YAMAHA NS-555 REVIEW
Introduction
Although given the cold-shoulder by audiophiles in the United States, internationally, the Yamaha NS and HX series have been applauded as some of the finest speakers ever produced in their respective price ranges. The NS-555s do not disappoint. They are absolutely AMAZING for speakers at $300 a pair! Indeed, I would have paid at least $600 a pair for these and still considered it a terrific bargain!
Build Quality
Yamaha is a venerable, highly reputable name in the audiovisual industry, with decades and decades of experience in music creation and sound recreation. The build quality of these speakers certainly proves as solid as Yamaha's reputation, if not more so. They are extremely well put-together with a superb fit and finish.
Appearance
Concordant with Yamaha's stunning black pianos, the glimmering black piano finish on these solid hardwood-cased, elliptical speakers is a very classy touch. Moreover, the subtle stainless steel floor risers in conjunction with other minor touches of silvery color here and there compliment the polished black extremely well.
Performance
The speakers do a splendid, all-around job at properly orchestrating treble extension, treble smoothness, midrange clarity, midrange accuracy, midbass quality, bass extension, bass accuracy, imaging, and clarity. The veritable concert of harmonies created by the three way, four-speaker, bass reflex provides hours of pure listening nirvana with crisp clarity when needed, matched by warm smoothness as appropriate.
Indeed, the speakers' masterfully designed and built dual 6 1/2” polymer-injected mica diaphragm (PMD) woofers, 5” cone midranges and waveguide horn 1” aluminum dome tweeters, combined with their useful capability of handling 250 watts of power per speaker, put these speakers into a class (or two) well above their price point.
Perhaps the only "weakness" in performance, and it's only a weakness if you prefer otherwise, is that the NS-555s have a relatively narrow soundstage. This may be by design, but I typically prefer a wider soundstage. Nevertheless, where some enjoy the narrow, I'll chalk my one bone of contention with these speakers up to personal preference.
Specifications
Type: 3-way, 4-speaker, bass reflex system
Speakers: 6.5” PMD cone woofer x 2; wave guide horn 5” cone midrange; wave guide horn 1” dome tweeter
Frequency Response: 35 Hz – 35 kHz (+/- 3 dB)
Nominal Impedance: 6 ohms
Nominal Input Power: 100 W
Max. Input Power: 250 W
Sensitivity: 89 dB/2.83 V/m
Crossover Freq.: 1 kHz, 4 kHz
Wiring: Bi-wired with internal wiring by Monster Cable
Weight: 44.1 lbs.
Conclusion
These speakers are very much a cut above their price range, and compete with many higher-end speakers in price ranges up to $1000 per pair. For about $300 per pair, one simply
must give these speakers (or their big brothers, the NS-777s) a good, long listen if your budget is anything below $1000 per pair. They're THAT good, really!
(See
Yamaha NS Loudspeakers.)
Yamaha NS-555 Loudspeakers
As I am able to save more and more money, I wonder if I should just continue and move directly to the HX series for my next big upgrade.
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Very nicely finished for the price. How's the cabinets? Are they fairly heavy and well damped? Have you had an opportunity to compare them to the comparably priced floorstanders from Athena? Those have long been my standard recommendation to someone looking for decent speakers in the sub $400 range.
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