Yamaha NS-C444

Centre channel makes a difference

Theoretically, front speakers can also voice dialogue in a movie. But if you add even an inexpensive centre channel like the NS-C444 to an existing system, the difference will be truly gigantic. With their low-cost, these kids make a difference and sound at the level of "centrals" one and a half, or even two times more expensive.

No problem with location

Yamaha NS-C444 is modest in size (19x51x21 cm) and weighs 7.3 kg. By centre channel standards, it's a fairly compact speaker that minimizes placement issues — it can be wall-mounted, placed on a stand, or hidden under a TV panel. At the same time, it gives out 100 W of power, which allows you to provide a sufficient volume level for a room of 30 – 40 square metres.

Waveguide aluminium tweeter

The Yamaha NS-C444 is designed in a 2-way, three-speaker configuration with a 3 kHz crossover. According to the passport, the speaker covers a frequency range of 55 – 35,000 Hz. A pair of 5-inch PMD woofers are responsible for reproducing low and medium frequencies. They are separated by an aluminium dome tweeter, which is hidden in a special waveguide. This idea of Yamaha engineers allows you to concentrate the sound at a central point, preventing it from dispersing around the room. As a result, speech will be more intelligible, even if Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is on screen hitting a giant gorilla.

Focused "top"

As befits a centre channel, the Yamaha NS-C444 excels at reproducing vocals and dialogue. Even on not the highest quality recordings, speech is heard clearly, without wheezing and overtones. The mids are tight and focused, while the highs sound responsive and refined. The diameter of the woofers allows the system to produce good bass, although this is more of a bonus for the centre channel.

To sum up, the Yamaha NS-C444 is an extremely good option for those who are slowly building their first home theater system, but are not sure about the need to shell out a round sum for the centre channel.