Yamaha Speakers Owners & Discussion Thread

[Al.M]

The guys on DIYaudio.com are discussing the design http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/295385-designer-new-yamaha-ns-5000-sharing-thoughts-about-driver-designing.html

 

Magazine interview with Yamaha Japan Chief Engineer Koji Okazaki on the 2 year design decisions (cut and paste it):

 

http://www.avhub.com.au/features/sound-image/yamaha-ns-5000---full-story-interview-429975

 

Edited May 13, 2017 by Al.M

[N@qOyQ@tSi]

Anyone go to the Sydney Hifi show last weekend, care to give us their impressions?

 

 

[metal beat]

33 minutes ago, N@qOyQ@tSi said:

Anyone go to the Sydney Hifi show last weekend, care to give us their impressions?

 

 

 

Polite.       Looked a million dollars.

[betty boop]

On 09/05/2017 at 0:46 AM, Pops110 said:

Had a quick listen to these today.

Very impressive. Same setup as in the pics Albert posted.

I didn't take any of my own music in but was semi familiar with what was played.

The bass and channel separation and imaging was what really stood out for me. Finish of the cabinets was amazing, but should be expected for 20k speakers.

 

I did then go and listen to Pats new speakers at War audio with Bakoon. 

 

Cheers Dave 

 

what were these running with pops ?  I notice yamaha seem to demo them with there source and integrated ... as expected ... 

[Pops110]

On 10/02/2017 at 1:42 PM, Al.M said:

I listened to the NS5000 today under reasonable shop conditions with an $8000 Yamaha S3000 integrated amp and played my reference CDs. The amp appeared to be doing a good job of driving the speakers and producing good micro detail, drive and bass. Comparison vs the better sounding of the NS1000 types circa 1980 models and 4 pairs I have owned in the last 20 years.

 

* Treble appeared more extended and silky smooth and sweet, lots of micro detail similar to some of the best hi end Scan Speak and Seas dome tweeters

* Midrange detail and sonic snap about the same, smoother and sweeter, imaging a little better. The berylium dome may have a little more snap

* Bass much better by a subjective factor of about 2-3 times, in terms of quality, extension, texture, palpability, impact etc. It did not fail in any aspect of the perfect bass on my reference CDs. Speakers were listened to with and without rear port foam plug and there will be too much bass unplugged for most average rooms and heavy notes can intrude. Plug in does not substantially reduce extension and reduces overall bass about 30%

* Overall the sound is a lot more complete and full spectrum with no shortcoming in any area, a lot sweeter and musical sound, less fatiguing, tweeter very extended similar to a good ribbon tweeter, massive bass extension and slam, imaging appeared about 20% better given the shop setup, vocals were spectacular in the league of what might be expected among the best in conventional cone/dome box speaker designs available past and present designs. Comparison against the NS1000 in the mid and treble sonic snap, clarity and detail alone it appears similar with perhaps about 10% more so not a huge jump on those aspects alone.

* Build quality, construction and appearance is superlative in terms of a conventional cone/dome box speaker design.

 

My scoring would likely improve about 20% if heard in my home with tube preamps, KT88 tube power amp and Goldmund copy power amp. 

 

IMO my cabinet modified ported and larger enclosure NS1000 heads about 60% in the direction of bass performance towards the NS5000 and influencing the overall sound. Obviously not the same.

 

Well done Yamaha significant improvement on continuing the NS1000 legend.

 

@:) al

Same setup as this mate.

[betty boop]

thanks pops ! the fit finish and build look impeccable  hopefully one day get to experience ... not that am a buyer or anything as am happy wiht my lot. but more to appease the curiosity especially since having heard the original incarnations over the years do some nice things ! 

[N@qOyQ@tSi]

Thanks for the impressions everyone.

 

i read some where they cost $15,000 as well as $20,000 AUD anyone able to confirm if they have been price dropped?

 

 

[Al.M]

When I spoke to the WA Morley west coast Hifi shop they said the NS5000 are not stocked by shops, they only sell them via Yamaha direct, so once you place the order it comes direct from Yamaha not the shop and discounting would be more complex. Price quoted months ago was $19999

[THOMO]

I had a good session listening to the NS5000s today at West Coast Hi Fi in Malaga.

I think these have the best and most accurate midrange I have ever heard and I am very fussy about that particular area of performance and have owned and used all sorts of speakers over 35 years in search of that elusive midrange perfection. The rest is also very good and the whole package is seamless , musically engaging and has great imaging.

 They are wonderful and real sounding on vocals and acoustic music.Piano sounds as good as I have heard too.

 

I suspect Yamaha has created a new reference point for midrange quality with these Zylon drivers.

They have had a great recipe for a long time and came very close to greatness with some of their earlier speakers but now with the right ingredients they have baked something really special.

 

I agree with one reviewer who explained that other speakers really just sound like speakers whereas these sound like the real thing.If anyone was going to do that it was probably going to have to be  a very good musical instrument maker like Yamaha .Just a shame it has taken them so long!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 13, 2017 by THOMO

[Al.M]

Amazing speakers. Most of the other mega buck speakers from B&W, Sonus Faber, Wilson though good etc are often repackaging, reinventing the wheel to produce updates every several years to keep customers interested while Yamaha just produces one very special model every 20-30 yrs that is truely ground breaking yet sticking to its good solid speaker design and lineage - all zylon drivers superior to beryllium, large generous cabinet, unique resonance damping features etc. 

 

Quote from Yamaha design: https://sg.yamaha.com/en/products/contents/audio_visual/ns-5000/technology.html

 

”100% ZYLON® 8 cm (3-1/4”) soft-dome midrange — the JA-08B5

The JA-08B5 8 cm (3-1/4”) soft-dome midrange is made of 100% ZYLON®, molded seamlessly from the diaphragm to the surrund (edge) thanks to our proprietary molding technology. The system design of the NS-5000 began with the crafting of this midrange driver. In order to take full advantage of impressive acoustic velocity and realistic acoustic density that the 100% ZYLON® diaphragm provides, we adopted a dome design — which shortens the distance from the voice coil to the diaphragm to a degree impossible with a cone design, resulting in smaller loss of movement — and we made its diameter 8 cm (3-1/4”), which is the largest feasible size that manufacturing yield allows. The high-pass crossover frequency was set at 750 Hz, optimum for bringing out the very best in this driver.”

 

Additonal intersting reading on lineage:

https://sg.yamaha.com/en/products/contents/audio_visual/ns-5000/history.html

Edited November 13, 2017 by Al.M

[Steve M]

Heard the Yamaha NS-5000 speaker a few days ago in an excellent sounding room - it' is a superb loudspeaker that exceeds the original NS-1000M in terms of accuracy and musicality. I unreservedly retract my scepticism made in this thread in 2015 about beryllium vs. the new zylon drivers. Mark my words, this speaker will go down in history as another landmark product for Yamaha Corporation.

[Be Quiet...Listen]

So, has anyone here on SNA fronted up the money and have a pair in their lounge room yet?

There's a lot of fuss and even more great reviews but no-one seems to own a pair!

I, myself, will locate a dealer in Vic (if someone has a pair?) so that I can audition these over my Christmas break. Very interested to hear what they can do! 

[Be Quiet...Listen]

I was a little disappointed that I never received a reply to my last comment from nearly six months ago. Whoever has bought pairs of 5000's are staying strangley quiet!

I had the opportunity to audition a pair at Carlton AV a couple of weeks back. Not really the ideal room set up, speaker placement or amps but being somewhat familiar with the shop arrangement enough to fill the gaps I can say that I was a little underwhelmed with their performance!

Relatively speaking, when compared to competing speaker manufacturers, their offerings and more importantly their price points I think the NS5000's represent great value.

BUT, what was a happy coincidence and great timing, was the fact that I had recently purchased a pair of Yamaha NS2000's about a month before hearing the 5000's. And I can tell you without a shadow of doubt, the 2000's are better. Take your 20K, buy some 2000's and with your remaining 15K buy a good system and your fast approaching audio nirvana!

Here's a quick snap of mine...

Edited May 28, 2018 by Be Quiet...Listen

[Steve M]

Having owned three pairs of Yamaha NS1000M, a domestic NS1000, a NS1000X and two pairs of NS1200 ...and hearing the NS5000 a few months ago, I cannot agree with you. The 5000 is a much more capable and refined loudspeaker than its predecessors.

 

I went to audition the 5000 with an expectation that the new Zylon driver material would be a gimmick and couldn’t possibly keep up with the vapour deposition beryllium material of old, but I was not disappointed by Zylon, it sounded even faster and free of any smearing and overhang than the old beryllium drivers. There is also better technology going on inside the box with the tuning pipes, a better crossover and bass reflex design. The overall effect was a smoother more refined sound with even better midrange, more detail, more accuracy, more bass and a more musical result (you guessed it - more of everything).

 

Steve.

 

[Be Quiet...Listen]

This hobby is very subjective. 

Are you familiar with the NS2000’s themselves @Steve M?

Perhaps my listening session with the 5000’s was indeed hampered by the above mentioned issues. 

My point remains, at a RRP of $20K, the 5000’s simply do not stand up in a debate of economics when the 2000’s can be had from $4.5K. 

Furthermore, one must look at the overall design between both speakers. Sealed box vs. bass reflex design. 90db vs. 88db efficiencies. Subjectively they are two entirely different speakers!

So then, the only real discussion/s come down to personal preference and economics or “value” to be had in these purchases. It’s not hard to see the point I am making here...

Sure, when the second hand market softens and the 5000’s float down to a sane and friendly market value I know I will experiment with them but I’m not expecting any kind of revelation compared to their predecessors. And, this will require people to actually buy them. And I have not heard of them running out the door. Not yet anyway! 

Edited May 28, 2018 by Be Quiet...Listen

[Steve M]

Appreciate your sentiments BQL about the 2000 (superb spkr I assume, having not personally heard them). And, I didn’t try to drive the 5000 too loudly, heard them in shop situation so heard them at moderate loudness level, and you could be right the 2000 could be better with its sealed bass when driven loud??

 

My comments about the 5000 are based on hearing them with mainly acoustic instruments, live well recorded vocals, shimmering jazz numbers etc. With this type of music it was superb, I got the impression they were super refined, tonally perfect and hyper detailed without forcing it upon you. Believe me, I am a big fan of the older beryllium drivers, but I am quite clear in my opinion that the new Zylon sound is a step ahead.

 

Steve.

[Guest Hensa]

I had a listen to the 5000’s at Len Wallis about 9 months ago. No question that they sounded very good and I could imagine them being even better in the right room - I heard them in an open alcove at the front of the store which was less than ideal for such expensive speakers. Whether they are worth $20K is very subjective but I can’t say they left me feeling they were any kind of a bargain at the price.

 

A couple of months later I listened to some active Meridian speakers (circa $25K) in the same space and they left me altogether more impressed. Absolutely stunning sound.

Edited May 29, 2018 by Hensa

[Steve M]

Like BQL said, the hobby is subjective ...

 

You might be mixing in the wrong circles Hensa  as $20K RRP for a flagship speaker from a big audio company like Yamaha, seems quite reasonable. Yes, they may not keep up with the really big speaker constructs in terms of impact, being limited by their physical size, but I think for accuracy and sheer refinement the Yamaha NS-5000 competes in the $100K arena.

 

 

Edited May 29, 2018 by Steve M

[Be Quiet...Listen]

The proof will most certainly be in the pudding. 

The NS-1000M’s production ran for almost 20 years and saw 300,000 units built. Obviously indicating that people were not shy purchasing a great performer that represented value for money. 

If the 5000’s are truly a benchmark and flagship model we will see them do something similar. 

[Guest Hensa]

11 hours ago, Steve M said:

Like BQL said, the hobby is subjective ...

 

You might be mixing in the wrong circles Hensa  as $20K RRP for a flagship speaker from a big audio company like Yamaha, seems quite reasonable. Yes, they may not keep up with the really big speaker constructs in terms of impact, being limited by their physical size, but I think for accuracy and sheer refinement the Yamaha NS-5000 competes in the $100K arena.

 

 

Quite happy with the circles in which I mix, thanks Steve. My comment about the value of the speakers, which you perhaps did not understand, was that it is subjective and in my subjective opinion, based on the sound I heard (rather than a label that said "these are Yamama's statement speakers"), I didn't think they were a particular bargain at that price.

 

If other circles think the NS-5000's compete in the $100K arena, then I'm extremely pleased to not be in them.

 

It's very easy to see why people can be reluctant to post their genuinely felt impressions of gear they've listened to when other members appear to take those subjective impressions personally and then get personal towards the person expressing that impression. Sorry my listening experience didn't match yours, Steve. it wasn't personal and I respect that your experiences were different.

 

 

Edited May 29, 2018 by Hensa

[THOMO]

It seems to me that the Yamaha NS5000s as set up in the Perth outlet are achieving their potential whereas those in other outlets probably aren't.

I went directly from listening to a far more expensive system in a dedicated room which sounded very good[ Magicos etc about $100,000 worth] to that all Yamaha system [about a third of that cost] and the Yamaha one sounded even better .

The dealer in Perth [West Coast Hi fi Malaga] has obviously gone to more trouble to set them up properly .That includes a bit of room treatment including some Yamaha acoustic panels directly behind the speakers.

I have owned quite a few dome midrange speakers and they are room and positioning fussy .The NS5000s are clearly no exception but when set up properly sound absolutely wonderful.

[Steve M]

Hensa, agree we are all different and entitled to our our own views. I guess my attempt at humour backfired with the ‘mixing in circles’ joke. I meant nothing by that other than the Yamaha is a value proposition compared to flagship models from other speaker manufacturers which run past $50K+ some into the $000’s of dollars.

 

At the end of the day all speakers are an acquired taste. They affect the sound of our systems more than any other component. The Yamaha’s probably have a soft and delicate touch and sound more like electrostatics (with better bass and macro dynamics) ...I guess not everyone likes that type of smooth transparent sound, and I can appreciate that.

 

This review probably sums it up best: 

http://av2day.com/2018/03/yamaha-ns-5000-loudspeakers-part-ii/

 

Steve.

 

 

Edited May 30, 2018 by Steve M

[Be Quiet...Listen]

I think the general undertone and message in the rebirthing of this thread has been lost. 

No-one is saying that the NS-5000’s aren’t capable speakers. 

Their value is seen in the eyes (or shall we say “ears”) of the beholder. And in many “circles” the 5000’s just will not cut the mustard at $20K. 

[Steve M]

8 hours ago, Be Quiet...Listen said:

And in many “circles” the 5000’s just will not cut the mustard at $20K. 

 

 not true, enough said from me ...

Edited May 30, 2018 by Steve M

[JSmith]

50 minutes ago, Be Quiet...Listen said:

And in many “circles” the 5000’s just will not cut the mustard at $20K. 

Why, because it is Yamaha and not something more "fancy"?

 

JSmith