Looking for a new PC/Office speaker (HS7, T7V, etc).

[B-Flow]

First post here. Loving what I'm seeing the review format here!

I'm coming off of an old pair of Paradigm A2 powered speakers. They served me well but need to be replaced. I'm not recording/mixing or anything like that but I do consider myself an audiophile so am looking for neutral response, half decent low end (would be nice if it reached a little deeper than the A2s did), don't need a ton of output, and I don't want to spend a fortune.

The Yamaha HS7 is at the absolute limit of what I can spend. I love the look but Amir's review raises a couple of concerns. Bass energy seems low. Adding a sub is out of the question but I am in a small room and they will be close to the wall behind them (so that might work out in-room?). The on-axis humps at 800 and 12k seem like they might be issues, even for practical everyday listening. Is that a fair assessment?

While not specifically reviewed here (yet), I think we can extrapolate from the T6V and T8V reviews that the Adam Audio T7V should have similarly good performance all aground, and is a few bucks cheaper than the Yamaha. Granted the horizontal window is narrower on the Adam (I dont want to sit at my PC and feel like my head needs to be in a vice for good sound) but +/-50 deg may be a non issue at 24" lisenting distance (give or take)? I have to admit though, I dont care for the look. The plastic front seems cheap to me and I'm leary of such materials: the Paradigm's front baffle was made from some sort of vynil/plastic/rubber which broke down over time and became a sticky gummy mess (one of the reasons I got rid of them).

I'd be thrilled if I could find something at an even lower price point but I'm afraid a 5-incher will disappoint. Options like the JBL 306P MkII or Kali LP-6 seem good but if there is even a chance I will hear a notable hiss when no music is playing, that's a total show stopper for me.

Unfortunately where I live there is precious little opportunity to audition anything. Any thoughts would be very much appreciated.

 

[Katji]

I think the Yamaha HS7 the best bet. Unless someone comes up with something better in the same price range. Those Yamahas are nicely built, they look good, you like it. You don't want something right there on the desk if you don't like how they look. ...What does the review show of the bass response? 7" should be ok up close like that. ..........Ok, the review looks fine to me. Bass not freaking out, 50Hz is ok. EQ with Equalizer APO or something. Whatever media player you use.

 

[dangandres]

Might want to consider Kali IN-5. No hiss on that model, reviewed very well, has respectable low end extension.

 

[AnalogSteph]

Might want to consider Kali IN-5. No hiss on that model, reviewed very well, has respectable low end extension.

Way out of budget though.

the Paradigm's front baffle was made from some sort of vynil/plastic/rubber which broke down over time and became a sticky gummy mess (one of the reasons I got rid of them).

The dreaded "soft touch" plastics. Can be tackled with solvents (even isopropyl alcohol) and lots of elbow grease to get the sticky mess off. This issue is way more common than you may be aware of... older car interiors and buttons, classic Thinkpads and parts of some other laptops, PC mice, some radios, ... Apparently the stuff can degrade fairly quickly if the composition wasn't quite right. I've had my hands on a number of Dell Latitude E6520s and 6530s, some of which had sticky palmrests and others didn't.

 

[Katji]

and parts of some other laptops, PC mice,

ghhegh The sides of mice..Microsoft, that's why my microfiber cloth has a black corner. Choose between that or not cleaning the mouse. And the reason for cleaning it is that skin particles stick to that stuff.

 

[LightninBoy]

First post here. Loving what I'm seeing the review format here!

The Yamaha HS7 is at the absolute limit of what I can spend. I love the look but Amir's review raises a couple of concerns. Bass energy seems low. Adding a sub is out of the question but I am in a small room and they will be close to the wall behind them (so that might work out in-room?). The on-axis humps at 800 and 12k seem like they might be issues, even for practical everyday listening. Is that a fair assessment?

Yes. Those are real issues. I recommend you avoid the HS7 - it is not a neutral speaker.

While not specifically reviewed here (yet), I think we can extrapolate from the T6V and T8V reviews that the Adam Audio T7V should have similarly good performance all aground, and is a few bucks cheaper than the Yamaha. Granted the horizontal window is narrower on the Adam (I dont want to sit at my PC and feel like my head needs to be in a vice for good sound) but +/-50 deg may be a non issue at 24" lisenting distance (give or take)? I have to admit though, I dont care for the look. The plastic front seems cheap to me and I'm leary of such materials: the Paradigm's front baffle was made from some sort of vynil/plastic/rubber which broke down over time and became a sticky gummy mess (one of the reasons I got rid of them).

The Adam is a good option.

I'd be thrilled if I could find something at an even lower price point but I'm afraid a 5-incher will disappoint. Options like the JBL 306P MkII or Kali LP-6 seem good but if there is even a chance I will hear a notable hiss when no music is playing, that's a total show stopper for me.

Well, the JBL 306 Mkii or Kalis would be perfect if you could live with the hiss. They have excellent off axis control so you can move around without the sound changing drastically. The JBL 306mkii is what I have on my desk which I use for recording, casual listening and work. I keep them on all day during work and the hiss is a total non issue for me. Its barely audible at 2ft and I work at about 3ft away from the speakers. Maybe sometimes I can hear the hiss at 3ft if everything else in the room and house is dead quiet. So maybe it is worth trying one if you can buy online from someplace with easy returns.

 

[mononoaware]

I lament the HS series by Yamaha.
HS8 seems to measure better but I have heard reports of the cheaply designed cabinet contributing to audible distortion.

When is Yamaha going to release a higher end Studio Monitor with proper design know-how everyone knows they can achieve it.
MSP Series is on its way out and I have been waiting for Yamaha to announce a new product, preferably at higher price point than the MSP Series and seriously impressive.

 

[AudioKnob]

B-Flow, take a peek at Fluance: (active speakers)

https://www.fluance.com/powered-5-inch-stereo-bookshelf-speakers-white-walnut

I just acquired a pair of Ai41, which I find more realistic sounding compared to its larger counterpart the Ai61. (Less boomy)

These are not for critical listening but sound as if they are: Low-tight lows, and high-highs ... decent mid reproduction. Perfect speakers for background as you slave over a hot keyboard. Have multiple inputs; Bluetooth 5.0 works exceptionally well. I can't think of a better/ flexible speaker system to have in office at this price point: $250 includes shipping. Also available Amazon. Youtube has some decent reviews ... I continue to be impressed.

 

[B-Flow]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. Most valuable.

@mononoaware I too lament the HS series. Its so odd that Yamaha has cultivated such a good reputation for themselves in areas of musical instruments etc, yet are satisfied with their main monitor line so far off the mark that a large swath of the market regards them as a "bad". I'd hate to think they were so vain as to think that if they put crap in a box, as long as it had a white driver and their logo on it people would buy and assume its good (which I almost did).

@LightninBoy I reached out to Adam about the plastic used on the front baffle and they were quite clear that its a resilient ABS plastic (so shouldn't devolve into a gooey mess). Still don't love the look, but I am considering them strongly. The JBL 306s just "look" cheap to me with that glossy plastic. I would seriously consider the LP-6...but again... the hiss! Even Kali themselves admit its an issue in that they make a big deal out of the fact that the IN series does NOT have that characteristic. lol

@AudioKnob I've considered the Fluances, still am actually, but it just feels like such a huge step backwards to go to what is essentially passive speakers which happen to have an amp in one of them (passive, post-amp crossover etc).

@dangandres Thanks for the suggestion. I hadn't even looked at them but since you mentioned it I did...oh my goodness do they seem like the perfect little speaker. Remarkable low end output from such a small driver. Basically the same extension from a 5" as they get from the 6.5" in the LP. I inquired with Kali and they point out how the IN-5's woofer actually has more amp behind it than the IN-8's in order to get the increased throw required to match larger drivers (and from what I understand the IN-5 has the same electronics as the V2 IN-8 so it was sort of the first "second wave" model). Price though...oh my! Maybe if I could catch it on sale...

 

[B-Flow]

After careful consideration I've decided the Kali IN-5 is out of the question price wise.

I did go to the local Long & McQuaid hoping they had an LP-6 so I could hear how bad the hiss is (I'm a little confused by some people saying their sample has no hiss to speak of). They unfortunatly didnt have that one but while there I noticed another candidate I hadnt considered: the Rokit line. ASR's review of 5" model bodes well, though I'd opt for the 7" (which, again, L&M didnt have in stock). The LCD on the back seems a little gimmicky but I do like that they have an auto-off (which the Adam doesn't) and even let you dim or even turn off the front LED. I just dont know if I can live with that intense yellow motif: In addition to acoustic treatments, my room addresses video as well (Munsell grey walls, D6500 bias lighting etc). lol