Yamaha took its time. Although there have been wireless speakers in the manufacturer’s catalog for years – the Yamaha MusicCast 20 and 50 – the Yamaha WS-B1A is the very first to have a battery and to be ready for outdoor use. First seller of home cinema amplifiers, inventor of the sound bar with surround sound beams, manufacturer of loudspeakers and excellent subwoofers, Yamaha has a great expertise in sound. And a reputation that must not be tarnished with this first portable Bluetooth speaker.
Yamaha WS-B1ATechnical sheet
8 /10
This test was carried out with a loudspeaker lent by the manufacturer.
Yamaha WS-B1ADesign
Yamaha has played the card of elegant simplicity with the WS-B1A loudspeaker. Despite its very small size, this speaker has a neat finish and distinguished lines. Almost cube, the small Yamaha WS-B1A has generously rounded edges and a dress entirely covered with a fine mesh acoustic fabric. At the top, it has a matte PVC top, with four integrated sensitive buttons, as well as a flush power button, associated with an LED.
Its rear face houses its USB-C charging port, as well as a screw thread for wall mounting. As for the underside, made of adherent silicone, there is a second charging connector, compatible with the optional Yamaha CC-T1A base. The latter allows you to recharge the speaker by simply placing it there. To take advantage of this ease of use, you will have to pay an additional €25.
Despite its residential speaker looks, the Yamaha WS-B1A is indeed suitable for outdoor use. Even if its fabric is likely to suffer from repeated falls and the stains will probably not spare it, the little Yam is IP67 certified. It is therefore waterproof and supposed to withstand lasting immersions. A good point for using it at the edge of a jacuzzi, a swimming pool or even at the beach where the sand will not hinder its proper functioning. Checked in a swimming pool, the speaker continues to operate after being kept under water for a long time. A quick towel is then enough to remove the excess water which, in contact with the transducers, slightly reduces the very high frequencies.
Yamaha WS-B1AUse and application
The Yamaha WS-B1A is easy going. Its small size allows it to be easily stored in a backpack or a suitcase, as well as easy to handle. With its 8 cm side and only 490 g, its grip is suitable even for children’s hands. Once placed, the speaker stands well on its base, even if it is placed on an inclined surface.
In the absence of a companion application, you have to rely on the buttons on the speaker to modify its behavior. There is thus a button to activate a mode of optimization of the voices, which is content to lower the volume of the low frequencies to make the rest of the medium and high frequencies more perceptible. Too bad the buttons are not accompanied by logos in relief, which would have made it possible to control the speaker without having to look where you put your fingers (during a nap at the beach for example).
The speaker’s only status indicator is its LED. When first powered on, it flashes blue waiting for pairing to a Bluetooth device. It then changes to solid blue when the connection is established, to alternating light and dark blue when the speaker is working and charging, to alternating blue and orange when the battery drops below 20% charge, and finally to the LED is orange during charging and when the speaker is switched off.
Please note: the Yamaha WS-B1A plays music when it is powered on, connected to a Bluetooth device, and then when it is powered off. It’s a few notes on piano and acoustic guitar—Yamaha is a prominent manufacturer—played at very moderate volume.
Bluetooth old fashion
The operation of the Bluetooth controller is prehistoric, with a single possible connection and the obligation to deactivate the Bluetooth of the device already associated, or to be out of its range, to force the pairing mode. It’s a shame, because it is common to want to share your mobile speaker during a picnic or a beach aperitif, or simply at home to use a smartphone and a computer with your speaker. No multipoint Bluetooth here. We will console ourselves with the solid Bluetooth reception, stable up to 10 meters and through a wooden floor or a thin partition.
Yamaha WS-B1AAudio
This test was carried out with an iPhone 12 mini and a Huawei P30 Pro, from Apple Music (lossless setting).
The Yamaha WS-B1A speaker is equipped with a 5.5 cm diameter broadband transducer, combined with two passive radiators. Only the main loudspeaker is therefore powered by the integrated amplifier, and its membrane drives that of the passive radiators in its movements. The interest of this assembly is to reproduce, despite a low volume of internal air, bass sounds with more intensity. If, on paper, this passive load induces dragging in the very low frequencies, it is in the case of this small imperceptible loudspeaker.
In the absence of a tweeter – ie a lightweight membrane transducer dedicated to treble sounds – the 5.5 cm speaker diffuses all sounds, from bass to treble. This solution, which is economical for the manufacturer, actually reduces the sharpness of the high-pitched sounds compared to a speaker with a tweeter.
The active transducer is installed in the front panel, while the passive radiators are each housed on the sides of the enclosure.
The integrated amplification delivers, according to Yamaha, up to 10 W, a modest value especially since it is accompanied by a distortion of 10% at the indicated power (10x more than hi-fi standards). In short, with its small speakers, the Yamaha WS-B1A is not cut out to add sound to a 20 m² living room, nor ” ambience » an aperitif on the beach with the ocean surf in the background. On the other hand, it is perfectly suitable for close listening, up to about 2 meters away.
Rigor and balance
Very nice sound signature, and despite the small size of the speaker, the balance from bass to treble is really good. Everything is clean and flawless, especially the vocals. We immediately fall under the charm of the rigor of the midrange, obviously linear. The low register is necessarily short and almost nothing comes out below 70Hz, but the speaker retains juice until around 80Hz (thanks to the passive radiators) and that’s enough to give an impression of generosity. Well seen. The treble is skilfully placed, with a slight brilliance at the end of the passband, which gives a silky aspect to the reproduction. In other words, it’s clean, pleasant to listen to with any type of music.
But beware, all of this applies provided you listen to the Yamaha WS-B1A at a reasonable volume and close enough to you, up to 50% of the maximum volume. Beyond that, the speaker becomes very directive and projects the sound more. However, it does not disunite and even impresses with the maximum sound volume it develops. At full power, I measured 92 dB at 1 m from me and only 95 dB at 50 cm.
In terms of dynamic respect, it’s also very good considering the size of the speaker’s small transducer. In terms of breadth, it’s more limited, partly because the speaker is mono and partly because smaller drivers have a harder time creating a large scene than larger ones. So do not expect any depth or breadth in the sound produced.
Yamaha WS-B1AMicrophone
The Yamaha WS-B1A speaker is not equipped with a microphone and therefore cannot make phone calls.
Yamaha WS-B1AAutonomy
The little Yamaha WS-B1A is the tough type. The manufacturer announces 12 hours and the promise is kept, at 50% of the volume, with a little over 1 p.m. before giving up.
Yamaha WS-B1APrice and release date
The Yamaha WS-B1A is available in black, light gray and dark gray at a price of €129 including tax. In this price range, we also find the UE Wonderboom 3 of a very similar format, which has the advantage of 360° sound thanks to an additional transducer, or in a very different format, the JBL Flip 6 , current queen of the category.
Where to buy The
Yamaha WS-B1A at the best price?