It's all in the box.....

[RX-V2400]

<font color='#000000'>I have just moved from stereo to souround - the huge NAD amplifier section has been replaced by the Yamaha RX-V2400. The NAD had been driving 15 year-old a/d/s M15 monitor speakers - 15'x13'x47' three-way, four speaker enclosed system - but the drive units had all rotted out so I replaced these two main speakers with Yamaha NS-555's as the front two L/R speaker units. I was immeadiatly disapointed witht he Yamahas thin sound and lack of soundstage. So I went to my local electronics store, you know, that place sells old capaitors and resitors and that sort of stuff, and bought very cheap and nasty industrial drive units at about $12 each and put these cheap and nasty drivers in the old a/d/s cabinets.

The Yamahas are heading back to the store! My refitted a/d/s 85 LB solid cherry cabinets with the junk drivers sound as good as new and just knock the socks of the new Yamahas!</font>

 

[Yamahaluver]

<font color='#0000FF'>As I have said before, the Yamaha speakers arent to everyone's taste and neither is the sonic signature of Yamaha amps, however to to those of us looking for detail over anything, there is nothing close to Yamaha amp and speakers. The Yamaha speakers reveal detail like no other but they will sound thin to many, even the legedary NS-1000 sounded thin to quite a few reviewers when it was launched and yet till today it is one most sought after speaker on e-bay and many Hi-Fi mags rated it to be the flattest and truest. Many prestigious studios across the glove used it and some still are using it, you can find a brand new one in Japan for $1800.

This goes to show that one must always audition thoroughly specially when it comes to speakers as it is a matter of personal taste and &nbsp;perceptions, reviews and opinions be dammned in this case.</font>

 

[RX-V2400]

<font color='#000000'>Yamahaluver: I was not knocking the NS-555. In fact for $500 a pair they are great value and absolutely the best speaker carried by BestBuy where they came from, but they just do not compare to $3000 a pair like the a/d/s monitors when in good shape. Even with replaced cheap driver units I am sayiong the a/d/s M15's have much more detail and are flatter than the NS-777 with a superior crossover smoothnes and an increased range both in frequency and dynamic range. Also I like a wide soundstage that the Yamaha hornd tend to squeeze.

My point is not to knock the Yamahas but to say the big heavy solid wood cabinet and the advanced cross-over is strong enough to carry cheap drive units and still out-perform the mid-range Yamahas.

How I would love to hear some HX's but where are they outside EU.</font>

 

[Yamahaluver]

<font color='#0000FF'>I know you arent knocking the Yamahas and even if you do, you have every right to exert your opinion in this highly subjective field. The NS-555/777 as well as the high end NS-HX were made for today's HT world where focus is everything, you dont want a difused soundfield when you wish to hear the effects with precison.

Accuracy is something the Yamaha speakers have always exhibited and this is not to everyone's taste, go over to Audioreview and see the reviews on Yamaha speakers including the NS-1000 and you will know what I mean.

Money has nothing to do with it, as a matter of fact I have had the priviledge to hear the limited edition Yamaha NSX-10000 which go for around $12000 used and to me, they had the same sonic characteristics of my $1500 NS-1000x except they had way higher power handling and way more bass.</font>

 

[RX-V2400]

<font color='#000000'>OK I think I am begining to see what you say. The NS-555 are still in my care so I will put them bacvk up for now. Yes they are very clear for TV and voice is esy to l;isten to. Should I give up on my olf-fashioned stereo soundstage or when I hook up the sub and the effects maybe it will all be back and for the better.

As you are a Yamaha expert let me ask you about their products. I am confused as thier website showw so much yet so little is avaialabe in the store. HX are on the website as the flagship speaker yet they are not available in USA? And the speakers you talk of are old.

A fried has some 25 year old Yamaha speakers bought in Japan which are the best I have ever heard with tweeters with a big wire cage and a warning notice to stay away as poison?

and they are wonderful but where is this stuff now?

Thanks for your reply maybe you can help me understand all these Yanaha products that I can not get or test.

Please excuse the late-night typeing as it is late here and much wine has been consumed.</font>

 

[Yamahaluver]

<font color='#0000FF'>Hi,

The poisonous speakers you mention are the berrilyum mid/tweter NS-1000

one of the truest speakers around and I am a proud owner of a rare NS-1000x which featured pure(not composite) carbon fiber woofer unlike the more common paper coned NS-1000M.

Why not get the NS-777 which is a truer match for your 2400,for now give the NS-555 a second chance, move them to nearfield listening postion away from the walls and closer to your ears, feed them some Jazz from Meola, Getz or Armstrong and if possible, bi-wire them and prepare for a pleasent surprise, the Yamaha appears to be bass shy at first but soon you realize that it is giving you true bass and not any exagerration, same goes for its treble. The Yamahas have always suffered from poor room acoustics, and acoustical coupling has been their bane. They need careful placement to bring the best out in them.

As for the HX, check out Steve J. advice on where to get them, he has them and is quite pleased with them and he did audition many others before settling for them. Sadly Yamaha marketing has the worse strategy when it comes to marketing their seperates and high end amps and speakers, they just dont wish to take that step and this has been from the very begining. While I was looking for the Yamaha amp and speakers in NY, there were only a handful of dealers selling their power amps whlie you could find myriads selling their lower end HT stuff, this didnt do Yamaha any favor as people only associated them with low end HT whereas Yamaha has also made some fantastic amps and speakers, Japan till today continues to get their fantastic power amps as well as the NS-1000M speakers while to get the HX series speakers in the US, one has to pray, however the HX speakers are available in Canada quite freely. Another gem which Yamaha never bothered to bring to US was their award winning NS-200/300 speakers which were qutie a success in Europe, your NS-555/777 feature the woofers from that range, they were pearl mica injected poymers and they are also used in Yamaha's studio monitor speakers like MSP-5/10.

All of us interested in getting Yamaha to start selling their high end stuff have to bombard Yamaha USA with emails asking them to abandong their jaundiced attitude and start selling what they show on their web site.</font>

 

[RX-V2400]

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>

Yamahaluver : <font color='#000000'>Hi,

The poisonous speakers you mention are the berrilyum mid/tweter NS-1000

one of the truest speakers around and I am a proud owner of a rare NS-1000x which featured pure(not composite) carbon fiber woofer unlike the more common paper coned NS-1000M.

Why not get the NS-777 which is a truer match for your 2400,for now give the NS-555 a second chance, move them to nearfield listening postion away from the walls and closer to your ears, feed them some Jazz from Meola, Getz or Armstrong and if possible, bi-wire them and prepare for a pleasent surprise, the Yamaha appears to be bass shy at first but soon you realize that it is giving you true bass and not any exagerration, same goes for its treble. The Yamahas have always suffered from poor room acoustics, and acoustical coupling has been their bane. They need careful placement to bring the best out in them.

As for the HX, check out Steve J. advice on where to get them, he has them and is quite pleased with them and he did audition many others before settling for them. Sadly Yamaha marketing has the worse strategy when it comes to marketing their seperates and high end amps and speakers, they just dont wish to take that step and this has been from the very begining. While I was looking for the Yamaha amp and speakers in NY, there were only a handful of dealers selling their power amps whlie you could find myriads selling their lower end HT stuff, this didnt do Yamaha any favor as people only associated them with low end HT whereas Yamaha has also made some fantastic amps and speakers, Japan till today continues to get their fantastic power amps as well as the NS-1000M speakers while to get the HX series speakers in the US, one has to pray, however the HX speakers are available in Canada quite freely. Another gem which Yamaha never bothered to bring to US was their award winning NS-200/300 speakers which were qutie a success in Europe, your NS-555/777 feature the woofers from that range, they were pearl mica injected poymers and they are also used in Yamaha's studio monitor speakers like MSP-5/10.

All of us interested in getting Yamaha to start selling their high end stuff have to bombard Yamaha USA with emails asking them to abandong their jaundiced attitude and start selling what they show on their web site.</font>

<font color='#000000'>Thank you Yamahaluver for an interesting reply. I am relly happy to find out thoses beautyful old Yamahas were NS-1000. My old friend who had them was a stereo audiophile and he ran them alone with a NAD like the old one I had and they were just magnificient but I never knew what they were. Are these a collector item or do they still make them somewhere?

The reason I got the NS-555 rather than the NS-777 was for space saving. It was for lack of space that I decided to dump my long loved a/d/s M15's. I also have the problem that my floor standing speakers need be quite close to wall and the NS-555's do not like this. Close to the wall they are way too bassey in my room and I think this is increased by the rear port. I have turned the NS-555's sideways

and they sound better but again no soundstage.

I will play today with them further from the wall, will reconsider the 77's and see if I can get a source and a price on the HX's.</font>

 

[Yamahaluver]

<font color='#0000FF'>The HX are way bigger than the NS-777, rather taller. All floorstanders need big rooms or they suffer from the dreaded room coupling effects, in this case a good bookshelf like the twin woofered NS-4HX would be perfect.</font>

 

[TjMV3]

<font color='#000000'>I listened to the NS-777 a few weeks back, &nbsp;and I really loved their sound. &nbsp;Very detailed. &nbsp;I could hear every instrument articulated. &nbsp;The bass sounded tight and clean. &nbsp;Keep in mind, &nbsp;this was a lousy Best Buy &quot; listening room&quot; . &nbsp;Taking this into consideration, &nbsp;I came away impressed. &nbsp;I imagine they would sound much better in a proper setup.

The NS-777 is on my short list, &nbsp;as I do some more listening. &nbsp;I'm waiting to hear the Wharfedale Evo-Opus 60, &nbsp;an Acoustic Energy speaker &nbsp;( can't remember the model number off the top of my head), &nbsp;and a few others; &nbsp;before deciding on which speaker I will buy.

My wife, &nbsp;who was there with me, &nbsp;didn't like them (NS-777). She complained about the lack of dominating bass. &nbsp;But that's what she likes, &nbsp;a heavy bottom end. &nbsp;

It's all a matter of personal taste.</font>

 

[RX-V2400]

<font color='#000000'>I'm assuming the Yamaha sub-woofer will add in at the bottom end. For HT I think this is a must - for stereo only the NS-777 do not have the soundstage. They are made with wave guided for HT only. I now know for steroe need NS-1000's if going Yamaha. I think I am going to relisten to the 777's today.

Perhaps Yamahaluver know seems to know these things can rell me how far the 777's will need to be away from the back wall as I have little room and still think I might need go with a bookshelf - maybe 333's alaround - six of them plus SW and center C444</font>

 

[Yamahaluver]

<font color='#0000FF'>I would also suggest that you consider the NS-8HX, the Yamaha YST-SW1500 would add all the bass you need to go with the speakers.

The optimum placement for the NS-555/777 is 5ft from the wall and corners and if you are lookign for a diffused soundstage try tilting them upwards towards the ceiling.

Email me if you need more advice.</font>

 

[RX-V2400]

<font color='#000000'>As I've said before - try as I might - I can not get the HX (or the PMD) series Yamaha speakers here in Califonia. This is what I am getting to go with the RX-V2400 for sure:

the new 315 sub-woofer. 270W 20-160Hz as it's not much more $'s than the smaller models

four rear 333's

a cenetr C444 ......because I can get these local at Best buy and the prices are very reasonable.

I am undecided whether to keep the 555's for the center, to get 777's or some used NS-1000m's. Now Yamahaluver has said the drive units are replacable I am drawn to them because as an ex audiophile the NS-1000's are the best speaker I ever heard. Just didn't know what the model number was until Yamahaluver told me this week!</font>

 

[Yamahaluver]

<font color='#0000FF'>Good luck to you with the NS-1000M, they are certainly the best speakers ever made period, however matching the sonic timbre to the rest of your speaker package is going to be tough, one of the reasons I use the NS-1000 with my dedicated audio only system plus dont forget, they were made for nearfield studio monitoring purpose and not stand alone floor standers, why not check out the NS-777 which has more bass than NS-555 and if you can take a trip to Canada, there are plenty of NS-HX out there.

Be very careful when procuring the NS-1000 as the only reason one would get rid of them is cause there is something wrong with them, otherwise it doesnt make any sense in getting rid of a speaker like the NS-1000M, I certainly wouldnt for any money unless someone makes me an offer on a pair of NS-2000 or NSX-10000

Just be wary and vigilant.</font>

 

[RX-V2400]

<font color='#000000'>In my current set up I just can not put the floor standing front speakers 5' from the wall - I need be at more like 6&quot; and that gives me the problem with the 555's and I suspect the 777's will space even more. I wish Yamaha has a really good wall speaker. Maybe i should experiment with six 333's but I doubt they could handle the power. From memory I thought the 1000M would be OK near the wall or even wall mounted.

What exactly is &quot;nearfield&quot;? I have only heard 1000M's in stereo mode in a big room.</font>