So as mentioned earlier on my latest London story I would like to explore the idea of making more casual posts on the site in the style of my older blog Journal of Curiosities. I would like to find a place again that I can share things I like and enjoy, from a movie to a nice recipe or a new set of speakers like in this case.

I have been collecting hi end Japanese audio pieces for around 10 years now starting with really modest mid end gear and moving on to more audiophile components, many times just for the sake of it rather than satisfying a crave for sound perfection. To be honest I never thought once getting into this that I would end up changing my system every few years and adding up components that I never end up using. Many people ask me why I collect only Japanese gear and more predominantly Sony. Most people don’t associate high end equipment with Japan having in mind mostly flashy 80’s consumer level trash that gave the whole line of brands like Yamaha, Sony or Denon a bad name. But a lot of Japanese masterpieces were produced not so much for export but for the Japanese market without much advertising or promotion. Especially Sony was so bad at marketing that a lot of it’s high end gear ended up being sold discounted to employees or representatives due to lack of real sales. People that know me know my obsession with Sony. In our Japan issue I even mentioned Sony’s main engineer Takashi Kanai who suffered fatigue syndrome and had to be hospitalised in 2002 when working on Sony’s flagship AV amplifier STR-DA9100ES. The Japanese economic boom and depression resulted in ridiculous amounts spent by the industry’s giants that materialised in products that were either unaffordable of left in obscurity. The fruits of this absurd investment into products that had no commercial success culminated during the late 80’s early 90’s and marked the end of the Hi-FI era and the move from two channel audio to digital multichannel. Examples of this excess were Sony’s R line, the bio-cellulose tweeter that found it’s way on to the SS-GR1 speaker that retailed at 2.000.000 yen at the time or Pioneer’s Exclusive line that even now is so elusive and expensive that is almost unobtainable. During my years of collecting I was lucky enough to find a few pieces that come from this era of lavishness, a reminder of an era bygone. Examples are the Sony SS-A5 Voce Speakers, and my TA-N90ES power amp, the last effort at two channel audio from Sony. But today I wanna share a few words about my latest acquisition and personal holy grail the Yamaha NS-1 Classics.

The fight of Japanese speakers was one that was ongoing for many years with most contenders using exotic materials for drivers and usually huge cabinets sporting a 3 way design and weighing almost the size of an adult human. But a discrete winner appeared with a different approach a small speaker made by Yamaha in the style of 2-way classic speakers (not much unlike Sony’s effort with Voce) using a real Japanese birch cabinet, a soft silk propylene dome and alnico magnets.

This is the translation of the advert from Yamaha. A bit sloppy but the food references are funny.

‘‘Even if it wasn't the case to decorate the menu of the gastronomic club. Sprinkle freshly brewed eggs on freshly cooked white rice. I hear that it was the menu of Rosanjin Kitaoji on the second day and the morning. By the way, in order to make "sound", it is my job to listen to the sound first. Listen to all kinds of good sounds and good music with all kinds of sound instruments, day after day, with tense ears. The natural vocational orientation remains to achieve advanced cooking and sound that is comparable to any luxurious full-course meal in any restaurant. Nowadays, digital sounds are so widespread that it's a bloody steak, or a high-calorie hospitality dish with a number of hidden flavors. It's an artistic kaiseki that has been carefully assembled. The more you taste, the more you taste. Is it because I have to ask a lot? In my private life, I want to keep something that isn't so close to me. TO TELL THE TRUTH. ~ To be honest. This NS-1 Classics is a speaker that you do not want to create as a product. For YAMAHA audio technicians to listen after straddling the threshold of their home. It is a system handmade for private use as the word says. Relieved and peaceful sound. The sound of unconsciously tranquilizing. Lullaby for Grown Up. In addition to having Alnico on the magnet, there is no need for special writing. If you look closely, the wood grain on the left and right, such as the cabinet, may be uneven. I can't make a lot, I can't. Rosanjin's breakfast is a little expensive. But it is a work that I really want to inform you.

Priced at 65.000 at the time might seem expensive for a 2 way speaker of 9.5 kilos but to get an equally impressive sound from a domestic speaker you would have to spend not anything less than 300.000 yen to one million. I was lucky enough to score a pair without stands on Yahoo auctions last summer and after a long journey from Japan due to covid restrictions, I received the pair last week.

IMG_0282 2.JPG — The Yamaha on top of my Sony Voce

SONY TA E-88 TA N90ES DENON DVD 5000 YAMAHA NS-1

The first time I saw the NS-1 was just browsing online images and did not know which speaker it was. I was just impressed by the design ( dare I confess its the most beautiful speaker) and it took me a while to figure which model of Yamaha it was, since it’s a rather unknown speaker. I believe the seamless cabinet with it’s mirror like finish and the minimal design of the drivers is something suitable for a design museum rather than a living room. Even the way the visible coils are attached to the tweeter dome is impressive. What would a product like this cost today? It’s really something I can’t answer. I could live with the NS-1 for the rest of my life. It’s as I mentioned discreet, small elegant and it sounds almost better than any speaker I have listened to. My first impression was mixed because my Sony TA-F80 (a piece of audio history I will include in another post) and it’s 120 watts were not enough to push the Yamaha’s with their low sensitivity at 86db. But when I connected them to the TA-90ES they showed their magic. And they have that in spades. I have not decided if they sound better than my Sony’s which offer a massive soundstage and the most articulate bass I have listened to, but I know that I can’t stop listening to music on them. A lot of people ask me why I have such an obsession over Japanese audio gear, something they can’t explain when US and British makers have been dominating the market for years. I can’t quite put my finger on it, I guess it’s mostly a matter of romanticism, an appeal I find in the dedication and love Japanese people put into anything from a pair of jeans to an audio amplifier. Also I challenge you to trust me and listen to a serious Japanese speaker and look at the way it’s constructed that put’s in shame most of it’s competition. As the ad of Yamaha notes ‘‘~ To be honest. This NS-1 Classics is a speaker that you do not want to create as a product. On many occasions products like these should not even carry a price tag and were produced with that in mind that some things are not about profit but just for sentiment.

YAMAHA NS-1 Classics