In this Yamaha HS8 Review, we’ll focus on explaining what this nice speaker is about, and introduce you to what it has to offer. Who knows—maybe this is the studio monitor you’ve been looking for. Whether you are a music producer or a sound enthusiast, the Yamaha HS8 is a studio monitor that deserves your attention.
- Great woofer and tweeter for accurate sound reproduction
- Great frequency range with a flat response
- Has a built-in bi-amplification
- Room control and high trim control
- Uses a technology for the reduction of air vortex inside the port
- Works better in larger rooms
Design
The Yamaha HS8 studio monitor has a nice design and build quality is solid. At first glance, this speaker looks attractive, and yet simple. The HS8 features a durable cabinet made of MDF material. The cabinet is dampened to eliminate any kind of resonance and optimize the performance of the studio monitor. The monitor speakers comes in either black or white, with the white version available in multiple different sizes.
The speaker features a high-quality woofer and twitter located on its front side. The woofer is a cone and is colored white, which looks nice on both the black and the white version of the speaker. The elements that surround it are black and slightly darker than the color of the cabinet for aesthetic purposes. The tweeter is smaller than the woofer and it is placed above it. It is colored in black and is a bit lighter than the cabinet’s black vinyl, again, for the better appearance of the speaker. This design of the woofer and the tweeter makes the speaker look more elegant and interesting.
The back of the speaker is where all the controls and connection ports are. The bass reflux port is also located on the back of the studio monitor. The controls are easy to understand and the buttons are sturdy. The Yamaha HS8 comes with XLR and TRS phone jack inputs and is compatible with many sound sources.
This HS series studio monitor weights 23.6 pounds, and it is not too heavy, nor too light. It is 14 inches long, 16 inches wide, and 21 inches tall. The durability and the reduction of resonance of the speaker is guaranteed with a technology that includes anchoring of the speaker’s corners. The speaker features screws and mounting points, and it can be placed or mounted on almost every surface. Its design makes it compatible with walls, ceilings, and even floors.
Features
The Yamaha HS8 offers some features that make for its great quality of sound. One of them is the speaker’s frequency response. This studio monitor has a large frequency response range from 38Hz to 30kHz frequency. Its response is pretty flat, and it has points of very slight emphasis and de-emphasis throughout the bandwidth.
The speaker features an 8 inch cone woofer and an 1 inch dome tweeter. Both the 8inch woofer and tweeter rely on magnets to produce an accurate sound. These magnets have a magnetic field that was designed to optimize the production of sound and obtain a continuous function.
However, this is only one of the factors that influence the sound quality of the Yamaha HS8. The other factor that helps the HS8 be a great speaker is its built-in bi-amplification. The studio monitor has two separate amplifiers for both the woofer and the tweeter. The one for the woofer is a 75-watt amplifier, while the tweeter works impeccably with its 45-watt amplifier. The bi-amplification allows the speaker to have the amplifiers suited to the characteristics of the driver they amplify. This, in return, means that the overall quality of sound of the speaker is improved.
When it comes to its controls, the Yamaha HS8 has a room control, level control, and a high trim control. The room control helps the speaker sound better when placed next to a wall. This control reduces the overemphasized bass reproduction that sometimes occurs and pollutes the sound of the speaker. On the other hand, the high trim control makes sure that the studio monitor has pleasant and flattened higher frequencies. This gives the speaker a more professional and accurate sound.
There is a great technology used for the bass reflex port on the back of the Yamaha HS8. This technology allows for an unobstructed flow of air everywhere in the port. The technology makes sure that there are no vortexes inside the port that could create unwanted sounds. Of course, less unwanted sounds means more overall sound quality and better performance of the speaker.
Performance
Great performance is not an issue when it comes to the great Yamaha HS8. As we already mentioned, this studio monitor has a well-balanced and flat frequency response. There is not a single frequency that doesn’t sound natural and this creates a realistic sound of the speaker.
The bass of the HS8 active studio monitor is not too heavy, nor too weak. Its presence depends on the music that the sound monitor is reproducing. The highs and mids of this speaker are very accurate and clear. Aside from that, they are very detailed too. The treble doesn’t sound harsh and intense, but nice and smooth. The sounds in these higher frequencies definitely don’t sound like they’re trying to poke their way out of the cabinet.
The cabinet is also well dampened and the noise reduction technology greatly reduces the Yamaha HS8 noise in the bass reflux. The power amps of the woofer and tweeter enhance the sound without it losing on detail and accuracy. The speaker is also very powerful and it doesn’t fail to deliver when it comes to how loud it can get.
Ultimately, the Yamaha HS8 sounds very good, very natural, and there is very little noise involved in the sound reproduction.
Yamaha HS8 Review – The Verdict
If you want a studio monitor that will give you a bang for the buck, the Yamaha HS8 is definitely it. This speaker has a nice design, great features, and it offers a great quality of sound. If you would like a studio monitor that sounds natural and detailed and looks good where it’s put, the HS8 is a great option for you.
