Yamaha NS-05 (1988)
A compact bookshelf speaker from 1988 built for natural vocal reproduction, with a polypropylene woofer and a soft dome tweeter in a magnetically shielded cabinet.
Overview
The Yamaha NS-05 is a two-way, bass reflex bookshelf speaker released in 1988. Yamaha designed it around natural vocal reproduction. Each speaker has a 12 cm polypropylene cone woofer and a 3 cm soft dome tweeter, and the tweeter's magnetic circuit uses an Alnico magnet. Frequency response is 60 Hz to 20 kHz, sensitivity is 86 dB/W/m, and nominal impedance is 6 Ω. The recommended amplifier match is up to 40 W (maximum 80 W). The cabinet is 160 mm wide, 380 mm high and 248 mm deep, and it weighs 5.5 kg. The width was chosen on purpose to match the average human face, and the internal volume modeling drew on lung and head cavity data to help vocal realism.
Design
Market
The NS-05 sold individually for ¥29,000 at launch in 1988. The SPS-05 stand was priced at ¥4,500 as a set. No period reviews are documented. A later user on StereoNET (April 17, 2016) called a pair "very very good for $40," which suggests they were still usable decades after release. Aftermarket replacement parts, including dome diaphragms for the JA05A2 tweeter, remain available, so enthusiasts are still supporting them to some degree.
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