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- Verified Buyer
I have far too much audio gear, including tube this and turntable that, with all the attendant voodoo magic. Honestly, for 98% of humanity, a pair of these 8" Yamaha monitors, teamed with a Bluetooth streaming source—and of course a streaming service like Tidal/Spotify/Apple—is all you will ever need. For streaming, I'm using the Emotiva BTR-1 Virtual Copper™️ Bluetooth System ($80). So the entire system is the monitors, the BTR-1, two RCA cables with TRS adapters, and of course phone, iPad, etc. No CD player, no turntable, no power amp and pre-amp. Nothing more. It just sounds great. Yes, it isn't cheap. At current prices, the Yamahas + the BTR-1 will cost you $1,000. But you are now done. You're in a paradise of music. Today I streamed Monteverdi's "Orfeo," Errol Garner's "Ready, Take One," and the latest from Doja Cat. It all sounds very fine, especially the Monteverdi. The clarity and accuracy and projection of classical music is excellent. I feel bad, because I own many, many thousands of $$$ of super-high-class audio gear. And I CAN tell the difference. But how often are we at that level of "critical listening" ... ? You are all set with this package. btw the word "flat" when describing studio-monitor sound typically means that the response curve is level over the entire frequency range: Low sounds are not boosted, nor are high: All frequencies are created equal. So in theory—and to my ears, in practice—this means reproduced music sounds closer to live music. I live in Manhattan USA, am often in Carnegie Hall and at the Metropolitan Opera. I'd have to say: These Yamaha 8” monitors really do deliver accurate, true-to-life sound. Again: $1,000 for very fine audio is a lot. But you will need nothing more. The entire world, and the entire history, of music is at your fingertips.Not much of a studio head, just got these to blast Rage Against the Machine on my front porch while I trip and head bang violently. The sound while maxed out, is clear as day and I get no reverb or static. All this said and as happy as I am with the quality. I can’t help but feel like I’m paying extra just cause it has the Yamaha brand to it’s name.Ported has a bit of a boom. You have to watch and control for that. These are fine. You need 8" to get any base. Or get smaller and have a sub. Even in a small room these are fine.Not they are not well shielded. I get a buzz from computer wires even when the speaker is off. I do not get that noise on my cheaper JBL LSR305s.they have a pretty 3D sound after a few weeks using them I can say that I mix with them they are awesome I recommend this pair ;)It compliments my hs5’s now I can mix without difference between my listening devices when I bounce the files.THESE. ARE. SO. RAD. ( I got the HS7's FYI ).I reference any other speakers off of the pair of Bowers and WIlkins 684 floorstanders that I have. Keep in mind that these cost half the price of those and I am just as impressed, all things considered. While these don't produce as "big" of a sound and can't pump out as much volume due their much smaller size, they sound just as pristine to my ears. Now, don't get me wrong, these can fill a bedroom sized room with plenty of sound to satisfy a reasonable listener. Especially if they are placed within a few feet of your ears as I believe they are intended to be placed. That is where they sound best. I have mine about 3 feet from each ear and it is good.When I first fired these up they sounded a little bright or maybe even harsh on higher treble end. Either I got used to that or they broke in nicely, because they sound just right now after about a hundred hours of use at low to medium volume.At lower volume they tend to lack a little bottom end, and at very high volume the clarity suffers and things start getting a little distorted and muddy. At medium to medium-high volume is where these really shine. If you're using these as studio monitors as they are intended to be used, this volume range is where you'd want to be listening anyways, for various reasons. For one, you don't want to listen at loud volumes for long periods because it will fatigue your ears to the point that listening is longer pleasurable and probably not as objective as is necessary. Also you can damage your ears. You only get one set of ears. Once they're messed up, that's it. I already have some ringing in my ears from my younger days and wish I could go back and do those rock concerts over with ear plugs. Another reason is that if you mix with your speakers at high volume, it won't translate well to anyone who ever listens to what you're mixing at lower volumes. So if your sounds are ever going to be played anywhere besides a dance club, this is a legit reason. So that's that. Right there in the middle of the volume range these puppies are capable of very nice sounding audio.I've heard other people wonder about these as an option general music listening speakers, like you would with a good set of hifi speakers. On top of using them as studio monitors, I use them for this purpose too. I like listening to all of the music I listen to on them. If you aren't the kind of person that feels like Beats by Dre are the greatest sounding audio experience ever on the face of all of the universe, I'd bet you'll enjoy these. These will not blast your eardrums will ungodly amounts of bass and treble very loudly like Beats do. They will, however, show you a crystal clear image of what your music really sounds like. And if it' good music, it'll probably sound very good on these.Also, on top of of all this, they look great, and the finish on the exterior is pretty durable too. I dropped a hammer or something rather on top of one of them and it didn't even leave a mark.TLDR; I love them and highly recommend them is what this all boils down to If you can fit these in you budget, do it. Really one of the more satisfying purchases I've made. There may be better out there, but not at this price. //end rant.If you are mixing or mastering and have the Yamaha HS8’s, this subwoofer is a must have! I just had the HS8’s and my mixes were either light on sub bass frequencies or heavy handed. I just couldn’t hear the low frequencies. There’s no OMG moment that will blast you from your seat, but this sub will fill in what you’re not hearing in the low end. For accurate mixes, these are required with the HS8’s.If you want great sound from your music, get these. After going through several speaker brands and designs, these hit the mark. There are more expensive speakers out there and I am sure better ones. Each speaker has its own amplifier, its own power switch, and make sure you have the right setup for getting a signal to each speaker. There are no RCA inputs. These are designed for recording studios but I use them to enjoy listening to music.Your initial impression will be "why do these sound normal? There's nothing special about these speakers... They are so expensive".. But just hold on and keep listening...as you go through your music you start noticing details that hadn't noticed before... The tracks will show every defect they have. The vocals will be crystal clear. I have monitoring headphones (ATH M50x) and these speakers are on par with the headphones when it comes to mid range and treble. However the bass is subdued (which is a good thing). If you want thump in your music you need sub woofer. These are not for you. If you want to do casual listening, these are not for you.However if you mix tracks and know exactly what you are listening to and want to modify your tracks...these are the speakers for you.Connectivity:Each speaker unit has its own power so you'll need 2 extra wall outlets. You'll need external soundcard or audio interface (for example Focusrite Scarlett 2i2). You'll need 2 TRS to TRS cables (one for each channel) or 2 TRS to XLR cables for connecting speakers to the audio interface.You'll laptop/desktop internal sound card and the 3.5mm jack won't power these speakers.In addition you'd probably need isolation pads and might want to sound proof your studio for best results.If all this sounds like too much work, you probably don't need these speakers.Sound quality:In terms of sound quality, these are a tad better in showing the mid range and treble frequencies than ATH M50x. However M50x has brilliant tight bass. And such bass can only be achieved by sub woofers (Yamaha HS8S)Update after one month:After the break-in period the cones become more sensitive and the boomy sound has gone. With a little sound proofing these sounds amazing. With these speakers, placement and room acoustics are very important. Just buying the speakers and expecting wonders is incorrect. After experimenting with DB gain and trim found out the perfect setting for my room.The stereo separation and perfect. The instrument separation of brilliant and flat... If something if recorded, after the recording is done while mixing and mastering you'll get perfect output on how much compression and equing is required with each frequency band. This is critical so that the mix sounds good everywhere. Even the slightest equing must show through so the the perfect amount can be dialed in.. And these monitors do a perfect job at that..Highly recommended for mixing tracks.. (for casual listening-do not buy these monitors you'll be disappointed in bass frequencies)Note: if bass frequencies are to be monitored accurately.,then investing in HS8S is a good idea. Or a pair of headphones (ATH M50X) would do just fine for the bass frequencies.Update After 2 months: Comparing them with my new Sennheiser HD 598 SE, I find these much more true to the original source. These speakers do not color the sound with any amplification which is an engineering feat considering that I'm comparing speakers with headphones where controlling the acoustics of speakers is far more difficult. I could have got a pair of HD650 or AKG K702 (as they are touted to be flat), but monitoring on speakers is much more natural and feels much better.One important point to consider, Room acoustics play a very important role in how your speakers sound. Also these speakers are very very directional, Unless you're not sitting right in the middle of the sweet spot (forming an equilateral triangle with the 2 speakers at the two vertices and your head at the third), you'll not get the best sound. The treble frequencies get muffled out if you're not sitting in the sweet spot. You also need to switch off your fans, coolers and ACs to completely immerse yourself in clean, pristine audio.These are a brilliant set of honest monitors. I highly recommend for any sound designers or professional music producers.This is a highly rated monitor and have heard and read many good things about it. I purchased it to mix my songs which I have programmed at home.I loved the sound and the bass coming out from the monitor. But ironically, later on, when I listened to the mixes in consumer grade speakers, the mixes were lacking in how I had imagined. This is certainly due to my inexperience and the fact that the room in which I used them is a very small one with absolutely no acoustic treatment. On the other hand, I recently purchased a small mono speaker from the street at Rs. 250 and the mixes I am doing on it are holding up better. So bottomline is, simply having the best professional quality product out their is not going to do anything unless you are really trained and experienced enough to use them in the right manner. I hope I will be able to get the right things out of this awesome monitor in future once I have the right homestudio setup.Diese Lautsprecher sind nicht sonderlich für mp3-Player oder iPhones geeignet. Es sind Nahfeld-Studiomonitore, die dazu gedacht sind in Tonstudios Fehler im Mix aufzudecken. Daher klingen sie auch nicht "schön" sondern neutral. Auch sind sie relativ schwer, brauchen Netzstrom, haben XLR-Anschlüsse und sind für ca. 1,5 m Hörabstand im gleichseitigen Dreieck (also für eine Person) ausgelegt. Natürlich haben sie auch kein Bluetooth. Wer also Partylautsprecher oder gar Boxen für das Freibad sucht könnte mit den HS5 nicht falscher liegen ...Sounds perfect ?! Delivered as expected. Nice customer service and quick response.Many thanks
