Bookshelf Speakers — Yamaha NS-5000

The NS-5000 is a three-way bookshelf speaker from Yamaha. Its development drew on the NS-1000M monitor, released in 1974, and after studying a range of enclosure types Yamaha settled on a bookshelf format as its successor. Later models such as the NS-3000 and NS-600A take technology from it.

Key specs that matter

The NS-5000 uses a 12 inch cone woofer, a 3-1/4 inch dome midrange and a 1-1/4 inch dome tweeter in a bass-reflex cabinet, with crossover points at 750 Hz and 4.5 kHz. The published frequency range runs from 26 Hz to 40 kHz at -10 dB, extending to 100 kHz at -30 dB. Sensitivity is 88 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m. Nominal impedance is 6 ohm with a minimum of 3.5 ohm. Nominal input power is 200 W and maximum input power 600 W. Each speaker measures 394 x 689 x 381 mm including terminals and weighs 35 kg.

Engineering and use context

All three drivers have diaphragms made of 100 percent ZYLON, a Japanese synthetic fibre, vapor-coated with a proprietary monel alloy, which Yamaha says gives an acoustic velocity comparable to beryllium. Patent-pending R.S. Chambers behind the tweeter and midrange use two specially shaped tubes to cancel tube resonance behind the diaphragm. Internal volume is 65 litres, which Yamaha gives as the smallest possible size for this three-way layout. The cabinet is laminated plywood of Japanese white birch from Hokkaido, joined with three-way mitered joints. The front baffle is 29 mm thick and the other five sides 19 mm. Crosspieces placed by FEM analysis suppress box ringing, and a Twisted Flare Port reduces port noise. A resonance tube cancels internal standing waves in place of large amounts of absorbing material. All six outer surfaces receive the gloss black piano finish used on Yamaha grand pianos. All drivers are wired in positive phase, with a single wiring connection. The network sits on a double-sided circuit board with 140 micron copper traces and uses Mundorf MCap SUPREME EVO capacitors, a Mundorf MResist SUPREME attenuator and a woofer coil weighing 1.6 kg.

Pairing

Because impedance dips low, the partner amplifier has to handle low impedances, and with only one pair of terminals each cabinet takes a single speaker cable. Yamaha's A-S3200 integrated amplifier is the matching amplifier in the same hi-fi series.

Alternatives

The Yamaha NS-3000 is a smaller two-way bookshelf design sharing its ZYLON tweeter with a 16 cm woofer.