Yamaha NS-800A Bookshelf Loudspeaker Review

[shadyJ]

​

Normally, I don’t review loudspeakers from one brand back-to-back, so when Yamaha offered to send both the NS-2000A tower speakers and the NS-800A bookshelf speaker, I just about dismissed the idea out of hand, especially since both speakers were from the same product series. I usually do not review loudspeakers from the same product series since they typically have similar performance targets and design philosophy. However, I was given a demo of the NS-2000A and NS-800A at the 2024 AXPONA show, and I noted that they didn’t sound quite the same. I chalked the difference up to how a 3-way speaker acts versus a 2-way speaker. But was that all there was to it? That brought to mind the debate over the merits of each design, and the advantages and disadvantages of both. What can we learn from doing a comparison? With that thought, I accepted both speakers to get a better sense of the differences between them. Does the NS-800A bring anything to the table beyond what is had with the NS-2000A speakers, or are they simply scaled-down versions of the same thing? And how does the NS-800A fare amongst other bookshelf speakers in its class? Read our full review to find out…

READ: Yamaha NS-800A Loudspeaker Review

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Alright who’s buying some $5K Yamaha bookshelf or $8K Yamaha towers?

Probably the only people buying are diehard Yamaha fans who already own Yamaha integrated amps, Yachts, grand pianos, etc.

@Tankini might buy some.

 

[Tankini]

Alright who’s buying some $5K Yamaha bookshelf or $8K Yamaha towers?

Probably the only people buying are diehard Yamaha fans who already own Yamaha integrated amps, Yachts, grand pianos, etc.

@Tankini might buy some.

Wife's that have a husband that passes away. The first thing they sell off is the over priced audio gear in an estate sale. Usually for pennies on the dollar.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Is it just me, or that xover build quality (as in assembly, not components themselves) belong on $50 chineesium speakers?

 

[isolar8001]

Is it just me, or that xover build quality (as in assembly, not components themselves) belong on $50 chineesium speakers?

I had to look....the Yammy crossover looks like a 60's rush job, that's for sure.
Here it is compared to the crossover in my RSL CG5.

 

[Verdinut]

For some people, what doesn't usually show is not particularly important.

That reminds me of several years ago, when I had a pair of tower speaker cabinets build by a cabinet maker. The exterior was well finished but he didn't care about the appearance of the inside. Most DIY speaker builders would have done better!

 

[MrBoat]

Great article.

I already have too many good speakers to really have an opinion of the Yamahas. Just that I would not trade any speaker I have for them. That's pretty much how I rate speakers, these days.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Am sure @shadyJ can comment on the XO.

 

[Tankini]

Is it just me, or that xover build quality (as in assembly, not components themselves) belong on $50 chineesium speakers?

The soldering alone with the twisting of the component ends probably took longer. labor? Got to justify the price tag somehow.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

For some people, what doesn't usually show is not particularly important.

That reminds me of several years ago, when I had a pair of tower speaker cabinets build by a cabinet maker. The exterior was well finished but he didn't care about the appearance of the inside. Most DIY speaker builders would have done better!

To expand on my and your comments, my point is that IF some speakers are built at a certain (low) budget, compromises must be made. We have all seen it countless times. That said, for me, $5k bookshelves are firmly at point—no cost spared, and the best possible performance achieved within the physical limits of the speakers.
I'd leave out the discussion of these speakers' performance as I could add nothing of value there, but the XO build quality leaves a LOT to be desired. Yes, it's 99.99% of the time invisible to the end-user, but it shows a certain lack of attention to detail, which goes against the idea of no cost spared.

/TED speak.

 

[Will Brink]

Purely subjective, but they'd be on my radar if half that price.

 

[shadyJ]

Alright who’s buying some $5K Yamaha bookshelf or $8K Yamaha towers?

Probably the only people buying are diehard Yamaha fans who already own Yamaha integrated amps, Yachts, grand pianos, etc.

It would be a shame to skip over these if shopping for some high-end bookshelf speakers. I can tell you that I would much rather have these than many of the brands better known for "high-end" speakers.

 

[shadyJ]

Am sure @shadyJ can comment on the XO.

The crossover isn't pretty, but who cares. No one would ever even see it if I didn't review this speaker. Some things to note: the NS-800A crossover is clearly entirely handmade. Relative to the RSL CG5, while that is cleaner for using a PCB board, I doubt that is assembled with the level of care that the Yamaha crossover is. As for 'Chineeseum' parts, the CG5 crossover is literally made in China, but the Yamaha board is made in Indonesia. One of these boards is made on an assembly line, and the other isn't; want to guess which is which? Also, the Mundorf Capacitor on the Yamaha board probably costs more than the entire crossover circuit on the CG5. Also note the thick cable gauges as well as massive resistor on the NS-800A crossover.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

It would be a shame to skip over these if shopping for some high-end bookshelf speakers. I can tell you that I would much rather have these than many of the brands better known for "high-end" speakers.

Well, if I were a billionaire, I’d buy the Yamaha yacht, grand piano, water skies, integrated amps and flagship Yamaha speakers.

 

[Verdinut]

The crossover isn't pretty, but who cares. No one would ever even see it if I didn't review this speaker. Some things to note: the NS-800A crossover is clearly entirely handmade. Relative to the RSL CG5, while that is cleaner for using a PCB board, I doubt that is assembled with the level of care that the Yamaha crossover is. As for 'Chineeseum' parts, the CG5 crossover is literally made in China, but the Yamaha board is made in Indonesia. One of these boards is made on an assembly line, and the other isn't; want to guess which is which? Also, the Mundorf Capacitor on the Yamaha board probably costs more than the entire crossover circuit on the CG5. Also note the thick cable gauges as well as massive resistor on the NS-800A crossover.

It"s rather cheap to put an iron core as inductor on a $2400 speaker crossover. It's not necessary to use a huge and heavy air core coil either. The Danish Jantzen firm makes two different types of inductors also having low resistance, and at reasonable price. Here is one example:

Jantzen Audio 10mH 15 AWG P-Core Inductor Crossover Coil

Jantzen Audio 10mH 15 AWG P-Core Inductor Crossover CoilJantzen Audio P-Core Series Inductors feature a Permite (ferrous powder) material within the core, which creates significantly lower hysteresis before saturation occurs when compared to ferrite cores. The P-Core Series also features...

www.parts-express.com

I used that type of coil for a pair of 3-way towers which I built several years ago.