Yamaha HS50M Active Studio Monitor (70 Watts, 1x5 in.)

5 in. white polypropylene cone, 3/4 in. dome tweeter.

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Overall User Ratings

Overall:: 9 out of 10
Features:: 9 out of 10
Quality:: 9 out of 10
Value:: 9 out of 10
I Want It:: 9 out of 10
Sound:: 9 out of 10
Ease of Use:: 10 out of 10
Support:: 10 out of 10

"...eh, check out the review :)"

Overall:: 8 out of 10
Quality:: 9 out of 10
Value:: 10 out of 10
I Want It:: 9 out of 10
Sound:: 8 out of 10
Ease of Use:: 10 out of 10

User: Chad from zZounds

Submitted: 6/24/2007

zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.

Feature:
Dig the combo input jack, labeled pot on the rear is cool, +4 is labeled, but I wish the pot was stepped for calibration purposes. Very cool that they included room compensation, HF, MF, etc switches, but I found the monitor sounded most "neutral" w/ no switches engaged. If these were my mains, I would probably take the MF -2dB so they were a little more pleasant to listen to.

Quality:
Seem to notice a very slight diff in level between the 2 when set to same level (like 1-2dB)...maybe just a QC thing at the factory. Build quality appears impeccable.

Value:
To be honest, probably the most valuable money I've dropped this year.

Sound:
This is really what its all about... I actually did a side by side w/ the original NS10 and these...and I have 2 things to say 1) these are more similar to the NS10 in overall character and concept than any other monitor I have heard (will go into detail later) 2) I would much rather listen to these than NS10s These are mid-range focused monitors, same as the NS10, like the NS10 they don't exactly sound "good", but they sound "balanced" for the most part. You can get an idea whether what you're doing on your other monitors is right or not. They have a honk in the 500-800 range that is pretty obvious. These actually have a surprising amount of bottom end for their size. Like the NS10, they are midrange focused which is great for revealing flaws VERY quickly, but is a bit fatiguing to listen to for more than 5 mins or so. However, the midrange, and especially the high freqs are significantly sweeter to listen to than the NS10, possibly a side effect of being bi-amped, active. I use them as my "B" speakers, and they dramatically have improved my speed in making the right decisions regarding levels. Yamaha has done a great job in creating a monitor that is both affordable, and frankly, improved over its predecessor. If a mix is right on these, it sounds like a hit (particularly vox). Imaging is rock solid, actually better than my mains (Mackie 824), Vocals sound dead up the middle. I wouldn't call them "flat" but I would call them a valuable tool, and they really do sound sort of "fair" or "true" despite the midrange honk. HF sounds just a bit choked, or not very extended, but still sounds sweet, unlike the original NS10s whose HF driver sounds like early digital (yuk!)

Ease of Use:
Plug it in and go, rear panel well labeled, manual actually pretty well done.

Support:
n/a

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"Worth way more than the price indicated!!!"

Overall:: 10 out of 10
Features:: 10 out of 10
Quality:: 10 out of 10
Value:: 10 out of 10
I Want It:: 10 out of 10
Sound:: 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:: 10 out of 10
Support:: 10 out of 10

User: a customer from hotmail.com

Submitted: 11/14/2006

Style of Music: Alternative, Oldies

Musical Experience: Audio Specialist

Location: Irvine, CA, USA

zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.

Feature:
The gain knobs and input/output versatility is great. Thank you Yamaha for providing a long power cord!

Quality:
We'll find out, but I highly doubt any problems will arise. If so, yamaha is known for its quality assurance.

Value:
Such a great deal for the price. The best 2.1 monitoring system for the price in my opinion!

Desirability:
I love the classic white woofers. They really are classy and nicely designed. I love the white LED. It isn't annoying and bright. The cabs are very well constructed and designed with style and functionality in mind.

Sound:
The 50m's combined with the HS10 sub are an excellent match. I didn't touch the low/high cuts of anything. My mixer/interface/and speakers are all at nominal. I actually have the sub at about 10 o'clock because it was SO incredibly bassy. However it is not distorted bass, just intense. The quality is fantastic as well. I've heard things from these speakers that I've never heard from my school's Genelec monitors. A great deal!

Ease of Use:
I wanted to test the flatness by just plugging everything in out of the box and havent had to touch anything. It sounds fantastic.

Overall:
I hope I never have to find another product. This will be my monitoring system for a long long time. I'll probably add to it if I ever mix in 5.1. Once again, it helps you hear things you never would have before.

18 of 21 people (85.71%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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Yamaha HS50M Monitor Customer Review

Overall:: 9 out of 10
Features:: 9 out of 10
Quality:: 10 out of 10
Value:: 10 out of 10
Sound:: 9 out of 10
Ease of Use:: 10 out of 10

Submitted: 9/26/2007

Quality:
I am surprised at how polished these products "seem" to be. I have only had them for 2 weeks. I am confident though, Yamaha delivers quality products and I have been happy with Yamaha in the past.

Value:
I think for the price you cant beat them. Most monitors seem muddy to me. I appreciate these- they are brighter which is good to my ear and they give you the flexability to modify if necessary.

Sound:
I set up the HS50Ms with the Sub. This is an excellent sounding reference system to me particularly for the cost. I am able to leave the recomended settings for the monitors and the sub per the Yamaha manual with excellent results in my listening area.

Ease of Use:
Just follow the well written instruction manual for set-up.

Support:
N/A

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"The most accurate, honest studio monitors in this price range! - A project studio staple."

Overall:: 10 out of 10
Features:: 9 out of 10
Quality:: 9 out of 10
Value:: 10 out of 10
I Want It:: 10 out of 10
Sound:: 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:: 10 out of 10

User: a customer from gmail.com

Submitted: 7/1/2008

Style of Music: Rock, Electronic

Musical Experience: Active Musician

Location: Los Angeles, CA

zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.

Feature:
Both XLR and 1/4" inputs, Room Control, Bi-Amplified.

Quality:
Not quite as slick looking as the yellow and black KRK's with the front slot instead of a rear-port. They seem well-made, however.

Value:
These are by far the most accurate speakers I found in the price range.

Desirability:
Like I said, maybe not as sexy-looking as the KRKs, but if you have these in your studio, then people in the know will know that your serious.

Sound:
When you're mixing, it's crucial that your studio monitors are HONEST. You don't want them to flatter your mix and make it sound great, you want them to give out exactly what you put in. I took the Pepsi challenge by listening to music I had mixed side-by-side through several leading monitors (M-Audio BX5A, KRK Rokit, HS-50). Ultimately I chose these for their accuracy and flat response. The KRKs were very bassy and the BX5As made everything sound great (even if it wasn't mixed very well).

Ease of Use:
It's a speaker, how hard can it be?

Overall:
I had a pair of cheap M-Audio speakers before and found out the hard way that they were adding bass that wasn't in the mix. Mixing on these speakers, my mixes sound great in the car, with headphones, etc. I love these puppies and will keep them a long time! One last piece of advice: If you're mixing hip hop or other music with lots of low-end bass, you might want to add the subwoofer. It'll pick up the low frequencies where these 5" woofers fall off.

2 of 3 people (66.67%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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"These speakers are a MONSTER!"

Overall:: 9 out of 10
Features:: 10 out of 10
Quality:: 10 out of 10
Value:: 10 out of 10
I Want It:: 10 out of 10
Sound:: 9 out of 10
Ease of Use:: 10 out of 10
Support:: 10 out of 10

User: a customer from gmail.com

Submitted: 12/31/2007

Style of Music: Hip-Hop/R&B/Club

Musical Experience: Studying Recording Engineer

Location: Phila, PA US

Feature:
The db switches are great and also the trim switches are great too.I also like the flexibility of being able to connect via xlr or 1/4" jack.

Quality:
Exceptional. You can tell how well they are made just by touching them. Heavy enough to not slide off your table but light enough to carry to different rooms if need be.

Desirability:
Beautiful product.

Sound:
The sound is fantastic. Everything is clean & crisp. Listening to mastered tracks fresh of an album give you the real deal on these speakers. The low end will not rattle the trunk, but then again thats what the woofer is for. If you are bass freak and for ultimate referencing, then get the woofer but alone, these speakers are a monster.

Ease of Use:
Just plug in and go.

Support:
Haven't needed to contact them.

Overall:
I would absolutely recommend these to anyone, even beginners. There's nothing like having a pair of monitors you can trust.

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"Nice one innit!"

Overall:: 9 out of 10
Features:: 9 out of 10
Quality:: 9 out of 10
Value:: 10 out of 10
I Want It:: 10 out of 10
Sound:: 9 out of 10
Ease of Use:: 10 out of 10
Support:: 7 out of 10

User: a customer from kidgoesting.com

Submitted: 2/12/2008

Style of Music: electro

Musical Experience: DJ/Producer

Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Feature:
The power cords are long enough. The lights on the front look very cool!

Quality:
They feel very solid.

Value:
I am thinking about buying the hs80-ies for my studio. The hs50-ies are in my home studio. I really like the sound!

Desirability:
They look nice, they really get me going to make more music. I love their sound and looks!

Sound:
I do not have that much experience with monitor speakers, but what I do know is that these sound very honest. Maybe a little bit less low, but I really like working with them.

Ease of Use:
Plug and play.

Support:
Don't know. Did not have to contact them (yet). but the way these monitors are designed, they look like they will work for years and years!

Overall:
I will recommend them to my friends. They really give you value for money. I was looking for a very neutral sound, and that is exactly what I got from these!

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"good monitors for home recording."

Overall:: 9 out of 10
Features:: 10 out of 10
Quality:: 10 out of 10
Value:: 10 out of 10
I Want It:: 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:: 10 out of 10
Support:: 10 out of 10

Submitted: 12/3/2007

zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.

Feature:
read the manuel ,The product offers settings on the back of the speaker to fit your room conditions.

Quality:
very solid

Value:
It's a good value

Desirability:
they look good

Sound:
I had the ns 10's , these are better for my working needs , If you record at home using a Mac and thier software Garageband ( or something like it} you will be happy with the results you get from these . Most loops in garageband {or others}are EQ'd pretty well ,so it's a matter of placeing your real instruments {Vocals etc} within the mix . Useing the hs50's I found plenty of fixes in music I had previously mixed with ns10's , also ,you can work with these speakers for longer periods without your ears shuting down .I'd say if your not planning on getting 3 different reference monitors and jumping into the bottomless hole of music equipment these might be for you .

Ease of Use:
plug in ,turn on.

Support:
have not had to deal with company

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