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Tell me about NS1000'S.

E

early

pfm Member
I have never heard a pair, but I've been really impressed with a Yamaha C4/M4 pre power combo I bought out of the classifieds a while back and I'm thinking they would be natural partners.

So what can you tell me about these speakers, sound, room positioning ect.

I'm getting an itch that needs to be scratched.
 
First the NS-1000 is a slightly different version of the NS-1000M.

They work against the wall but will also work in free space. Gotta go - others will add...

I do absolutely love my Yamies though.
 
Phil, you'd like them I'm sure, as not liking NS1000s is just plain wrong! They are a very good speaker by any standard, easy to drive too so good with tubes. A very well behaved sealed box three-way with front baffle tweeter and mid controls so can be tuned to taste/room position to a fair degree. The voicing is definitely wall proximity though, they sound too forward to me in free-space. ESLs aside this speakers in the middle of the room malarkey all started long after the NS1000 had been discontinued!
 
I started to design and build my own loudspeakers from the early noughties because I could not find something that was tonally neutral, clear and tight from the usual suspects. I tried Epos, Dynaudio, Castle, Naim, Sonus faber etc. The ones that offered a tight bottom end (Naim) sounded coarse to my ears, and the sublime midrange of the SF got lost with a flabby bottom. I thought I could do better.

I did. Eventually. My Ergo E-IIIR, E-IV, E-VII and E-IX are my best designs.

My loudspeaker building adventures made me realise the formula of a sealed woofer (preferably a big one), coupled with a superb midrange driver are critical to my listening pleasure. I don't know why I never tried the Yamaha back then. I guess that's mainly because they were already out of production and it was Japanese. The Japanese don't know how to make proper hifi loudspeakers, do they?

I've had my pair of NS-1000M now for a year, and I have not rotated any of my DIY loudspeakers back into duty. More recently, I moved them closer to the backing wall, which helps them extract a bit more gravitas. They continue to stun me with their utter midrange clarity and seamless crossover. They are not as extended at the very top end as my Hiquphon OW-1 equipped designs, but they are absolutely effortless in reproducing impact and nuance at the same time. My are keepers, unless I find another pair that is more mint than the ones I have.

I don't know what to do with the four pairs of DIY Ergos I have at home.
 
Wasn't impressed when I heard them (once with Audiolab and then with my DV amps)

Sound rather tame and polite to my ears.
 
I heard a couple of pairs and liked them. When I moved to a smaller place, I took the plunge and will probably never replace them. They are the first speaker to make me cry!

Their strengths are their ease of drive and outstanding resolution throughout the frequency range. By any standards, they are exceptionally revealing.

Their weakness is that they don't go especially low (40 Hz) though this is not a problem whatsoever in an average size British room. The bass is beautifully nuanced and tuneful.
 
thebiglebowski said:
Wasn't impressed when I heard them (once with Audiolab and then with my DV amps)

Sound rather tame and polite to my ears.
Click to expand...
Mine sounds glorious with Densen B-250 and Dynavector HX-1.2mk2, and even better with Pioneer C-21/M-22.

Perhaps effortless and neutral means tame and polite to others. You just need to turn up the volume to remove any doubt.
 
They're classics for a reason. Great design, truly one of the great 3-way stand mounters. I think equal parts pleasing, dynamic, detailed, and coherent, and yet not "boring". If I had a pair, you couldn't offer me a Harbeth I would trade them for (sorry Harbeth fans).
 
Switched from Harbeth SHL5 plus speakers (which are rightly well regarded) to NS1000s. Gave more me more transparency and greater impact for less money. No regrets. Seem easy to drive too (they worked well with a small Leben integrated on the right material). Perhaps a bit bright with a 47 labs amp I tried for a while but of course the usual rules of component matching apply to Yams too.
 
thebiglebowski said:
Wasn't impressed when I heard them (once with Audiolab and then with my DV amps)

Sound rather tame and polite to my ears.
Click to expand...

The ones I heard in a domestic environment were anything but tame and polite, they were vivid and dynamic, perhaps a bit too much so. I suspect that exchanging some old crossover components would have tamed them.

Was the Audiolab an MDAC? Then as YNWOAN says... bland in = bland out.
 
Thank you all for your answers . It sounds like I should hunt a pair out .

Just a couple of questions for the NS afficianados .

Does anything go wrong with these speakers , I'm guessing replacement drivers are unobtainable ? .

I'd need these with grills ( for the sake of domestic harmony ) internet pics make them look like foam types that crumble away , is that the case ? .
 
S-Man said:
The ones I heard in a domestic environment were anything but tame and polite, they were vivid and dynamic, perhaps a bit too much so. I suspect that exchanging some old crossover components would have tamed them.

Was the Audiolab an MDAC? Then as YNWOAN says... bland in = bland out.
Click to expand...

Nope audiolab mono blocks.
 
early said:
Does anything go wrong with these speakers , I'm guessing replacement drivers are unobtainable ?
Click to expand...
Only if you over-drive them. The woofer has a fabric surround and I have not heard they need replacement.

early said:
I'd need these with grills ( for the sake of domestic harmony ) internet pics make them look like foam types that crumble away , is that the case ?
Click to expand...
I can't comment about the non-M model, but the black Ms already have metal mesh grilles over each driver. Some also come with cloth-covered, metal framed grilles in addition. Mine did, but I don't use them.
 
Tony L said:
Phil, you'd like them I'm sure, as not liking NS1000s is just plain wrong!
Click to expand...

That depends. Never liked them myself until a I heard a pair driven by a really ancient valve amp(EMI possibly) in Valvebloke's room at Scalford a few years ago.
 
I ran mine with Audiolab and was very unimpressed. Got hold of a V-Fet Yamaha B-2 amplifier and they came alive. They really live power, so the Yamaha pre-power the op mentioned would be fabulous partners.

I think every hifi lover should own a pair at sometime in life, a bit like petrol heads and Alfas!
 
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