Am I no longer allowed to consider myself an Audiophile?

deep 333

Who are you? Certainly no more or less important than anyone else on this forum. Maybe your hearing is poor or maybe like many musicians you think too much of your auditory abilities and cant distinguish between how you wish you sounded and how you actually sound. That little extra gravy in the mids that I get from the Yamaha is really nice. 

You accuse me of being associated with a manufacturer when you are juicing all over a specific brand claiming they tune their speakers and also I think I saw you puking out about another Yamaha component on another forum. You mentioned Magico so I used them as an example.

OK I will come clean, I am the head for marketing for Magico. Feels so good getting this off my chest. 

You might want to think about the fundamental difference between that which creates sound and reproduces it. 

Since people are still responding to the issue I raised, I would like to add that I decided not to fret over my choices of furnishings in my "listening room". I tried to avoid an abundance of reflective surfaces. I put sound-absorbing panels (Echo-Busters) on the ceiling, with a carpeted floor. My rack is a "Michael Green Deluxe-Justarack"- a basic design but with 2 inch thick shelves that can all be adjusted. They don't make them anymore, except for Salamander racks which are adjustable but not as solid. My most expensive power cord cost $500. To my ears the source/recording makes the most difference. But I also love my vinyl set of Blind Blake (guitar/voice) even though the sound quality on them as well as on other "special" artists' records (Robert Johnson)  is technically way below average.  I also have about 150 SACD's which I really enjoy- mostly classical. I have an SHM-SACD from Japan of Aja by Steely Dan which is really great. My equipment is pretty good, but I don't yearn for a $40,000 Arm or a $15,000 cartridge. Of course I wouldn't mind having a best friend who has all that ultra-high-end gear to invite me over to listen to music- as long as she likes to listen to A.C.Jobim and Joni Mitchell (and Mozart).

Robert Johnson sounds better with each improvement I make on my system. I own no recordings from bands/artist I dont like. A bonus when a favorite artist releases a great album which is also a good to great recording. First one that comes to mind is "Mule Variations" by Tom Waits.  Sounds like you have a good deal figured out. Given time you can concentrate on the performance and ignore some of the aspects of older or poor recordings. What I like the least is compression.

Magicos with Zylon drivers would be something I would consider.

Why people associate the NS-5000 with piano reproduction

Yamaha is unique in that it manufactures both world-class pianos and high-end loudspeakers. During the development of the NS-5000, Yamaha engineers reportedly used live acoustic instruments—including grand pianos—as reference sources when evaluating timbre and tonal accuracy.

The primary goal was natural timbre reproduction, especially in the critical midrange where instruments like piano, violin, and human voice are most revealing.

Design features that help piano sound realistic

1. Zylon drivers throughout

The NS-5000 uses Zylon for:

• Tweeter
• Midrange
• Woofer

Using the same material across all drivers helps maintain a consistent tonal character across the frequency spectrum.

For piano, this matters because a single note produces energy from the bass through the highest harmonics simultaneously. Inconsistent driver materials can sometimes make different parts of the piano’s spectrum sound disconnected.

2. Exceptional midrange accuracy

Piano fundamentals and harmonics live heavily in the midrange.

Many listeners describe the NS-5000 as having:

• Low coloration
• Excellent transient response
• Realistic decay
• Accurate harmonic structure

These traits help reproduce the attack of a hammer strike and the subsequent resonance of the soundboard.

3. Resonance control

Yamaha developed a unique rear absorption chamber behind the tweeter and midrange rather than using conventional damping material.

The objective was to reduce unwanted resonances that can blur instrument timbre.

Is it one of the best speakers for piano?

Many reviewers and owners consider the NS-5000 among the better speakers available for:

• Solo piano
• Chamber music
• Jazz piano
• Acoustic recordings

because of its focus on tonal accuracy rather than exaggerated bass or treble.

However, whether it is the best depends on preferences. Some listeners prefer:

• Harbeth M40.3 XD for tonal warmth
• Magico M Series for extreme resolution
• Wilson Audio Sasha V for dynamics
• KEF Blade One Meta for imaging

A useful benchmark

If you listen primarily to classical piano recordings—such as performances by Murray Perahia, Krystian Zimerman, or Keith Jarrett—the NS-5000 is often praised because it reproduces:

• Hammer attack
• String harmonics
• Pedal resonance
• Soundboard bloom

with very little added character of its own.

That’s probably the closest way to describe Yamaha’s philosophy: not "tuned for piano," but "tuned using real instruments—including piano—as a reference for natural timbre."

A KEF Blade One Meta with Zylon would be a dream speaker for me.