I suspect the latter (which is a bad move by YG to not send out a properly broken in pair).

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