Bookshelf Speakers — Yamaha NS-800A

Yamaha's NS-800A, a two-way bookshelf monitor with a bass-reflex cabinet, joined the NS Hi-Fi Speaker Series in 2023 together with the smaller NS-600A, reaching the market in the second half of that year. It was priced at approximately USD 5,999 per pair, or USD 2,399.95 when sold as a single speaker. Above it in the NS family sit the NS-2000A, NS-3000 and NS-5000. The model borrows the diaphragm and cabinet thinking of the NS-5000, whose drive units use pure Zylon, but here Yamaha applies a newly developed blend of Zylon and spruce.

Key specs that matter

A 16 cm (6-1/2 inch) cone woofer works with a 3 cm (1-1/4 inch) dome tweeter, with a 2.6 kHz crossover point between them. Yamaha states a frequency range of 40 Hz to 65 kHz at -10 dB, extending to 100 kHz at -30 dB. Nominal impedance is 6 ohms with a minimum of 3.8 ohms, and sensitivity is 86.5 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m. Nominal input power is 40 W and maximum input power is 120 W. Each cabinet measures 231 x 420 x 358 mm and weighs 13.0 kg.

Engineering and use context

The Harmonious Diaphragm is used for the tweeter as well as the mid-woofer, so both drivers share one material. Zylon brings high sound velocity, while spruce - the wood of the soundboard in Yamaha grand pianos - adds suitable internal loss. Yamaha developed the enclosure with vibration analysis technology refined on its acoustic guitars and pianos, so the goal is to control cabinet resonance instead of simply deadening it. Patented R.S. (Resonance Suppression) chambers sit behind the tweeter, and a patented Acoustic Absorber tuned for this model deals with standing waves inside the MDF box. The rear Twisted Flare Port has a gently twisted flare that lowers air flow noise at the port exit. Crossover parts include Mundorf MCap SUPREME Classic audio capacitors from Germany. Connection is through solid brass screw-type binding posts that also accept banana plugs. The cabinet has an authentic piano gloss black finish, and a front grille plus four cushions per speaker come in the box.

Pairing

Given its low impedance minimum and modest sensitivity, the NS-800A needs an amplifier able to drive that dip within the rated input power window. Yamaha introduced new hi-fi network receivers in the same 2023 announcement as the speaker.

Alternatives

The Yamaha NS-600A is the smaller bookshelf sibling with a 13 cm woofer and the same Harmonious Diaphragm, at about USD 3,999 per pair.