The two phrases “high end” and “active bookshelf” aren’t ones you typically find together in the hi-fi realm, and yet Yamaha (once again) have pulled off something that breaks the mould… in more ways than one!
The Yamaha NX-N500 active speakers. And yes, as with everything else I have written about involving Yamaha lately they are MusicCast enabled. But this is MusicCast in a very high-end box.
The NX-N500 compete at the higher end of the bookshelf active speaker market as an alternative to models like the KEF X300A but offering the distinct edge of the MusicCast functionality. This is a growing web of various different active speakers and other such products which are able to link together with ease, turning your home (however big it is, and how ever many different needs it has) into a fully operational high-fidelity multi-room.
But you know enough about MusicCast already. Let’s talk about the speakers themselves.
What makes this particular speaker stand out is its very close allegiance to Yamaha’s classic NS-10M studio monitor, a highly regarded monitor famed for its high levels of precision… which this new monitor has inherited. In fact, that classic monitor forms its basis, with Yamaha taking everything that worked and adding a unique and contemporary edge… and, of course, MusicCast. Also unique to this speaker, and inspired by the classic monitor, is the HiFi Tuning Concept:
“By repeatedly evaluating the tuning of the left and right speakers at 2 to 3m audition position intervals, it achieves stereophonic expression that liberates the true feeling of the music. Smooth and immediate vocals, a sense of the body of the melody instrument, a solid backbone to the sound and high density audio data.” ~ Yamaha
This serves a very specific purpose: to enable active speakers to handle hi-res sound. Something which may not have been done quite so well in active speakers before, and one of the things that pushes the NX-N500 up to the higher end of the active speaker spectrum. Couple this with the likes of a discrete configuration analogue amplifier producing strong, expansive sound within a bi-amp system (featuring a 45W woofer and 25W tweeter) and you have some very small, but very powerful active speakers capable of filling a room (and filling it well) with deep, warm, dynamic sound far exceeding the size of the cabinets… and with no need for a separate amplifier. Always a plus!
And then, of course, we have MusicCast. Which is, quite frankly, something every music lover with more than one room in their house should look into, and look into quickly. As multi-room solutions go, it’s among the best we have come across, and is accessible for any budget. These are the speakers you go for when you want all of that… at a slightly higher level.
For a closer look at the rather tempting Yamaha NX-N500 (including the full tech specs) click here.