Important Specs Overview and Comparison Table
| Model | NS 555 | NS-777 |
|---|---|---|
| Speaker Type | passive, 3-way, back-ported | (<-- same) |
| Continuous Power Handling | 100 W | (<-- same) |
| Peak Power Handling | 250 W | (<-- same) |
| Impedance | 6 ohms | (<-- same) |
| Sensitivity (db/W/m) | 88 | 89 |
| Response Range | 35 - 35k Hz | 30 - 35k Hz |
| Woofer Size | 6.5 in | 8 in |
| Unit Dimensions (w x d x h) | 9 x 13.5 x 38.5 in | 11 x 15.5 x 43.5 in |
| Unit Weight | 44 lb | 53 lb |
| Warranty | 2 years | (<-- same) |
Review And Discussion
Yamaha’s NS 555 and 777 are their longstanding value-tier home theater tower speakers. Despite being around 15 years old they remain a popular seller, much like their older 3-way bookshelf speaker does (and is also still one of our favorite speakers).
The 777 has bigger woofers and slightly more range and volume than the 555, but they otherwise have the same build and design.
The NS tower speakers have a fair bit of power handling, and should be plenty loud enough to fill any room that isn’t extra large. The lower impedance will probably mandate a higher end receiver to sufficiently power them.
They use a 3-way design with a very high frequency tweeter, a midrange woofer that has an interestingly small middle range, then two lower subwoofers to handle the lows and bass. 3-way speakers have the advantage of generally sounding sufficient without a subwoofer, whereas more common 2-way speakers generally call for one.
The quoted response floor of the NS tower speakers is quite good, but with the low crossover still being quite high, the subwoofers are in reality more designed to be low-mid range woofers. Yamaha also doesn’t specify a response variance – we suspect quoted response floor might be optimistic, and that, unassisted, the bass might noticeably drop off. This would become a non-issue if you plan to add a subwoofer though.
Both the tweeter and mid driver are horn loaded, and all four cones use a metallic polymer blend – very pretty clearly specialized for a home theater setting, music at closer range might sound a bit far out and boomy.
The speakers definitely have an older-school look (well they are older) that uses Yamaha’s well known sheen piano colored finish. Bright chrome drivers tend to look jarring, but they actually look quite nice in contrast to the glossy finish. It’s a look you don’t see too much anymore.
Yamaha speakers tend to be big and heavy, especially the older ones, but these towers manage to remain fairly average in terms of size and weight, even the larger 777 that has to accommodate dual 8 inch woofers.
The one downside of Yamaha passive speakers is a fairly minimal 2 year warranty, especially so for anything above the budget-tier which we’d consider these speakers are. 5 years is more common and standard among well known competitors.
Our Overall Take, As Compared To The Competition
We’re mostly surprised that these haven’t become cheaper in recent years, especially so when some of Yamaha’s other older speakers are practically steals at this point. To that end, these don’t really offer anything above and beyond what you can get with other 3-way tower speakers that are cheaper. The relatively short warranty doesn’t help either. We’d say these are worth keeping an eye on – they might get a lot cheaper sooner than later, but until then see the links below for some alternative recommendations.
See the NS 555 and 777 tower speakers here and here on Amazon (affiliate links)
See our current picks for the best budget floorstanding tower speakers
