Yamaha HS7 6.5 inch Powered Studio Monitor - Black Reviews

Just excellent. I worked in A Studio where NS 10s where the thing. (And they were ). Later I had my own Mackie HR 824s which were good . Very flat. Then I stopped recording for A while, went back to it and picked up these. I have them placed right next to small Genelecs. The Yamahas just bring out everything from the highs and the lows, the loud and the soft in the same program material. It's beautiful when you can hear things like A delay on a track fade to a whisper. I am amazed everyday I use these well crafted products of fine engineering.

These are great reference monitors.!!

We all know studio monitors come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. My Sweetwater rep was nice enough to discuss options with me and suggested these as being the most bang for the buck. They're very sturdy and well made and I'm very pleased with the sound. I plan on using them for mixing, but for now they're used as a home powered speaker for playing guitar with my Helix floor model. Very pleased so far and I recommend if you're looking for a quality mid-range priced set of monitors.

Great sounding reference monitors especially for the price! And being Yamaha the quality is excellent too!

Clean, clear and accurate sound reproduction! You won't regret buying these. Be aware that the prime listening location ("sweet spot") for these monitors is kind of narrow so you'll want your triangulation setup to be fairly tight for best results.

I've had a pair of HS 5's for a few years, these are a definite upgrade, nice full sound. I had the good fortune to work a lot with the old NS 10's back in the day too, and these fit in nicely with that legendary warhorse's legacy. Keep 'em comin' Yamaha!!!

Picked these up with help from Cliff Franklin in sales. Sound quality is insane for the price and size of these monitors. I was using decent studio headphones before but these made a huge difference. I pulled up one of my old mixes and was able to hear some trouble spots right off the bat. Using these in a decent sized office room connected to my AXE I/O Interface and couldn't believe the power of these. Even with the AXE I/O monitor output set to about 33% and the speakers turned up to about 50%, it was plenty loud and I still had way more juice to give these. Worth noting, I work on mostly rock genera music so can't speak for those who are into more digital / EDM styles.

Quick version... 40+ year guitar player whose only concern about speakers was in my guitar amps (Fender) and my home stereo (Klipsch). Then at the young age of 60 I discovered DAWs (GarageBand and Logic) and suddenly my Tascam 4 track cassette was a little tired. Needing a speaker source I began with Mackie CR3s and KRK ST6s, both suitable. Gettting educated I knew I wanted a powered speaker with more horsepower. The HS7s fit the bill perfectly. Plenty of bottom without needing a sub. Crystal duplication of my crappy vocals and enhancement of what I consider to be heavenly guitar tones. These monitors are exactly what I had pictured. Clarity and accurate reproduction and a relatively small footprint based on other options. Thanks to my sales engineer, Brian Hughes, for answering what must have seemed like incessant questions. My kids better treat me well since I expect these will outlive me, but I get to decide who gets them!

I have purchased many items from Sweetwater in the past, but I consider this one of the best purchases so far. I tell everyone that asks me about buying musical equipment that with the extra year of warranty on the products they sell, you just can't beat the deals at Sweetwater. I just got my new Yamaha HS7s up and running today and could not be more pleased. They produce crisp clean accurate sound with plenty of bass for my home studio. I am a singer/songwriter and this is my first purchase of a true studio monitor. I reviewed many others studio monitors at the same price point before this purchase, but I have always been pleased with the performance and durability of Yamaha products. They did not disappoint with this one. I'm looking forward to getting back to producing music with these new monitors to guide my ears in the mixing. Thanks again Sweetwater.

I used a pair of M-Audio 5" speakers for a couple of years, but wanted an upgrade. These HS7's are fantastic. I can't believe the clarity. No issues with bass response either! Would highly recommend.

I bought a pair of these about a year ago and feel they're one of the best purchases I've made. I'm not an expert on monitors and have relied on headphones far too long. I did a lot of research which obviously brought me to the history of Yamaha and nearfield monitors. Next, I went to a local GC and audibly compared products. I was relatively impressed with Sterling monitors (not available at SW) and JBL monitors. I was NOT at all impressed by the ever popular KRK's and kept coming back to Yamaha as the clear winner within my price range. I was torn between the 7's and the 8's but due to room-size* I chose the 7's. They work very well in my studio and have plenty of bass. I'm very glad to spend less time in headphones and love the clarity and flat response these monitors provide. I feel my mixes have improved and the process is far more enjoyable. A colleague owns the 8's and after seeing the physical size I was already thinking I'd made the right choice. After hearing the 8's I was reassured. The 8's sound just as great, but in my space they would have been no better than the 7's IMO and just too large. *For comparison to your space, my room is 12' X 15.5' with 10' ceilings and a small offshoot space for drums which measures a little more than 6' X 7'.

After debating between going with the HS8"s, HS7"s, or the HS5"s and adding a sub for more low end, I decided to go with the HS7"s. These are for my bedroom studio setup(12ftx10ft) and they"re perfect. I decided that going with the HS8"s would probably produce too much negative feedback in my room, but I still needed that low end response. After review of the HS5"s I found that most people said they were perfect for mids and highs but lacked in low end, and adding the sub would just make setting everything up properly much more difficult. So I landed on the HS7"s and couldn"t be more pleased. They are perfect.

one of my most best investments when coming to my studio. I made the money back x10 the amount of them :) the woofer stays white too . Buy it i know you want to

After wrestling with the decision to either go with the HS5 or the HS7, I chose the HS5, thinking I could save a couple of hundred dollars and it probably would be sufficient for my Voice Over purposes. Truthfully, I tried to like them, but it just wouldn't stick. Instead of returning them, I decided to try upgrading to the HS7.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE! NIGHT AND DAY! If you're yo-yoing with a decision to either buy the 5s or the 7s, do yourself a favor. if you can pay the extra $... go with the 7s! You won't regret it.

Ive had krk rokit 5's in my project studio for about 8 yrs. and they served me well I produced 4 albums that get radio play on them. I finally was ready and had the funds for a upgrade I checked out presonus, jbl, mackie,focal and yamaha they were all very good but being a producer of acoustic acts the yamaha hs7 had the sound i want nice clear tight mid's just right lows and not too high. I have my first session with these tomorrow so we shall see (hear) how they do and give a new review after a few sessions or if I get another gem on the radio !

I'm simply beside myself happy about these monitors. They are perfect in my small home studio (10x10 room) - snappy and accurate.

I've spent the week re-eq'ing the last several projects I've worked on, and the translation when listening to the new mixes on other speakers (cars, home stereos, pa systems, etc) has come out better than anything I've mixed before.

I can't believe how handicapped I was by my old monitors... I'd "learned to live with" my old monitors and pretty much settled for rubbish mixes assuming it was just me.

I feel like I just got glasses for my ears and can hear clearly for the first time... wild.

They are great speakers. Very honest to what you are playing. The only thing is they are not very bassy like other speakers but sounds replication is like no other.

First tune played out of the box was Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb". I was stunned to hear details I had never noticed before! Very precise sound, solid construction - perfect for a small home studio!

It's my first studio monitor, I have only compared the HS7, HS5 and HS8 in a local shop. I haven't heard any other monitors before, so this impression is just based on comparing the 3 Yamaha models.

HS5 vs HS7: the HS7 has a much more balanced response, HS5 is definitely lacking in sub bass region. The HS5 has more forward mid-high, resulting a more forward mid image. Vocals and most instruments standout more, and there's a more 3D pop. The HS7 has a more natural sound, the sound is less "boxed", while I don't think the speakers totally disappear when music plays, but it is definitely more transparent than the HS5. The HS5, due to a peak in mid-high, over a long period of time, leads to some slight fatigue, while the HS7 is pretty much fatigue free. Both are neutral, but the HS7 is less coloured. The HS5 sounds more lively while the HS7 sounds more dull in comparison.

HS8 vs HS7: The HS8 sounds more muddied and less clear than the HS7, I wonder if the units there were in good shape. Bass on the HS8 is more pronounced. I prefer the HS7.

The HS7 is great if neutrality is what we look for. For music listening, I think these may not be the best choice, these monitors are not targeted for musicality. Hifi speakers or probably other studio monitors will give more bass volume, a bit more dynamic, a bit more soundstage scale and depth. But I think these are great for music production.

I bought these for a few reasons.

#1 - I wanted something that had a pretty flat responce. If it sounds like crap on these speakers. It will sound like crap everywhere. Which brings me to #2

#2- If it sounds good here. It will sound good everywhere else too.

The bass repsonce is smooth and accurate. Along with all other frequencies. This speaker is deadly accurate. And for the price, I recommend getting a pair.

I did a lot fo compairing and reading reviews and more importantly, I listened. Now listeneing is very subjective. What sounds good to me, may not for you. Let me be clear. These speakers aren't here to colour your music so that it sounds sweet. They'll give you a VERY accuarte representation of what your mix sounds like.

These monitors are for professional studio use and for the home studio that wants to upgrade to pro gear.

You can't go wrong in getting these. I'm going to use the word Industry Standard here.

These speakers replaced a boom box I had been using for recording. Man, what a difference! The bass is tight and the highs are sweet. The solid feel of the knobs and interface stuff on the back lets you know that this is no cheesy particle board box.

These are excellent speakers that, for the price, you cannot beat. They give you all the sound/feel to ensure your recordings are stealth productions.

They are great monitors, no issues at all, and they deliver awsome sound! I will be in the market for the bigger ones HS8, though...

I was schoked of the size of these monitors the "Hs7" when they arrived home, thank God they fit well on my home studio desk but well too much talking, these brothers are awsome on sound, oh man the clarity on these things are fenomenal, i highly recomend this to any who's planning in getting some monitors for their set up, last thing double your studio desk to see if these brothers fit well in your set up, visit your local music store and check if they have them in, see em your self cause these brothers are big. Thanks jeff bohan great service brother, sweetwater the best of the best.

These speakers sound fantastic flat and natural however if put through a mixer they can be used for dynamic listening, every time i hear i am very please i brought them i am running them through a Forte Focusrite usb soundcard from my laptop they sound sweet :))) my mate has the larger ones in his studio the Hs8's they sound great on the low bass. these speak for fill all my needs even after owning numerous amount of monitors and vintage speakers and amps. I would seriously give them a listen before purchasing any other monitors especially for the price range.

Let me start off with saying this, "WOW". I was blown away when I heard the sound come out of these monitors. So, before I get into my thoughts about these monitors, let me tell you a little of my experience from before I had these and what I was using. For about the past 2 years, I've owned Yamaha's HS50M studio monitor and thought that I was getting a decent response. At the same time, I knew that I needed more power and clarity, but didn't really want to spend the money. After checking out reviews both on Sweetwater's website and on YouTube, I finally gave in and started to look at Yamaha's HS7 studio monitors for the fact that they were the perfect size for my room and also produced a larger speaker size than the 5" I previously had. The good part comes when I finally receive them at my house. The packaging was great and the size was even better. There's no other words to describe them but PERFECT. I plugged them in and played one of my recordings. Let me say, I got goose bumps! The clarity was amazing and the bass response was like no other. I was literally amazed at how good these monitors sound. If you are looking to buy studio monitors, definitely go with Sweetwater and most definitely purchase Yamaha's HS7. You will not be dissapointed.

I love these , they look great and sound just as great. Very true nuetral sounding speakers which is exactly what i was looking for. I was actually playing a song for some freinds while turned around doing some stuff at my monitor and when the song was done playing one of them said "wow , you should record that". They didnt realize it was a recorded song thought i was saying the words along with the beat. Ha, They sound that realistic . Great product.

These things are great! Being powered makes it easy to just run a signal to the back and there is the sound! They have a great bass response as well. You just simply have to hear them. Very true!

These are the best monitors in this price range, but like anything, they require a good room. Proper acoustic treatment and speaker placement go a lot further than money can.

If you were to put these in a professional mixing room, with all their fancy acoustical engineering, treatment & diffusion, set these HS7 monitors up where their NS10s would be placed, and you could mix professionally without a hiccup.
My point is that these speakers may not sound good in your living room (or backed up into the wall of your office), but that isn't their fault. They don't come with software because you are supposed to create a proper mixing environment to use these in. I did it, and it makes everything smooth as butter. Sounds are good going into the mics and good coming back out of the monitors. I won't have to upgrade for years because I know that if I'm not getting the absolute best mixing experience, it's because of my room or my setup not being up to snuff. not the other way around. Every adjustment I make to placement or room acoustics only makes these things more accurate. What more could you want?

I have no complaints about these monitors. The more I work with them, the better I sound. I swear every time I hear someone's KRKs or JBL 305s now I think to myself, "wow... those are so muddy and dark, wtf?? how can someone mix on these things??!" and it's because I have been... spoiled... by these well-balanced, honest, clear monitors for the last three years! my low end is always justtt where I want it, and I'm not finding weird inconsistencies when I reference a mix on trashy speakers or my iphone built in speaker!! Thank you Yamaha for always staying consistent, ever since the first NS10s back in the day!! I hope they don't up the price on these things....... please dont!

My placement/setup:
-TONS of treatment (side walls, ceiling)
-lots of stuff acting as diffusion on the sides and the wall the speakers are aimed at
-11' x 20' (speakers firing down the long dimension of the room, facing the front door)
-about 10ft ceiling height (not ideal but not the worst either)
-equilateral triangle (about 3'x3'x3')
-about 30" height (second notch on the K&M monitor stands)
-2 feet away from the back wall, 3 feet away from each side. centered in the room.
-speakers aimed juuuuust behind my head to ensure the speakers arent angled too far in

-"room control" set to -2db
-"high trim" set to +2db
(the excessive acoustic treatment in my room literally absorbed so much of the high frequencies! Definitelyy another reason to get professional consultants to help with acoustic treatment or acoustic construction when initially building the space, that way everything just sounds good right off the bat. I didn't have that option but I will be sure to do that next time around!! I've only recently understood just how important that actually is. With a great room, you can theoretically mix on any monitors.)

Very pleased with my purchase from Sweetwater. Bought a pair to replace some old passive Alesis Monitor One's going thru a consumer JVC amplifier from 15 years ago. This also gave me an opportunity to replace some questionable connection cords with new.

First, it was a relief to go direct from mixer to powered monitor, thereby removing unnecessary equipment from the signal chain. Anyone upgrading from older equipment will get the same level of satisfaction.

These are very efficient, and have the power for a small to medium sized room for articulate work in a project or pro studio. The low end frequency is good without a sub if you do normal things like myself. As a bass player, the low end needs its space without becoming rattling. These give the clarity I need to work on my projects and allow for a low frequency of 43Hz all the way to 30kHz.

I am shaving a half star off due to the lack of an EQ knob over the 3 position switch thing they decided to implement. I would like a bit more overall control there so have ordered an inexpensive dual 15 band graphic equalizer from this site to complement these amazing monitor speakers.

For me they sound best on 31" monitor stands vs on the desk itself.

Do your own research. I did. I bought these.

Being a big fan of Yamaha it'd be easy to say these are the best monitors in the world.
They aren't, but they are probably some of the finest crafted, clean and neutral sounding speakers you can buy in this price range. Yamaha makes amazing products with great attention to detail.
Fit and finish is always first rate, and these are no exception to what I've come to expect from them..

I am very pleased with the sound of the Yamaha HS7 monitors. I replaced a pair of M-Audio AV40's which were nice little monitors, but the HS7's are a big step up. I love the room-control and High-trim controls on these speakers. The amount of power is great and the highs mid-range and low response is really good. I am very satisfied with these monitors.

Headphone comparisons has always been my standard of compairing my mix to the reference speaker monitors. The Yamaha HS7, when setup just right - gives you that near perfect true sound you need of confidance - that the world will hear it as you did when you created it.

The full spectral range is represented. Adding a sub-woofer and it's complete for any project studio.

I love these monitors!

Truest sounding monitors I've owned. Thanks for your recommendation Jason. Very pleased with this purchase and will always recommend the staff at Sweetwater to all my friends and associates

In comparison to Audio Tech AA7X monitors, I noticed a more nazzel sounding high frequencies.The mid and low ranges are clear and strong when set in a flat, un-attenuated mode. They're well made and a good complement to my studio. In retrospect, I should have bought a set of HS5's to provide less bass presence.

The speakers sound great and I am very happy with them! Great for home studio use.

When I started shopping for monitors, it was very tedious... too many choices. That's when I gave my sales rep Jason Koons a call and as always he was a wealth of knowledge. I got a pair of these Yamaha's based on his recommendation and I am thoroughly impressed so far. Great sounding, very flat response... I'm currently in the process of putting them through the paces and loving every second of it. Thanks Jason.

These have a nice, crisp top end and extended low range that is a noticeable upgrade in quality from say, Alesis M1 Active. We don't like the front LED backlit logo that is brighter than the light emitted from a computer monitor, but nothing a black sticker doesn't fix...they sound great!

These monitors can sound great, and they look great, but they are really hard to recommend. 2.5 stars sounds harsh, but "Could be better" is exactly where these monitors land.

On paper, these monitors might looks like a good option for smaller rooms in project studios. In practice, they are not magnetically shielded, so an electrically noisy street transformer or a appliance can make these monitors whine and buzz.

This could be better. iLouds are shielded, KRKs are shielded, Thomann will show you in their store which monitors are shielded. If you aren't sure your space is well isolated from RF interference, skip these monitors.

Additionally, the fact that these monitors are rear-ported means you'll want several feet behind to avoid more immediate reflections. A forward-ported monitor like the KRK rokit may be a better fit for small rooms.

I returned these and kept the KRK rokit 7's. They don't look quite as nice, but they are much better suited for more spaces.

The problem i find is the reaction time on the lows. You will need a powered sub with these or go for the bigger size HS8s