Yorkville UCS1p

B

Bob Dodge

Freshman
Nov 9, 2011
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0
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Hi guys, I need a little help please. I'm trying to research the Yorkville UCS1p subwoofers, and I'm not finding much in the way of a "review", or owner experience/impression. I'd really appreciate hearing from a few owners. I've searched here,,,PSW,,,HC,,, and all I'm finding are brief mentions of that model.

Thanks,

Bob
 
Re: Yorkville UCS1p

Are you looking for reviews of the general performance of the UCS1 subwoofers, or specifically the powered model? There are a TON of reviews around on the UCS1...as far as I know the P version is a hair wider so maybe a bit more LF, and it's powered, which may not may not be a good thing for your application. They should not be used in singles.
 
Re: Yorkville UCS1p

Reading reviews on HC should only be taken with a Grain of Salt because I would say about 80% of those people are "Bands running sound from the Stage, who don't see the value of a sound engineer" crowd.

I used to run the USC1. What would you like to know?
 
Re: Yorkville UCS1p

Thanks Silas,

Yes, I'm looking at the UCS1p specifically. (if possible). I suppose reviews on the passive version would be somewhat helpful however.

Hi Matt, it's been a while. Good to "see" you again.

Matt, I'm trying to sort out the benefits, as well as the short-comings, of the Unity subs. I don't own any large subs at the moment, and I'm trying to find something that will keep up with my U15p's (x2), and possibly with my EF500pb's (x4). At the moment, I'm primarily interested in the TX9s, however, I'm trying to formulate a "Plan B", in case the TX9s thing doesn't pan out.
 
Re: Yorkville UCS1p

They are my favorite low-cost powered sub. I haven't directly compared the passive vs powered, but yes the powered are larger and play a bit deeper. They aren't very good in singles, they're decent in pairs, but really do well in a quad block. They fit sound-quality-wise very well between most front loaded subs and Danley subs (have compared them a number of times). If you're looking for low cost, powered, horn sub sound - they work well.
 
Re: Yorkville UCS1p

I had great success with my U15 & UCS1 rig, it did make me money and allowed me to upgrade to QRx212/SRX718(x2) rig with Itech amps.

The UCS1 did have some limitations; 1 sub alone wasn't all that great but it was do-able and kept up with 1 U15 (per side). Putting 3 USC1s per side (off a Macrotech 5000) did move plenty of air and sounded good. From what I have heard/explained, the USC1P does have a slightly better when in singles.

I would say that 1 USC1 could keep up with 1 SRX718, but the SRX718 did have more of a ‘grunt’ sound where at the USC1 has a ‘Crisp’ sound.
 
Re: Yorkville UCS1p

Matt Vivlamore said:
I had great success with my U15 & UCS1 rig, it did make me money and allowed me to upgrade to QRx212/SRX718(x2) rig with Itech amps.

The UCS1 did have some limitations; 1 sub alone wasn't all that great but it was do-able and kept up with 1 U15 (per side). Putting 3 USC1s per side (off a Macrotech 5000) did move plenty of air and sounded good. From what I have heard/explained, the USC1P does have a slightly better when in singles.

I would say that 1 USC1 could keep up with 1 SRX718, but the SRX718 did have more of a ‘grunt’ sound where at the USC1 has a ‘Crisp’ sound.
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Did you ever have a chance to compare, say 4 vs 4? I've heard the QRX118's in the same room as UCS1PB's, I tuned them both together (so client could use one or the other, or even both). The sound quality was significantly better with the UCS1PB's. I'd rate the UCS1PB's in multiple as as pretty close to QRX218's in multiples - Yorkville's sound better, QRX with a bit more output. Neither go really deep.

For us, the mushy front-loaded sound just doesn't do it, so it's Danley, with the UCS1PB for the low budget self powered applications.
 
Re: Yorkville UCS1p

Matt Vivlamore said:
I would say that 1 USC1 could keep up with 1 SRX718, but the SRX718 did have more of a ‘grunt’ sound where at the USC1 has a ‘Crisp’ sound.
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Thanks Matt, I'm primarily looking for a "very tight/clean" sub,,, not so much the "big round bottom" sound.

What I'm wondering about the powered UCS1p is,,,, the reference in Yorkville's literature, about a "bass-boost". That has a negative connotation for me,,, but that's an uninformed bias at this point. I've yet to hear them, in-the-flesh.
 
Re: Yorkville UCS1p

Caleb Dick said:
They are my favorite low-cost powered sub. I haven't directly compared the passive vs powered, but yes the powered are larger and play a bit deeper. They aren't very good in singles, they're decent in pairs, but really do well in a quad block. They fit sound-quality-wise very well between most front loaded subs and Danley subs (have compared them a number of times). If you're looking for low cost, powered, horn sub sound - they work well.
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Caleb,

Thanks so much for that excellent description. We may have similar taste in subs, because one of the alternatives I was considering, was the Danley TH-115 or TH-118. Problem is, in my neck-of-the-woods,,, nobody stocks them. One nearby dealer, told me two years ago,,"they'll be in,,,,,shortly".
 
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Silas Pradetto said:
They don't. You're talking a relatively premium double 18 vs a MI horn sub. I'd expect you'd need 2-3 UCS1 to equal a TX9S, and they probably still won't go as low.
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Don't compare in output, or LF extension (with EQ), but what about transient and phase response? They aren't meant to compete 1:1, but 4:2?

I like them in a quad block, when more output is needed, another solution is needed. That's where Danley, Bassmaxx, maybe even JTR's larger offerings come in. Sounds like he is going for horn sub sound (preference) more than size.
 
Re: Yorkville UCS1p

Silas Pradetto said:
They don't. You're talking a relatively premium double 18 vs a MI horn sub. I'd expect you'd need 2-3 UCS1 to equal a TX9S, and they probably still won't go as low.
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I'd disagree. Every time I've used the TX9, I've been very underwhelmed. The 4 USC1's I used to own would out run a pair of Peavey QW218's, which are very comparable to the TX9. A single UCS1 is not that impressive, but a block of 3-4 will really move some air. They are very tight sounding subs, with a good amount of output. For the $$, you really can't do better. I used to run 2-3 per side of an MA5k, and it did the trick. The UCS1P should be even better, since it has a larger mouth.

UCS1-2.jpg


UCS1-1.jpg




Evan
 
Re: Yorkville UCS1p

Allow me to explain some of the reasons why I'm looking for subs, and maybe this will help;

First off, I'm a 64 year old "sound buff" (strictly amateur), who's looking to help out the kids at the local high-school, to put on the occasional dance ("DJ" application), and "live" show. We're a very small community in southwestern Quebec (10k pop.) and there are no gear-rental places within a 60 mile radius. The school does have a beautiful 700-seat auditorium for 'Live" shows. Huge stage, great lighting (newly installed), acoustic-paneled ceiling, flared side-walls,sloped floor. There's no functioning sound-system in there however, but the kids do have a powered mixer, a pair of E2152's, and a pair of LS700 subs. (major mis-match IMO). They have a few Yorkville YX15's for monitors. Apparently, they've recently purchased a 24ch Mackie Onyx board.

For dances, they use another large hall (Lobby area off auditorium/comfortably holds 300-400 people) On a couple of occasions, they've hired MuchMusic for "video-dances". The sound was superb to say the least, but the students' council lost their shirts at the gate, due to low turnout (major snow-storm). The students' council simply doesn't have the resources for hiring-out on a regular basis.

One of the MuchMusic crews that came to the school, was using a pair of LS1004's, and E2152's, and I was blown away by the quality of sound at that gig. They had this rig dialed in to perfection. I rarely stay in that room when a dance is on, due to harshness, boominess, etc., but with this rig, properly deployed and EQ'd, I could have stayed there all night. LF was incredibly tight and focused, with huge "punch",, and no trace of that "boominess" that you'd normally associate with stereotypical "DJ" gigs.

A second MuchMusic crew, had LS801p's and E2152's, and I didn't care for the sound at all. Mind you, the entire system wasn't as well dialed-in at that gig. The 801p's had plenty of power, but just didn't seem as tight and defined as the LS1004's. I felt there was a noticeable "hump" too, in the upper LF band, and the bottom end was simply too "round" for my taste.

In warmer weather, the kids will put on "Live" outdoor shows, but their LS700's, just don't cut it. They're reasonably loud,,, but "one note wonders".
 
Re: Yorkville UCS1p

Bob,

I used to use UCS1 subs a few years ago. I changed to them after owning and using the LS1004. I thought the UCS1 sounded better and in two's had more output than a single LS1004. I have never heard or used the powered version, but I would imagine it would be as good if not better since it has a slightly larger cabinet and proper processing and power. I would recommend 4 of them vs 2 if you need major output. They are easy to move and are a good bang for the buck. Interestingly enough, I'm considering a pair of LS801P to complete a smaller system I've been putting together.
 
Re: Yorkville UCS1p

Greg Harwood said:
Bob,

I used to use UCS1 subs a few years ago. I changed to them after owning and using the LS1004. I thought the UCS1 sounded better and in two's had more output than a single LS1004. I have never heard or used the powered version, but I would imagine it would be as good if not better since it has a slightly larger cabinet and proper processing and power. I would recommend 4 of them vs 2 if you need major output. They are easy to move and are a good bang for the buck. Interestingly enough, I'm considering a pair of LS801P to complete a smaller system I've been putting together.
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Yes, I've noticed that about the active Unity boxes. The U15p for example, is 2298 cu.in. larger than the passive U15 cabinet, and the UCS1p, is roughly 3300 cu.in. larger than the passive UCS1.

I've yet to hear the UCS1p's,,, but I'm going to take a trip into Montreal this week, to see if I can audition a pair.
 
Re: Yorkville UCS1p

I own a pair each of U15P/UCS1P and am very happy with the sound. If you are primarily using this as a playback device for the dances, it is very easy to get a great sound out of the system since the speakers are meant to be matched and are processed accordingly.

I have never used just one of the subs alone so I can't comment on that, but I do know that when I run them indoors with the subs center-clustered, the subs tend to outrun the tops (this is for live rock/blues type stuff, could be different with dance-type music).

The only down side to them is the size and weight. I have moved them by myself up and down stairs and into and out of a van, and it REALLY sucked. They are big and heavy. If you have a couple good helpers, or don't have to deal with stairs, no problem.
 
Re: Yorkville UCS1p

Keith Billik said:
I own a pair each of U15P/UCS1P and am very happy with the sound. If you are primarily using this as a playback device for the dances, it is very easy to get a great sound out of the system since the speakers are meant to be matched and are processed accordingly.

I have never used just one of the subs alone so I can't comment on that, but I do know that when I run them indoors with the subs center-clustered, the subs tend to outrun the tops (this is for live rock/blues type stuff, could be different with dance-type music).

The only down side to them is the size and weight. I have moved them by myself up and down stairs and into and out of a van, and it REALLY sucked. They are big and heavy. If you have a couple good helpers, or don't have to deal with stairs, no problem.
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Thanks Keith, I appreciate the input.

I'm curious about the indoor gigs you mentioned, since I own a brand-new pair of U15p's, and have yet to use them. What size indoor gig do you figure you can handle with your rig?

I've also got four EF500pb's, and I'm not sure whether I'll keep those or not, and I'd be curious to hear how those sound, with a pair (or three) of UCS1p's, for smaller outdoor gigs, (250-300 people)
 
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Re: Yorkville UCS1p

I'd be pretty confident saying that it can handle 200-300 people indoors, at decent rock volume. I've done bluegrass and acoustic shows for 400 people with only the U15P's, so of course it just depends on how loud you need it.

That being said, one of the main challenges (and advantages in some situations) is that the U15P is a 60 degree box, which makes coverage an issue if you're in a wide open area, or a room such as a gymnasium where people will be all over the place. You might need to plan for some side fills or something if this is the case.

I have done outdoor shows slightly bigger than what you described by renting another pair of U15P's, and it worked great. That was before I owned the Unity subs (I had four front-loaded 18" boxes) but you get the idea. I've never heard the Elite boxes that you have, so I can't say whether they'd do the job or not.
 
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