Yamaha NS-800A Review: Rated 4.0/5

Last updated: October 30, 2026

The Yamaha NS-800A is rated 4/5 for sound quality, #80 of 222 Large Size Bookshelf Speakers. See all Passive Home rankings for every top pick.

Yamaha NS-800A · Editor's rating 4/5, ranked #80 of 222 Large Size Bookshelf Speakers
Check price at The Music Room ($4,999.90 per pair) →

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Brand: Yamaha

#80 Yamaha NS-800A: $4,999.90 per pair The Music Room $4,999.90 eBay

Pros: A beautifully built bookshelf speaker with wide, consistent dispersion, low distortion, and bass that works well close to a wall. Exceptionally well-built cabinet with no internal resonance issues at all: confirmed clean in both burst decay and impedance measurements. Good, wide directivity (~75 degrees horizontal) that stays consistent enough to EQ successfully. Distortion is low, staying under 3% at 96dB, and dynamic range holds up well until right near its 102dB limit. A shallower, higher-frequency bass rolloff profile (F3 68Hz, F10 35Hz) means it can be placed closer to the wall (about a foot) without turning boomy, actually gaining bass presence rather than losing it. Measured bass extension of 68Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 84.9dB.

Cons: A wide, roughly 2kHz-10kHz scoop in the upper-midrange/lower-treble gives it a laidback, soft, low-attack character: notably worse than the reviewer’s Audio First Fidelia reference in an A/B comparison. On top of that, treble breaks up badly above 10kHz, swinging up as much as 8dB: a significant, named flaw. Sounds inconsistently voiced as a result (bright on some material like cymbals and shakers, dull/laidback on vocals and instrument attack) until corrected with real parametric EQ (the reviewer needed a +2dB boost around 4.5kHz at Q0.5 plus taming the treble spike to bring it to life) combined with near-wall placement and 30-degree toe-out. Without that combination, it’s a tough sale for a $5000 bookshelf speaker.

Released2024 (2 years ago)
Bass Extension (-10dB)35Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner)
Bass Extension (-3dB)68Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner)
Crossover Frequency2600Hz
DIY KitNo
Dimensions16.5”H x 9.1”W x 14.1”D (419.1 x 231.8 x 358.8 mm)
Drivers1.25” dome tweeter, 6.5” mid-woofer
Impedance6 ohms nominal, 4.3 ohms minimum (measured above 80Hz, Erin’s Audio Corner)
Power Handling40W nominal, 120W max
Sensitivity84.9dB (measured average 300Hz-3kHz @ 2.83V/1m, Erin’s Audio Corner; 86.5dB manufacturer specified)
Spinorama Preference Score4.66
Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub6.43
Weight28.7 lbs (13.0 kg) each
Woofer CabinetBass reflex
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