high‡efficiency amplifier technology to keep heating to a¥minimum. Few details are supplied, but I¥suspect that this technology uses automatic power‡rail switching to match instantaneous power needs. A¥variable‡speed fan system monitors the heatsink temperature and adjusts its speed accordingly. This design is claimed to use 50 percent of the energy of Yamaha’s conventional amplifiers and to generate around 35 percent of the heat during normal
At a¥glance
Yamaha EMX5000‡12
Pros
•Lots of power considering the size and weight of the mixer.
•Two really good effects processors.
•Clear, logical control surface.
•Built‡in sub filter.
•Good value for money.
Cons
•EQ mid‡band sweep range could go lower.
•Graphic EQ can’t be split into two mono units for main and monitor use.
•Not all the line outputs are balanced.
Summary
There are no significant weaknesses in this powered mixer, which combines Yamaha’s power‡amp technology with two very flexible yet simple effects processors, a¥comprehensive mixer and a¥nine‡band graphic equaliser. Its shortcomings are very minor compared to its strengths.
Information
‹ Yamaha EMX5000‡12 £659: EMX5000‡20 £849. Prices include VAT.
ÊYamaha‡Kemble +44 (0)1908 369269. „ www.yamaha‡music.co.uk
use, though it’s no featherweight — the EMX5000‡12 weighs a¥hefty 15kg, so it’s just as well that its
Unusually, Yamaha have included a¥power‡switching feature that allows the user to select between three maximum output levels (500, 300 or 100W per channel), to suit the size of room being played. This could also be useful if you connect speakers with a¥lower power rating than the maximum, to avoid overdriving them. As you’d expect, the amplifiers are fully protected against short‡circuited outputs, DC offset or overheating, while limiters in the signal path prevent clipping under high signal conditions. The amplifier can be used in mono bridge mode (1000W) or may be used to drive a¥main speaker in mono plus a¥separate monitor, the latter fed from Aux 1. A¥further permutation allows both channels to be used to drive monitors (sourced from Aux 1 and 2) for situations in which the EMX5000 is being used purely as a¥monitor mixer.
Another unusual feature is the incorporation of two effects processors, each fed from its own post‡fade send pot. Each can produce 16 ‘SPX’‡style effects. The first nine effects produced by each ‘engine’ are identical and comprise reverbs and delays, while the remaining seven differ between the two engines and include various specialised vocal treatments, special effects such as ‘Radio Voice’, pitch shifting, modulation effects, and Yamaha’s classic ‘multi‡chorus’ Symphonic treatment. A¥single Parameter control per effect processor allows the most important elements of each preset to be adjusted. The delay includes a¥very welcome tap‡tempo function enabling the delay time (of the tap‡delay program only) to be set very quickly during a¥performance.
Constructionally, the mixer is pretty much what you’d expect from Yamaha — steel chassis, sleek lines and a¥clear layout, though I’d swear the knobs are more Mackie‡like than on previous models. The only connections not accessible from the top panel are the power inlet and the speaker outputs, the latter on both Speakons and quarter‡inch jacks. In normal use, the minimum speaker load is 4Ω per channel, while in bridge mode the minimum load is 8Ω. It’s unusual to have the choice of jack speaker outputs on an amplifier this powerful but it is, nevertheless, welcome, as anyone who has ever turned up at a¥gig with faulty or missing Speakon cables will testify.
The majority of the audio connections are on jacks, other than the Speakons, the XLR mic inputs and the phono connections for consumer recording and playback devices. Aside from the balanced mic and line inputs, »