Yamaha revisits classic design with €15,000 NS-5000 speakers

Yamaha has a new pair of flagship floorstanding speakers on the way in the shape of the NS-5000.

The speakers are a modern, extremely glossy take on the classic Yamaha NS-1000 speakers, which launched back in the 1970s.

Set to go on sale in Europe for €15,000, and closer to £14,000 in the UK, the NS-5000 speakers have a 3-way design and are use a new driver material called Zylon.

Replacing the beryllium used in the original Yamaha speaker diaphragms, Zylon is a polymer that's also used by NASA and in F1 cars, and is known for its strength and light weight. The speakers also boast an "innovative cabinet construction" that promises no parallel walls.

The speakers come with optional stands and thanks to a Yamaha piano gloss black finish, they strike a smart if somewhat imposing appearance.

Further details are thin on the ground for now but if you're in the market for a high-end speaker, it looks like Yamaha could be back on the shortlist.

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Joe is the Content Director for What Hi-Fi? and Future’s Product Testing, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for almost 20 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff and The Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).