Yamaha HS8 Studio Monitor Review

[Thomas_A]

Thanks for the test Amir.

View attachment 528434
Now that everyone has access to 3D printers and manufacturers of course really good ones, would it be so difficult to design ports that minimize port resonances? Curved slot ports for example.

It can't possibly that expensive to customize such ports and mass produce them, or?

Just a note; I interpret peaks coming from the nearfield sweep as pipe port resonances and the high distortion 200-500 Hz from the port at high SPL as cabinet problems.

 

[Waxx]

The cabinet leaks at the back at the plate amp. It's not sealed like it should (at least those i saw). That could be the origin maybe (i'm not an expert). I noticed it when i was messing with it while they were playing at rather high volume.

 

[SunByrne]

I get to convert one of the kids' bedrooms to a studio since he's graduating college and moving to Japan. Can't break the bank to start, and so "best bang for the buck" studio monitors is a priority for me. Right now, planning on Kali LP-6s. These Yamahas measure OK but not better than the LP-6, and certainly not $300/pair better.

 

[staticV3]

FWIW, I have owned the original Adam A7 speakers for about 15 years. They still sound great and obviously very reliable.

By chance my son is building a home studio and recently replaced the Yamaha HS8 with the Adam A7X and loves them. He is embarking on a career as a music producer and bought them after visiting the studio of a golfing mate of mine, Nick Didia, who records with the A7Xs.

Nick won a Grammy in 2001 for his work on Springsteen’s “The Rising”. Among the long list of successful artists to benefit from his expertise are Rage Against The Machine, Pearl Jam and Stone Temple Pilots.

ADAM Audio - Grammy-winning Producer And Engineer Nick DiDia

When producer Nick DiDia relocated from LA to Australia in 2010, he was already one of the world’s leading producers of rock and alternative rock.

www.adam-audio.com

If they are good enough for the professionals .........

I think you're mistaking correlation with causation.

Great artwork does not certify the quality of the tools used in its creation.

E.g. many professional sound engineers swear by some nasty snake oil or objectively poor gear, because strong faith in their hearing ironically makes them especially vulnerable to cognitive bias.

 

[Ajax]

A couple of weird replies to my post from @CB89 and @staticV3

A professional music producer with a great track record currently uses the A7X in his studio ..... end of story.

My son who is a talented musician (my bias for sure) had the Yamaha HS8 in his studio and swapped them out for the A7X and prefers them.

No biggie just some information that may or may not be of benefit to @jmtabernero in response to his request below, I don't have measurements but I'm able to give positive subjective opinions from 3 different people, a musician, a music producer and myself, an experienced audiophile who had the predator to the A7X model and really likes them, but certainly not an expert in sound reproduction as are the others.

Adam speakers have a wonderful track record and were used by George Martin and his son to produce the Beatles "Love" album.

I was thinking about swapping them for a the ADAM A7X that second hand you can buy them for €450. Is it worth the change?
I see the A5X model has been tested, anyone knows where to find measurements for the A7X model?

Even their less expensive "V" series measure very well as per Amir's review below. With a little EQ he also loved them.

Adam T5V Review (Studio Monitor)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Adam T5V Powered Speaker. It was kindly purchased new by a member and drop shipped to me. The T5V costs US $200 each. Much like the rest of Adam speakers, the T5V has a serious look to it: Back panel shows good connectivity and usual...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[amirm]

A professional music producer with a great track record currently uses the A7X in his studio ..... end of story.

What story? How come all the producers with the same track record don't use the same gear?

It is a simple appeal to authority to think that anyone who produces music must know the truth about audio fidelity. We rely on evidence in this forum, not anecdotes.

 

[Waxx]

One of my favorite producers ever, Lee Perry, used Altec 612 as monitors in his legendaric "Black Ark" studio, way to high near the ceiling mounted above his mixer in a way to small room. And he made many classic recordings there... It does tell nothing about it's hifi qualities, some can even mix on a pair of airpods, but it does not mean they are high fidelity. It means the mixer can work arround it's disadvantages.

 

[Ajax]

What story? How come all the producers with the same track record don't use the same gear?

It is a simple appeal to authority to think that anyone who produces music must know the truth about audio fidelity. We rely on evidence in this forum, not anecdotes.

Hi Amir,

This is getting very strange for me.

Here is the post I was responding to:

"I was thinking about swapping them for the ADAM A7X second hand that you can buy for €450. Is it worth the change?"

My "end of story" comment was in regard to my simple statement that a highly regarded music producer is using the A7X speakers. That's it, not "end of story" in the sense that because a music producer uses them they are therefore right for you and the best on the market and you must buy them. I was simply making a statement that supported my own and my son's experience with the Adam A7X speakers, which we both like a lot.

"Is it worth the change" - I don't know how you can possibly answer that question without having first hand knowledge of the speakers he has presently (which I don't) and his room dynamics etc etc.

Most of us here don't have the benefit of measuring devices so if someone asks such a question the best we can do with the aim of being of some help is give them the benefit of our own experience and what we think to be correct, all of which is obviously very subjective.

IMO this is one of the problems with on-line forums, in that what we say is often misinterpreted. Body language and inflection is lost.

 

[DanielT]

Just a note; I interpret peaks coming from the nearfield sweep as pipe port resonances and the high distortion 200-500 Hz from the port at high SPL as cabinet problems.

Sounds reasonable.

The cabinet leaks at the back at the plate amp. It's not sealed like it should (at least those i saw). That could be the origin maybe (i'm not an expert). I noticed it when i was messing with it while they were playing at rather high volume.

Could also be an explanation. By the way, speaking of leaks, if I push my sub really hard it leaks at the thin plastic box where the volume and crossover controls are mounted:


You can clearly feel it if you place your hand over that box. So leaks are definitely something that can exist.I'm thinking about sealing it better.

 

[G|force]

What story? How come all the producers with the same track record don't use the same gear?

It is a simple appeal to authority to think that anyone who produces music must know the truth about audio fidelity. We rely on evidence in this forum, not anecdotes.

I like anecdotes and analogies when they are useful, or based around some facts.
Here's one: There is plenty of horrid, unlistenable music made on premium, world class gear.
And some of it wins awards.

 

[puffreis]

The Adam has worse directivity control, the JBL has worse distortion, and the Kali has worse frequency response with many high-Q resonances.

Therefore I'd struggle to place the Yamaha in last.

The best of the ones mentioned is …................ the Behringer B2031 (unfortunately, its successor, the B2031A, isn't as good)

The weaknesses mentioned above are better mitigated in the Behringer.



One passive speaker that was actually very good was, for example, the JBL L20.

The drivers were definitely better than those in the LSR series and its successors.



Here are my experiences from back then:





http://www.hifi-forum.de/index.php?action=browseT&forum_id=30&thread=13717&postID=24925#24925



http://www.hifi-forum.de/index.php?action=browseT&forum_id=30&thread=13717&postID=31709#31709



http://www.hifi-forum.de/index.php?action=browseT&forum_id=30&thread=13717&postID=32019#32019



http://www.hifi-forum.de/index.php?action=browseT&forum_id=30&thread=13717&postID=32522#32522



http://www.hifi-forum.de/index.php?action=browseT&forum_id=30&thread=13717&postID=32954#32954

 

[staticV3]

The best of the ones mentioned is …................ the Behringer B2031

Do we have a a comprehensive test of the B2031 including directivity, like we have of the others from Erin and Amir?

 

[dasdoing]

damn. I have the first gen KRK Rokit 8 that people used to bash in the days: "if you want a real monitor buy a HS8", but I am pretty sure it doesn't distort like that at 96dB. Nowadays, I use it at parties in the courtyard, and it does well at high volumes.

 

[DatSpeakerTho]

Well the distortion sure as hell explains why I found these to be incredibly harsh. Wow.

When I owned them, I always felt something was just off about them. Guess it could be that.

 

[jonas n]

What story? How come all the producers with the same track record don't use the same gear?

It is a simple appeal to authority to think that anyone who produces music must know the truth about audio fidelity. We rely on evidence in this forum, not anecdotes.

That's the thing, right? Being a "hobby" music producer for more than two decades I've met and worked with both amateur and pro mixing engineers with great skills, finishing off great sounding records. But most of them SWEAR by different speaker setups, the most skilled one used an old jvc boombox for 80% of the mixing session ("I won't be able to mix without these!"). This interests me more and more - how the h-ll do we listen to music when we make it, not just "consuming" it?

I love this site because it gives hints on how my own ears work. I have the HS8's and when working with them my mixes seem to translate quite good to other systems. My right ear has deficient treble hearing and the HS8's treble might compensate for that, who knows. Aside that, regarding appeal to authority, I've never met a professional appeal to either their own or others authority - always just saying: nah, I dunno what speakers are the best for all, use what works for you and makes the clients happy.

 

[Tisca]

I had a pair for a decade. I swapped/upgraded because I they were losing highs. Drove me crazy since I wasn't sure if it was my hearing deteriorating or the speakers. If you're buying a pair, buy brand new-ish 2nd hand.

 

[ttsukamoto]

I much appreciate the measurement of the Yamaha HS8. Unfortunately, it is equipped with class D amplifiers. I prefer Focal Shapes for reasons, including amplifiers.

https://www.zikinf.com/manuels/yamaha-hs8i-fiche-technique-en-62678.pdf

 

[Rick63]

I much appreciate the measurement of the Yamaha HS8. Unfortunately, it is equipped with class D amplifiers. I prefer Focal Shapes for reasons, including amplifiers.

https://www.zikinf.com/manuels/yamaha-hs8i-fiche-technique-en-62678.pdf

The HS8 has class A/B amplifiers inside.

 

[Tito]

Hi Amir,

This is getting very strange for me.

Here is the post I was responding to:

"I was thinking about swapping them for the ADAM A7X second hand that you can buy for €450. Is it worth the change?"

My "end of story" comment was in regard to my simple statement that a highly regarded music producer is using the A7X speakers. That's it, not "end of story" in the sense that because a music producer uses them they are therefore right for you and the best on the market and you must buy them. I was simply making a statement that supported my own and my son's experience with the Adam A7X speakers, which we both like a lot.

"Is it worth the change" - I don't know how you can possibly answer that question without having first hand knowledge of the speakers he has presently (which I don't) and his room dynamics etc etc.

Most of us here don't have the benefit of measuring devices so if someone asks such a question the best we can do with the aim of being of some help is give them the benefit of our own experience and what we think to be correct, all of which is obviously very subjective.

IMO this is one of the problems with on-line forums, in that what we say is often misinterpreted. Body language and inflection is lost.

yo, i think plenty people here will agree that great music was produced on krk rokits, adam t7v or jbl308 or yes, even hs7. i think that even best album of all time can be produced on these.

there is probably someone out there pruducing fantastic music on saltnotes zero 2 worth 18 euros. which is fantastic equipment and most people here will agree.

i have heard great music produced on ath-m50x.

but unfortunately .. most engineers, people who mix and and especialy mastering engineers need much higher quality equipment than hs8. to do their job


songwriting/composing can cost even less than production.. i believe that the least cost would be, i presume from a person who can write music and lyrics from his/her head straight to paper.

now thats a bang for buck....

 

[Tisca]

yo, i think plenty people here will agree that great music was produced on krk rokits, adam t7v or jbl308 or yes, even hs7. i think that even best album of all time can be produced on these.

there is probably someone out there pruducing fantastic music on saltnotes zero 2 worth 18 euros. which is fantastic equipment and most people here will agree.

i have heard great music produced on ath-m50x.

but unfortunately .. most engineers, people who mix and and especialy mastering engineers need much higher quality equipment than hs8. to do their job


songwriting/composing can cost even less than production.. i believe that the least cost would be, i presume from a person who can write music and lyrics from his/her head straight to paper.

now thats a bang for buck....

Production =/= mixing or mastering. For production you only need to hear the sounds you're making so anything goes.