gr research some of my projects and experience w/ them

PROJECT 6490!

which someday will become project NS1000M as THEY, NS1000M require expensive ( about 1k$ per pair modification to be good optimum ! )

well sadly the venerable Yamaha 6490 speakers many of us have are not amenable to fixing ! i paid $ to have them shipped to Danny @ GR research and his report is grim i will just sell the six i have ! ( no we changered our mind ! -read on )

OR ? maybe i should try some driver roulette? I have six of these turkeys! after i add extra MDF to sides,back,top bottom and brace them , install no-rez lets try making some franken speakers ! (Danny hates them but would test them ! )

what do you ,like for drivers ? i like a BMR for mid ! What do you suggest for woofer and tweeter ?

then we will need crossover too ! ( the stock yamaha have only two small caps for tweeter and mid! no real crossover! ) cheaper out there big time Yamaha !

PS trying to keep, it somewhat group related it, ( this post ) began was. analysis of Yamaha 6490 VINTAGE speakers which millions have and there of course is some interest in upgrading improving even some you tube vids address it !

see photos !

bottom line ? They are cheap crap not worth fixing ! ( but we ARE going to do so anyway )

YES !

i want 7.1 speakers for HT /& music of same manif . similar sonic signature/content ! It would be nice to be able to do so w/ a speaker there are a LOT of , are 3 way and GREAT sound , & ALSO avail used and cheap ! win -win !

so I will try the crossovers in the NS6490 ? ( even the mighty NS1000 needs modification ! )

keep the best send the others back maybe buy some other drivers would that make them ’sonicly different "fr other yamaha speakers? LOL theses are planned for only surround , height and rear speakers actually . in a 7.1 system

i have some old, tired yamaha NS500M which are just like the NS1000M ( as per an expert ) except they have a titanium mid instead of berilium ! they can be the L & R and the cheapo yamaha NSA200XT towers can be the rear .

paid $180 for the NS500M ! They sound SO good , pure ! it is mesmerizing !

but being an old design , are inefficient need huge power to shine

but my anemic Sony HT receiver is not up to it ! the poor inefficient things need massive watts of power ! so they await it !

as these things do it went sideways into many diff topics, suggestions posts i see nothing wrong w/ that! friendly exchanges of info./experiences!

as new post appear, this will be largely ignored ! as it should be ! but IF the topic comes up someone wonders about yamha NS 6490- ? here is the sad truth ! Archival material !

AND some great comments fr some good group members here! THANK YOU !

Note ! as $ permits we will replace all the cheap speakers w/ NS1000M ( I think ! )

the important thing to me is to find the cheapest shipping fr Japan as there are heaps for sale there and noone in Japan seems to want them anymore! so they are available for 20-25% of the price in USA ! many people buy/ bought them millions! this guy reviewed them and said : can they ? now we know NO they can’t be fixed !

update i just ordered some cheap 3 way X -overs fr ALI express and we will send them to Danny to see which is best and the crap ones I will send back ( free 90 day returns ) !

•  

UPDATE ! UPdate ! well news! we have decided 11/10-2023 Danny @ GR research will have a go at improving the Yamaha NS6490 speakers crossover network etc to resolve their issues they did make a heap of these back in the day -Millions ! ) and lately there has been plethora of you tube videos asking IF they could be improved ,

bit of a futile project here but they sold millions of these so there is actually huge interest in improving these speakers !

I have six of them was going to use them as part of 7.1 HT system ! i sent one to Danny @ gr research he said it has many issues is not worth fixing did many tests ! showed me the test graphs analysis ( see above ) needs cabinets improved , is too thin ( glue on more wood ? .) add no res? add reinforcements ? ) maybe diff drivers ?

NO they have many issues ! bottom line ? NO x over kit not worth fixing ! maybe !

I discovered we can auto-translate CC on you tube to English so watched the Russian guys who tried to fix them ! no good! this guy АЗвука - теория звука-you tube : made thick WOOD boxes in proper-handed design as a customer wanted them the same size inside,for L &R and it was NOT better ! LOL

he said it was worse! OMG ! says the reverberating boxes pass back the sound to the drivers seems to think yamaha designed it that way ? HUH ?

he did not try different ’filters" ( x overs ) however ! says that MIGHT help -a little !

he says it actually sounded better, and measured better without the midrange ! LOL and without stuffing !

yes, says OEM drivers are cheap crap just made to play all high hZ and are all kinda full range

and just like GR research said said the speakers are NOT worth fixing ! or are they ?

АЗвука - теория звука- he said even making them, the boxes better shape more modern taller , thinner w/ drivers better arranged would not help mentions they made millions of these and now prices are so high people want to make them better THAT is why they try !

IF someone wants to help ?

DO: come up w./ 3 NEW drivers woofer, mid, tweeter that are really good but cheapish & that will work in this box volume

and use a crossover, SOME cross over ! as we know stock, they only have 2 tiny caps on the tweeter and mid !

Logicly, we thought of scan speak speakers !

people are willing to spend $ to upgrade these as strange as it might seem!

photo courtesy of Хороший Звук (you tube -he has # of NS6490 videos ! ) the existing cross over ? 2 caps for 1 for tweeter and 1 for mid ! LOL essentially using the woofers as full range speakers!

and this is not the ONLY yamaha speaker to do this!

so Хороший Звук our hero, designed a cross over of cheap parts ! ( lets use better ones )

BUT we have to admit he does A-B listening test w/ it and it DOES sound better ! LOL

here are the horrible test results fr GR research ! LOL - see above post

this russian guy did build a crossover for them , Danny noted " he sure used cheap parts " but at least their WAS part count ! ( cost $100 per pair ! )

(Yamaha NS 6490 ) so they were a LITTLE better! you could hear it ! now stock has only a couple small caps on tweeter & mid! NO crossover ! talk about the bean counters winning the design discussion ! LOL