Unbelievable

I was skeptical about these speakers. I also ignore the marketing hype from the manufacture.
Let's face it the majority of Yamaha's market is not audiophiles. That being said I heard these at my friends house with Parasound Amp and preamp.
These speakers sound unbelievable!!!! I own Wilson, Dynaudio Elac and B&W 805N .
This is not a comparison. If you are interested in these I would recommend finding a dealer that would allow you to take these home for a listen. The price tag seems high because they are Yamaha. Once again In my opinion and about three other of my friends these speakers sound fantastic.

Are your three friends Moe, Shemp and Larry by any chance?

The tonal quality of the violins of Stradavari and Guarneri is often credited partly to the shellac used by the luthiers who made them.  Just sayin' ----

But there is a fundamental difference in something that reproduces sound and that which produces this sound.  

On the surface, this appears to be a gross claim.  However a surprising number of individual aspects of the design of an audio component have an impact upon how that design sounds.

Materials used in the construction of a speaker cabinet can and do have an audible impact.  The finish of the cabinet can and does have an audible impact.  In fact, it was documented that different wood species and surface finishes did in fact have an affect the sonic qualities of the LS3/5a.

While something may have lost in translation, don't knock till you tried it so to speak.