Great nearfield monitor 
by Leigh from Australia, June 2009
Music Background:  Live Engineering, Bass

I bought these mostly due to the reviews here and have not been dissapointed.
In fact it shows my music collections in a very different light, as I can now easily hear poorly mixed/mastered tunes. Especially overcompressed tracks that seem to predominate lately.
Would be nice if they had mounting options built in into the base, or capability to add a cover to protect the cones.
Otherwise, brilliant value for money.

  The last pro/semi-pro monitor 
by Peter Brown from South FL, May 2009
Music Background:  Composer producer film & video documentaries

I challenge any professional music gear/monitor manufacturer to top what Yamaha has done for the composer/producer/songwriter. Be he pro or, semi-pro recording studio engineer or musician, and for the money? I'm not here advertising for Yamaha but after using the JBL's, the Mackies and the Genelics off and on through the years, it was a refreshing awakening to hear my music through the HS80M's. I thought the Mackies and the JBL's were exciting until I heard my compositions through these. Finally a truly flat set of monitors for less than 1/2 the price of comparable, industry standards.

Yanaha has gone one better than the NS10's. These are sure to be around for at least as long. "Way to go" Yamaha!

  Awesome speakers 
by Rob from Phoenix, AZ, April 2009
Music Background:  listener

I liked the sound of these enough that I sold all my previous equipment and bought 5 of them (and an Onkyo Pro preamp/surround processor) for my home music/theater system! They are extremely good sounding, maybe a little bright but if you have an EQ or a system like Audyssey you can tone that down, if not there's a -2db high cut (which I've never used but it's there). I have a huge sub too but these monitors are capable of shaking the walls without it (they just won't go down to 10-15Hz like the sub).

Basically EVERYTHING sounds good on these, like it was mixed just for them... And you can't beat the price either.

  Really nice bang 
by Jeff from Los Angeles, March 2009
Music Background:  Pro LA Audio Engineer/Drummer/Producer

I am amazed that these sound this good at this price point. They have extremely nice tight bottom end. They sound great quiet and loud. They have more than enough power. Mixes translate well and clients like them. There is a slight bump in the upper mids. So be sure to check vocal levels on other systems. Always check your mix in the car!!! I've had them for about a year and a half. I've done many many mixes on them. I'm still pretty blown away. I think these used to be less money. Perhaps Yamaha wised up.

  Yamaha HS80 monitors 
by JohnBee from Canada, March 2009
Music Background:  Music aficionado

I picked-up a pair of these about 9 months ago and have been using them since. Overall they are very nice looking speakers with a good build quality(love the white on black presence). They are very capable monitors that would have no problems delivering the punch all on there own. However... for those seeking to cover the full sound spectrum, I would recommend pairing them with the HS10 subwoofer, as it really does make up the difference for a host of sources(keyboards etc.)

The one complaint I would have with the HS80's is the infamous hiss they exhibit when they are on. Yes... the problem is real and we replicated it with other units at my local shop. With some experimenting, we've concluded that the noise is generated in the power supply stages as they exhibit this all on their own(without any connections whatsoever).

It is also possible that the power supply section of the HS80's does not do well under 115-120v current. Though we were never able to substantiate this by adjusting the source voltage either(to bad).

The good news is however, that the hiss is only audible at/or around 1.5m from the source. So if you're setup can afford standard positioning then they will be completely silent and transparent. However, if you are tight on space, you may find yourself looking at something else, as such things can completely consume you.

All in all, I am satisfied with these monitors. Though I'd say that they do not come near the quality of the HS50's in terms of silence and transparency. On the upside, the HS80's completely bury their siblings in both volume and low response performance.

They were priced very competitively here in Canada and they make very compelling piano monitors.

  Alan Say's "Buy It" 
by William "Alan" Day from Meridian,Mississippi \"Home Of Peavey\", January 2009
Music Background:  47yearold musician who's still In Love With Making Music

Thank You Joel Gragg @ SweetWater for Helping me make a sound decision on purchasing a pair of the Yamaha HS80M Studio Monitors. I just graduated from a pair of Yamaha MSP3 Studio Monitors to the HS80M and I gotta tell You........"WOW!" If You are into recording and have been looking for "The Perfect" Monitor that won't Break the Bank.........Look No Further..........These Babies are Awesome! I'd Like to also say Thanks for the "SWEETDEAL".......Man what a deal you made me on a Pair of HS80M. I will definitely be dealing more in the Future with SweetWater. You Guy's are Great!

  Pro Engineer retiring my NS10M Studio's for these! 
by Steve S. from Grand Island, NY USA, December 2008
Music Background:  Pro Studio and Live Engineer

I'm a Pro Studio and live engineer who's been mixing National Artists for years. My studio has relied on a pair of Yamaha "NS10M Studio" monitors for 20 years. ( NS10M Studio are second gen. mon's designed for the studio, with proper horn dispersion, vs. older NS10's designed for home use. I will admit that I had an eq on the old monitors to tweak them to perfection, but the only way NS10M Studio's ever produced ear fatigue was if they are not placed properly. Any stereo monitor system must be place at least 60 degrees off center (30 degrees per speaker) to hear a true sweet stereo mix. I read the reviews on these HS80M's and I went to audition them with a studio mix CD. Forget about anything else!!! These monitors blew away any other powered monitor in any price range! After installing them properly in my studio, they are truly a step above the NS10M's as well. They are the truest representation of a mix that I have ever heard. The entire frequency band is truly reproduced accurately, and no further eq'ing is needed whatsoever. I saw one review claiming that these were brighter. Wrong. They are fantastic and true. They sound brighter than other high-end boxes because there are a lot of other boxes that falsely over-emphasize low-mid frequencies poorly, and you don't get a real mix of your sound. These have great low end, but not added frequencies that aren't supposed to be there! You will hear your true mix and you can eq your mix to how you want it to really sound. Also, I saw someone claiming these have a hiss? WRONG. Learn proper grounding of your studio and avoid grounding loops. Installed properly, there is no hiss whatsoever! They are as quiet as can be. I agree, if it sounds good on these, it will sound great anywhere! I also demo'd the new Yamaha RH10MS Headphones and they are as perfect and true as the HS80M's. If you want great headphones just as accurate, pick them up as well! There's no debate, buy them both and go succeed!

  Outstanding! 
by Brad from Cincinnati, OH USA, December 2008
Music Background:  Recording and Live Sound Engineer, Pro Musician

I just received my pair of HS80M monitors from Sweetwater! I am blown away. I upgraded from a set of M-Audio BX5a's. To say the least, these Yamaha's are WAY better than the M-Audio speakers. The bass extension is awesome; no subwoofer required. The midrange is prominent, but doesn't fatigue the ears. The highs are crystal clear. I can work for hours at a time, all the while hearing every aspect of my mix and my ears don't scream at me. I can't say how true these speakers are in comparison to Tannoys or Dynaudios, but they smash the old M-Audios to bits when it comes to having a true mix. I've been reviewing everything from the past couple months on these and I can actually HEAR my music now instead of a complete mess. I can take a CD to my car or play it in my home stereo and it sounds right. Before, I had to compensate for my monitors' lack of bass response and extension. I'm sure there are better monitors out there, but for this price you're not going to find a better set!

I see a lot of guys reviewing these against the Yamaha NS10 speakers. I can't compare since I've never heard NS10's but I can say that these are GREAT monitors that are perfect for anyone who doesn't want to spend $3K on their monitors.

  Details, details, and even more DETAILS!!! 
by Matija from Beograd, Serbia, November 2008
Music Background:  drummer, sound engineer, student

Ok, guys, after having those for just couple of days, I can say that these are far the MOST DETAILED MONITORS I have ever heard. Stereo image is just amazing, low end is tight, mids sound very present and highs are silky and have that cool analog vintage "sand" that somehow everybody wants, if you know what I mean:)
Tweak buttons on the back work just great, especially if you have issues with your room and its acoustic design.
HS80 are built solid as a ROCK and weigh about 13,5 kilograms, which makes this baby very hard to carry especially if you live on the third floor and you have no elevator:)
One more thing, they are incredibly flat and accurate, and I can feel free to say this especially after having heard ADAMs, KRKs and the rest in this price range.
With these Yamahas all your problems are solved, just ENJOY!
The only reason I am giving it 4,5 and not 5 stars is the thing that I have had these for only a couple of days and I still do not know if I am going to discover any dark sides of these monitors, but I really doubt it!
Cheers!

  My go to Monitors! 
by Rejean from FL, USA, October 2008
Music Background:  Mastering Engineer, post production, Producer, Studio Owner

I absolutely love my Yamaha HS80M's! They have turned into the work horse monitors in my studio. They are so versatile and the ability to adjust and tweak their settings to any room is such a great feature for the Pro or Home studio! First question I'm always asked about these is "are they like NS10's?" Well ya they are, except I personally think they have a far better full range tone and won't give you the massive ear fatigue notorious of the NS10's. Whether your throwing together a rough mix for a demo, doing post production surround mixing, or audio mastering the HS80's always provide a great mix (heck I've even used these in an audiophile setup to playback vinyl and they performed on par with a $5000 set of handmade monitors). For the price I have yet to find anything that comes close to the HS80M's

  Great Product 
by Patrick Rhodes from LA, CA, September 2008
Music Background:  Pro Musician

When I bought these monitors I had no big-studio experience and was worried that my mixes at my home studio would not translate well. Luckily i chose the right monitors! At home I write and compose all my music listening throught these monitors before I take them to a big studio here in LA and everything comes out great. Thanks Yamaha!

  Excellent 
by Scott from Dallas, August 2008
Music Background:  Musician - Hobbyist

I basically wanted some active monitors to use with my Roland KF-7 keyboard at home, and had narrowed it down to the Mackie MR8's and the HS80M's. I bought both and took them home to A-B them with the keyboard. I alternated them at least a dozen times. The MR8's had a more pronounced bass response, almost a touch boomy in comparison with the Yamaha's, and seemed to have more of a "personality" that accentuated certain frequencies. The difference was not huge, but still noticable. To my ears, both seemed to reproduce the high frequencies about the same. One of the main things that infulenced my decision; when playing a programmed rythm track on the HSM80's, the reproduction of the mid-range sound of a hand hitting the drumskin was incredibly real. Another thing that influenced my decision was the somewhat smaller size of the Yamaha's, and the fact that they could be tweaked more via the controls on the rear of the unit. These have brought life to my keyboard!

  I'ts worth the money! 
by D'Luz from Orlando, FL USA, March 2008
Music Background:  Recording Engineer/Producer

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! I love the buttons on the back! It helps you so u can set the right prefference for yourself. 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. Sound quality is the best, you can really depend on these speakers... i just worry a little in the high mid freq.. 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. 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" I think if I ever buy another set of monitors it would be the new mackies or genelecs but I think u can mix just as well on these monitors.. So I'm good.

  Pretty cool 
by Miz from Charlotte NC, February 2008
Music Background:  Producer

For anyone looking for a good monitors for the money, you will be stunned by the hs80m's. The are not ns-10's by any means, but if you know your stuff, you should know that the ns10 was a horrible monitor!!! It produced a terrible sound! So bad that if you had a good mix on those, your mix would sound good anywhere. Thats the reason you see them in every studio. The concept on this monitor is supurb accuracy, not bad sound. These are great and don't produce ear fatigue as the ns-10's does. Great job Yamaha.

  Amazing! Best bang for your buck. 
by Michael Pierson from Jackson MI, January 2008
Music Background:  Hobbyist/Intermediate Recording Engineer

Boy am I glad I didnt go cheap! Very happy that I spent the extra money to get a pair of 80Ms. These are the first set of "real" monitors I've owned so really I have nothing to compare them too, but I can tell quality sound from "so-so" sound and these are quality. I'm sure they will be in my set-up for years to come, so I'm glad I didnt go for a lesser monitor. CAUTION - Lift with your legs when handling them, they weigh close to 30lbs! Now THATS a piece of equipment.

  Great Sound for the price! 
by Rocco Talula from La Garita, P.R., November 2007
Music Background:  Recording Engineer, Full Sail Grad, Producer

I think that you can't really compare these speakers with the ns10, because the ns10 were unique in there own way, construction wise! Therefore to have the same response & sound it's quite impossible. Know compare this speakers with others at the same price range(KRK,M-Audio,Alesis,etc.) and then you'll be able to compare how superior they are. Not everybody have a thousand plus dollars to get a pair of speakers. This is the bottom line: if your sounds good on these speakers it will sound good and decent in any system, that's all yamaha promise. And that's all I'm in for.

Please Excuse my spelling my first languaje is Spanish!

  Stands up to the best. 
by Scott from ON, Canada, September 2007
Music Background:  Live & recording engineer, semi-professional musician

These monitors stand up to the best in the industry. I've worked heavily with dynaudio, genelec, JBL and other top name monitors and these are right in the same quality range. Beautiful, crystal clear high end, articulate, clear low end that is not at all boomy or tubby. I definitely recommend these to both the beginner and professional engineer.

  Awesome!!! It's like an ns10 in a bigger package 
by Kevin from Michigan, August 2007
Music Background:  Pro Musician, Recording Engineer, etc..

I've been adding to my home studio...little here, little there. Next step I've wanted to upgrade my monitors... Traded in my alesis m1 620's for these. WOW I was blown away... Great flat respines and very very responsive to transient details... every little noise will come through with clarity and life.. Listen to me and others... Just buy them! You wont be dissappointed!

  flat chested as a 12 year old boy. 
by Dustin from hollywood ca, May 2007
Music Background:  Recording Engineer, Blu room studios

Just buy them so you can post your own review, If your even looking at the hs80's....buy. Because you obviously have nothing to work with, and you're looking for something better just like I did for years. Translate perfectly. If you are ok at mixing on anything else you will be a mixing god on the hs80's.

  THIS ARE AMAZING!!! 
by Diz from Wadsworth, Ohio, October 2006
Music Background:  Recording engineer, recording workshop, chillicothe ohio...

The sound is great, to test any frequency in the spectrum, did a little searching,,, As a mastering engineer, this truly gives me alot of controll over the lo end, you can really hear what is going on,, when they say flat they mean flat... honestly these monitors will finish your studio.. And yes no more nights of wondering if the bass could be a little tighter, these definitely are one of the best monitor pairs I have purchased.... (terrible frequencys stick out like a sore thumb on these) things other monitors don't make as distinct

  Very Accurate Speakers 
by A. Brassoul from Durham, NC, October 2006
Music Background:  Producer, Recording/Mix Engineer, Professional Musician

The Yamaha HS80M are very accurate monitors. They are good for mixing a variety of styles and, paired with the subwoofer, they provide a great mixing system. I will soon purchase them for mixing R&B and Hip-Hop style mixes. They work great for rock as well.

  Great Buy 
by Owner from Florida, June 2006
Music Background:  Musician, Student, Engineer

These monitors are GREAT. They really crank out some sound when you turn them up; I only use them at half power and have only turned them up once to see how strong they were. The frequency response is very flat and the Various controls on these powered monitors are all those you expect to see on monitors twice the price. Great stereo image. Great monitor. I've had a pair since February and I like them a lot. Also use Mackie HR824 and the Yamaha's get the job done just as well and you can't beat it for almost half the price.

These sound beautiful! 
by Jeff D. from nashville,tn, March 2006

Changes my mixes for the better...really clean and flat for superb 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.

Nothing like NS-10's 
by Anonymous from CT, November 2005

I just bought a pair of these new Yamaha speakers and every sales person I talk to anywhere is hyping this speaker that it's like the old NS-10's that Yamaha stupidly discontinued making. I took them to a studio that I intern at and compared them to a pair of NS-10's and they sound nothing alike. I tried every combination of EQ setting possible on the back of the HS80M's and could not reproduce the sound at all. A friend there mentioned that he thought that the speakers sounded like the tweeter and the woofer where battling against each other. I think Yamaha is just trying to build off the name they made for themselves with the NS-10's and give us a new product that looks very similar to the old NS-10's (Stupidly taken off the market and discontinued!!!) and try and pass them off as great as the old NS-10's. While these speakers do have a nice sound though they have is no comparison between them and NS-10's. So overall though I would give them a 7 out of 10 as far as speakers that I think sound good for mixing.

The new Yamaha standard. 
by Anonymous from Portland OR, November 2005

These sound nothing like NS10s but they are quality monitors. NS 10s were discontinued because yamaha could not find a suitable replacement for their paper cones. The plup used for making these was getting harder to find, and Yamaha could not find an acceptable substitute. So rather than making NS10s that were inferior, yamaha decided to discontinue them so as to preserve the NS10 reputation. Yamaha did not want to stop production, they simply made a tough choice.

Write Your Own Review!
We all love gear, and we all love talking about gear with our friends and bandmates. Why not share your thoughts with the hundreds of thousands of customers who regularly visit Sweetwater.com? Write your own customer review on this product! To begin, just Click Here!