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Authorized dealers for Yamaha NS-5000

  • Absoulute Audio plus Video — in-store — Aiken, South Carolina, United States (website)
  • The Music Room — online and in-store — Erie, Colorado, United States (website)
  • 138 Quaiduson — online and in-store — Lille, Hauts-de-France, France (website)
  • A1 Futureshop — online and in-store — North Rocks, New South Wales, Australia (website)
  • Abt Electronics — online and in-store — Glenview, Illinois, United States (website)
  • Accessories 4 less — online and in-store — Apopka, Florida, United States (website)
  • Acclaim Sound and Light — online and in-store — North Bay, Ontario, Canada (website)
  • Acoustic Sound Design — online and in-store — Las Vegas, Nevada, United States (website)
  • Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
  • Acton Gate Audio — online and in-store — Cymru, United Kingdom (website)

and 264 more verified dealers

Yamaha NS-5000 #1
Yamaha NS-5000 variant 1
Yamaha NS-5000 variant 2
Yamaha NS-5000 variant 3
Yamaha NS-5000 variant 4
Yamaha NS-5000 variant 5
Yamaha NS-5000 variant 6
Yamaha NS-5000 variant 7

Yamaha NS-5000

United States flag

The Yamaha NS-5000 marries electrostatic-like coherence with full-scale, taut bass and a remarkably precise soundstage. Hi-Fi Choice admired its seamless driver integration, while StereoNET United Kingdom found exceptional neutrality, dynamics and imaging. Zylon drivers, a resonance-controlled birch cabinet and piano-black finish make this a seriously refined flagship monitor.

View at Yamaha
Specifications44 reviews & sources

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94/100
Rating for NS-5000

Deliciously Crispy

Sound Quality

93/100

Build Quality

96/100

Value for Money

94/100

Pros

Exceptionally seamless, tonally even presentation that behaves like a single full-range driver.

Large, deep soundstage with highly precise image placement and convincing depth.

Powerful, detailed bass and composed high-volume performance from the 12-inch woofer.

Superb cabinet engineering and flawless piano-black finish.

Cons

Rear-ported design needs thoughtful room placement and space from the rear wall for best results.

Highly transparent balance exposes the character of partnering electronics, making careful system matching important.

Some reviewers found the treble slightly recessed and the ultimate macrodynamic impact less explosive than certain reference rivals.

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What Reviewers Are Saying

"Yamaha had really hit the mark – nay, smashed the mark – with the NS-5000s."

— SoundStage Solo

SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 93/100

Reviewers consistently describe an unusually transparent, neutral and cohesive loudspeaker with a convincingly lifelike presentation. Its large-scale bass, vivid midrange, refined treble and exceptional spatial precision make it suitable for serious two-channel listening in generously sized rooms, although careful setup and sympathetic partnering equipment matter.

Bass

92/100

For a large stand-mount using a 12-inch woofer, the bass is repeatedly praised as deep, taut, fast, weighty and highly textured. SoundStage Solo heard superb attack, detail and rhythmic authority, while StereoNET found it extended and informative; Hi-Fi Choice did note a slight woodwork thrum and somewhat rounded, compressed character on some material.

Mid

94/100

The midrange is a major strength, praised for natural vocals, presence, tonal beauty and transparency. Reviewers also highlight the seamless integration of the drivers, with SoundStage Solo describing excellent tonal uniformity through the crossover regions and Hi-Fi Choice hearing the system behave almost like a single full-range driver.

Treble

91/100

Treble is widely regarded as detailed, extended and realistic rather than aggressive, with HiFi.nl calling it free of shrillness and Hi-Fi Choice praising its sweetness, air and sparkle. One SoundStage Solo review found the top end slightly dark and recessed, with less ultimate air and a dry quality in an unsuitable system, so matching remains important.

Soundstage Imaging

94/100

Spatial performance attracts some of the strongest praise: reviewers describe huge scale, convincing depth, highly exact image placement and a remarkably tangible live perspective. One reviewer found that images near the physical speaker positions could be pulled forward unnaturally, but still described the overall stage as large, deep and exceptionally coherent.

Dynamics

92/100

The NS-5000 is repeatedly commended for speed, timing, percussion attack and excellent microdynamic expression, while several reviews find it composed even at very high levels. There is one meaningful dissenting view: SoundStage Solo felt macro-dynamic explosiveness and rhythmic impact fell short of certain reference speakers, despite excellent small-scale dynamic detail.

Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.

Build Quality

96/100

The cabinet, finish and internal engineering receive exceptional praise. Reviews cite carefully braced Hokkaido white-birch plywood enclosures, resonance-control measures, premium crossover components and a true piano-black finish that SoundStage Solo called literally perfect and standard-setting.

Value for Money

94/100

At $15,000 per pair, the NS-5000 is unquestionably a luxury purchase, and Audioholics notes that it costs substantially more than many retro-inspired rivals. However, reviewers repeatedly regard the price as justified: SoundStage Solo calls it exceptional value, while The Absolute Sound characterises it as an underpriced overachiever in the high-performance loudspeaker market.

Reviews & Sources

Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.

Online Reviews & Mentions

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Forum Mentions

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Specifications

Type
3-way bookshelf bass-reflex type
Woofers
12" cone type
MidRange Driver
3-1/4" dome type
Tweeter
1-1/4" dome type
Frequency Response
26 Hz-40 kHz (-10dB), -100 kHz (-30dB)
Nominal Input Power
200 W
Maximum Input Power
600 W
Sensitivity
88 dB / 2.83 V/1 m
Crossover Frequencies
750 Hz / 4.5 kHz
Impedance
6 ohms (minimum 3.5 ohms)
Dimensions (W x H x D)
15-1/2" x 27-1/8" x 15" (with speaker terminals)
Weight
77.2 lbs. / unit

Manufacturer's Description — Yamaha

NS-5000 Speakers with Stands (Pair)

Introducing our flagship 3-way bookshelf speaker system, setting a new standard in performance and quality by which all other Hi-Fi speakers should be judged.


  • Newly developed diaphragms boast acoustic velocity comparable to that of beryllium
  • Newly developed R.S. (Resonance Suppression) Chambers suppress unwanted resonance in the mid and high ranges
  • 12" 3-way bookshelf design draws on the tradition of the legendary NS-1000M
  • Carefully crafted laminated plywood enclosure made of Japanese white birch from the island of Hokkaido
  • Newly developed Acoustic Absorber eliminates sound-absorbing material to revive the original presence of the music
  • Glossy black piano finish provides improved signal-to-noise performance — and adds to the luxurious joy of ownership
  • Frequency-dividing Network

Newly Developed Diaphragms Boast Acoustic Velocity Comparable to That of Beryllium

NS-5000's tweeter, midrange, and woofer all feature diaphragms made of 100%* ZYLON® — a synthetic fiber created in Japan rated as the world’s strongest** and boasting optimum elasticity — and vapor-coated with Yamaha proprietary monel alloy. The soft-dome diaphragm suppresses peaks and dips in the frequency response caused by the inherent resonance of the diaphragm, while taking advantage of ZYLON's high acoustic velocity comparable to that of beryllium. The result is a remarkably flat frequency response, with unified tone color and acoustic velocity over the entire frequency range, providing a comfortable listening experience and meticulously accurate, superb sound reproduction of the highest degree.


* Using 100% for the base material.


** Comparative data concerning all existing organic fibers (source: Toyobo Co., Ltd., May 2015)


Newly developed R.S. (Resonance Suppression) Chambers Suppress Unwanted Resonance in the Mid and High Ranges

Mounted on the back of the tweeter and midrange speaker units are newly developed R.S. Chambers (patent pending) that suppress unnecessary tube resonance generated behind the diaphragm. Two specially shaped tubes installed in accordance with our proprietary acoustic analysis cancel tube resonance. These R.S. Chambers achieve higher-resolution audio reproduction by eliminating the need for a large quantity of sound-absorbing material inside the enclosure that tends to smooth the frequency response of each speaker unit and might degrade minute nuances of the sound.


12" 3-Way Bookshelf Design Draws on the Tradition of the Legendary NS-1000M

As a result of meticulous research on a variety of enclosure designs during the development of the NS-5000, we chose a bookshelf design as a successor to the continuing legacy of the NS-1000M (released in 1974), the pinnacle of Yamaha monitor speakers. This bass-reflex enclosure with an internal volume of 65 liters — the smallest possible size for a 12" 3-way configuration — is solidly assembled with the 3-way mitered joint construction technique and other traditional crafting methods. Reinforcing crosspieces inside the enclosure, based on FEM analysis, suppress “box ringing” caused by delayed vibration from the six surfaces of the enclosure. In addition, a Twisted Flare Port prevents port noise (wind noise produced at each end of a bass reflex port) inherent in the bass reflex design, and improves resolution in the low frequency range while also enhancing signal-to-noise performance.


Carefully Crafted Laminated Plywood Enclosure Made of Japanese White Birch from the Island of Hokkaido

In selecting a material for the enclosure of the NS-5000, we carried out comprehensive studies of mechanical strength and acoustic properties of various materials, as well as the quality of domestic wood processed by painstakingly removing every knot and hole from the lumber and ensuring the durability necessary to withstand long use; we settled on laminated plywood made of white birch from the island of Hokkaido. The front baffle is 1-1/8" thick and the other five sides of the enclosure 3/4" (in all cases, omitting paint primer layer and paint thickness), ensuring ideal rigidity of the entire enclosure.


Newly Developed Acoustic Absorber Eliminates Sound-Absorbing Material to Revive the Original Presence of the Music

The cuboid enclosure unifies internal standing waves at a specified frequency, which are cancelled by a newly-developed resonance tube (patent pending). This technology eliminates the previous need for the huge amount of sound-absorbing material inside the enclosure. The result is the virtual elimination of standing waves with amazing efficiency and pinpoint accuracy—to energetically revive the essential presence of music, formerly lost by sound absorption.


Glossy Black Piano Finish Provides Improved Signal-to-Noise Performance—and Adds to the Luxurious Joy of Ownership

All six external surfaces of the enclosure have a glossy black piano finish created using the same dedicated paint, primer, and polishing processes used for renowned Yamaha grand pianos. The uniform and hard membrane further increases the overall rigidity of the enclosure, and at the same time it suppresses fine vibrations, contributing to the bright sound and significantly enhanced signal-to-noise performance.


Frequency-Dividing Network

All drivers in the NS-5000 are connected in positive phase with single wiring to deliver a natural, pleasing listening experience. Components of its frequency-dividing network are mounted on a double-sided printed circuit board with extra-thick copper traces of 140 μm in thickness; a shorter signal path on the circuit board minimizes the loss of sound data during transmission. Moreover, in order to minimize signal loss, we used for the network handpicked parts of only the highest quality, such as the MCap SUPREME EVO audio capacitor, which is made by Mundorf of Germany and renowned as the pinnacle of audio-use capacitors, Mundorf’s MResist SUPREME attenuator, and a woofer coil that weighs as much as 3.52 lbs.


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Authorized dealers for Yamaha NS-5000

  • Absoulute Audio plus Video — in-store — Aiken, South Carolina, United States (website)
  • The Music Room — online and in-store — Erie, Colorado, United States (website)
  • 138 Quaiduson — online and in-store — Lille, Hauts-de-France, France (website)
  • A1 Futureshop — online and in-store — North Rocks, New South Wales, Australia (website)
  • Abt Electronics — online and in-store — Glenview, Illinois, United States (website)
  • Accessories 4 less — online and in-store — Apopka, Florida, United States (website)
  • Acclaim Sound and Light — online and in-store — North Bay, Ontario, Canada (website)
  • Acoustic Sound Design — online and in-store — Las Vegas, Nevada, United States (website)
  • Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
  • Acton Gate Audio — online and in-store — Cymru, United Kingdom (website)

and 264 more verified dealers