To Doug Schneider,
I was intrigued by your enthusiasm for the new Yamaha NS-5000 speaker that you heard at the 2016 Tokyo International Audio Show. Since that time, I have been searching the web and even tried contacting Yamaha USA about when these speakers will come to the USA. I believe they are available in parts of Europe, Asia, and Australia. It seems rather strange that they have not arrived to the USA, nor any feedback from Yamaha about the timeframe for USA sales.
Since you probably have more sources of info in the audio business than readers like me, would it be possible for you to give your readers an update on the status of this speaker? If/when it will arrive to the USA and whether there will be more models using the new drivers? Specifically, smaller models for smaller rooms.
Regards,
Manoj Cooray
United States
I haven’t looked that hard for the NS-5000 since Tokyo since we’re always on the lookout for something new for our show coverage -- it was new to me in Tokyo, but not after. We also haven’t sought to review it, because, even for us, Yamaha isn’t all that easy to get in touch with in North America, which is too bad. Now that you mention it, though, I can’t recall seeing this speaker in the United States, though that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been around somewhere. I do recall seeing it at Poland’s Audio Video Show 2017, which I was at last week, so it’s certainly out there. But, like you say, maybe it’s only in select markets.
I agree that seeing the ideas for the NS-5000 trickle down to other designs would be a good idea, but since the NS-5000 is clearly inspired by the NS-1000, a classic from the 1970s, I’m not sure it makes sense to try to create another model from it, particularly if it’s just a smaller version. Instead, maybe Yamaha will come out with an updated NS-10, which is also from the ’70s. It was much smaller and was very popular for studios, but I’m sure could also do well in a home. . . . Doug Schneider
