Bye bye Yamaha HS8, but what now?

The Lounge Other Gear
1

hi audio enthusiasts…

so my fist monitors ever were the yamaha HS8 …far too close to my face, in a far too small room (prox 25 - 30 m²) …

the bass response was on occasion too much… for home entertainment often too damn flat (who would have thought : p ) … the sweetspot was 3 meters behind me …
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.the tweeters a bit too aggressive for my taste… and my production skill is by far nowhere to need that sort of pricey speakers…
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friend of mine said, and that sums it up: These speakers dont make the music beautiful … and this is what I want… easy listening, and at the same time for home entertainment silky smooth rounded mainstream stuff…
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.would not hurt to have 2 sets of speakers, or a set of speakers where I could flip Studio / Home Entertainment … or have an EQ on the front to alter freq response…
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So what am I getting next?

2

My suggestion - take some time, visit a music store, and check some out. You might want to take with you a CD or USB with your most favourite tracks and use them as reference.

As you have the HS8 already, which are AFIK more sound engineering tools for mixing you might just get a second pair that are a pleasure to listen to.

If you say “hi, audio enthusiasts”, do you suggest to have lot of budget to spend?

I know some people being very happy with KRK, but check out Mackie, Genelec, Adam, Neuman etc. too … and you can get professional studio gear for much more money.

You can also check out test reviews on Sound on Sound or Future Music etc.

But since every person has his/her personal taste, the best approach is, to listen to them yourself :wink: . Take care to have the option to give purchased monitors back, because the sound quality depends strongly on your studio. Monitors need an adequate environment to deliver their performance and might sound excellent in the store and flat or wrong in the studio.

3

IMO, Focals make great hybrid speakers. Accurate enough for studio work, but also pleasant enough for enjoying a good record.

4

I’ve recently had an occasion to listen to the Kurzweil KS-40A at a friend’s flat. And honestly I’ve been impressed. For a dirt cheap set of small studio monitors, they sound wickedly good. So if you’re on a budget and the fact that they share an amplifier (one speaker is passive), these will suit you fine. And they’re 4", so they won’t be difficult to set up in your room.

But, since you’re addressing “audio enthusiasts”, here’s your audio enthusiast answer: Adam A5X or Genelec 8030B :smiley:

5

Hi Trabant,
I used som Mackies HR-824 before - the Cat pissed on them a few times and in the end the cones started to rip apart ! I thought they sounded really good tho - but I had to buy new monitors and thanx to the Cat I discovered the Adams A5X witch are much smaller ( I compose in a caravan :alien: ) and they sound much better = more detailed and clearer with a tighter Bass. I added a SUB a year later because I want to be able to hear those very low freqeuncies the elektron - analogs spit out. But they are very usefull without the SUB. I use to switch the Sub on and off as I think my music should sound good with or without SUB and to compare. By now I prefer it this way instead of having bigger monitors with the downwaves integrated. These speakers don’t flatter wich is a good thing and at the same time they don’'t fatigue my ears ( but i’m a little deaf at one side :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: …
They are rather position-sensitive tho but very transporteble.Build like a tank with carbone cones ( those Germans haha… ). The Cat left this planet :disappointed: but a new one came around and I’m keeping an eye on her :wink: when she pays me a visit to critisize my music and to claim her massage. :joy:
My Caravan isn’t sound - treated tho … so my judgement is relative :zonked:
BUT I LOVE THEM !!!

6

Genelec all the way…superb quality, great sound and sweet design :wink:

7

I couldn’t be a bigger fan of the Genelec 8000 series.
Working on my 8030a pair for the last 9 years has been a joy.

That said, if you’re on a budget, the JBL LSR series are incredible sounding for the money.

If you want a more colored, hyped sound, consider putting a BBE 282 half rack sonic maximizer before the speakers. They’re affordable, and will give your monitors more versatility if you want to use them for both entertainment, and serious audio work.

8

This might be a good idea in any case for your situation. The HS8’s are, IIRC, replacements for the older HS80M’s, which I bought primarily because of their flat response … great as studio monitors for mixing a track, but as the main speakers for a home stereo system they’re not as well suited.