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Any ideas why Yamaha isn't offering their NS-5000 speakers in the U.S. market?

jblnut said:
I still play and my C7 is the centerpiece of my music room. Well it was until the GT-2000 showed up and now they fight over the limelight.
There's no longer any Yamahas in the garage but I miss both my old FJ1200 and GTS1000 (look it up - James Parker's RADD front end made it something special).

I'd love to hear the NS-5000 and I'm fairly certain it would do justice to the price. But in that range there is some very stiff competition...my dealer would have let me have his floor model Revel Ultima Salon 2s for the same money and somehow I don't think the 5000's are *that* good :).

jblnut
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The NS-5000 seem to be sold everywhere but the Americas. It could be a matter of really having a hit on their hand and supply and demand as the reviews have been good. I found a Yamaha dealer in Tokyo with the NS-5000's on their website with the notation "backorder". That should tell you something. Competition in this price range is tough, but I doubt Yamaha is going to bring in just its high end amp and stop there; note Technics is back with a full high end line, although at a higher price level. I also see some of the newer speakers in this price range going for 2/3 of their list prices used, like Wilson Sabrina and B&W 803d3. Now you have Magico introducing the A3, an all aluminum machined sealed acoustic suspension speaker for $10k that doesn't look like it has a lot of compromises. That could be a game changer.
 
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder with speakers for sure. I have Gallo 3.1's which have a wonderful sound for the money but my tastes have changed and now I find they don't fit with my decor. I think you have to like looking at a speaker when you listen. When they say a speaker "disappears", they're talking of course about the sound, not it's ability to de-materialize! When Heinz introduced green ketchup, it tasted the same with eyes closed. But actually putting it on food and eating normally changed my perception. Not the taste per se, I guess, but the effect, the perception. Unless I guess you listen to music with blindfolds or in a completely dark room (I had a dealer demo speakers that way), you look at them and I wonder if that affects your perception of the sound. Nothing I've ever seen or read on that subject, however. The writers seem to care only about the "waf" - wife acceptance factor when it comes to overall speaker looks.
 
MannyE said:
You know what I'm thinking? In the past, Yamaha speakers were always hampered by the "lack of bass" probably because they were made to be enjoyed in the close quarters of many Japanese homes. Perhaps the trend continues?
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Could be. I'm running a pair of NS-690s as I type this. I really like them. But no one would consider them bass thumpers. And you could be right about that stemming from folks living so closely together - people tend not to blast their speakers.
 
I think the price is due to them being statement pieces where they also have to look like the old NS speakers for a new meets old deal. It matches with the newer integrated amps looking much like their older gear.
I'd like to hear a pair but I'm happily married to English speakers as I really love the sound.
 
botrytis said:
Well, THE NS1000's were not that high in price new. I could see like the JBL L100 reboot, 5K maybe, not 15K.
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That's honestly more where I'd envision them as well though the tech might support the cost? Really no idea. $5-10k would fit with more in line the price of a AS3000/CDS3000 set up as well.
They have a lot more speakers available oversees it seems like so they might have a much bigger following than in the US to where they can charge that much for their top end pair.
 
These were probably made for the Asian market only(where they still have malls and boutique electronic stores that sell and let you hear equipment). I bet on their channels they don't bitch about price but complain about limited availability and where they will be sold (how many do we get in Singapore, how many in HK, how many in etc.). We also have too many speakers on the used market and we are happy to buy those for a lower price than buy a new speaker for thousands of dollars each. Oh, also in asia wives are happy that they married someone that can spend a lot of money on a speaker and will gladly boost to their female friends whereas in the US speakers are put in the garage because they are too big, don't match the furniture, etc.
 
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