Do you know what these Yamaha's are?

Nightfall
Nightfall Posts: 10,086
edited October 2013 in Vintage Speakers
Does anybody know what these are and if they're worth listening to? They're Yamaha, that is all that is known. I'm familiar with their electronics but did Yamaha ever make a good pair of speakers, these aside even?

00J0J_1WUpUXEEUKD_600x450.jpg
afterburnt wrote: »
They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.

Village Idiot of Club Polk
Post edited by Nightfall on
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,802
    edited September 2013
    They did make a few good speakers (the NS-690 and NS-1000 most notably, although they're not really my cup of tea). The present examples look like they accompanied a rack stereo (late-1980s style) and are likely best avoided.
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited September 2013
    I wouldn't expect them to sound too good.
    Jake
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited September 2013
    Mark is correct. Rack system refugees, probably very thin cabinets, minimal crossovers, cabinet resonances all over the place. Might serve a garage system.

    The speakers, Mark mentions are, indeed, the great Yammies. Although I, have "never" heard any of them! I have heard the infamous NS-10 studio monitors which are lauded for how bad they can sound with badly mixed recordings and a boon to studio engineers because of this!

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,802
    edited September 2013
    FWIW (and for completeness) - Yamaha also made a couple of very (very) unassuming little sealed two-way speakers in the mid to late 1970s that had a very pleasant sound more akin to the Polks and "New England school" (AR, KLH, Advent, AVID, EPI, Cizek, etc.) of loudspeakers than the then-prevailing Japanese bent towards the "West Coast" (JBL) sound. I do not remember the model numbers. The ones I remember best were about $95 a piece (1977-ish era and dollars) and had all wood grain (vinyl, of course) finished boxes - including the baffle - and dome tweeter. I think the model might have been NS-4, but memory's very hazy on these.

    NS-4:
    http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=297367

    NS-1000:
    http://www.audio-heritage.jp/YAMAHA/speaker/ns-1000.html

    ns-1000.JPG

    NS-1000M:

    ns-1000m.JPG
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  • boston1450
    boston1450 Posts: 7,639
    edited September 2013
    I woudnt mind listening to a pair of NS1000's ive read they match up nicely with vintage receiver's & amp's
    ..
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited September 2013
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    FWIW (and for completeness) - Yamaha also made a couple of very (very) unassuming little sealed two-way speakers in the mid to late 1970s that had a very pleasant sound more akin to the Polks and "New England school" (AR, KLH, Advent, AVID, EPI, Cizek, etc.) of loudspeakers than the then-prevailing Japanese bent towards the "West Coast" (JBL) sound. I do not remember the model numbers. The ones I remember best were about $95 a piece (1977-ish era and dollars) and had all wood grain (vinyl, of course) finished boxes - including the baffle - and dome tweeter. I think the model might have been NS-4, but memory's very hazy on these.

    NS-4:
    http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=297367

    NS-1000:
    http://www.audio-heritage.jp/YAMAHA/speaker/ns-1000.html

    ns-1000.JPG

    NS-1000M:

    ns-1000m.JPG

    That's interesting, because I've always thought those classics would sound more like JBLs because they seemed to be imitating their appearance externally. As I mentioned, I have not had the opportunity to confirm that. Although I am not opposed to what I would call the mid-80s JBL sound (kind-a-like that for some music).

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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  • halo71
    halo71 Posts: 4,603
    edited September 2013
    And models you will never see in your life....

    GF-1
    GF-1-2.jpg
    --Gary--
    Onkyo Integra M504, Bottlehead Foreplay III, Denon SACD, Thiel CS2.3, NHT VT-2, VT-3 and Evolution T6, Infinity RSIIIa, SDA1C and a few dozen other speakers around the house I change in and out.
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  • boston1450
    boston1450 Posts: 7,639
    edited September 2013
    If i had those id flip them ^^^^^^
    ..
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,802
    edited October 2013
    FWIW - Despite my rabid addiction to the Altec sound, I am not a JBL fan.

    Yes, the Japanese have almost always saved their best/most interesting loudspeaker efforts for the Home Market. Too bad - but probably due to the small markets and high shipping costs.

    http://www.audio-heritage.jp/PIONEER-EXCLUSIVE/speaker/model2401twin.html

    model2401twin.JPG
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  • Msabot1
    Msabot1 Posts: 2,098
    edited October 2013
    What are they??..for a child...maybe...for the serious listener?....JUNK!
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  • audiomagnate
    audiomagnate Posts: 48
    edited October 2013
    boston1450 wrote: »
    If i had those id flip them ^^^^^^

    If I had those I'd flip for joy! I do have a pair of rare (at least in the US) NS-5. There was a speaker marketed in the US with the same model number, but these were only marketed in Japan, Europe and the Middle East. They are beautifully made, heavy as hell and sound wonderful. Original price in the early 90s was 50,000 yen or around $500/pair.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,802
    edited October 2013
    audiomagnate wrote: »
    If I had those I'd flip for joy! I do have a pair of rare (at least in the US) NS-5. There was a speaker marketed in the US with the same model number, but these were only marketed in Japan, Europe and the Middle East. They are beautifully made, heavy as hell and sound wonderful. Original price in the early 90s was 50,000 yen or around $500/pair.

    cool e-nuff.

    http://www.audio-heritage.jp/YAMAHA/speaker/ns-5.html

    ns-5.JPG

    Interestingly the Japanese are capable of making good sounding drivers and loudspeakers - they just have always seemed to have a sort of warped sense of what constituted American tastes in speaker sound.
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  • halo71
    halo71 Posts: 4,603
    edited October 2013
    Msabot1 wrote: »
    What are they??..for a child...maybe...for the serious listener?....JUNK!

    huh?
    --Gary--
    Onkyo Integra M504, Bottlehead Foreplay III, Denon SACD, Thiel CS2.3, NHT VT-2, VT-3 and Evolution T6, Infinity RSIIIa, SDA1C and a few dozen other speakers around the house I change in and out.
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  • boston1450
    boston1450 Posts: 7,639
    edited October 2013
    audiomagnate wrote: »
    If I had those I'd flip for joy! I do have a pair of rare (at least in the US) NS-5. There was a speaker marketed in the US with the same model number, but these were only marketed in Japan, Europe and the Middle East. They are beautifully made, heavy as hell and sound wonderful. Original price in the early 90s was 50,000 yen or around $500/pair.
    id have to up my homeowners insurance LOL those you have are nice too
    ..
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited October 2013
    NS-5s? Interesting, but such a "sickly" looking color scheme! Looks like the speakers have hepatitis?

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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  • audiomagnate
    audiomagnate Posts: 48
    edited October 2013
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    cool e-nuff.

    http://www.audio-heritage.jp/YAMAHA/speaker/ns-5.html

    ns-5.JPG

    Interestingly the Japanese are capable of making good sounding drivers and loudspeakers - they just have always seemed to have a sort of warped sense of what constituted American tastes in speaker sound.

    It's not warped, it's spot on. I worked for Mitsubishi in the late 80s and early 90's. Sales of the fantastic Diatone line were awful, but the junky rack systems sold like hotcakes.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,802
    edited October 2013
    halo71 wrote: »
    huh?
    I reckon the reference was to the rack-system (looking) speakers in the original post...
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  • MAD
    MAD Posts: 105
    edited October 2013
    Let's not forget the younger brother to the 690's, the ns 645 which I thought sounded great connected to my dad's pioneer sa 9100.
    120893608.jpg
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