Yamaha NS-30X (1986–1988)
The Yamaha NS-30X is a 3-way, 3-speaker bass reflex bookshelf system from the mid-1980s. It sold in Japan for ¥29,800 per unit around 1986. Production is generally placed at 1986-1988. Yamaha built it for high efficiency and a bright, powerful sound with strong channel separation. That shows in the relatively high 92 dB/W/m output and the 90W allowable input (180W music peak).
The engineering is the interesting part. The low-frequency driver uses Yamaha's SFCC (Super Fine Ceramic Composite) cone, made by fixing fine ceramic powder onto the surface of the cone paper. The midrange is a 2.5 cm dome with a titanium diaphragm treated with High Nitride via CVD, a process meant to give the lightweight dome high rigidity. The tweeter is a small 1.5 cm dome, chosen for tonal balance with the mid and low units. Its diaphragm is polyester film with aluminum evaporated onto it. The drivers sit in an inline center layout on a rounded baffle with chamfered edges. Yamaha said the placement was examined carefully for both sound quality and appearance. Crossovers are at 1800 Hz and 8000 Hz, with a rated frequency response of 40 Hz to 25 kHz. Each cabinet measures 282 × 474 × 265 mm and weighs 10 kg, with a 6 Ω impedance.
Documentation on the NS-30X is thin. A Gearspace user who mixed on a pair for about a year in a small studio apartment noted that the spec sheet he found covered only the NS-30, not the NS-30X. The difference between the two models is not clarified anywhere in the record. No manuals are available through HiFi Engine. What survives beyond the spec sheet is mostly seller testimony. Classified listings in Russia praise the X series' bass, mids, and highs, and one Canadian seller described a pair as "like new" with "amazing sound." A short demonstration video appeared on Rutube in February 2024. Asking prices in the used market have ranged from roughly $200 to $469, and one eBay pair was described as rare for having matching serial numbers.
Known specifications:
- Type: 3-way, 3-speaker, bass reflex, bookshelf
- Drivers: 20 cm cone woofer (SFCC), 2.5 cm dome midrange (HN titanium), 1.5 cm dome tweeter
- Frequency response: 40 Hz – 25 kHz
- Crossovers: 1800 Hz, 8000 Hz
- Impedance: 6 Ω
- Output: 92 dB/W/m
- Power handling: 90W nominal, 180W music
- Dimensions: 282 × 474 × 265 mm; 10 kg
Similar items on eBay
No exact Yamaha NS-30X listings are live right now — these searches show current Yamaha and similar vintage audio gear on eBay:
As an eBay Partner, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our independent vintage technology research.
Related Models
- Yamaha NS-100
- Yamaha NS-10M (1978–2001)
- Yamaha NS-144 (1978)
- Yamaha NS-200Ma
- Yamaha NS-310
- Braun AUDIO-1 (1965)
- Braun AUDIO-250 (1965)
- Magnavox Component Systems (1972)
- Acoustic Research AR (1967-1976)
- Acoustic Research 11