HISTORY OF INNOVATION
Yamaha HiFi audio has always created highly original products by fusing acoustic and digital technologies, cultivating them with sound and music at the core. Here we present a retrospective timeline of epoch-making Yamaha HiFi audio products and technologies that have attracted the attention of audiophiles worldwide.
1950s
INTRODUCTION OF THE YAMAHA HIFI PLAYER.
Our debut product demonstrated sure sound and durability, finding a home in broadcast studios and elsewhere. Functional styling by the fledgling GK Design Group added to its value.
BRINGING THE PRINCIPLES OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS TO AUDIO.
A JA5002 woofer unit was used in the first Natural Sound speaker, the NS-20. The design attempted to incorporate the principles of the grand piano soundboard to produce a greater sound dispersion.
1970s
INTRODUCTION OF THE BERYLLIUM VACUUM DEPOSITION METHOD.
By applying an original vacuum deposition method used in the LSI manufacturing process, the difficulty of manufacturing the ideal beryllium material was overcome to enable completion of the beryllium diaphragm used in the NS-1000M and other products.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE DREAM SEMICONDUCTOR, THE SIT.
The world’s first practical application of the SIT (V-FET), ideal for audio with operating characteristics that overcame the sound quality flaws of the transistor. It was used in the B-1.
THE WORLD’S BEST FM TUNER.
Yamaha earned top-class ratings even for tuners demanding high frequency technology. The CT-7000, completed within four years of the development of a dedicated measuring instrument, was its symbol.
AIMING TO BECOME AN OUTSTANDING TOOL.
The cassette deck market in this era was divided into two parts, portable and stationary. Yamaha sought to integrate the two by hiring the world-class industrial designer Mario Bellini.
A LIGHT AND EFFICIENT DESIGN THAT CUT DOWN ON WASTE.
Our unique orthodynamic headphones featured a voice coil embedded in the diaphragm. Following the style of the TC-800GL, the light and efficient design by Mario Bellini cut down on waste.
INTRODUCTION OF THE DEFINITIVE SMALL MONITOR SPEAKER.
An orthodox 2-way with a 16cm white paper cone woofer and 3.5cm soft dome tweeter. Long-loved for its exquisite total balance.
THE SYMMETRICAL LINEAR ARM.
Development of the electronic control linear system reduced the previously inevitable tracking error of the record to zero and achieved high sensitivity even in a short arm of low mass.
1980s
GOING BACK TO THE BASICS OF AUDIO WITH THE GT CONCEPT.
Release of the GT-2000 record player, embodying the GT (Gigantic & Tremendous) concept of achieving high rigidity and resonance-free play through absolute mass.
SIGNIFICANT CD ELECTRONIC PARTS FOR REALIZING HIGHER PERFORMANCE AND LOWER PRICE
Yamaha developed an original LSI that integrated the complicated control and signal processing circuits of a CD player into just two units and installed it in the CD-X1. These Yamaha LSIs were widely used by other companies and contributed to the popularization of CDs.
DSP*, THE WORLD’S FIRST SOUND FIELD CREATION TECHNOLOGY, MADE COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE.
The addition of four processing speakers to the existing stereo speaker arrangement enhanced the realism of live music. The predecessor of multi-channel playback.
* Digital Sound field Processing
THE YAMAHA 10000 SERIES OF PRODUCTS CELEBRATING YAMAHA’S 100TH ANNIVERSARY.
A monumental series lineup including digital processing control amplifiers and superior phono EQ to meet the demands of all media, past, present and future.
ACTIVE SERVO TECHNOLOGY
The development of the Air Woofer, using the air within the cabinet as a diaphragm, allowed practical use of the AST* method. Sold as a set of two speakers with dedicated amplifier.
* Now called YST (Yamaha Active Servo Technology)
1990s
THE ULTIMATE GOLD EVAPORATION CASTING BERYLLIUM DIAPHRAGM.
The beryllium diaphragm that took the world by storm continued to evolve, adding gold evaporation to the high density, high purity casting beryllium diaphragm to produce ideal tone. Used on the GF-1.
2000s
ORIGINAL DIGITAL AMPLIFIER TECHNOLOGY WHICH SOLVED A LONG, BAFFLING TECHNOLOGICAL ISSUE IN DIGITAL AMPLIFIERS
Equipped with Yamaha's original constant-gain phase-locked loop (PLL) modulator circuitry, it has solved the issue regarding fluctuations in the power supply voltage. On top of that the MX-D1 achieved a large output of 500W + 500W and tremendous sound quality in a remarkably compact size.
FLOATING & BALANCED POWER AMPLIFIER
Yamaha's original amplifier technology brought forward perfect clarity in sound by achieving complete symmetry of push-pull operation in the output stage and ideal balance between analogue signal transmission and amplification.
2010s
THE AWAKENING OF NETWORK HIFI
At a time when network audio and music streaming services was still fairly uncommon, the NP-S2000 HiFi network music player was developed to play music files via network connections.
ZYLON® DIAPHRAGM
The world's strongest synthetic fiber, ZYLON®, was used as the diaphragm material. The NS-5000 employed it in all the 3-way speaker units to unify the tonal quality and acoustic velocity over the entire frequency spectrum.
FLAGSHIP 5000 SERIES
Incorporating all of Yamaha's advanced audio reproduction technologies, we strove to deliver a music experience that profoundly stirs the emotions, as if you are actually listening in the place where the music was born. This sonic reproduction is only possible through a musical instrument brand like Yamaha and comprises the essence of the flagship 5000 series.
YAMAHA'S ORIGINAL MUSICCAST NETWORK SYSTEM ENABLED A COMPLETELY NEW HIFI LISTENING EXPERIENCE
The MusicCast network system is installed in a wide variety of our HiFi audio components, opening up a completely new style of HiFi listening, including streaming playback and multi-room playback.
REVIVAL OF THE ORTHODYNAMIC™ DRIVER
Yamaha’s planar magnetic Orthodynamic™ driver, which attracted attention in the 1970s, has been reconstructed with the latest modern technology. The YH-5000SE, marked Yamaha’s return to the audiophile headphone market.