On June 1, 2016, Yamaha introduced the HS-I range of powered speakers, which adds mounting points to the popular HS series studio monitors, making the range ideal for a wider variety of monitoring, sound reinforcement and installation environments.
Since their beginnings in the 1970s, Yamaha studio monitors have been an industry standard and have become the preferred choice of audio professionals around the world. The HS series, following Yamaha's philosophy of sonic purity, has continued the tradition of ranking among the most reliable speakers for nearfield monitoring applications, praised for their distinctive sound and superior accuracy.
The HS-I range includes three models, the HS5I, HS7I and HS8I, all available in white or black finishes. With the addition of mounting points, the HS-I speakers can be used for a much wider range of applications. Thanks to the three types of optional brackets available (wall, ceiling or pole), installation is greatly simplified in studios or commercial environments with spaces or surfaces that would otherwise be difficult.
“We continually listen to our customers' feedback, and our priority is always to deliver the solutions they ask for as quickly and effectively as possible," says Yoshi Tsugawa, head of the Pro Audio business unit at Yamaha Corporation. “HS speakers are trusted by countless audio professionals around the world for studio monitoring applications. Our main goal with the HS-I models was to respond to the many requests we have received for flexible mounting options, so these new models can be used in commercial and professional spaces where excellent sound quality and cost-effectiveness are the priority”.
The HS enclosures are made of dense, durable MDF with a damped acoustic response, and use the traditional three-way mitered joint technique that anchors firmly to the corners of the enclosure. This significantly improves durability and eliminates unwanted resonance. Designed using advanced noise-reduction technologies and visual sound analysis, they feature an ideal port design that reduces audible noise by up to 6 dB.
All HS models incorporate a proprietary Yamaha transducer that produces a smooth response across a wide bandwidth. A highly efficient one-inch dome tweeter considerably extends the frequency range, while the ultra-responsive woofer uses large, high-quality magnets to deliver well-defined low frequencies at any output level, with exceptionally low distortion.
The amplifier features a bi-amp design with separate, dedicated units for the woofer and tweeter. This ensures that every speaker in the HS series always delivers high-resolution sound with a flat response across the entire sound spectrum.
The full-range HS models also incorporate two response controls with detailed settings that let them adapt to the acoustics of rooms of various sizes and shapes, ROOM CONTROL and HIGH TRIM, as well as XLR and TRS phone jack inputs to accommodate a wide range of balanced and unbalanced sources, such as mixers, keyboards and audio interfaces. The HS-I series will be available during the third quarter of 2016.
