Yamaha produces some of the most fantastic speakers on the market and has done so for many years now.
With thousands of products and days of testing and designing features over the years – you are guaranteed a great experience when using their products.
With this list, we have something for everyone. Whether you want a budget speaker, a speaker for mixing or professional use, a home theater setup, and more… we have you covered.
This is your one-stop shop guide to the best Yamaha speakers.
If you just want to know the best speaker, it’s the Yamaha NS-6490. The current price is the lowest we have seen for some time now, just make sure you click the link in the table below for the best savings.
You can use the table of contents to quickly navigate to whichever speaker you want to.
Budget Pick: Yamaha NS-6490 Bookshelf Speakers
The Yamaha NS-6490 offers professional sounding quality with its 3-way set-up speaker that is composed of a mid-range driver, high output woofer as well a balanced dome tweeter.
Not only that, but the sleek design of it has a modern, unique touch that you can always expect from a Yamaha speaker.
What We Liked:
Design
This speaker is designed with home theatre use in mind.
A magnetic shield that protects your television’s picture is in use here, which many people complained about on the previous speaker model. Kudos to Yamaha for this.
A solid black cabinet houses a 7/8 inches tweeter for clean highs. With it, comes speaker terminals that are gold-plated and compatible with a banana plug.
Overall a really solid design for this price point.
Audio
This speaker offers excellent audio quality, with a respectful frequency response range of 45Hz to 23kHz – delivering you a clean but crisp sound quality.
With the impressive 3-way technology shelf speaker, you can expect room-filling, rich, and high-fidelity audio that matches speakers with higher price tags.
The 8″ woofer provides tight bass and smooth, natural midrange reproduction thanks to the 4″ paper cone driver.
Vocals and instruments offer a realistic timbre too, but some may find the highs slightly bright when new, but this will improve as time goes on.
Overall, the audio quality is fantastic and at this price point – you can’t go wrong.
Quality
With Yamaha, the build quality is always great, especially for higher-priced items.
It’s not like you are buying some unknown brand with 3 reviews on eBay. The Yamaha NS-6490 is crafted with superior quality for maximum performance.
The woofer has a cloth surround and an inverted dust cap for great cone control and tight bass.
As mentioned above, the drivers are magnetically shielded to prevent any interference.
Despite the very vintage aesthetic, the NS-6490’s design delivers some very impressive performance and is very much appreciated that they didn’t slouch on quality.
Versatility
The Yamaha NS-6490 is a versatile bookshelf speaker that you can use for your home theater and any other stereo application.
It can work for home entertainment and professional entertainment enthusiasts. And work well.
Whether used in a stereo pair, or a multichannel surround system, the NS-6490 offers versatility that’s not always seen at this price point.
What We Didn’t Like:
Needs breaking in
It will take a couple of dozen hours to ‘break in’ this speaker.
Not necessarily much of a con as it will get better with age, but could be a problem for someone looking for an out-of-the-box ready speaker.
The treble is very bright brand new and will take some tie to mellow out, but I don’t think this is a deal breaker.
Large Size
Although this will be subjective, I thought the speaker was a bit large for my liking, sitting at almost 11″ x 16″ x 13″.
It’s certainly too big for a desktop speaker, but if used in your home theater setup, in the corner of your room, or anywhere else – this shouldn’t be an issue.
This is one of the top Yamaha bookshelf speakers that you can get in the current market, and because of their longevity, many argue that it is one of the best Yamaha speakers ever made.
That may rustle a few feathers among the audiophile community though!
For the best price, click the button below to save some pennies and upgrade your sound to the next level.
Best For Professionals: Yamaha HS5 Studio
The Yamaha HS5 studio monitors, although expensive, deliver precise accuracy and smooth response.
Mainly thanks to its advanced transducer design (more on that later), and thorough optimization of each component that you would expect at this price point. However, it may not be for everyone.
What We Like:
Sound Quality
The Yamaha HS5s live up to their expectations of delivering an accurate audio output.
The advanced transducer design results in stunningly smooth sound due to its advanced magnetic field technology that controls the energy flow in the tweeter and woofers.
The 1-inch dome tweeter is able to perform with crisp and detailed highs extending all the way up to 30kHz thanks to its waveguide design.
Its woofers perform at the highest level in the midrange and offer tight bass, although you don’t get that punch that many enjoy due to the speaker’s compact 5-inch size.
Still, many professionals use this speaker for mixing and editing due to its extremely accurate reproduction, allowing them to make precise adjustments and hear every little detail in the recordings.
Overall, its sound quality is excellent and exactly what you’d expect for its price point.
Design
Implementing a compact, minimalist design that’s well suited for home studios and professional settings – Yamaha has nailed the design with this one.
Featuring curved, angular edges offers an elegant, contemporary feel – but that’s not the only benefit of this. It also helps minimize diffraction and resonance.
On the front you will find the bass ports, allowing for flexibility in placement that does not compromise any lower frequency production.
Unlike the NS-6490, the HS5 monitors have a small footprint meaning they can fit into small spaces or even be used on a desktop.
On the rear side, you will find a balanced XLR and 1/4″ TRS inputs and some very sturdy control knobs that give the speaker a real premium feel.
Overall, the design is hard to fault here, but some may wish it had a few more controls on the back.
Unique Features
One really unique feature that I love about the HS5 monitors is the room control and high-trim switches.
These are used to optimize the playback depending on the specific acoustics of your room.
Basically, the room control attenuates exaggerated bass caused by close proximity to walls, while the high trim allows you to play with the high-frequency response.
This level of detail and versatility is uncommon for speakers, even in this price range which is a really nice feature to have.
What We Didn’t Like:
Woofers
Don’t get me wrong, the woofers are great in this speaker, especially given the size.
But their size is also their downfall.
Because they are only 5 inches, they limit low-frequency extension, meaning they can’t reproduce a truly deep pass like larger woofers can.
They can only reach down to 54Hz, so for those who love bass – this aint the speaker for you!
However, adding a dedicated subwoofer may be an option and would certainly work well with this speaker.
Overall, the Yamaha HS5 is an excellent pair of speakers, and in my opinion one of the best Yamaha bookshelf speakers.
Not only in terms of sound but also when it comes to its design and unique features that it offers.
Yeah, the bass may not be what some would like, but this can be fixed with a dedicated sub.
It is quite expensive though, but if it’s in your range it’s definitely worth considering.
Have a look at the latest price by clicking the button below.
We also have a Yamaha HS5 vs HS8 comparison review here.
Best For Home Theater: Yamaha YHT-4950U
The Yamaha YHT-4950U offers balanced, cinema-quality audio for watching TV, sports, and playing some video games.
You get a truly immersive experience in the comfort of your home with this amazing setup.
It comes with a 4k-ready AV receiver, a 5-speaker surround sound setup (including a powerful sub), and room optimization technology that allows you to get the best out of your system for your specific room.
Let’s get into the specifics.
What We Like:
Sound Quality
At this price, surely you can’t expect cinema-level sound quality?
Well, you can!
The YHT-49T0 create a truly enveloping theater-like audio listening experience.
The system’s very exclusive CINEMA DSP technology delivers a large and natural soundstage that makes movies and TV shows come to life.
Possibly a horror lover’s dream.
Thanks to the dedicated center channel, the dialogue is crystal clear , which makes watching TV really enjoyable.
The subwoofer helps improve the bass so you get those BOOMS when an explosion happens or simply just listen to music.
However, you may want to upgrade this in the future if you find it’s not powerful enough for you.
So whether there are quiet whispers or explosive action, the YHT-4950U creates sound with great balance and clarity across all frequencies.
Design
Featuring a clean, minimalist design, all components of the 4950u share a similar compact, rectangular shape.
The speakers are finished in a sleek piano black that will fit in nicely with most decors.
It’s worth noting that while high quality for its price range, many were quick to mention that the speakers feel somewhat lightweight or plasticky.
The receiver has quite a basic design but thankfully provides plenty of connectivity options, which you would expect.
Setting it up is fairly straightforward and you don’t need to be a massive audio head to get it working.
However, if you do run into any trouble I have a great article on fixing Yamaha receivers which you may find helpful.
Lastly, the included speaker wires feel a bit thin and cheap, but from what I’ve seen that is always the case with these setup kits.
Convenient Features
Bluetooth connectivity means you can wirelessly play music from any other Bluetooth device which is great.
This works really well if you just want to connect your phone and listen to some music.
There are some other useful settings built in which are a nice touch too.
Some worth mentioning are things like the auto power on/off, remote learning capabilities, and independent volume control for each input.
Out of the box, you get 5.1 surround sound which is great.
But what’s even better is you can upgrade this to a 7.2-channel seamlessly by adding rear surround speakers for an even better listening experience.
This would be particularly useful for those with larger rooms.
Overall, there are plenty of really nice features here that make your life a bit easier while using it.
What We Don’t Like:
Receiver Display
The receiver’s display is fairly basic and really small, which can make navigating through the menu a bit annoying.
The low-pixel display feels dated compared to the sharp, vibrant displays found on more modern receivers.
Of course, cuts would need to be made in places for this price point when you are getting a full setup, but it is a bit annoying.
A larger display with more crisp text would make this a lot better.
But it’s not the end of the world.
Overall, the Yamaha YHT-4950 offers great bang for your buck.
It features a huge array of excellent features that you will get in other setups even double the price.
Ignoring the features, the sound quality is excellent and the center channel speaker is really good.
While there are a few cons as mentioned above, and the sub may need an upgrade depending on how picky you are, overall it’s a great home theater setup.
Like always, we like to try to get the best price possible for you. You can check the latest price below.
Here are our best Klipsch bookshelf speakers.
With Alexa: Yamaha MusicCast 20
The Yamaha MusicCast 20 is just one speaker, but it can fill an entire room with great-sounding audio in its compact, stylish form.
If one isn’t enough, you can run two in stereo for a fuller sound, or even add a sub for a more thunderous bass.
One of the main reasons one would go with this speaker is for its integration with Alexa, offering voice control for hands-free listening.
Overall it’s a great speaker, but there are some flaws with it.
What We Like:
Sound Quality
The MusicCast 20 delivers impressive, full-range audio which is a surprise considering their compact size.
The sound works really well in the mid-bass frequencies but can make certain genres sound slightly boomy to some people.
With that said, the overall sound profile is well-balanced and can easily fill small to medium-sized rooms with clear sound.
However, for larger rooms, you may need something more powerful or have two working in stereo.
While not as refined as more audiophile speakers, the MusicCast 20 provides a very good listening experience while having a few extra features not found anywhere else.
Design
With a compact rectangular shape, fabric grilles, and availability in black or white – the MusicCast 20 can suit any decor.
The speaker can be placed on shelves, tables, or even mounted to walls using the included brackets. Status LEDs and basic control buttons sit on top though, so ensure they are still within reach if you opt for this.
Build quality is decent, though some mentioned they felt it had a lightweight and plastic feel to it, which is a surprise given the price.
At just 6 inches wide, it is a very insignificant footprint and the cable management system allows for tidy wiring. Great news for those wanting a minimalist setup.
Overall the design is hard to fault and can fit into any living space.
What We Didn’t Like:
MusicCast App
A very common complaint about the MusicCast app which is used for setup and control.
It offers an extremely unintuitive navigation, and its interface is confusing to navigate with an unclear layout.
The initial setup of the speakers with the app can be tedious and frustrating. Some people don’t have any issues which is strange – so it may be fine for you.
Indoor Only
This may not bother everyone, but the speakers lack any weatherproofing and can’t be used outdoors whatsoever. Even on patios or porches.
Without even basic water and dust protection, the MusicCast 20 becomes an indoor-only speaker.
So if you want something that can work both indoors and outdoor, this may not be the one for you.
With their home audio streaming and flexible configurations, the MusicCast 20 provides an appealing listening option in most cases and many will be happy with the Alexa feature.
Some frustrations exist like the faulty app and lack of weather protection, but overall you will get room-filling audio and some decent bass production.
They offer solid value and are definitely worth considering. You can check the latest price below.
Are Yamaha Speakers Good?
Yes, Yamaha speakers are highly regarded in the audio industry due to their excellent sound quality and durability.
With advanced technology and careful design processes, Yamaha consistently delivers immersive and accurate audio that is well-loved by music enthusiasts and professionals worldwide.
Conclusion
I hope you found this list of the best Yamaha speakers that we could find. We wanted to find a speaker that would suit everyone, and I truly hope we did that for you.
For those seeking professional grade accuracy, the HS5 monitors are hard to beat.
Home theater buffs will love the upgradability and enveloping soundstage of the YHT-4950U.
And those just looking for a simple bookshelf speaker that offers excellent audio and doesn’t break the bank – the Yamaha NS-6490 is the right choice for you.
Here is a handy table showing all of the latest prices.
If you’re interested, here are the best Edifier speakers on the market today.
