Yamaha studio monitors are quite popular among musicians/engineers looking for studio monitors in the entry to mid tier price band. In recent years, Yamaha’s HS Studio Monitors have earned a solid reputation and backing of musicians and engineers, as one of the most honest, yet affordable monitors in their class. Here we take a look at the Yamaha studio monitors.
Best Yamaha Studio Monitors (Includes HS Series)
With a Yamaha studio monitor, the accuracy and balance of your final mix (be it WAV, MP3, or CD) will be incredible, and it will sound great on everything, from ear buds to headphones, living room system to car stereos.
You can use these to produce any kind of music. If you can afford, go in for a pair of these.
Checkout these popular Yamaha Studio Monitors.
Studio monitor with 5″ cone woofer and 1″ dome tweeter. 54Hz-30kHz frequency response. 70W power amplification. XLR and TRS phone jack inputs accept balanced or unbalanced signals.
8-inch cone woofer, 1-inch dome tweeter. 38Hz – 30kHz frequency response. 120W power amplification. Bundle includes two monitors and cables.
Compact dimensions of these monitors make them an ideal choice for smaller project studios. 5 inch cone woofer driven by a 40-watt amplifier and a 1 inch dome tweeter driven by a 27-watt amplifier.
Yamaha HS5 Powered Studio Monitor
The Yamaha HS5 studio reference monitors are designed to achieve the best possible mix by ensuring that the sound from your speakers is true to the original. These monitors are honest, takes out the guess work, and allows you to come up with a great mix.
If you’re in the process of setting up your home studio, and haven’t yet introduced a studio monitor in the setup, its recommended that you get one right away. You will be glad you did that. Start building the panels, and get these speakers. The HS5 is small in size, and great value for money. It will be one of the best investment you would make in your home studio.
These are also a perfect fit for any small desk space. The HS5 uses a 5-inch woofer (whereas the HS8 uses an 8-inch woofer). The highs are clear, the lows are crisp and punchy.
These are obviously great for those who are just starting out and learning the ropes, but works great even for serious producers who have a small space to work with, or for someone who needs an inexpensive, mobile pair of monitors.
Delivers a concise sound image, high resolution, and flat response. 2-Way bass-reflex bi-amplified nearfield studio monitor with 5″ cone woofer and 1″ dome tweeter, 54Hz-30kHz frequency response, 70W power amplification, XLR and TRS phone jack inputs accept balanced or unbalanced signals.
Yamaha HS8 Studio Monitor
The Yamaha HS8 is a great studio subwoofer in this price range, perfect for a smaller room/apartment studio. It features 8inch bass-reflex powered subwoofer, 22Hz – 150Hz frequency response, High-power 150W amplifier, LOW CUT switch, LOW CUT control (80-120Hz) HIGH CUT control (80-120 Hz), PHASE switch.
PROS: Flat across the spectrum. Sounds great with clear clarity. Value for Money
CONS: Bass port is in the back
The white cones will remind you of the very popular NS-10 monitors are look very stylish. More importantly, they provide a true representation of the recordings. And the HS8’s work great in a normal/small sized room as well.
At this price point, you may also consider JBL’s LSR 308, which I personally feel adds a bit of “color” to the sound, though it could work better in a huge room. Yamaha HS8 produces less bass than the JBL’s, while you don’t have to use a sub-woofer, they will definitely sound awesome if you add one. Even though Yamaha sells an accompanying sub (HS8S), it doesn’t seem to offer lot of improvement. That is one of the reasons, most prefer to compliment the HS8 with a sub from another brand. HS8 also sounds better than M-Audio BX and KRK Rokit monitors.
Yamaha HS8 however, lets you hear more detail, they are balanced and louder. Yamaha HS8’s definitely has the edge and are the top sellers (for the same reason the NS10’s were). If you are serious about recording, this is a serious contender. These monitors are a great choice for any home studio.
If you’re serious about mixing, these monitors are among the best available in the price range, and a lot more accurate than the ubiquitous yellow-cones.
Yamaha HS7 Powered Studio Monitor
The Yamaha HS7 sits in the middle (between HS5 and HS8), in the Yamaha HS line of powered speakers. The HS7 comes across as perfect compromise between a medium/high and low balance that works well for a small home studio – for production, mixing and mastering. If you need more power and have that extra cash to spare, buy these instead of HS5 (its not a lot more expensive).
There are several producers who use a set of HS7’s or HS8’s for their music, and for good reasons. The HS-7 will help your mixes take one big step up, making them sound good on most speakers!
PROS: Neutral and uncolored sound. Good bass response. Easy to carry. Value for money
CONS: Rear-mounted port (prevents optimal placement in smaller studios)
These are perfect for professional studio use and for home studios that need to upgrade to pro gear. Amazing clarity, great bass response. In fact, the problem with these speakers is that once you have them, you quickly get used to their sound quality, and when you listen to music elsewhere you are often disappointed.
High build quality, the knobs feel solid and the overall construction is solid (no flimsy parts). It may not look fancy like the more expensive monitors, but its well-made. It looks simple, clean and beautiful with those white cones.
The electronics are also great – no hum, no noise from these monitors, no on/off thump.
Compared to the HS5, this one offers more bass as they are bigger of course. Note that the sub in this model is 6.5 inches and not 7. There are many who pair these monitors with an HS8S subwoofer to get a well-rounded sound, especially for pop and dance music with lots of bass. Also, these work great in a small room, but if you are in a big studio room, you may have to get a sub.
If you find the HS8 expensive, this can be a great alternative that saves money as well as some space. If you’re looking for a medium sized pair of speakers, something that is affordable, the HS7 comes across as a good bet.
Power rating of 95 watts, true bi-amp design, provide a flat, accurate response. Includes Monitor Stands and 15 ft. 1/4 in. TRS to XLR Male cables to connect the inputs of the monitors to the outputs of an audio interface with 1/4 in. TRS outputs. Level, Room Control, High Trim, 2 types of inputs.
The HS series of monitor speakers were launched by Yamaha as a ‘replacement’ for the famous NS10 nearfield studio monitors. These newer models were however not priced higher, they are in fact at the budget end of the market. While they’re cheap, they are great on features and sound quality. Musicians/professionals use HS monitors and are getting excellent results with these monitors.
About Yamaha Studio Monitors
Yamaha is another popular brand when it comes to making quality reference monitors; in fact Yamaha had made the iconic NS10 speakers which is a industry standard (even today), its been around for many years, and users still love those monitors for their realistic and flat response. Several of Yamaha’s studio monitors already grace recording studios and post-production houses around the world. When it comes to crafting great mixes, Yamaha speakers are a must-have critical listening tool.
There are many who feel Yamaha has some wonderful studio monitors; these deliver a balanced, crispy sound. Because these do not add color, it may not sound great for casual music listening, everyday stereo listening (your favorite songs) – although they will do the job and sound good, these are great as studio monitors.
These are flat, provide true representation of the actual sound are and great for mixing and recording. If you’re on a budget and are learning the ropes, you may consider adding the [easyazon_link identifier=”B00CFOX420″ locale=”US” tag=”keytarhq04-20″]Yamaha HS5[/easyazon_link] to your studio setup, your mixes will definitely sound a lot better.
Designed with the utmost accuracy in mind, Yamaha has a wide range of Yamaha Studio Monitors available including the HS (stands for home studio) & MSP series. KRK monitors are recognized by their yellow coned speakers, but in the case of Yamaha, their speakers come with white coned speakers (not sure if Yamaha did that on purpose) which are synonymous with professional recording.
Studio Monitors Need to be Flat
When it comes to mixing, it important that your studio monitor produces the sound with honesty; it shouldn’t sound great all the time (color it up) because once you take your mix outside the studio – in your car or at home, its likey to sound very different. Accuracy is important, when it comes to mixing. Read more here on Studio Monitors.
Yamaha HS Series Studio Monitors
Yamaha’s HS series studio monitors, in particular, are quite popular in the music/recording fraternity. You can recognize these by their white cones.
The HS series speakers have 5-inch (HS5), 6.5-inch (HS7), and 8-inch (HS8) woofers, with the HS5 and HS7 suited for smaller rooms whereas the 8-inch HS8 speaker suited for large control rooms.
We all know how important the room size, shape and surface materials affect what you hear during playback. The HS speakers give you Room Control (for low end), Mid EQ, and High Trim controls for good room-matching and to get the various frequencies of the sound in the right place.
“With the new HS series, Yamaha certainly has winners on their hands. And I really appreciate that they’ve listened to their customers and offered a 6.5-inch configuration for those of us who don’t have large control rooms where an 8-inch speaker might be more appropriate. The HS7 simply sounds the way a studio monitor should sound, revealing, honest, and accurate, without the hype that leads to dodgy mixes.”
Matthew Loel T. Hepworth, a music technology teacher who consults for Steinberg, Yamaha, Lexicon, and Tascam.
Yamaha HS Series: Videos
Video review of the Yamaha HS Series Studio Monitors.
Yamaha studio monitors let you achieve the best possible mix by ensuring the sound from your speakers is as true to the original.
Yamaha studio monitors sound honest and accurate, minus the hype that leads to inaccurate mixes.
More Yamaha studio monitors on zZounds
Please feel free to share your views on these Yamaha studio monitors.
KeytarHQ editorial team includes musicians who write and review products for pianists, keyboardists, guitarists & other musicians. KeytarHQ is the best online resource for information on keyboards, pianos, synths, keytars, guitars and music gear for musicians of all abilities, ages and interests.
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