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Article: Yamaha NX-N500 Network Powered Speaker Review


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Chris-

Good review. Very thorough.

I'd like to see some more reviews of desktop/nearfield speakers and electronics.

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

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I'd like to see some more reviews of desktop/nearfield speakers and electronics.

 

Me too.

 

The feature set looks fantastic on these and I'm a long time Yamaha lover, wondering if there's anything else on the market that I should be considering or whether to pull the trigger on a pair of these...

Lounge: Squeezebox Touch, M2Tech Young DAC, Karan KA-I180, Yamaha NS1000M

Office: iMac 2010 (10.8.2), Audirvana Plus, Metric Halo ULN-2, Parasound A21, Leema Xen

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Chris your excellent review of these speakers prompts 1 question please sir. 1. If the USB port will yield a higher SQ vs the ethernet port (all other things being equal - assuming access to the asynchronous clock control being one factor - the support for DSD being the other) then would it follow that an ethernet to USB adapter would be in order for those whose homes are networked via ethernet cabling? (Who chose to add those Yamaha speakers to a "non critical" listening room) In other words it is apparent that the audiophiles on this forum are in near total agreement that USB is the CURRENT preferred medium. I would think from what i have learned reading other posts that access to the clock control is clearly advantageous. I realize my question is out of a narrow scope of this article. But not only is this site entertaining and informative - it is also educational. (At least for me) Larry

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Chris your excellent review of these speakers prompts 1 question please sir. 1. If the USB port will yield a higher SQ vs the ethernet port (all other things being equal - assuming access to the asynchronous clock control being one factor - the support for DSD being the other) then would it follow that an ethernet to USB adapter would be in order for those whose homes are networked via ethernet cabling? (Who chose to add those Yamaha speakers to a "non critical" listening room) In other words it is apparent that the audiophiles on this forum are in near total agreement that USB is the CURRENT preferred medium. I would think from what i have learned reading other posts that access to the clock control is clearly advantageous. I realize my question is out of a narrow scope of this article. But not only is this site entertaining and informative - it is also educational. (At least for me) Larry

Hi Larry - This is really weird because today I was just thinking about different audio input methods such as USB and Ethernet and thinking about the questions I often receive at RMAF (RMAF 2015 starts Friday). Your questions are identical to those I am asked every year. In my experience and based on my own research I can unequivocally state that there is no single best interface or audio input method. USB doesn't always sound better than Ethernet and Ethernet doesn't always sound better than USB and AES doesn't always sound better than USB or Ethernet, etc... It all comes down to implementation by each component designer. There are numerous network based cards used by manufacturers just as there are numerous USB based receiver chips. In addition there are custom proprietary interface boards not available to other manufacturers.

 

I know most people hate hearing this type of answer, but it's the truth from where I stand. Audiophile life would be much simpler if there was a single best interface and single best file format and single best sample rate, but it's just not the case.

Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems AudiophileStyleStickerWhite2.0.png AudiophileStyleStickerWhite7.1.4.png

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Will these play loud enough to go outside? I am assuming they are not outdoor rated (covered area but still will get sprayed by rain) so I would carry out as needed but the wireless capabilities are ideal.

QNAP TS453Pro w/QLMS->Netgear Switch->Netgear RAX43 Router->Ethernet (50 ft)->Netgear switch->SBTouch ->SABAJ A10d->Linn Majik-IL (preamp)->Linn 2250->Linn Keilidh; Control Points: iPeng (iPad Air & iPhone); Also: Rega P3-24 w/ DV 10x5; OPPO 103; PC Playback: Foobar2000 & JRiver; Portable: iPhone 12 ProMax & Radio Paradise or NAS streaming; Sony NWZ ZX2 w/ PHA-3; SMSL IQ, Fiio Q5, iFi Nano iDSD BL; Garage: Edifier S1000DB Active Speakers  

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Thanks for the review. I am in the market for my first "beginning audiophile" loudspeaker/amp combo and this product and other near field and powered monitors have been recommended.

 

I am very attracted to these sorts of solutions, for a host of reasons. However, if they fail to resolve that "detail" in acoustic classical and jazz then they are not for me I think...

Hey MQA, if it is not all $voodoo$, show us the math!

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can't find any info yet on availability, where in the US will they be sold?

 

Yamaha press release lists availability as December this year

http://usa.yamaha.com/news_events/audio_visual/yamaha_musiccast_unites_hi-fi_and_home_theater/

QNAP TS453Pro w/QLMS->Netgear Switch->Netgear RAX43 Router->Ethernet (50 ft)->Netgear switch->SBTouch ->SABAJ A10d->Linn Majik-IL (preamp)->Linn 2250->Linn Keilidh; Control Points: iPeng (iPad Air & iPhone); Also: Rega P3-24 w/ DV 10x5; OPPO 103; PC Playback: Foobar2000 & JRiver; Portable: iPhone 12 ProMax & Radio Paradise or NAS streaming; Sony NWZ ZX2 w/ PHA-3; SMSL IQ, Fiio Q5, iFi Nano iDSD BL; Garage: Edifier S1000DB Active Speakers  

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These shots are from the IPad Room Control app from Presonus. The 328AI is made to be a live sound reinforcement speaker, but I think they are nifty as 2-ch. nearfield monitors.

 

Not exactly the same thing, as they still require a wired analog audio or Dante audio input. Just the adjustments are wireless.

 

http://www.presonus.com/products/StudioLive-AI-PA-Series

ImageUploadedByComputer Audiophile1443830238.824167.jpg

ImageUploadedByComputer Audiophile1443830264.440419.jpg

Andrew Bacon

'if it aint broke take it apart and find out why'

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