Yamaha HS 8

I use Yamaha HS-8 monitors in my home recording studio which I have for the last 15 years. All I can say is that after Tannoys, Alesis MKII Active and similar (all in price range 500 EUR) I finally found monitors that actually represent the true audio image. Mine mixes are now finally real mixed down tracks, and it is true what people say about these black and white beauties - if it sounds good on these monitors it will sound good on every hi-fi system.

When I was mixing and mastering with my previous monitors - I would always end up with one question: 'How I can not hear mistakes during the sessions, and I hear everything in my car, on my home stereo system etc.

Pros: I was actually aiming for Adams a7's but after reading many reviews (and due to price difference) I settled on Yamaha HS8's, and I think I am sticking to these for a looong time. I have reasonably treated room and after a few months of use, I don't think that I need and sub woofer with these monitors. Great clarity, you can hear every detail in the mix (and fix it) and definitely a joy to listen to.

Cons: After a few days of use, one monitor (which was actually B-stock monitor, the only one I found on Thomann) was making noise after 10 minutes of use. It was annoying, and for 2 weeks I was planing to write a complain to Thomann regarding this. Changed cables, playing with inputs but the noise was still there. But in the meantime a new USB audio interface arrived - Focusrite 6i6 and the noise disappeared. Conclusion: there must have been some sort of compatibility issue with my old E-MU sound card, as from the moment I installed Focusrite - no problems whatsover.

Great product

So I use this speakers at home instead of a Hi-fi system. I decided to go for studio monitors mainly to avoid external amplifiers and compared to commercial compact systems, audio quality is off the roof.

Sound is really clear and sharp. Nothing feels overpowered, there is a good frequency balance and it feels flat indeed.
I used different inputs so far with all having the same performance. Direct connection to a Mac with a basic stereo cable, connected to a mixer and then to a Mac and a turntable and also with a TV. I also tried them in different rooms. In a small apartment base can be too much and you will probably need some sort of base traps. In bigger rooms on the other hand, base can be lost. I also tried them in an outdoors space where base was almost non existent.
I have to say, these speakers are loud.
All music genres where well received and the same goes for movies.

They look really really good. The illuminating Yamaha logo looks awesome. Built quality is really nice, they feels strong and durable. They are quite heavy but that's expected.

Pros:
Great sound
Great quality and looks
Very descent price

Cons:
Not magnetically sealed and it's possible to get noise interference from cellphones
Air canals are in the back meaning you can't place them against a wall
All controls are located on the back and it's not ideal to turn them on and off everyday.

All in all I highly recommend these if you have the space and the money. I'm not a producer so I can't talk about performance in a professional environment, but as an audiophile I love these speakers.