Yamaha HS5 Studio Monitor - 1 for $245 Delivered / NSW C&C @ Musos Corner

490

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Lproxyau on 06/02/2024 - 17:44 musoscorner.com.au (1488 clicks)
Last edited 06/02/2024 - 22:26 by 1 other user

First post, go easy and all that.

Yamaha Hs5 Studio Monitors - presently $245 ea or $490 a pair delivered, which is cheaper than anywhere else around atm. You can get an extra $5 off if you sign up.

These are pretty niche, and people will have personal opinions on the sound, but I'm familiar with them and bought them for mixing, not for listening. Get your mix sounding good on these and your next Himalayan throat singing banger will sound good anywhere.

Edit - Forgot to mention if you have a storedj or mannys close by and would prefer to head into a store, they'll typically price match authorised dealers (which Musos Corner are)

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Musos Corner

• 

  lasterato on 06/02/2024 - 18:54

  Do these need to be paired with a sub or can they perform well in the low end on their own? Obviously for listening at a desk, not to fill a room.

  • 

    mrjaytee on 06/02/2024 - 19:27

    +3

    Unsure specifically but Yamaha does do a HS8S sub that pairs with any/all of the HS speakers

  • 

    Larsson on 06/02/2024 - 19:29

    +5

    These, JBLs, KRK’s, Adam audio etc etc, decent 5” studios monitors are more than enough to “listen at a desk” but also depends on what you mean. Precise mixing, a massive room etc still requires a sub. I have a pair of JBLs in a 10x6m room and they are more than enough for a recreational listening and very much fill the room.

  • 

    ilan on 06/02/2024 - 20:57

    +2

    they are thin sounding which is good for mixing in most small non pro environments cause the sub will introduce more issues if you're room is not very well treated. If you want to listen to bass heavy music for fun that will not be the best pair of speakers or at least they will not sound "impressive".

  • 

    proxyau on 06/02/2024 - 21:59

    These don't have a lot in the low end. HS7s or HS8s have more of a presence lower down.

    When everything starts to sound like it's sitting pretty in the mix, I tend to reach for my headphones to get a sense of the lows.

  • 

    G-rig on 07/02/2024 - 06:26

    I'm sure the sub would pair well with these (operate like a satellite system with XLR cables into sub and out to monitors. Just download the manuals and have a look.

    I got the hs80m (8" monitors) and they are great, for music listening (have them in the living room). They may be described as flat but still musical and everything sounds good/right on them. In only added the sub after 10y but it does complete the setup and fills in the bottom end. Also got smart plugs on each speaker and sub so they all power on/off automatically with voice.

    The quality is great and still don't feel the need to upgrade to kef or other active/passive speakers, which get a lot more expensive quickly. I also already have a rpi streamer and DAC so not really interested in this all in one speakers. At least these are true actives which there aren't really many around. A mate has some neumanns on his desktop setup which would be a decent step up but they are $1900.

    Btw Manny's has the hs5 pair for $559.
    If you are near one may as well go and listen to a few others as well (kind of hard to get a decent store audition though but can't really go wrong with the yamahas for the price, maybe worth getting the 8" if you got the space, may not need the sub and more versatile if you want to use in other rooms or something.

    Recommended. Ps Id probably add some to my desktop setup but may as well use the headphones setup there, and the living room speakers are only a few m alway but everyone's circumstances will be different.

  • 

    ONEMariachi on 07/02/2024 - 08:07

    Depends on your room size and how far from the walls you'll have it. I have mine in a 3x3 room and the bass is good for that, found no need for a sub- but that may also depend on the genre you like to listen to. I'm not a bass heavy guy

• 

  rumblytangara on 06/02/2024 - 19:08

  These are pretty niche, and people will have personal opinions on the sound, but I'm familiar with them and bought them for mixing, not for listening.

  So what's the general opinion on these? I am curious.

  • 

    mickeyjuiceman on 06/02/2024 - 19:23

    +5

    That they're studio monitors and most people would be better off with HIFI speakers

    • 

      Larsson on 06/02/2024 - 19:30

      +4

      I honestly disagree. They sound incredible. But as OP said, sound is subjective.

      • 

        mickeyjuiceman on 07/02/2024 - 06:42

        I'm SUPER confused about where I said they would sound bad. But most people in here aren't going to like them because they aren't the intended audience, because they're STUDIO MONITORS.

        • 

          Larsson on 07/02/2024 - 13:40

          +2

          @mickeyjuiceman: Let me SUPER clarify. You said “most people would be better off with HI-FI speakers” and I disagree. These sound incredible and most people would be happy with the sound.

          • 

            G-rig on 07/02/2024 - 13:55

            @Larsson: Agreed, I can most probably guarantee that he hasn't even listened to them.
            Yamaha being a music brand I can say that they are still musical enough for listening and enjoying music.

            • 

              mickeyjuiceman on 07/02/2024 - 15:24

              -1

              @G-rig: See, "most probably guaranteeing" about something you have ZERO idea about says your credibility is nowhere.

              As I said elsewhere in the thread, they're excellent monitors. But for MOST people who want way too much bass and probably already have an amp, there are better options.

              This is really obvious stuff for anyone not trying to look like an "expert" for fake internet points.

              • 

                G-rig on 07/02/2024 - 15:29

                @mickeyjuiceman: Ok good, so you have listened to them?
                Not sure what your point it besides trolling. How about listing some better active speakers for the price.

    • 

      rumblytangara on 06/02/2024 - 20:18

      What wasn't very helpful- are they regarded as frequency skewed? I guess I could google for graphs, but won't be getting them anyway. Was just passingly curious.

      • 

        Seymore on 06/02/2024 - 20:51

        Very very flat

        • 

          G-rig on 07/02/2024 - 06:32

          @Seymore: What are you comparing too? With monitors the music would sound as intended to, not coloured and most people are just into sick bass (so add a sub).

          The detail and mids are worth it. I'm not sure what hi-fi speakers are heaps better for the price, people should suggest some if that's the case (and cost of an amp as well). Desktop these are a no brainer.

          • 

            diamondd on 07/02/2024 - 10:33

            +2

            @G-rig: "With monitors the music would sound as intended to"

            This is a common misconception about studio monitors - recording, mixing, and mastering engineers know full well that most people are going to be listening on airpods, or in the car, or on a shitty Bluetooth speaker and their intention is for the music to sound good on any and all systems. The accuracy and relative neutral response of the monitors is simply to give them as much information as possible as to what's actually going on in the mix.

            • 

              G-rig on 07/02/2024 - 10:41

              @diamondd: well they will sound better than on all of those systems so it will be covered either way.
              Since you are nit-picking I should have stated 'at time of mixing'. Certainly wouldn't want to be mixing on anything too rubbish or coloured.

              It comes down to price and how much you want to throw at speakers to be honest.

        • 

          ONEMariachi on 07/02/2024 - 08:13

          +2

          @Seymore: They're not flat at all, they're neutral. They're monitors.

          • 

            rumblytangara on 07/02/2024 - 16:13

            @ONEMariachi: Flat and neutral… both overused terms that get thrown around, but don't they mean the same thing?

            • 

              ONEMariachi on 07/02/2024 - 20:01

              @rumblytangara: I think some people definitely use them interchangeably, but they have different meanings, at least in the recording world that im familair with.

    • 

      pizzaguy on 07/02/2024 - 16:56

      I'm curious about the nomenclature here

      That they're studio monitors and most people would be better off with HIFI speakers

      So monitor (a.k.a. studio a.k.a. reference?) speakers which are supposed to sound exactly like the producers intended are not considered hifi (high fidelity) speakers?

      • 

        rumblytangara on 07/02/2024 - 17:42

        The nomenclature in this thread is a total shambles.

        supposed to sound exactly like the producers intended are not considered hifi (high fidelity) speakers?

        I don't think there's any way to know what the 'producers intended' - this is some kind of weird audio myth that seems to get bandied around. I don't think that anyone can read the minds of the original musicians or studio producers.

      • 

        ONEMariachi on 07/02/2024 - 20:03

        It's entirely a personal preference thing. I's effectively the recording with minimal colouring from the speaker itself. As Rumbly said though, there's no way to know exactly what the producers/musos intended without asking them though.

  • 

    flipfire on 06/02/2024 - 19:35

    +2

    For studio monitors the HS series are the bees knees..short of $2000+ genelecs

  • 

    caitsith01 on 06/02/2024 - 21:51

    +3

    See here:

    https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/y…

    Sounds like they are going to sound pretty bright and somewhat dull, with over-emphasised mids/highs and a real lack of bass. But a lot of 'flat' speakers are going to sound pretty average for listening rather than working, especially small monitors where you lose bass.

    • 

      rumblytangara on 07/02/2024 - 09:20

      +1

      Thanks- that was much more helpful.

    • 

      G-rig on 07/02/2024 - 09:24

      Ha, ASR.. I'd take all that with a grain of salt and listen to them yourself.
      Good to know they aren't bad though and I'm sure you could do some EQ / possibly if you felt the need. The room control and trim settings on the back are handy if you have them near a rear wall or find the treble too much.

      At least see which other ones he has reviewed which are better. A lot of people on that forum will never be happy.

      • 

        rumblytangara on 07/02/2024 - 09:32

        Yeah, I know. I was politely holding back on a similar comment. I would think that Amir wouldn't screw up a simple on-axis frequency measurement, but who knows. A graph there is all I'd look at, I would certainly not read any of the text.

        I've learned the hard way that anything with a peak between 1-6KHz is something for me to avoid.

        • 

          G-rig on 07/02/2024 - 09:37

          @rumblytangara: I'm sure the test is fine it more about people on there who love specs and measurements more than music etc.

          May be worth a quick look on there if there are any better suggestions under $500 a pair as there are always options.

          btw it interesting looking at the manual. I have mine integrated well with sub, without the lowpass on (I think). The manual says to set it up this way as well but there are two camps on this idea.

          • 

            rumblytangara on 07/02/2024 - 09:39

            @G-rig: I was only wondering about these out of curiosity- I've come across mention of Yamaha monitors before but have never heard them. I'm not looking at all- went through my audio phase five years ago and ended up building my own, which I am almost totally happy with. Anything better and I'd really need a bigger place.

      • 

        caitsith01 on 07/02/2024 - 11:48

        I agree that the test is always to listen yourself, but the data there is useful and accords with what you'd expect from something designed for professional use with this sort of driver/enclosure size. The low frequency noise in those graphs is pretty wild.

        My personal experience is that most people are not even aware of how much sound they are missing from the lower end, and if that's the case these would probably sound a shitload better than your typical 'mid-fi' speakers.

        I'm sure you could get these sounding nice with an appropriately matched subwoofer.

        Personally I listen for pleasure not work and I think there is something to be said for the 'Harman curve'. There are definitely also aspects of the actual experience of listening to a given speaker that can't be neatly graphed. My daily drivers are Acoustic Research AR-11s from 1978 and I'm yet to find a modern speaker that sounds as sweet as they do for music.

  • 

    proxyau on 06/02/2024 - 22:10

    +1

    Peaky in the mids - mid highs. Not a lot of low end. The primary benefit of these is to spot issues in that range which will be noticeable on a wide array of personal audio equipment.

  • 

    dafatha on 07/02/2024 - 01:02

    I've got them paired with the sub, I like them. But if I were do do it again, I would go for some passive speakers instead.

    • 

      G-rig on 07/02/2024 - 06:36

      Yeah you would probably get bigger passives as well and wouldn't be getting much for less than $1100 (dynaudio or similar), plus would need a decent amp.

      You would probably know that the sky is the limit with this stuff so gets expensive quickly. If you watch Darko Audio on YT you'll see the type of stuff he features isn't cheap (and it's not all high end or anything).

      • 

        dafatha on 07/02/2024 - 09:08

        Yeah, then you realise you're shopping for an an amp and not speakers.
        My reason for wanting passive over the HS5 is when they are not playing any audio, you can hear very light static. Which isn't an issue when you listen to audio, and it is very quiet. I have them paired with the SMSL SU-9 DAC.
        But honestly for $245 a pop these are really good. I'm still using mine and I don't plan on upgrading anytime soon.

        • 

          G-rig on 07/02/2024 - 09:20

          @dafatha: That's true there is some hiss with my HS80M but being in the living room and not sitting real close to them I can overlook it.
          You could try and spend a lot of filters and fancy power supplies and may not be able to eliminate it. It's just comes with active speakers no doubt as you say.

          Those SU-9 sound very good for the price and two-way bluetooth and balanced XLR outputs. A lot of the small PC USB Dac's don' include those but it's always worthwhile so you can use your equipment in different setups.

          Passives would be nice but would be thousands with an amp an hard to be bothered upgrading and not a priority. I have thought that too though.

          As a few others have recommended I'd consider the 7" too for a bit extra. Either would take up a bit of room on your desk.

          • 

            dafatha on 08/02/2024 - 03:38

            @G-rig: Personaly I wouldnt bother with the power filter gimics as it could still be the speaker themselves. Sometimes the low volume hiss will remind me to put some music on so its not always bad.

            Its a great dac, it took me a while to decide on it a few years ago, Im pretty sure there are even less expensive dacs now with the same features. The price is really coming down quick on these things.

            Seconds that, get the HS7's instead of the 5's for anyone reading this.

            • 

              G-rig on 08/02/2024 - 06:52

              @dafatha: Agreed mate. They do make a small amount but not enough to worry about. Passives make none so that's what we were comparing too.

              I just see it mentioned quite a bit on ASR, perhaps power supply quality is bad in some countries but I suspect they if ifi make these expensive devices then those audiophiles chasing utopia will buy them lol.

• 

  Watanabe1995 on 06/02/2024 - 19:46

  +2

  I prefer HS8

• 

  yadq on 06/02/2024 - 22:02

  Could these be used as office monitors also?

• 

  giventofly on 06/02/2024 - 22:10

  +1

  I have the HS7 and the HS8 subwoofer.

  Absolutely love them. Have paired with a smart plug so I don't have to keep turning each one off and on all the time.

  Also have some foam pads to stop the reverb from the monitors

• 

  yung-bollo on 06/02/2024 - 22:48

  I've had a pair of these for over 11 years (paired with a KRK 10s sub), unfortunately I paid less for the pair of them a decade ago so can't really call these a bargain cause mine are still going very very strong.

  List of abuse:
  - Many a house party with pissed of neighbors
  - Vibrated off of a bookshelf during one said house party and slammed on the ground, that was 6 years ago, still sounds mint and the pair + sub are used for my home cinema.

  But seeing as audiophile and ozbargain generally don't match, I would absolutely vouch for these if you want quality audio at a reasonable price. You'll just need a soundcard / DAC with balanced outputs and cables running to these speakers…

  • 

    G-rig on 07/02/2024 - 08:40

    But seeing as audiophile and ozbargain generally don't match,

    Got that right - cheapest is best on here!

• 

  sqheaven on 07/02/2024 - 07:12

  This or JBL 305P

  • 

    mickeyjuiceman on 07/02/2024 - 07:42

    Both excellent

  • 

    rize2love on 07/02/2024 - 08:18

    I'm happy with my JBL's. They come around $390 - 400 a pair

    • 

      basketballfreak6 on 07/02/2024 - 08:30

      For music enjoyment I’d go with the 305P (currently have) having had the (predecessor to HS5) HS50M.

      Edit: sorry reply was intended for @sqheaven

• 

  TasmanSam on 07/02/2024 - 09:14

  +1

  I've had a set of Yamaha HS80m's(the generation of speaker before these ones) and they are incredible. I have had one repaired as something in the EQ circuit died and it kept making a loud pop, but it was a cheap fix and they have been going strong ever since. They sound fantastic, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another set from the current generation but I would probably go for the 7's next time as the 8's are pretty big.

• 

  KaTst3R on 07/02/2024 - 09:14

  For people who on a budget and want two speakers, get the Pioneer DM40 for under $300.

  • 

    ntranced on 07/02/2024 - 09:47

    If you're on a budget, get one of these now and a 2nd one later.

• 

  beltdrive on 07/02/2024 - 10:16

  The LSR305 can be purchased for less

  https://www.belfieldmusic.com.au/products/2-x-jbl-lsr305-mki…

  Unfortunately I don’t think this is a bargain

  • 

    proxyau on 07/02/2024 - 11:01

    If you're familiar with the JBLs and you can get excellent mixes on them, then that's awesome for you my dude.

    Sound and value are subjective - it comes down to what works best for you. I hadn't seen this posted and I thought some people might benefit.

  • 

    G-rig on 08/02/2024 - 07:01

    Good to listen to a research both to see if the JBL are as good for 100$ less. Could be who knows but not that much difference in price.

• 

  harshbdmmaster718 on 07/02/2024 - 21:15

  +2

  so many comments I actually saw this when it was posted yesterday and decided not to comment because I thought it would not be popular. people using these for actual monitoring purposes can ignore the rest of my comment.

  well sucks now that I am late, but yeah just fyi for anyone who "isn't sure" but compared to consumer speakers these don't have any controls on the front, they need power going to each monitor and they also don't have any grills to protect the drivers.

  ok so the point to all this is. Yamaha just released their HS3 and HS4 models. these have a power on->volume dial plus a headphone jack on the front of one of the speakers making them much more user friendly for desktop use.
  they also both have the amplification in one speaker and just the speaker cabling going to the other one. making setup much easier because all the input cabling only needs to be on one side and it's more convenient than you think to have power just going to one speaker because usually one side of your desk is closer to the wall plug/powerboard than the other.
  because these are following the same design as the larger monitor models they don't have any grills either so no benefit there.

  also the HS3 speaker is actually 3.5 inch in diameter and the HS4 is actually 4.5 inch. meaning you only lose 0.5 inch in diameter compared to the HS5 model which uses a 5 inch speaker.
  I listened to a comparison of all three on a japanese youtube channel the other day. they recorded all three in the same position on the desk and just edited so it played back to back. the jump between the HS3 and HS4 was obvious the HS3 was really lacking low end bass. but the difference between the HS4 and HS5 was very subtle. yes probably the deepest end of the bass was quieter but the difference would not be noticeable if you never had the HS5 to test side by side (the HS5 is tuned to be brighter and a bit bass shy anyway). the tuning of all three sounded identical, which was expected because they are all "HS" line.
  I think the convenience of the HS4's design is ideal for most people.
  one more thing noted in the video was the new HS3 and HS4 benefit from a twisted flared port that the larger models don't have, a design by yamaha that apparently reduces port noise.

  oh and the HS4's are sold in pairs, so it's currently cheaper @ $439 a pair from storedj or mannys.
  https://www.storedj.com.au/yamaha-hs4-studio-monitor-pair-bl…
  https://www.mannys.com.au/yamaha-hs4-4-5-studio-monitor-pair…

  if you are in no rush obviously you could wait for them to go on sale. for some reason it says "7 day dispatch" from mannys, while storedj doesn't say anything about waiting.

  • 

    G-rig on 08/02/2024 - 02:09

    Interesting.. I'll have to check them out. it sounds like you are after computer speakers to be honest. Those first few points aren't actually negatives for the larger ones, ust typical of all monitors. I've never had an issue with dust and they look great without covers, the white cones are a unique look.

    The sizes are getting fairly small, so you have to look at the frequency response curves in the manual to compare but hard to compensate for larger speakers. Not at how good the headphone stage would be either are you planning on getting a DAC?

    Anyway they would be better than a lot of other computer speakers like Logitech but certainly wouldn't fill a room like the hs7 or hs8 (then add the sub and you'd be blown away).

    I've heard the kef lsx which are quite compact but great for their size, and have a built in DAC and streamer, this is the new type of future-fi, not just basic actives.

    I wouldn't say they are any better at all, just a smaller, cheaper option. They are easier to connect to a PC if you are not buying any other gear so could be ok
    and you're saving $50 so this is the main thing on ozbargain.

• 

  [Deactivated] on 10/02/2024 - 17:50

  HS7 I'd go for or focals.

  Once again, designed for an acoustically sound room with a professional setup. If you don't have this then find alternative speakers. These are for mixing and finding flaws in your music creation when recording.

  Not designed to be used all day everyday, there are way better speakers for this!

  • 

    G-rig on 10/02/2024 - 19:27

    Which are these way better speakers you speak of?
    I'm sure they are way more expensive too lol.
    Room treatment would benefit every setup, and I guarantee it will cost a shitload more than a $490 pair of speakers.