I have bought and sold a lot of vintage speakers over the years, Bose-901s, Klipsch, Advent, IMF TLS-80s,Polk Audio, Pioneer C99As,You name it. Nothing but nothing can compare with the Yamaha NS1000s. When I first hooked them up( to a cheapo Sony no less) I knew something special was going on! Then hooked them up to my Marantz Quad Radial 4300 and my jaw dropped! Couldn't believe what I was hearing. From the lowest volume all the way through rampage there was no difference in sound quality & Clarity whatsoever! AMAZING Speakers!! I am using my IMF TLS-80s right now but on the lookout for the Yamaha's again!

These were stored in finished basement (dry, 55 deg) for 15 yrs. Too heavy to get upstairs. Finally got them & the B2 installed & working. Wonderful.

Android, the Note 3, & Pandora were not even a dream when these we we built.

Better than the best headphones...

I bought these back when I worked at a stereo shop, possibly the same one as Elliot N. I have tried to replace them with something smaller for years but can't find the nerve to do it. And, I haven't found anything that sounds as sweet. I built stands with wheels because the ebony cabinets are just too heavy. Without a doubt the best speaker ever made.

They were listed for $25 on Las Vegas craigslist, then the price was changed to $50. I offered to double the asking price. Sure enough the seller called me after one day to pick them up. hehehe

The cabinets need hospitalization, but can be remedied with minor patching and spray paint. I cleaned them up and fixed the dented metal grills. I plugged then in my receiver... o boy, what a jewels I found! I hit the jackpot! All speaker drivers are intact. From the high prequency to low, they sound crystal clear and solid! No separate subwoofer needed. I listen and enjoyed twicking the high and midrange adjustments for an hour. After another additional hour listening to them, I would say these speakers are classic musical equipments, still surviving and giving great pleasure after 35 years of their existance. Highly recommend.

Originally back in 1977 I worked in an audio shop and sold these wonderful speakers. It was obvious that the cleaner the electronics, the better they sounded. So, I had bought a pair at the discount that audio companies gave (50%). The speakers traveled with me from Pennsylvania to Arizona and then to San Diego. Unfortunately, they were stolen in a burglary. So, I then lived with a couple of B &W bookshelf speakers for a while. They were good, but I missed the accuracy and clarity of the NS 1000s. Fast forward to the mid 90's and I found a pair here in San Diego in great shape. Couple that with my Sunfire Amp and Lexicon Processor and sure enough they were wonderful. Even my 2 kids and wife knew they were great to listen to.
So, what did I do? Found another pair on Ebay, this time in ebony. Unfortunately, they weren't packaged too well and the cabinets a little munched, but I stacked them with the tweeters together (remember stacked Advents?) and wow...they play loud and clear, with the great imaging they are known. So, if you get a chance to have four in front of you, that will be the best but and a great value...

I heard them shortly for the first time about 30 years ago. It was confusing experience - never heard loudspeakers of such clarity. I was sure it must have been at the expense of power and bandwidth which were important to me then. But since that day the NS-1000 were always on my mind as speakers I should return to.

Two years ago I found a pair of the home version in ebony veneer. By no means they were cheap but the pleasure they provide to eyes and ears is worth every penny.

During late night sessions, in a deep black silence, the NS-1000 combined with Sony TA-E/N86B, Technics SP-10/II and AT-OC9/III disappear leaving a listener with a big tridimensional scene made of crystal sounds filling entire space. With classical music, it's like floating in front of the TajMahal or gothic cathedral built of vibrant air.

The Magical Mystery Tour.

I have to laugh at myself now that I have a wonderful pair of the Yamaha NS-1000m. I have loved music and audio all of my life, but I didn't jump into higher end audio until 5 years ago. I have had numerous 'high-end' speakers of well known companies. I also put together some very nice pieces of electronics.

The problem is that I was bored with what I was hearing. I no longer enjoyed listening to my music very much. While a piece of my system was in the repair shop, I had to listen to Pandora on my laptop. I have always truly marveled at the sound the 2 inch speakers produced. It is so ultimately clear and precise. After listening to my laptop for a couple of weeks a memory of reading about the classic Yamaha NS-1000ms popped into my mind. I had read about them out of interest, sparked by talking with a fellow who I had sold my Marantz SA-11S2 to on Audiogon. He had these, and I was reading about everything in higher end audio at that time.

As this inspiration popped into my mind, I went onto Ebay and very fortunately found a pair for sale for $900. I purchased them. As anyone who into higher end audio realizes, $900 is not a big investment. I was simply curious, and hoping they would be fun. Oh my god, this is now they Best $900 I have ever spent. The sound is truly as wonderful as the many other reviews on here, and elsewhere, have stated. I am in love, and this true love, and not in some passing infatuation sort of way. I truly am having 'real' fun listening to my music.

Those albums that I had decided were just so sounded so 'bad' previously, actually come alive with the NS-1000m. I used to sit and listen to my system, with the many other speakers I tried, and wonder why I could not get into them. I had wished to hear more detail of the instruments so that it would sound much more real to me. I sat down last night and listened to a live album by James Taylor, that I distinctly recall going through this very process with 3 years ago. Oh, my, god. What a pleasure. I now could do what I read other supposedly experience. I could hear, and feel, the music with total clarity. Words just suck when trying to convey this sort of thing, so I will stop there.

For me, I am so grateful that Yamaha had the drive to create such a wonderful product. And to think, these speakers were made when I was in college, 35 years ago. Such a trip into good fortune is simply wonderful.

I quit buying and building speakers when i heard these in 2007. In fact i quit buying new gear altogether. Now owning 4 pairs (1000's, M's, XW with one pair stationed at save distance in case the house burns down) safe to say these are my most treasured worldly possesions.

For the sheer magic of an 30+ old system, i love to partner it with my Micro, valves (+kcag). But they run happily on solid state Classé or Michi amps in different systems as well.

Everything's been said here, but my favourite ns-1000 traits:
- Unbelievable 3D stereo in a 3-way system - unheard.
- Kids proof. Carbon woofers (XW) and grills (M's).
- Build to last, no refoaming here.

You can buy this piece of art for under 15 euro a kilo. For this money, nothing comes close.

Do stay away from battered or cracked domes - some fools try to solder these beryllium domes.

Does anyone know anything about ns 1200 speakers I have recently purchased it

These are phenominal quality vintage speakers, and have a cult following all around the globe. The midrange drivers are true freaks.... Simply one the cleanest, and airiest midranges ever created. A true credit to the YAMAHA engineers of the era. They can still keep op with the best speakers of today, and surpass many. It really says something for vintage speakers of the golden era of hi fi. I also have the NS1200s which also sound phenominal, and are quite rare .I always have many speakers in my collection of different brands, but always keep a pair of YAMMIES for reference, to gauge other speakers to.
THESE ARE TRUE VINTAGE GEMS , AND YOU MUST OWN A PAIR AT SOME STAGE OF YOUR LIFE, IF YOU TRULY APPRECIATE GOOD SOUNDING SPEAKERS!!!