Bookshelf speaker Yamaha NS-5000 Pianoblack

Yamaha NS-5000 flagship three-way monitor speakers with ZYLON™ diaphragms and resonance suppression

The NS-5000 is a flagship three-way bookshelf speaker with bass-reflex tuning that continues the monitor tradition of the legendary NS-1000M from 1974. All three drivers — a 30 cm cone woofer, an 8 cm dome midrange and a 3 cm dome tweeter — use diaphragms made of 100% ZYLON™ PBO fibre with a vapour-deposited layer of a proprietary monel alloy. The goal is a uniform tonal colour and identical sound propagation speed across the entire band, which the manufacturer states as 26 Hz to 40 kHz (-10 dB), reaching up to 100 kHz at -30 dB.

Behind the tweeter and midrange drivers sit the newly developed R.S. Chambers (Resonance Suppression), in which a pair of specially shaped tubes cancels the pressure resonances arising behind the diaphragm. The cabinet interior is further complemented by the Acoustic Absorber — a resonance tube that purposefully cancels the standing waves inherent to the rectangular box shape. Both solutions eliminate the need for large amounts of damping material, which otherwise smooths out the frequency response and suppresses the fine micro-detail of a recording.

The cabinet, with an internal volume of 65 litres, is made of laminated plywood from Japanese white birch from Hokkaido, with a 29.5 mm thick front baffle and 20 mm for the remaining five walls. The joints use the 3-way mitered joint technique, and internal bracing designed using FEM analysis limits delayed wall vibrations, i.e. "box ringing". A twisted flare port eliminates air-flow noise at the ends of the bass-reflex port, thereby increasing bass resolution and the signal-to-noise ratio. All six surfaces are finished in high-gloss piano lacquer applied using the same process as on Yamaha concert grand pianos; the hard, even layer increases cabinet rigidity and damps minor vibrations.

The crossover, with crossover frequencies of 750 Hz and 4.5 kHz, connects all drivers in phase in a single-wire configuration. The components are mounted on a double-sided circuit board with 140 μm copper traces and a shortened signal path. Select parts are used — Mundorf MCap SUPREME EVO capacitors, MResist SUPREME resistors and a bass coil weighing 1.6 kg. A sensitivity of 88 dB/2.83 V/1 m and an impedance of 6 ohms with a 3.5 ohm minimum call for an amplifier with a stable current output; the rated power handling is 200 W, maximum 600 W.

Key features

• ZYLON™ diaphragms: PBO fibre with vapour-deposited monel alloy in all drivers
• R.S. Chambers: Resonance suppression behind the midrange and tweeter domes
• Acoustic Absorber: A resonance tube cancels standing waves without damping material
• Birch plywood cabinet: Hokkaido white birch, 29.5 mm baffle, FEM bracing
• Crossover with Mundorf components: MCap SUPREME EVO, MResist SUPREME, 140 μm copper traces