Yamaha HS80M Active Studio Monitor (120 Watts, 1x8 in.)

8 in. white polypropylene cone, 1 in. dome tweeter.

Overall User Ratings

Overall:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 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:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10

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"Well done. I cant fault them. Really."

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 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:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
Well, it has room controls. high trim, low trim, all the trim you need. Ideally you want these mounted / isolated about an inch from the table you're working on. and a meter from the walls behind, but if you cant afford that, just use the room controls. I said afford because space is expensive isnt it!? I've heard alot of monitors, alot. And unless they're mounted and isolated properly for demo, your judgements are in vain. Mackie's to me sounded very harsh and all over the place. Genelecs to me were the smoothest and most transparent, obviously, because they come with isopods that must be used or the monitor wouldn't even stand. So they have a distinct advantage over all other monitors when it comes to demos.

Quality:
No problems with quality. These things came out fresh from the box wrapped up nicely, when I took it out, it was mint in condition and the very first thing that I really liked when I put them on desk was how nice the white cones contrasted with my setup ;-). I have a P-250 beside my desk and boy do they look sweet together. If anyone were to walk in i could say they would be impressed by how nice these monitors look. They look pro. ;-) Sure they dont have the yellow woven cones like KRKs, but they also dont have that unpro looking Rokit logo. (I can see KRK fans here squinting their eyes to a side) sorry couldn't help it ;-)

Value:
I would have to give it a 10. You get ALOT for your money like I said, if it wasn't assembled in China, Yamaha could have asked double or triple for it, and you wouldn't be able to afford it. Honestly. These are pro standard monitors in both aesthetics and performance. They are an example of 'Just because you're not paying $500 per monitor doesn't mean they're not equally as good, or better.'

Desirability:
Like I said, these monitors give my room a very sexy feel. The monitors may appear to be very deep blue in pictures due to the light reflecting off the MDF, but really, its jet black, and the cones are white as snow. If I could ask for one last favour from Yamaha, it would be to radius the edges and place the power switch on the front. (Make that two last favours) But I presume they were going for that classic NS10m look, so I guess its their call and its very acceptable indeed.

Sound:
Sounds excellent, I decided to try them after reading the reviews and even from music tech giving them a 9 I can clearly see why. Made in China (like all things) but if it wasn't for that, it would cost 3 times as much so be thankful you can have studio quality monitors today at this price range! As far as design is concerned, to my knowledge, Yamaha engineers do all the work to prototype the monitors, once that's done, they just hand over the specs to the factory in China to duplicate it. Mackie's made in USA or Mackie's made in China, there is no difference. Sounds exactly the same simply because its the exact same components, just different people putting it together. At worst, you get slightly sloppy workmanship on the chipboards but that's all down to the QC of the manufacturer. The frequency spectrum I must say, very flat and very wide, very nice indeed. THESE MONITORS LIKE ALL MONITORS MUST BE ISOLATED SO THE SOUND CAN COME OUT RIGHT. Mopads or books or whatever, isolate them and hear them sing. Completely different. How many people do you know who have returned their monitors cause they think it doens't sound crisp or tight enough but the truth was, THE MONITORS WEREN'T EVEN ISOLATED! Very very close to the sounds and imaging I was looking for, the only other monitor that can blow this away is Genelec 8050a, and I wouldn't say blow, just that Genelecs are maybe a little more transparent overall. And a million times more expensive giving you the mental feeling like its a hundred times better but that's not true at all...these Yamaha's are pretty incredible. I've never heard the NS10ms so I cant tell you if they sound the same, but I know this, they sound good enough. I cant imagine a monitor sounding any better. And like Yamaha says, a monitor is not supposed to sound good, its supposed to sound honest. But these monitors sound good so dont worry. Very accurate representation of the mix as far as I'm concerned, playing different tracks off different record labels will give you a good idea of what you're getting.

Ease of Use:
A dummy could use it. Just plug it in and turn the power on. Please be careful, first time i set the levels at +4 I almost blew my eardrums into my holy skull. These speakers are seriously powerful, I can honestly say, you can start a party with just these two pretty looking babies and none of friends will ever complain about the music not being loud enough. And you can bet, if you're mixing at high levels (not recommended for hearing loss) you'll have your neighbour knock your door in no time. There's no need to mix at such high levels unless you want to lose your hearing before 40. Even at low or medium levels due to the size of the monitors, I get a very wide spectrum and imaging.

Support:
Well, I have a Yamaha P-250 made some calls to them and it wasn't too bad. I always recommend calling, emails, take forever. I haven't had any problems with my Yamaha products so far (knock on wood) but I hope it stays that way. Shipping large audio stuff around is no joke.

Overall:
Currently, unless I can afford to fork out $3500 for the Genelec 8050s, I dont think i'm switching to anything else. These will do for now. I gave them a 9 overall because there's always room for improvement even though I cant fault these monitors other than the design twitches i mentioned. If they were lost? I'd probably say to heck with monitors and save up a year for the Genelecs ;) Then again, these monitors may be all i'll ever need. Especially if i'm getting used to them and making good mixes and am very familiar with them. You dont need to pay $5000 to get a good set of monitors. Yamaha has set this record straight.

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Yamaha HS80M Monitor Customer Review

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:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
 
 
 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
High trim; room control at 500 hz; mid trim at 2khz; low cut 80 or 100 Hz (the white yamaha light in the front looks very nice ;-)) the only thing thats disturbing a little is the on/off switch on the back, i would place it on the front but im used to this by other monitors ;-)

Quality:
although they're built in china i think they're very solid. take a look at the store and you'll know what i mean ;-) i would use them for lil gigs too, no doubt, but be careful with the cones!

Value:
it's unbelievable to get these in this price range... i read about new yamaha monitors a year ago but i wouldnt have expected them in this price. don't shrink away because of the price this is really high precision monitoring!

Desirability:
got it ;)

Sound:
the sound of this speakers is incredible! i went to the store and listened to other monitors in this price range. the sound of these is CRYSTAL! i mean look at the frequency graph. these fellas are very linear. i compared them to ns 10 monitors and i can say no they dont sound identically but still have this ns 10 feeling. i would say they sound like ns 10 but with more low end (not overboosted! but 8" cone LF allows to go down to 42 Hz while ns 10 is cutting low at ~60 Hz). you can really make GOOD mixes on these. i highly recommend these particularly IN THIS PRICE RANGE!!! genelec, adam, mackie watch your back!

Support:
i wont need this i hope!

Overall:
this is what you're searching for believe me fellas!

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"I"

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 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
Support:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
 
 
 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
average features for a monitor of this price range...

Quality:
Excellent, heavy duty casing, they feel real solid and heck its yamaha what do you expect

Value:
at roughly $350.00 each with the sound that you get they are worth it, they beat the pants off of my $1,000.00 Events, im sad to say that but its true...so these might be a little steep for the newer guys, but do yourself a favor and SAVE UP....

Desirability:
after one listening session I HAD TO HAVE THEM, so that's my view on it

Sound:
excellent, these things are milky, punchy a crisp threw and threw.

Support:
havent had to use it yet

Overall:
they are great, I heard them in my buddies studio after he initially set them up and right out of the box without tweaking they were hammering, so i knew i had to have them, bought mine a few days ago and im in love...

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"Yamaha....Thank You!"

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
 
 
 
Feature:
volume control mid,highs,room control and flat control....xlr and 1/4 inch....for me that's enough

Quality:
solid as a rock....

Value:
best in it's range....they sound better than the $1000 events and mackies...

Desirability:
nice snowflake light and the white cones are a good color change for my setup....

Sound:
Changes my mixes for the better...really clean and flat for great mixing...I love them! I couldn't get them at my local stores because They were out...they were flying off the shevles and i see why.

Ease of Use:
the room control is nice to have for the smaller studios..

Support:
haven't used them yet.

Overall:
these guys are great ns-10 replacements...LOVE THEM!!!!!

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"DON'T call me NS-10"

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 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
 
 
 
Feature:
Room controls. balanced inputs - all I need

Quality:
Rugged build quality and reassuringly heavy. They were replacing my old second refs the MSP5s which were robust themselves. HS-80Ms are much much bigger than the MSP5s. Got a nasty ground loop as soon as I plugged them in but I just inserted an isolator and they were fine (Ground Loops are not the speaker's fault but my useless home electrics)

Value:
The price is astounding as the build quality and the sound quality are on a par with
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Yamaha HS80M Monitor Customer Review

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 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:
* . . . . . . . . . 1 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
All what u need...

Quality:
Great ! from white cone to yamaha glowing logo.! Solid as rock!

Value:
Beat every Genelec , Event, Absolute 0, and and and....

Desirability:
I got it!

Sound:
They are both great. Punchy lows - Smooth Highs. There are a bit "blur" only in 300-600 khz area. But it depend on your music. i mainly use them for progressive trance (low freqs!) and I.D.M. (for my experiments) and sound great.

Ease of Use:
sure.!

Support:
I heard from a friend that has 3 months for another woofer and still waiting... Shame!

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"They look great, and they sound great."

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 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:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
Thank god they have adjustable controls! What I found out was, that no matter how you tweak the levels, the sound pretty much consistent to the yamaha monitor-sound I guess. Goes to show there has been alot of carefull tuning when desiging these beauties!

Quality:
I have faith in the Yamaha design and built quality. You can tell from how its made. The finish, everything.

Value:
I havent heard alot of speakers yet. Just Mackie HR264, Tannoy Oval, Spirit 0, Behringer (both), Samson, KRK, Seiwin, Genelec, yamaha HS50 and MSP, And though the Genelecs do have the best sound I heard alongside the yamaha's, they are both winners, the genelcs cheat if you ask me. Ofcourse a speaker will sound great if you make it real small and force people to sit closer so room-accoustics wont bother that much. I think the Yammies are great value. Th best I heard thus far! And I bought them for 250,- euros each. They also talk about Adam's wich I never listened to before. All in good time.

Desirability:
Ow, they are sexy alright. They looked a bit big in the store. But at home, they are not that big. Just right. Not lumpy. Yes they have a large depth like so may 8" speakers. But that isnt an issue. They Rock! - I wished Yamaha would make some beautifull stands to go along with them. They bring a biot of that Stylish Japanese Design into yer studio. It's so sharp and a bit scary, but in a good way. The Bassdrivers have the same look as the NS10m, I do own a pair, So I should have a look to see how similar they actualy are. They are beautiful.

Sound:
With proper Room-accoustics these are great!! From all monitors I've listened (EventTR8XL, mackieHR264, Seiwin, Tannoy Oval, MSP, Behringer) these were the best monitors I heard that come close to what I was looking for. I think I can best describe he sound from these as being honest. They dont colorize like behringer, tannoy. They don;t sound hyped like the little 264's. They sound honest. Flat, very open. Detailed. And that bass is just so tightly controlled. The mids and highs were impressive as well. All kind of music, from emo-poprock, 80's with synths and roland drums, hiphop and 90's r&b, they sounded like what I had in mind so I had to have em. That was my impression when I lstened to them in the store. Now I said with proper room accoustics they should rock!, at home I do hear more harshnes from the mid and highs. But its all good. I know what I have and They also sound like tuned NS10M's, they are a lot less harsh, but still. The highs are sweet but honest, the mids are less harsh like ns10 but still. And as for that bass, no complaints at all! Its like having a great ns10 out of your dreams with great tight bass!

Ease of Use:
They are easy to use, but as with all speakers. Placemnt can make a big difference. I think they sound at their best of you listen to them about 1-1.5 meters away. Or else they will sound too harsh and sweet. I also have the level set at less than a quarter from the get go, wich is loud enough! I bet they can go very loud, but for me personally theres absolutely no need for that. You could also sonsidder to put the listening level to very low and sit closer to them at an *intimate level* Genelc-style.

Support:
Havent dealt with them yet. But I would like to ask them something tho. I'll see how they react and if very bad, I will rwwrite this review and set this straight (just about the service-part ofcourse)

Overall:
I can be happy with them for a very long time. I wil never supplement them. I think I would add maybe some other speakers if at all nescessary. Home HiFi ones, or even very low cost speakers like in a boombox. Yamaha have some fine piece of design ro add their collection.

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"Great Stuff"

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 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:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
I just put everything on default and started from there....but if you want to fiddle, there are plenty of knobs. I was not please with the fact that I had to buy the cables myself. It wasn't expensive, but come on people.....

Quality:
I haven't had them too long, but they look and feel like quality. It's Yamaha by the way.

Value:
Great Value!

Desirability:
I already bought them and no regrets!!!

Sound:
I first listened to these at the local music store. They didn't sound really. That's coz I had bought along all the songs I had "mixed" on my small computer speakers. But then bought along my favourite hip hop songs and I (as well as my friends) was blown away by how clear the sound was. I was a bit concerened about the bass though, only to realise at how bass "heavy" my old computer speakers were, thus leaving my mixes thin in the bass department. I listen to my track on my ipod while at work and they sound as if i was still infront of the yamaha's at home. I'm glad I waited and bought these. Don't waiste your money on cheap monitors, you'll only be frustrated. By the way, my room has no acoustic treatmnet at all.....

Ease of Use:
They're speakers....

Support:
Haven't had to use them. But the manual is a good touch.

Overall:
Good monitors for any price. More expensive doesn't mean better, I have learnt that the hard way before.

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"I'ts worth the money!"

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 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:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
I love the buttons on the back! It helps you so u can set the right prefference for yourself

Quality:
Sound quality is the best, you can really depend on these speakers... i just worry a little in the high mid freq..

Value:
The price is wel worth it, I dont think there are cheaper monitors that sound better than this, the only comparison are the new mackies.

Desirability:
I love the way they look every time I walk into the studio and whenever someone else walks into the studio! It has a great presence and people say "wow this is a real studio"

Sound:
I really Love these monitors, I am glad I didn't go with any other monitors. Whatever mix you do on these monitors is exacly how it going to sound everywhere else!

Ease of Use:
Modifying the sound my personal taste is so easy and increadible, I can really tell the diff every time I move the buttons. I've tried it with different sound cards and even though they all sound different they're all very accurate and you can mix good on whichever. For me there is a learning curve, I just have to get used to them but the more I get used to them the better my mixes will sound! But its pretty direct.. what u hear is what it is. The manual is very clear.

Support:
I havent had to call for support so I dont know

Overall:
I think if I ever buy another set of monitors it would be the new ma