Yamaha HS5 Powered Monitor Review

[b1daly]

I have posted a link to its on axis measurement on my previous post, except the mid peak it is otherwise similar to other 2-way loudspeakers of that time with non smooth directivity due to the lack of waveguides at the tweeter.

The problem with some accentuated regions is that you hear more details in that region but at the expense of details in other regions will be drawn more to background, similar to a magnifying glass which lets you lose the overview.

Most people I know including myself don't like the NS-10 voicing at all, it only sounds impressive at some instruments at that region like guitars but the rest sounds coloured.

Oh yeah, thanks! That plot looks about what I would expect.

I also agree most people don't care for NS-10 to much for listening. I have a slight bias towards mid-range, just my taste. I find a lot two-way speakers don't really get the midrange right, probably because of the challenges of crossing over there.

Edit: I think the mid-range focus also accounts for it's popularity for recording engineers, in that it makes it easier to work, subjectively, because of the "magnifier" effect in the mid-range. That region communicates the most information for most instruments, especially timing information.

 

[617]

It is coming for heaven's sake. I still have to review a bunch of electronics between these speaker measurements. And did I say it is darn cold in the garage? I think I did.

iLoud MTM for really small, the slightly larger MTM version even has ARC correction (better than the Neumann KH80 which requires an iPad, no desktop or Android/iPhone app).

I've always wondered why there aren't more MTM desktop monitors, seems like an obvious way to decrease desk reflections. Have you heard these?

 

[Juhazi]

I've always wondered why there aren't more MTM desktop monitors, seems like an obvious way to decrease desk reflections. Have you heard these?

Actually, small MTM monitors are too small to get substantial benefit from increased vertical directivity regarding table/desk reflections.
http://www.tolvan.com/index.php?page=/edge/edge.php

Edit: and I mostly see them positioned horizontally!

 

[majingotan]

Should I return the HS5 to guitar center and get the HS7 to test? Or do we already know what that one does?

Definitely! I have that speakers BTW. I wouldn't worry much about the reflections as I literally listen to it 2 feet away from tweeters as my computer speakers. I don't know how much the HS8S helps alleviating the woofer from the distortion plots at 40-80 Hz, but HS8S has a high pass filter to not send those subbass frequencies to HS7. Would be interesting to know how this fares against the HS5 which I also find thin sounding compared to the fuller sounding HS7 when both are listened 2 feet away from tweeters.

 

[tktran303]

There’s data. And then there’s interpretation of the data.

The HD distortion plot of is “standard plot”.
That’s why H2 ends at 10Khz and H3 ends at 6.66Khz (20Khz/3)

One way to confirm is to plot all the higher harmonics eg. H4-H7 etc. and see where they end.

Example:

 

[restorer-john]

I find a lot two-way speakers don't really get the midrange right, probably because of the challenges of crossing over there.

My theory is less about crossover challenges and more about attempting to make the speaker appear to have more bass by pulling back the mids. Plenty of speakers deliberately pull back the midband (and are prepared to take the efficiency hit that comes with that) to give a warmer sound.

And I totally agree, there's a few generations of audiophiles that haven't heard decent midrange so they don't know what they're missing.

 

[617]

Actually, small MTM monitors are too small to get substantial benefit from increased vertical directivity regarding table/desk reflections.
http://www.tolvan.com/index.php?page=/edge/edge.php

One possible solution to excessive vertical directivity on the desktop.

 

[b1daly]

My theory is less about crossover challenges and more about attempting to make the speaker appear to have more bass by pulling back the mids. Plenty of speakers deliberately pull back the midband (and are prepared to take the efficiency hit that comes with that) to give a warmer sound.

And I totally agree, there's a few generations of audiophiles that haven't heard decent midrange so they don't know what they're missing.

Your comment led me to thinking the entry level B&W bookshelves.

I’ve owned some vintage units, DM-12 and 100i.

While these speakers had “issues” for the most part I thought they were fine speakers. They were fun to listen to, with excellent mid-range.

Since then I’ve on occasion come across similar models in there more recent vintages, I think DM-601 and the like. I didn’t have a much time to listen but what I’ve heard was very off-putting.

Kind “sizzly” highs, and much lower bass due to advances in ported designs, but “vague” sounding mid-range. I was really surprised, this seemed inexplicable. They aren’t super level speakers, but still not budget priced by any means.

Like with many things in audio I wasn’t totally sure if my impressions were accurate, but I totally ruled them out in my own search for entertainment.

 

[Biblob]

View attachment 46691
One possible solution to excessive vertical directivity on the desktop.

This a lovely practical design for a CBT!
Do you have more info on something like this?

 

[617]

This a lovely practical design for a CBT!
Do you have more info on something like this?

I think this is a one-off by Rick Craig of Selah audio.

 

[617]

It is coming for heaven's sake. I still have to review a bunch of electronics between these speaker measurements. And did I say it is darn cold in the garage? I think I did.

Amir feel free to take a lunch break at some point.

 

[headshake]

Some celebrity/grammy news related to these speakers:

"FINNEAS, Billie used a pair of $200 Yamaha HS5 nearfield monitors with an H8S subwoofer ($450), a Universal Audio Apollo 8 interface and Apple's Logic Pro X."

https://www.engadget.com/2020/01/28/the-morning-after-how-billie-eilish-made-that-grammy-winning-al/

They did send recordings to a pro mixer so there is that.

 

[617]

Some celebrity/grammy news related to these speakers:

"FINNEAS, Billie used a pair of $200 Yamaha HS5 nearfield monitors with an H8S subwoofer ($450), a Universal Audio Apollo 8 interface and Apple's Logic Pro X."

https://www.engadget.com/2020/01/28/the-morning-after-how-billie-eilish-made-that-grammy-winning-al/

They did send recordings to a pro mixer so there is that.

Pretty cool how democratized recording equipment has gotten. I'd imagine she had some MIDI controllers as well. Inspiring, really.

 

[majingotan]

Some celebrity/grammy news related to these speakers:

"FINNEAS, Billie used a pair of $200 Yamaha HS5 nearfield monitors with an H8S subwoofer ($450), a Universal Audio Apollo 8 interface and Apple's Logic Pro X."

https://www.engadget.com/2020/01/28/the-morning-after-how-billie-eilish-made-that-grammy-winning-al/

They did send recordings to a pro mixer so there is that.

Now I know why her album sounds glorious on my HS7+HS8S speakers

 

[maty]

http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list/year?artist=Billie+Eilish . Only Live recordings is

Updated with the image

To listen to that recording quality we do not need to spend too much money on the stereo!

BTW, just now I just heard it for the first time thanks to YouTube. I am disconnected from current commercial music.

 

[abstracks]

They did send recordings to a pro mixer so there is that.

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/inside-track-billie-eilish-bad-guy
Interestingly, the mix engineer uses the hs5 ancestor, the Yamaha NS10's which have the similar lifted midrange as the HS5 as mentioned previously by thewas_

 

[Deleted member 12179]

I wonder how a pair of Adam TV5 monitors sound compared to these. I would sell my hs7 for a pair of 5" adam's + a sub.

 

[musictracer]

Hey everyone!
I'd just like to mention that Billie Eilish's songs (at least the later ones) are mixed by Kinelski , not Finneas who only does the production/composition . It is true though that Finneas uses a pair of hs5 along with an hs8S sub, which lately he upgraded to a pair of hs8.

Now, I would like to ask a question regarding my own pair of hs5 that I use for mixing. These are indeed speakers that I love working with, quite revealing and transparent, especially in the mid range. But I always had to make second thoughts about the area above 1 kHz and especially around 2.5 kHz. This is something more or less to be expected since they indeed show a dip around this area. But today I was comparing the graphs of this great detailed review by Amir who we all thank for, with my in-room measurements and found that there is a massive difference that, at least to my experience, cannot be justified only by the room interference. In the photo you can see the response I measured in my room.

As you can see there is a huge dip (surpassing 10db) around the area I am speaking of . Could that be justified the room interference? I mean it's in the area where no room mode can occur. Also my 2.1 creative desktop pc speakers don't seem to have any kind of such unbalance in this area.
Could someone help me figure out whether this is normal or not?

 

[Juhazi]

Is this one speaker or two?

If two it is just interference of different distance to the mic.

If one, the dip around 2,5kHz matches vertical off-axis response of something like 30-40deg

 

[musictracer]

Is this one speaker or two?

If two it is just interference of different distance to the mic.

If one, the dip around 2,5kHz matches vertical off-axis response of something like 30-40deg

I was just looking at this vertical off axis response just before you post. Well it got me thinking indeed. My measurement was taken at the sweet spot which is roughly 1.25 m, or maybe 1.35m away from each speaker. It's a measurement I took before attempting to treat my room, which is still in the process. Thus it is unlikely it was 30-40 deg off vertical axis. Possibly 10deg , but no more than that. In the photos below you can see the room.

But it must be a matter of the room interference I suppose. Below you can see a measurement of one speaker itself I'd taken around 0.3m away from cone-tweeter midpoint. It looks a lot better in the area we are talking about! Yes, I think it looks fine more or less.

But I am just wondering. Could it just be the ceiling reflection that caused such imbalance in the previous response? I mean could it be diminished when I place the cloud absorber?