Yamaha NS-310 (c. 1973)
The Yamaha NS-310 is a floor-type, rear-open speaker system from the very early days of Yamaha's NS (Natural Sound) series. It is genuinely rare.
The low-frequency driver is the JA-5004, an NS-type woofer with a 420 × 540 mm diaphragm, specially molded to be large, light and rigid. The design was reportedly inspired by the soundboard of a piano. The magnetic circuit uses Yamaha's YM-5S magnet. For the high range there is a short horn-type tweeter, the JA-0506B. It uses a 30-micron hard duralumin foil diaphragm with tangential corrugation reinforcing the edge, and it achieves a rated 110 dB sound pressure in its own right.
The crossover gets real attention. It uses an air-core coil and 0.8 φ formal wire to reduce DC resistance and prevent power loss, with an MP capacitor in the circuit. The enclosure is described as quiet and classic in design, with a stately finish that takes advantage of Yamaha's woodworking techniques. One seller described the NS-310's sound as music as a "surface" rather than a "point," with a wide soundstage and natural mid-high frequencies.
Known specifications:
- Type: 2-way, 2-speaker, rear-open system, floor type
- Low band: NS-type JA-5004 (420 × 540 mm diaphragm)
- High range: Short horn-type JA-0506B
- Frequency response: 35 Hz – 20,000 Hz (fo: 35 Hz)
- Impedance: 8 Ω
- Output sound pressure level: 95 dB/W/m (New JIS)
- Maximum input: 54 W
- Crossover: 5 kHz, 12 dB/oct
- Dimensions: 660 W × 720 H × 313 D mm
- Weight: 25 kg
- Original price: ¥40,000 per unit (c. 1973)
The Japanese audio database Audio-heritage records the NS-310 as a floor-type system from around 1973. A recent Yahoo! Japan auction listing, which ended in April with the pair confirmed working and shipped from Tochigi Prefecture, described it as "a rare speaker system from the early period" of Yamaha's NS-type large-diaphragm designs. Almost nothing else is documented. There are no period reviews and no service manuals, and no clear sense of where it sat in Yamaha's lineup relative to contemporaneous models. Do not confuse it with the much later, unrelated NS-310 series home-theater speakers (NS-F310, NS-B310, etc.).
Similar items on eBay
No exact Yamaha NS-310 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-30X
- Braun AUDIO-1 (1965)
- Braun AUDIO-250 (1965)
- Magnavox Component Systems (1972)
- Acoustic Research AR (1967-1976)
- Acoustic Research 11