When Steve and I had a call from Chris at Yamaha inviting us to visit their Milton Keynes HQ to see the upcoming updated DXS and DXR speakers, I was not going to miss the opportunity. My own history with this range stretches back to the original Mk1s originally used for everything from kids' discos to larger events in marquees. Obviously, two 15-inch tops and two 15-inch subs was far too much sound for a group of 20 eight-year-olds, but speakers are like fast cars.

You may not need all that power, but it is good to have it handy. And whilst a village hall is far too small for all that sound, large setting outdoors needs a lot more. Indeed, my Yamaha speakers were used for everything for several years, right up until I recognised the fact that I didn't need anything like that much sound, and for the majority of my gigs, a simple column system would be fine. That said, there are occasions where I need more raw power, and the Yamahas are still serving me very well for these scenarios.

Some 12 years after investing in them, they are still going incredibly strong. Of course, 12 years is a long time terms of speaker development, especially so over the last five years. This was illustrated graphically when we visited Yamaha. We were treated to side-by-side comparisons of the Mk3 cabinets against the Mk2 units, and now I have done the same at home with my trusted Mk1s.

The phrase "night and day" immediately springs to mind. For years, many mobile DJs - myself included - relied on the safety blanket of standalone 15-inch tops. My original Yamaha DXR15 Mk1s were absolute workhorses, but asking a massive 15-inch woofer to handle both thumping low-end and vocal mid-range always introduces an acoustic compromise. Stepping into the new Mk3 system with the DXR10 Mk3 tops is just a completely different ballpark.

Yes, you can of course use the new 10-inch speakers as a standalone full-range setup for smaller crowds, but am a huge fan of using dedicated subwoofers. By stripping the heavy bass responsibility away from the tops and handing it entirely to the subs, the 10-inch mid-bass drivers are freed up to do what they do best: deliver lightning-fast, ultra-crisp vocals and mid-range clarity. The response is instantaneous. Dance music kicks with a tight immediacy that the older, heavier 15-inch cones simply could not deliver.

At the Yamaha HQ, on test in my office, and out on the road, every time these were fired up I was hit by an unreal sense of acoustic clarity. On paper, pitting a compact 10-inch top against a veteran 15-inch powerhouse feels like an unfair fight, but the generational leap in Yamaha's engineering tells a completely different story. The original DXR15 Mk1 is a brute, blasting a maximum output of 133dB SPL by utilising its sheer cabinet volume and massive 15-inch cone.

Yet, the newly engineered DXR10 Mk3 stands completely toe-to-toe, extracting an astonishing 132dB SPL from footprint nearly half the size. Yamaha achieved this output wizardry by swapping out the old 1100W dynamic module for a much more efficient 2000W Class-D amplifier and upgrading to a larger, highly efficient 1.75-inch high-frequency compression driver. While the old 15-inch box can technically throw a fraction more low-end energy if run without a subwoofer, the Mk3 10-inch top actually delivers a higher perceived output in the critical vocal and mid-high frequencies.

It pushes sound much further across a crowded room with incredible clarity, ensuring your mix never chokes or distorts when the volume sliders head toward maximum. This is further helped by the rugged ABS enclosure which feels incredibly solid and acoustic room optimised, completely eliminating internal resonances. A huge difference between my old system and the current range is the integration of the D-Remote app. This gives you brilliant flexibility for managing your sound while you work.

We have all done soundchecks when we first arrive at a venue, but once the party starts and 200 people fill the room, absorbing a massive amount of soundwaves, we often head out towards the back of the dancefloor and decide we need to boost the bass. Of course, making those micro-adjustments is much harder to do from behind a console. With the app, that dilemma is a thing of the past. Available for both iOS and Android, the app connects to all four boxes simultaneously via Bluetooth.

Once connected, the sheer utility of the system becomes obvious. I was able to stand exactly where the audience would be standing and handle system crossovers on the fly. With a few taps on my phone, I engaged a matching 100Hz High-Pass Filter on a the DXR10 tops and a 100Hz Low-Pass Filter on the DXS15 subwoofers. No guesswork, no phase cancellation, just mathematically perfect alignment done from the centre of the room.

The real magic, however, lies in the Fader Grouping feature. By grouping my two DXS15 Mk3 subs together, I gained an instant bass sub-trim right on my phone screen. When the early evening called for low-key background music, I dialled the sub group down for a warmer, less intrusive sound. Later, when the party kicked into high gear, I gave that sub fader a push to unleash the full fury of the subs' massive 2500W peak amplifiers without ever touching my main mixer controls.

Advanced settings can be accessed by unlocking a hidden 6-band parametric EQ and an intelligent Feedback Suppressor that you can toggle remotely if a wireless microphone gets a bit too close to a speaker. Throughout the night, the app acts as a live dashboard, offering real-time telemetry on internal amplifier temperatures and limiter thresholds. If you happen to push the system too hard, a subtle red indicator flashes on your phone screen long before the hardware faces any thermal trouble.

Once you find the sweet spot for a particular room, you can simply save the configuration as a User Scene Preset to recall it instantly the next time you play that venue. It is an incredibly polished piece of software that In transforms these speakers from isolated boxes into a cohesive, highly intelligent audio network. Now, let us talk about those subs. Of course, I knew that upgrading from the original DXS15 Mk1 subwoofers to the new Mk3 units would be a step up, but I was not prepared for quite the shock I had.

My original subs are punchy, but they have a lowend limit of 45Hz and pack a 950W peak amplifier. The DXS15 Mk3 shifts the goalposts entirely with its monstrous 2500W peak Class-D amplifier. a More importantly, Yamaha have coaxed the lowend extension down to a true 35Hz. On the road, this isn't just a spec-sheet victory, it's a physical difference you feel right in your chest. Modern chart is and dance music really inhabits that extra 10Hz of sub-bass.

Where the Mk1 would compress or roll off, the Mk3 drops effortlessly into the lower octave with authority, maintaining absolute stability and headroom all night. The wooden, band-pass enclosure is coated in a premium, ultra-durable polyurea finish that looks exceptionally smart for high-end corporate work and weddings, resisting the usual scuffs of life on the road. It isn't just the low end that got an overhaul. Yamaha upgraded the compression drivers in the DXR tops to a larger 1.75-inch neodymium unit.

Paired with their proprietary FIR-X linear phase filtering, the transition between the woofer and the tweeter is completely seamless. Even at high SPL, the top end remains sweet and precise without turning into that harsh, fatiguing, glassy sound that plagues cheaper boxes. Around the back, the rear panel is exceptionally well thought out, offering a flexible internal mixer with XLR, Jack, and RCA inputs, allowing you to plug multiple sources directly in if needed.

From a usability standpoint, the old analogue switches are gone. The Mk3 series introduces a highly visible rear LCD panel and encoder alongside Bluetooth compatibility for the app. Being able to walk the room during soundcheck and adjust crossovers, EQ profiles, or system delays directly from a phone is an absolute game-changer for the solo mobile DJ. So, the new range is a massive leap forward from both the Mk2 and especially the Mk1 ranges in terms of raw output, but they are also much better in terms of practical day-to-day ergonomics.

Naturally, 10- inch cabinets are much smaller and easier to handle during a late-night pack-down. 6622 terms of shape, they don't look radically different to my older speakers, so there is a nice sense of visual continuity that keeps the presentation smart and uniform. Flip the DXR10 Mk3 over, and you will notice one of the most practical physical features for a working mobile performer: Yamaha’s Dual-Angle Pole Socket. Instead of a single mounting option, the base features two distinct receptor holes, one positioned at 0 degrees (firing straight ahead) and another with 7-degree downward tilt.

Understanding when to use these angles is the secret to defeating a room with bad acoustics. The straightahead 0-degree mount is perfect when your audience standing or when you need the sound to travel deep into a long, low-ceilinged hall. However, if you are setting up on an elevated stage, or if you need to push the speaker poles high up to clear the front row, switching to the 7-degree tilt is an absolute game-changer. By angling the speaker downwards, you direct the high-frequency energy exactly where it belongs, onto the ears of a dancing or seated crowd.

Crucially, this prevents the mid-high frequencies from shooting over their heads and smacking into the rear walls or reflective hard ceilings. It heavily reduces that horrible slap-back echo, tames room reverberation, and ensures that even the back row enjoys crystal-clear vocal intelligibility without you having to drive the overall system volume into the red. The subs also come with similar practical features.

At nearly 36kg per cabinet, lifting a pair of subwoofers at the end of a long night is a classic recipe for back strain. Thankfully, Yamaha has integrated a brilliant, installer-friendly solution into the rear panel of the enclosure. The back of the sub features pre-drilled, factorythreaded mounting points designed specifically for the official Yamaha SPW-1 Wheel Kit. The installation is incredibly simple because you use the Allen screws already pre-installed in the cabinet.

Once the heavy-duty, 100mm castors are bolted securely onto the back, you simply tilt the subwoofer backwards onto its wheels to roll it right out to your van. Coupled with the ergonomic, side-mounted steel handles on both the tops and the subs, the physical toll of moving a high-output active system is vastly reduced. Ultimately, looking back at my 12 years of relying on the original range, this hands-on experience proves that Yamaha have not just iterated; they have fundamentally re-engineered what a compact mobile system can achieve.

For the working professional who requires pristine vocal production for corporate awards, followed immediately by chest-thumping lowend for a packed dancefloor, the DXR10 and DXS15 Mk3 combination offers an uncompromising solution. It delivers the raw power of a classic 15- inch rig but wraps it in an incredibly lightweight , smar t , app - driven ecosystem. When you factor in Yamaha's legendary build quality and their industry-leading 7-year warranty upon registration, it represents a rock-solid investment for any serious mobile DJ.

It is a stunning evolution of a classic workhorse, proving that you can produce incredible sound from a relatively small footprint in a great looking package. 63

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