Everyone knows just how popular Yamaha’s series of “white cone” monitors were, but they’re impossible to find these days. Well, now the company has introduced the new HS Series powered monitors, which were designed from the ground up to deliver true reference quality audio in the tradition of the famous NS10Ms. According to Yamaha, mixes that sound good on the powered HS speakers will sound good on anything (and yes, they happen to look great, too).
The 70-watt HS50M (with 5-inch woofer and 3/4-inch dome tweeter) and the 120-watt HS80M (with 8-inch woofer and 1-inch dome tweeter) are housed in bass reflex-type cabinets, and reproduce surprisingly tight low end and smooth, high-frequency response to beyond 20kHz. Inputs include a balanced XLR and 1/4-inch phone jack. In addition to master level controls, each speaker has trim switches that allow you to custom-tailor low-, mid-, and high-frequency response for different applications.
When you need more bass, the HS10W powered subwoofer contains a long-stroke, 8-inch, 120-watt woofer in a bass-reflex design cabinet that maintains high efficiency and low distortion. Connections include dual XLR and 1/4-inch inputs, and three balanced XLR outputs (mix, plus left and right). Controls include master level, phase, and low/high cutoff frequency. The HS10W complements the HS speakers, and easily handles today’s bass-enhanced music or the most dramatic surround effects.
