Even with the emergence of more brands in the studio monitors industry, Yamaha shines above most of these brands, promising an excellent experience to all music fanatics. The Yamaha HS series is your sure go-to for the exquisite sound experience you wish to enjoy. The series offers various performances depending on the model and features its user wishes. Design to lessen unwanted reverberation, the series models can fulfill the users’ musical wants. A comprehensive look at HS5, HS7, and HS8 will help you make a conclusive choice, as done below.
The Yamaha HS5 is a small monitor housing even the smallest of rooms. Its Room Control Filters provide 2 or 4 Db of minimal-sloping cut below 500 Hz when activated. It is ideal for all mixture and mastery activities in a recording studio. It gives superb sound reproduction across a spectrum range, whereas the Yamaha HS7 offers a high quality sound. As a user, you do not need to add a subwoofer to their setup as the mids are clear with flowing tones. They are pretty affordable, making them a better choice for analytical listening. The model has a balance of frequencies suitable for studio monitoring. The Yamaha HS8 is designed for large studios owing to the design of a more profound and vigorous bass. They are enormous speakers and require sturdy shelves that can handle such weight. It has a bi-amp design for both the woofer and tweeter, thus producing a smooth flat sound.
Yamaha HS5
As the smallest speaker in the Yamaha HS series, the model promises quality sound despite having a smaller-sized monitor. It is suitable for both professionals and beginners in sound and music-related affairs. Its affordability makes it pro-choice for users with the intent of delivering a balanced sound system.
Design of the Soundbars
The model is made from a sturdy and compact MDF board thick enough to minimize unwanted vibrations. The Yamaha HS5 is a five-inch woofer studio monitor with a one-inch dome tweeter, ideal for small to medium-sized spaces. It has a bi-amp design; hence there’s one amp for the tweeter and another for the woofer for most distinct sound hearing.
Available in white and black monitors, Yamaha has abided by their known design, making the speakers look glossy and filtered for any studio. The installation model as an option for fixing allows for wall mounting with dedicated mounting points and screws present, ensuring a clean workspace. The speaker has a manual on fixing the system in your workspace.
Set up of the Soundbars
The studio monitor will work best over five feet away from a partition to offer the best sound response. The system has a tuning option of adjusting the Room Control for the lower end and a High Trim option for the upper back, enabling the user to activate the proper response that best suits their studio for the intended acoustic environment. The system has a manual on fixing the system into your workspace hence easier input. A continuous variable level control is provided to suit the user’s needs.
Connections
The Yamaha HS5 monitor offers two connection options: a balanced TRS input and XLR input. The system does not come with cables included above hence an extra cost to the user. It also has a flat and unbalanced 1/4 Phone Connector; thus, a 3.5mm stereo to two RCA mono connectors and an RCA Phone adapter may also work. A good USB DAC can be used for the computer.
Sound Quality
The mids and highs have a crystal clear sound with a crispy touch, neutrality, and flat response. This feature is ideal for users who wish to mix and master their creations. The sound system is, however, not colored. It supports a frequency range between 54Hz and 30 Hz covering both the high end and low. The bi-amp design aids in clear sound delivery ideal for music producers.
The monitor is perfect for surround sound mixing with a 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound system.
Pros
- Bi-amp design
- Room Control and High Trim Controls for adjustment
- Phone jack inputs are available
- Accepts both balanced and unbalanced signals
- Small footprint
Cons
- Understated sibilance
- failure of XLR connection to latch
- small size
Yamaha HS7
Despite the name Yamaha HS7, which may mislead to believe the woofer is a seven-inch one, this model is a 6.5 inches design striking a perfect balance between the HS5 and the HS8 one. The cabinet is a bi-amp design with 65W for the low filter and 30W for the high filter. The model is rear-ported and has shelves that enable him to get the bass just right. The cabinet is made of medium-density fiberboard. The speaker is 8.2 kg.
Design of Yamaha HS7
The model is 6.5 inches long and has one dome tweeter. The cabinets have a 210 x 332 x 284mm design with jointed corners. The weight is 8.2kg per model. It can be placed near a wall even with the rear-porting feature as the ports may be blocked out, ruining the bass response. The model has finned heat sinks on the rear port for proper cooling. The speaker has a black-colored plastic foil giving the cabinets an excellent dashing finish. The mounting system is similar to HS5 one. The magnets are selected to offer an exceptional low-end response and sonic capability.
Yamaha HS7 Set-Up
It has a room control that enables the user to adjust the low-end frequency output to suit the user’s space. This feature may be handy for users who find a place closer to a wall to adjust to cut any boominess from the partition refraction. Trim knobs control higher frequencies. You will need the switch flick to move from one option to another. The Yamaha HS7 tuning options are precise and accurate.
Yamaha HS7 Connections
The user can choose between two inputs: the 1/4 inch TRS option with an XLR connection. This system, however, lacks the RCA option. Other than that, its connection is similar to the Yamaha HS5 model.
Yamaha HS7 Sound Quality
The sound system has impressive features, including a frequency range of between 43Hz – 30 kHz. The low end doesn’t allow anything beyond 20kHz hence anything above this value is inaudible to the average listener. The extra high-frequency response helps deliver clean and crisp highs without distortion.
Pros
- Impressive sounds, especially the low-end frequencies
- Highs are smooth and reproduced without much harshness
- Powered monitors
- Bi-amp configuration
- Smaller cab size
- Super-low distortion
Cons
- Limited range
- Inflated midrange
Yamaha HS8
The model is quite weighty, with a mass of 10.2 kg. It is an 8-inch cone woofer with a one-inch dome tweeter offering a friendly and refining smooth response across all frequencies ranging between 38Hz- 30kHz. Yamaha HS8 has a bi-amp design powered studio monitor and a power consumption range of up to 60W per amplifier. It has an MDF design, giving it a smooth flat sound.
Design of Yamaha HS8
The model has a sleek design that makes it look costly. It has 60W bass-reflex material radiators located at the rear control. The 60W is spread around the speaker hence the room full of sound. It has a 250 x 390 x 334 mm design to hold its weight efficiently. It is designed mainly for a large studio monitor; hence, it may be overbearing in a smaller space. Although the woofer cone is white, the rest of the box is black, blending professionalism and aesthetic features perfectly.
Yamaha Setup
The model offers a great selection of tuning options, hence the speaker’s best in unleashed. The speakers can be challenging to place as a specific spot is needed for maximum efficiency. The possibilities for output adjustment make it easier for efficiency. The Room Control and High Trim allow the user to adjust both low and high frequencies to obtain the perfect balance of sounds. Alteration of Room Control prevents any unwanted build-up in the low end.
Yamaha HS8 Connections
Both TRS and XLR connection options are available, allowing both balanced and unbalanced signals to be connected to the speakers. This feature is critical as the studio grows; hence the user can connect to the devices accordingly.
Yamaha HS8 Sound Quality
The sound quality of the model results from how you balance it. Suitable for large studio monitors, it has an increased bass output hence does not need a subwoofer, unlike smaller monitors. It has a more volume output, therefore, increased vibration. Due to the larger cone size, it has a deeper and more punchy bass. It has a bi-amp feature which combines to give 120W hence a more robust system. The 38 Hz to 30kHz gives the most accurate sound produced.
Pros
- Reproduction of every detail
- two-way bass reflex system
- MDF enclosure
- Bi-Amp feature
- Room Control
Cons
- Mid-range can get affected due to heavy emphasis on bass
- Unsuitable for smaller rooms
Yamaha HS5 Vs. HS7 Vs. HS8
The connection features allow for the two connection inputs; however, the HS7 and HS8 lack the RCA feature present in the HS5 model. They have ports that will enable you to connect the various devices.
However, HS8 has a more efficient bass reflex system so effective that the model does not require a subwoofer, unlike the other two owing to their smaller size. HS8 produces far better bass than the other models hence better in large studio monitors.
HS5 has an output power of 70W, HS7 has 95W, while HS8 has 120W; hence the latter requires no subwoofer. In terms of sound production, HS7 has a balanced sound that equally gets spread to the subwoofers, unlike HS5. The reverberation is diffused across the room in great measure in all the speakers, with HS8 outshining the others.
The Verdict
Comparing the three models brings out so many unique features. If you want a bigger sound, you better go for Yamaha HS8. If you’re going to go for elements, HS7 and HS8 have outstanding and more advanced features than HS5. For studio services for beginners, you can do better with HS5 than the other models.
HS8 will be the better option in terms of the quality of sound produced; however, HS7 works well in any room, unlike the other models requiring smaller or larger spaces.
