Yamaha must want to remind you that they were the makers of the NS10's. Why else would they have chosen the obvious "white circle on black background" motif for there new reference headphones?

Possibly it's a nod to the concept behind the new RH10MS. Yamaha has teamed up with S-Logic to design a pair of headphones that are supposed to recreate the experience of listening to a mix through monitors that are two or three feet away from the listener, as opposed to drivers sitting directly on the listener's head. The S-Logic 3D imaging is accomplished by redirecting the projected audio at the structure of the outer ear, as opposed to directly at the inner ear. In this way, the audio intersects with the inner ear in the same way that a distant sound source would, hopefully correcting some of the imaging issues associated with headphone mixing. It also significantly reduces sound pressure levels, letting the user listen at relatively higher volumes.

The concept behind the RH10MS's is an exciting one, but the claim that they will eliminate the need for near-field monitors seems a bit soaked in marketing braggadocio. Guess you'll have to hear them yourself to decide.

The RH10MS's drivers are 40 mm Neodymium Mylar with an impedance of 32 ohms. The phones minus the cord weigh 265 grams, and will retail for $159.