Yamaha is no stranger to professional recording environments all around the world, and with their legendary NS10 Hi-Fi Speaker they inadvertently created an industry standard in professional studio monitoring that is still present today. These iconic speakers have since been reimagined into Yamaha’s HS Series studio monitors, a powered and more modern approach to the passive NS10s. The original line of HS monitors came in two sizes, the HS80 and the HS50, and was designed to give you the most honest, precise reference possible, providing an ideal sonic platform to build on throughout the mixing process.
Yamaha has rebooted the entire HS Series to its current state, which now is available in 3 different sizes, the 5” HS5, 6.5” HS7, and the 8” HS8, which all have inherited redesigned drivers, upgraded enclosures, and improved rear-panel settings including ROOM CONTROL and HIGH TRIM response controls. Yamaha's speaker engineering team have examined, and optimized, every aspect that has contributed to making these monitors some of the most trusted in the business. The HS8 W is the largest of the series, and features an 8" cone woofer and 1" dome tweeter with a brilliant white color finish.
Newly Developed Transducers
The HS8 W features an 8” woofer that delivers incredibly clear sound and features the same distinctive white color that is immediately identifiable in the classic NS10 models. However the performance is further enhanced by a carefully selected magnet that produces a well-defined bottom end at any output level, and a carefully engineered mounting system which incorporates a system of screws and a specially designed mounting ring that helps eliminate unwanted vibration and resonance, allowing the speaker to deliver its full sonic potential
Now for high-end frequencies, the 1” dome tweeter on the HS8 W employs an advanced smooth-contour design that minimizes losses so that high-frequency details come through with remarkable accuracy. It’s able to deliver smooth, distortion-free high end all the way up to 30kHz. The extra thickness of the tweeter frame also minimizes resonance that can interfere with high-end clarity. The overall result is extraordinarily accurate response throughout the entire audio spectrum.
High Performance Amp Unit
One of the main features that separate the HS Series from the iconic NS10s is the addition of power. The original speakers we’re passive and required a separate form of amplification, but the HS Series derives its power from its built-in power amplifier. Featuring a bi-amp design with a separate dedicated amp for both the woofer and the tweeter, this amplifier unit ensures that each HS Series speaker consistently delivers high-resolution sound with exceptionally flat response across the sound spectrum. Which is exactly what you want, a true representation of your audio without any added coloration.
Low Resonance Enclosure Design
One of the benefits of having a diverse range of products, like Yamaha, is that you can derive design characteristics from other innovations you’ve created to incorporate into new and exciting product. HS Series engineers also employed a traditional three-way mitered-joint technique that dramatically improves durability and eliminates unwanted resonance that can influence overall sound. Constructed from a very dense and resilient MDF, the HS Series enclosures provide a damped acoustic response that is perfectly suited for reference monitors.
Controls and Connectivity
Form and function can certainly be enjoyed from the front, but turn the HS8 W around to the back and you’ll find a panel of controls and connections that will help place these speakers into any professional environment. There are two response controls detailed settings that allow them to adapt to the surface acoustics of rooms of varying shape and size, ROOM CONTROL which helps control bass build up when positioned close to a wall, and HIGH TRIM that allows for flexible control of high frequency response. For inputs, HS full-range speakers can accommodate a wide range of balanced and unbalanced sources such as mixers, keyboards and audio interfaces with XLR and TRS phone jacks.
