Yamaha HS50M

Overall great monitors. VERY finicky on room acoustics. If you put these monitors in 10 completely different rooms, you will get 10 completely different results. Once your room acoustics are properly dealt with, these monitors are excellent, but almost useless in a poor room. They do have "room acoustic controls" but, i rather fix the room and leave the monitors neutral. I like them because they don't add anything to what you are monitoring, very neutral sound. They really let you know what is sounding bad more than what is sounding good, and I like that. Once all the bad is spots and smears on the audio are gone, the whole sonic picture is then great. I feel that is the point of great monitors, I don't need to know what sounds good, I need to find those hidden bad spots and smears, Yamaha HS80M is great for that. Very heavy and sold. Mine came with a 5 year warranty. That is a bold thing for a company to do with speakers and it tells me they are serious about the build of their product. One more great thing I like about monitoring with these is when you go to crank them up to max, you will hear the compression distortion/signal overload before the monitors themselves distort, actually, I don't think I have ever heard my HS80Ms distort, and they get LOUD!

Working with this monitors for two years with great success. I always hear what was really there. Great midrange monitors.

These monitors are secrets. (HS80m) They are the most pro sounding monitors for cheap very very good detail especially in the mids. I have the sub so everything is full bodied. They break up in the lower mids. And that lets you know where to eq and what chissel out. George Auspruger tuned my room, and he had never these speakers till he came to my studio. He said he had no idea they sounded as good as they did and was very impressed and was shocked. This is the legend who makes monitor systems for major studios. It speaks volumes about these speakers. I love them well underpriced for there performance.

I picked up a pair of Yamaha HS50M's when they first came out and it has proven to be one of the best studio purchases I've made on a bang-for-the-buck level. I use the monitors as a "real world" reference speaker, a midpoint between the original NS10's and Auratones. Although lacking in the low end, they serve as a great second set of monitors to verify your mixes translate well to computer speakers, ear buds, and other consumer grade audio. The built in amps make these little guys plug and play, so very easy to set up. As a previous review stated, proper room acoustics are so important, and don't forget to pay attention to desktop reflections. They are also magnetically shielded, so you can nestle them right up to your CRT and rest your floppy disks on top with no worries :p

Possibly the most cost effective monitors one can buy. They are brutally honest, never afraid to point out all of your flaws in front of your clients. They tell no lies, and with a sub, and a well treated room they can be your best friend for fixing your mixes. Maybe not the most fun system for personal listening, but if you like making killer mixes, than these are for you

The HS50's have a nice stereo image and good clarity and separation. I really improved my mixing skills while using these monitors. I agree they are revealing. Thats what helped me raise the bar on my mixing style. I use them with an Apogee Rosetta 200, mogami cables, and put them on stands with auralex mo pads. I use them in a treated room. I use them with the HS sub too. I love mixing with them, and recommend them to anyone. My only complaint is that they sound a little harsh at loud volumes. The volume they get harsh at I would never mix at anyway though.

This is the best monitor I can think of that that price range! Sounds amazing, my mixes translate really well, it have an excellent stereo image, they are really revealing.

It have some really nice features, such as frequency cut, xlr and trs input (that is amazing for home studio guys who usually use maudio interfaces)...

Pretty easy to use, it is almost turn it on and listen.

NOTE: Everything I'm saying is based on listening to them on a well treated room with mopad under them!

So, why I gave it a seven on the sound quality ?

Well, it is because it get harsh when you turn the volume up. Sometimes I like, and it is needed to mix at loud volumes, but, if you do that on the HS50, it can get a bit harsh... Just like the guy before my stated.

About the bass, it is cool if you room is treated, if it is not, then the bass will probably sound boomy and will lack in definition (but I think every monitor would have a bad bass sounding in a not treated room)...


Conclusion: AWESOME for the price. No doubt it is my first choice for home studio if you want to save money.

Yamaha has been known for making what many would consider THE studio standard for mixing with their ns10 monitors that have been around a very long time. The main reason for them being so utilized in studio setups is to me, mainly because of their BRUTAL honesty in sound and ability to translate that sound to nearly anywhere. Though the HS50s are a powered monitor, they keep with the "honesty" Yamaha is now known for in their studio applications.

Right on the Yamaha website it states "If your mixes sound good on these, they sound good anywhere". i couldn't agree more, although i think that statement should have a foot note that says "at medium to low mixing volume". Personally, when i mix i do it at VERY low levels, and these little bad boys always get the job done.

At their price point, I would highly recommend heading to wherever you can hear a pair if you are looking into getting some nice small active monitors. I WOULD recommend the HS80s though for hiphop, and if you want to have a more controlled bass in a non tuned room, adding a sub will help as well.

I record and mix a lot of rock and hard rock music, and these monitors allow for mixing rock WONDERFULLY. i can always get a nice, tight kick drum sound that doesnt interfere with the other low end in guitar and bass, and i have noticed these little guys REALLY show any artifacting in a mix and let you easily "tune" it out.

I dont think ANY studio monitor i have ever used that i would rate at a 10 in sound quality, have EVER had the ability to translate as well as a monitor that i would rate less than a 10 in sound quality. i give the HS50s an 8, because i feel they have a solid balance between good sound, and translatable sound. I mean in the end, lets face it, MOST of your average everyday Joe is listening to music in their car, or on their laptop, so having the hs50s can make your mixes come alive, assuming the performance and engineering is good or better. to have a few sets of varying monitors to a/b against can make the hs50s really shine as well.

Overall, i highly recommend the HS50, especially if you are a/b'ing with larger studio monitors, and i feel with these and a high end set of larger studio monitors, if your mix sounds bad, it ain't the monitors my friend, its you .

I was lucky enough to pickup a second hand pair at a pawn shop for 200.
I make House music so I added a jbl sub to the setup. Non treated room...no mopads..bt nonetheless ...these speakers allow me to eq everything jst right because when I take a cd to the car or club...the translation is dynamite. they are really heavy and look cool too

In the world of studio monitors there are two schools of thought:
1. Hi-fi - monitors designed to reproduce your sound with as much accuracy and detail as possible.
2. Reference - monitors that may not sound great, but mixes done on them have a tendency to translate well to other systems.

The Yamaha HS50Ms fall firmly into category #2. These monitors were designed and are marketed as a replacement/sucessor to the discontinued NS10s, the classic "if you mix on these it will translate well to anything" monitors.

The Good:
The HS50Ms do what they are supposed to do, they provide a reference point. They sound similar to NS10s, and like one would imagine can work well in the same setting. They're also reasonably priced.

The Bad:
These monitors lack any low end below about 80hz and sound downright harsh. I found them to be quite fatiguing on long sessions (at responsible volume levels).

My Advice:
Do not buy these as your only set of monitors. If you are looking to invest in one set of monitors embrace school of thought #1 - Hi-fi. Now this does not mean hike up your price range, just look for a set that has better (aka closer to flat) frequency response. See KRK, Event, M Audio, etc. for more options in the HS50M price range. I would only consider buying the HS50Ms as second pair for reference, but even then, if you want the NS10 thing buy some NS10s.

The pair of HS50Ms I owned lasted for about a year before I had had enough and sold them. I got some good use out of them, but if I could go back and do it all over again I would look at other similarly priced options.

Great rough speakers for editing (auto-tune, beat detective e.t.c..)
Even on the 100th listen you are listening to music, not sonics and this aspect makes them very close to NS10. Not their punch or stereo or whatever.

They are great for programming effects (reverbs or delays on certain spots/notes..)

I spent a lot of time working on these. Not to mention Berklee Mixing and mastering classes.

The low end is bull****, but the mids are fine. They show the music from the contents point. When you like your editing on them - you'll like it on any speakers. I also fell like I'm not over-editing on them, it's not getting too small and mechanic.

All in all best speakers in their price range.

I bought the Yamaha HS50M about six months ago. It has been a great addition to my small home setup since. Here are the details:

Sound Quality:

Some people will complain that these speakers are thin and ear fatiguing. They are not wrong, however, these are REFERENCE monitors, implying that they will display the errors in your mix. They should be used at low-moderate volumes. They are unforgiving if your mix is bad. That is why they are so useful. My mixes got from good to better with these and that is what you want, right?

Ease of use:

Not much to say here since they are powered. Turn them on and listen.

Features:

There are many features on the back to taylor the frequency response as you like. I push the mids and highs a lot to show me if I have mixed too bright. Also, if your mix has lots of 2K frequencies, you will hear them, which I think is great.

Bang for buck:

I believe these a priced correctly. They could be priced cheaper since they are made in China and some other brand models are priced very competitively, but as for a mixing tool, I think they are worth the price. However, you should always try before you buy or take advantage of the return policy at the store if you are not satisfied with them.

for those of you that are curious about the hs80m's, msp7's and their subwoofers, have a look at my detailed review here- https://www.gearslutz.com/board/revie...80m-hs10w.html
the hs50's are great for the money but for a little more you'll get a much better range with the hs80m's. well worth paying a little extra for the big brother. if you really must insist on buying the hs50m, purchasing the hs10w subwoofer will balance things out a lot better. i highly recommended it, no matter what size your room is.

I heard these 6 or 7 years ago and thought they sounded like ****.
Now, I understand.
They are true mixing speakers. When I first heard them I was only used to hearing usual monitor speakers. The type of speakers that inspire you to compose but don't help you finalise a mix.
I've worked for years with mostly mackie 624 and adam a7 plus various others.

I would not use the hs50 as a composing speaker because I'm used to creating tracks on a something which gives me a vibe. But this kind of speaker is invaluable in correcting a final mix.

I recently visited a pro audio shop to listen to monitors. My intention was finding a mix monitor to compliment my mackie composing speakers. I thought I would leave with the yamaha msp5 after hearing them previously.

They had a good listening environment and a wall of monitors including focal (40,50,twin),adam(a7x, a8x), genelec(8040,8050), dynaudio (bm12,bm15), yamaha (msp5, hs50), acoustic energy ae22.

The best mixing speakers by a long way were the ae22.
super clear mid range, so honest, limited but honest bass.
big suprise were the bm15a (bm12 were no where near) great present mid with big bass. but too big for my room.

The yamaha msp5 were something similar to what i had with my mackies. If they were you only speaker in this small factor range I would go with these.

But then I heard the hs50m.
They were the closest by far to my favs, the ae22. They shared the same forward mid range character, with much less fine resolution in the mid and top end, but still they had that same character.

and they were the cheapest by far.

Exactly what i was looking for.

I'm really happy with this purchase, they helped me fix mix problems straight out of the box.

They will remain a 2nd speaker,, but until I can get some ae22's. They are the best option for me.

Absolute bargain.

Yamaha HS50M's

When people jump into recording and producing, the first thing that comes to mind, "I need flat speakers". More often than not, every speaker discussion comes back to how flat the response is compared to said A or B speaker. When I started producing, if you’d like to call it that, I worked on a 2.1 Hi-fi Altec Lansing speaker system I got from a local Fry’s Electronics Store. How I managed to work on projects when I couldn't hear anything above 7 kHz was beside me.

The time came where I needed to upgrade my monitoring chain. I did the same thing as every one of you, spent countless hours looking through Sweetwater, Vintage King, Guitar Center, and every possible thread here on Gearslutz to get an idea of what I wanted, and could afford. The worst part is, after countless hours of never ending circles, we all still looked blankly up at our ceilings unsure what to get.

First Impressions -

When I made the plunge with the Yamaha HS50's, I wasn't sure what to expect. All I really knew was that the HS Series was the updated little brother of the NS10's. Regardless, these were my first studio monitors and I was ecstatic. With my first few critical listening sessions, I was blown away by the sheer detail these monitors exposed.

On the back side of the Yamaha HS50 rest four EQ options. A +/- 2db Hi-Shelf filter at 3 KHz is the first of the four. When set to +2db, they imitate their legendary older brothers, the NS10M's. Accompanying the Hi-Shelf, there is a +/- 2db Bell filter at 2khz, a 80/100hz Hi-Pass filter, and for helping accommodate any bass buildup, there is a -2/-4 dB Low-Shelf filter at 500hz named, “Room Control”.

High's -

Dropping a pin on an acapella take is precise and audible. You can even count how many times it bounces off the floor. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but the highs of these are precise and give you the air and clarity you need to let any mix, "breath". If anything regarding the high end of your mix isn’t right, the HS50’s will tell you. From sibilance in a vocal track, the snare in a drum kit, or a cymbal / hi-hat with too much high end, you will hear it, and you will hear it immediately.

I’ve found that upon setting the Hi-Shelf EQ to +2db at 3khz, accompanied with the +2db bell at 2khz, I can go in much deeper into the mix, allowing me to be very precise and surgical with my EQ. As a lot of you know, there’s no better feeling then checking your mixes in headphones and having them sound identical to your monitors.

Mids –

When it comes down to it, mid-range is the only part of music that everyone single speaker can play back. While some people might have huge subwoofers, others might be listening on something like the 2.1 Altec Lansing setup I was talking about earlier. I consider the mid-range to be 600hz to 3.5khz and these speakers do an excellent job at reproducing that key region.

Lows –

For those not fortunate enough to pair the HS10W subwoofer with these, you’re missing it. While these monitors are overall amazing, the low end is where these monitors meet their defeat. With their frequency response ending at 40hz, there is a lot left to be wanted. The low end rumble of an electronic kick drum can’t be heard properly. To compensate, many end up turning up their low minds resulting in a muddy mix. You can take that from me, I did it, many times..
If you’re an artist that’s recording yourself singing, some piano, or guitar, the monitors themselves would be great. The high’s and mid-range of these speakers translate very well and you can be rest assured that you’ll be happy with your investment.

Yamaha Hs10W

After countless hours of fighting with my speakers to give me true bass definition, I opted to get the HS10w. After reading all the reviews about it, I came across one review that said, "I don't know why I didn't get this sooner". That completely sums up how I feel about the Yamaha Subwoofer.

First Impressions -

Upon introducing a subwoofer, everything I listened too sounded muddy and unclear in the low end. The low end was there but it wasn’t defined as I’d hope. That’s when I realized I was having my HS50’s and my HS10W attempting to cover the same low range frequencies.
I found the best sounding crossover point with the HS50 and HS10W to be at 80 Hz. 100 Hz took out a lot of the punch from the kick drum and almost sounded as if someone threw a blanket on the 80-200Hz range.

Lows -

The HS10W is your missing puzzle piece to your monitoring chain. With the frequencies response of 30Hz-180HZ and an 8” 120watt down-firing subwoofer, worries about your low end will become a thing of the past.

Overall -

For the HS50’s retailing at $199 each, or $400 a pair, these monitors are a steal for what you get in the terms of quality and true sound. Combined with what could be called a 4 band EQ, these monitors can be adjusted to sound great in any environment or upon taste. The HS10W is the perfect addition to these almost perfect project studio monitors. With that retailing at $399, you can get that much closer to producing something you’ll be proud to stand behind.

A home theater system is one thing; an audiophile’s theater system is another. This will get you to the post house in which they mixed the movie.

Incredible monitors for the price.The best bang for buck you can get if you want to buy monitors.

Pros:
Awesome speakers for recording voices.They reveal all the flaws,and noises that other expensive monitors hide.
Lots of features.
Awesome tools for mixing.
Incredible translation.


Cons:
It takes time until you get used with how this sound on lower frequencies.Personally it took me a month,but now I can mix only on them even on low frequencies.My secret is that i touch the woofers with my hand and feel what's happenin'.When i open my Event TR 8's wich have a much better low-frequency response i hear exactly what i felt with the yammys.

Lets forget the snobbery for a minute and look at monitors as a tool for mixing.
These little beauties are amazingly revealing and detailed and so comfortable to listen to for long hours.
Yamaha has given us an updated NS10 for a bargain price, I dont think people realize and are still purchasing secondhand NS10's!
The mixes on these translate superbly once you've mastered them.

Im thought about posting this review as a diff categorty but i figured id post it here. I never owned the unmodded version, but i have heard them in other studios. I wont waste my time on sharing my thoughts on the orignials everyone above has already done that. This is about the modded version.

Lets get one thing straight, even with the mod they don't have a great low end response. They are 5"s for crying out loud so i didnt expect them to sound like subs, BUT they have a punch to them that was very suprising. I refrenced Rhinana, Drake, and Wale's albums on these and instantly heard a 3D quality to the music. I heard instruments i hadnt heard before and i also felt the music a lilttle more. The stero image on these things is amazing. They didnt make the music sound any better, more so let me know how good the music really sounded.

SO i went back and listened to my own mixes and i told myself to just listen, but i couldnt help to start tweaking. I could hear what was missing instantly.
i tweaked one mix and rendered it in Reaper to an .mp3. Played it in the car, on the ipod and the ipod radio. IT TRANSLATED. I was kind of shocked. Im not a frequency chart response guy and number cruchner. My ears will tell me what i need to know. I can honestly say the mod gives me the confidence to know that what im hearing is what it is really going on. So far the mixes i have done have translated well. If you have Yamaha HS50s or 80s you should get the mod. its like your getting a whole new monitor.

As the other reviews state these are a fantastic pair of speakers, but before going into detail in each area of review I'll give an overall description of my experience with them.

I have had mine for around 2 years now, I bought them as I needed a good solid pair of monitors to take with me to uni to continue mixing, but nothing too expensive as if they got ruined by a party I didn't want to fork out big bucks to have them replaced. They have stayed together extremely well in this time, I have to move out of halls each term so I've made dozens of car journeys with them, dropped them a couple of times, and apart from a few scratches they work as good as new.

The cost is low but the don't feel cheap by anyone's standards. They are pretty heavy which adds to the feel and also helps the sound out, but mostly it gives me the impression of them being very durable which they are! The design is slick and simple, with a single classy light on the front of each to show when they've been turned on. Beautiful speaker that give a beautiful sound, which I will go into now...

Sound Quality
These sound great, not just great but flat and accurate. They sound great in the way that they are neither flattering nor offensive, but just a great accurate reproduction of the sound, which is what you want from a monitor.
However, as has been said before, the bass isn't quite there. I wouldn't rely on these for much below about 70-80Hz, so they aren't great for dance or pop music in my opinion. I mostly mix rock/experimental/acoustic stuff which doesn't require huge bass so for my needs they reproduce what I need to hear, but I would suggest a subwoofer or the HS80's if you need to go lower hence only the 4 stars in this area.

Ease Of Use
I'm not really sure what to say here.. you plug them in and they work. The controls for power and volume are around the back which can be a bit of a pain but I'm being nit-picky here, they're just speakers.

Features
For speakers they offer a lot of flexibility. There's mid eq, low cut, room control, and high trim controls on the back. A lot more than I expected to get from a speaker, especially in this price range! I rarely if ever use a lot of these features though, but other people almost certainly do so it's nice to have them there. Also the volume control has a center detent which is nice as it makes it easy to get the speakers the same level. XLR and jack inputs in the back of each make connecting things up much more versatile!

Bang For Buck
This is where these speakers really excel. They could easily stand up to much higher priced units, and if you can't afford more there's absolutely no reason not to get these.

In conclusion these speakers are great, they do exactly what you want them to do for a fraction of the price of other similar quality speakers. They've never failed on me, never hissed or buzzed, they've been as faithful to me as they have to my music, and I feel pretty confident that a mix made on these is a mix I can rely on.

I've had these for some years now (guess five), right now they found a home in my living room and to be honest that is where they belong.
These speakers are rubbish when it comes to mixing! They make all bass drums sound the same, mixes translate really badly, that actually makes them good for the living room.
I tried to compose some electronic music on them and also used them as monitor for some remote recording, the recordings sounded great on these but where way off on other speakers.
Other monitors i use and compared them to are Avantone Mixcubes, Focal Solo 6BE and ATC 110. I'd rather work on the Mixcubes then on the Hs50m. grudge

These are not even close to NS10s, they are a ported speaker, the NS aren't, all they have in common is a white woofer.

I can't say I love them because I don't! I don't hate them either but they just don't translate well. If you are looking for powered speakers for a computer, a DJ setup, dorm room, maybe to go on the bookshelf at your office they would be a good choice.

They are pleasant sounding and that is the problem. They tend to hide the warts and farts and vomits, and hype the sound a bit. Before I get roasted about room treatment, etc. that is not the issue with these. I have used them in multiple rooms (in different states a and time zones even) and always the same problems. My mixes never translate to my home or car stereo, other peoples systems, headphones, soup cans with string, etc... Believe me I have very nice (Klipsch + Bryston) home and car (JBL premium) stereos...

So IMHO hyped treble (that the built in attenuation doesn;t fix), hyped bass, and subdued mids.

If you are not mixing, and the price is right go ahead and get them. If you are mixing - these are not NS-10s.

Unexplained overhype for this set of monitor speakers that really remember you to never trust people on the internet when it comes to investing your money. Midrange is totally inaccurate, bass and highs are impossible to get right during a mix, and even in the best case scenario they won't translate decently on other system. Correcting a weird freq response curve with an onboard DSP eq pushed this hard is NOT a solution. Build quality is mediocre at best, as they're built with toy-quality plastic. Never believe people who never listened to upper tier monitors, as they'll probably praise the yammy's like they're the holy grail of the low budget mix engineer.. THEY'RE NOT. Get the adam Fs, spend a little more, 'cause with these you'd be like a wannabe pro studio photographer using an iPhone 2 camera. A few years ago Rokits invaded the market, then when the hype died people started (rightfully) bashing them everywhere. Don't wait for the hype to die on this pair of speakers, just avoid them for professional use.

P.S.: for the ones that "see them in every studio picture" : they're used to check mixes for future low end representation, just like car stereos were and still are by some engineers. Why not mix entirely on car stereos, then....

You should not expect too much from the HS50Ms.

I have had these for a few years now. I use them in a small/medium sized room with minimal foam treatment for the walls and corners, and things are around to diffuse and absorb.

They actually sound like like they belong in the price range wherein they exist. No, they do not sound expensive, they are not transparent, and there is no way you are trusting the lows, in my experience below 60HZ.

That said. People have written, arranged, mixed and mastered on worse at some point in time. And there are thousands of great sounding songs made on worse monitoring.

You have to Learn them. You have to check your mixes. You have to double triple reference, in several places. You should have a good pair of cans. You have to keep doing that until you know what to expect.

The mid range is quite detailed and will tell you whats wrong. It's almost exaggerated. You can hear whats nasty, it can get nasty. You can hear mud, the mud area shows itself off on these things. You can hear abrasion in the highs. You can tell when your HHs have too much attack. You cannot, again trust the bass, but you will know when you went too far by placing your hand over the cone, or leaning in to hear a slight distortion.

These monitors make you work for it, and you have to put in work too.

These are perfectly acceptable affordable monitors, as long as you cross check them. If so, I believe there is something about them that perhaps almost provides an advantage to you.

I had the HS80s and I think I am getting better mixes from the 50s.

The sub HS8W, I believe was mentioned, or the HS10W, which I believe is discontinued. It looked too expensive. I am not sure I need it now, but will think about it, if I don't upgrade the HS50Ms.