Yamaha NS2000 Surrounds

Hi mrtim6,

That's a very nice looking pair of NS -2000, and also I like the custom made stands for them. Your pair is a nice dark colour. I also have a pair which I love, they are my priced possessions.

How long have you owned your pair??, what are the condition of the surrounds like?.

I bought them December 2014 I would love to see a photo of your NS-2000s. What amp are you using?

The surrounds are very good HiFiDo did some maintance on them prior to the sale.

I will try & take a close up of the surrounds soon & post the pictures here

mrtim6, they transported the speakers without any issues ?

and thats two sets of NS2000's in Sydney, well to be correct one set in Orange NSW

HiFiDo really know how to pack speakers mine came double boxed with the inside box being the original Yamaha NS-2000 shipping box!!!

Thankyou Tim, I read the import costs very interesting stuff. they really know how to pack for a long trip.
What amp have you running these beauties ?

Hi brinsmead I'm using these equally beautiful Sony TA-N7 VFET poweramp with a Sony TA-E88 preamplifier which has the most ridiculously perfect attenuator. I'm sure the engineering in that attenuator could matched the NASA Apollo missions for quality engineering.

Close ups of the surrounds of my left NS-2000 speaker (the right appears same condition)

More detail of the upper left surrounds the discolouring of the carbon woofer is more down to a trick of the light.

More detail of the lower left surrounds.

Thats beautiful, a Sony VFet amp and the NS2000's what a wonderful amp match for the NS2000's.

Tim, you are obviously very happy with your purchase.
Tell please, you bought the NS2000’s sight unseen and unauditioned and imported them from Japan ?

Has you listened to NS2000’s prior to purchase ?

You put a lot of faith HiFiDo to give you a quality product and pack and freight well.

Yes I put a lot of faith in Hifido - I had previously bought a dedicated wood rack the Yamaha GTR-1b for my Yamaha GT-2000 turntable. The way Hifido packed the rack was fantastic. I had done a lot of research regarding Hifido's services - all positive. Plus my NS-2000 have a 2 year Hifido warranty. I highly recommend Hifido they are very professional. The only drawback is the cost of postage which is not cheap.

Tim, thats a good success story thats worked out well, we have to work on Yamahalove now to upgrade to VFet for his NS2000's, ( and 1000x and 1000's )

If anyone needs foam surrounds for the NS2000's, I have two extra pairs.
They are the same ones Denis mentioned earlier in this thread from the same source. I just re-did my surrounds and they are PERFECT. I bought extras to make certain I could fix any potential mistakes while doing mine (didn't need them). If you need a pair, shoot me a PM.

Here's how I did mine:

1. Remove the drivers (5mm hex bolts).
2. Remove the decorative rubber gasket from the frame.
3. Using an MEK saturated paper towel, blot the areas with glue residue. Let it sit for a few seconds, then easily remove it with a scraper (or standard screwdriver).
4. Using several Q-tips and MEK, remove the glue residue (best you can) on the rear of the cone. Be careful not to slop any MEK on the spider.
5. Take a moment to pretty up the carbon fiber cone using distilled vinegar. Let it dry. If you like, a light touch of guitar polish will make it gleam like new for years to come. Don't get anything on the areas where you will be glueing the surrounds.
6. As Denis suggested, invest in a roller cutter from a craft or hobby shop (a small one works really well). I paid around $6 for mine at Michael's- Well worth it. Trim the inner portion of the surround so that you have around 5mm material left. You only have about 1mm (or less) for a margin of error, so take your time and steady your hand. I highly suggest you do it under a magnifying lamp...with a cold beverage at hand...and no one at home to distract you. It's not that hard, but you need to be accurate.
7. For glue, I used the classic Aleen's Original Tacky craft glue. Everyone will have their favorite, but personally, I like this stuff for re-foam jobs. It's used by many re-foamers and works quite well. It's not a dedicated "foam glue", but I like it better than most of those because I'm not a pro and it is more forgiving....which you will appreciate in a few moments. You want to glue the surround to the cone first, but before you do- test that it fits without any excess surround material going beyond the edge of the little glue flange on the cone. Once you're satisfied it will fit properly, spread a thin even layer of glue on the inner portion of the surround using a paint brush. Don't take much longer than 5 mins to do this.
8. Spread a thin, even layer of glue (using a paintbrush) on the cone flange- 5 mins or so.
9. Once the glue starts to feel tacky, carefully work the surround on- avoid smearing the glue. Try to make the edge of the flange sit snug in the crease of the surround. You'll understand what I'm talking about once you're doing it. Keep working the two together using your finger tips and firm pinching- do NOT try to spread it on like you're working out wrinkles as it will only make it come loose or make it uneven. You want a million little finger pinches around the perimeter. You'll probably need to do this over and over until it it is perfect and has set up. Walk away, then check it again in a few minutes. You might need to do it again- don't panic if it starts to peel up...press it back into place and work the perimeter again. You'll get it.
10. I waited until the next day before putting glue on the frame, but you can do what you want. Spread a slightly thicker layer of glue (paintbrush is my method) on the frame, and wait a few minutes for it to tack up. Hook up the driver to a test signal (you can find them on YouTube if you have no other source). I started with a 20Hz tone, but it was a little too "active". I settled on 40Hz. As the tone is playing on the driver, the voice coil will be centered- start to press the surround in place. If you get it wrong- you'll hear it. Once you are satisfied you've removed all the mechanical noises, and your surround seems well pressed, turn off the tone and grab one of the gaskets and put it on top. Put the second gasket on top of that one. Place a piece of plywood (or similar) on top of the gaskets and put some weight on it. The other driver works well for this. Wait a few hours, then carefully pull both gaskets off and repeat with the other woofer.

I didn't test play them until the following morning.

I re-attached my rubber gaskets using a thin double sided tape that I cannot seem to find for sale anywhere, but glue works quite well. Denis suggests using a paper gasket layer to prevent the two materials form interacting- not a bad idea.

Thanks to Denis for tracking down these surrounds and helping me get my babies working like they should. You rock!

very good, very instructional, you have done extremley well

brinsmead said:

very good, very instructional, you have done extremley well

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Thanks!

I know it can be difficult to explain the shape of the NS2000 woofer cone, so here are a couple of shots showing the V "lip" or "flange" I kept mentioning. It measures about 7mm on the face, but the surround glues to the underside which measures around 5.8mm. As you can see, it's not much room to work with and you're doing it on a woofer that is still attached to the frame making it even more of a challenge.

DenisK said:

The Bass is a 13" Carbon Fiber Woofer (.......snip......) and bass (which is much more present (better?) in the Onkyo SC-1500).

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I owned NS1000, and NS1000X before I acquired the NS2000. I was tipped off by a famous crossover guru (who will remain anonymous) that the capacitor in the low frequency leg is mathematically "off". In the NS1000, the 94 uF capacitor in the LF should be a lower value. Replacing it with a cap around 50uF resulted in a tremendous presence of bass that is welcomed in that model. Doing the same thing in the NS1000x resulted in too much presence, but a 70uf cap was perfection to my ears. In the NS2000, I am not wanting for more; I find the NS2000 LF is wonderfully balanced if placed near the rear wall. If you wanted, you could replace the 94f cap with something around 70-80uF and listen again. If you crave more mid bass punch- that is your ticket, trust me!

Excellent instructions DC thanks for sharing - I might add the woofer magnet is very heavy for its appearance so take care when lifting it out of the housing. The wires from the crossover cannot be removed easily as they are soldered on to the bass unit unlike in some speakers.