The NS-1000M was the world’s first speaker system to have diaphragms made of beryllium of 99.99% purity — previously considered unobtainable — in its midrange and tweeter. The speaker offered the accuracy and clarity of audio reproduction made possible only by beryllium diaphragms that have an excellent transient response, and earned critical acclaim both at home and overseas immediately after it hit the market in 1974. It was adopted as a studio monitor speaker by the Swedish national broadcasting corporation in 1976, and by the Finland national broadcaster with 200 units ordered in 1978. Even after its successors, the NS-1000X and NS-2000, were introduced, the NS-1000M remained popular and had sold more than 200,000 units over a period of 23 years — before the production of beryllium diaphragms ended and the marketing of the legendary speaker was discontinued in 1997.
Yamaha developed the world's first hard-dome drivers with beryllium diaphragms — the JA-0801 8.8 cm midrange and the JA-0513 3.3 cm tweeter. Beryllium, considered as the ideal diaphragm material for its hardness, lightweight (low density), and stiffness, was extremely difficult to be molded into a diaphragm. Yamaha overcame the challenge of processing beryllium with its proprietary electron-beam vacuum vapor deposition method. The overwhelming sense of spaciousness and clarity made possible by the beryllium diaphragms that took advantage of the metal's sound velocity (higher than that of any other practical metal) shattered the perception people had of speakers — so much so that the NS-1000M, the first speaker system to feature beryllium diaphragms, earned wide acclaim from audiophiles and critics worldwide. Later, the NSX-10000 released in 1986 came equipped with GC beryllium diaphragms made of giant beryllium crystals, and the GF-1 introduced in 1991 featured forged beryllium diaphragms. Until the production of all beryllium diaphragms was discontinued in 1997, a hard-dome driver for Yamaha was synonymous with a beryllium-dome driver.
Positioned as a high-end unit for home use and priced at 145,000 yen at the time of its release, the NS-1000 featured an ebony luxury urethane paint finish exterior, while the NS-1000M, priced at 108,000 yen and aimed at use from the home to the studio, sported a birch semi-gloss black paint finish. With a somewhat large thick-walled cabinet and removable saran net, the NS-1000 weighed in at 39kg, 8kg heavier than the 31kg NS-1000M. As is evident from the difference in price, the cabinet finish of the NS-1000 was lavish enough to rival that of a luxury wood grain piano, but the fearless black design and overwhelming cost-performance of the NS-1000M made it the focus of popular attention. The upgraded NS-2000 released in 1982 and the NS-1000X released in 1986 reinforced the reputation of the original machine, and in the 23 years until the end of all beryllium diaphragm unit production in 1997 it was a long-lasting hit with more than 200,000 units sold.
