Would I have problems using Yamaha HS7 in a small room? The room would be around 5ft x 7ft and the height around 9ft. Thanks!

Probably fewer problems than you'd have with some other speakers.
HS7 is a very very good budget speaker. It has a sound that is on the "focused" end of the spectrum, a "tight" sound (for it's price) that is well suited to smaller spaces. Maybe not as small as the room you describe though...
Those room dimensions are scary small.
But, at least you'd have some good speakers. IMHO. Good luck.

Thanks a lot. Yeah the room is not an option so I figured at least I can control the speaker choice. So based on what you said it seems like it is a reasonable choice, but would it be better to get a smaller set like HS5? Or is it still worth getting the HS7 in comparison since they're superior?

"Those room dimensions are scary small." - Yeah, welcome to Hong Kong. And that room already kills me to afford. You will probably be shocked if I tell you everything the room is to be used for in combination too.

The 7's have deeper bass. Enough to mix on. Haven't heard the 5's, but I don't think they go as low. It makes a difference, to me anyway.
I think the highs are basically the same on both.
If you're on the fence, and can go either way, I'd get the 7's.
Although the 5's are obviously a little smaller if that is a factor.
Good luck.

Ideally I would want the 7s yes. I just wondered if there were any reasons the 5s would better due to the room being so small. If that's irrelevant though, then I guess the 7s since they are clearly "better" in general.

Yes, they would cause you less problems in a small room. Where I work we have a very small studio for film voiceovers with HS8s in it and I can confirm they sound horrible in such small space.

I would try to have at least a few bass traps and would add good headphones. I also work in a small room at home and find it very difficult to judge the bass. Listening on Adam A5Xs the bass can sound good and then I check it on HD650 and it sounds grainy. Sometimes I get it sounding great on HD650s yet on the monitors it may sound a bit off. I usually first go with the headphones and take it from there.

See:

https://www.soundonsound.com/sound-a...ers-small-room

^^^ Good advice. 7" speakers in a room that small will be awful (look up standing waves). Look at something like Focal Alpha 50 and good headphones instead.

Thanks guys. I was afraid they might be too big for the room.

The headphone I am using already are MDR-7506 but I am just sort of torn regarding the monitors. Either I get an inferior set or a set that's too big! The room can't change so the only thing I can control is the monitors.

I have done some very basic bass trapping and room treatment as best I can.

They're not inferior if they're going to perform better in a small room than larger monitors. Focal Alpha 50s are not inferior anyway. They have a nice sweet spot with a lot of detail (assuming good DAC) that is vastly superior to say a pair of KRK Rokit 5". You wouldn't insist on using a Marshall stack for small clubs, you'd be looking for combo amps. So start looking for good 5" (or 4.5") monitors.

Sorry I was thinking like HS5 vs HS7. I know nothing about the Alpha 50s so I will research them accordingly. Thanks for the tips!

Yes. Even in a stadium I won't use a Marshall stack anymore. I no longer own one. Haha. Well OK I do, but they are SMALL 20 watt 1x12 stacks! And I would use them mic'd at any size gig.

Back to the point though, yes. I see your point. Thanks.

Hey I looked into the Alphas but I don't even seem to be able to get them as cheap as HS7s, which are already kinda out of my budget but I was gonna stretch.

So I wanted to ask, based on what you said about the room size, if I have to choose something cheaper, are you saying that actually an HS5 (though in an ideal situation it would not be as good), in MY situation might be better than an HS7? Because of my room.

Thanks again.

I can shed some light. I think the Yama HS5 is really nasty, bright, unmusical and if I was looking for a small
4-5 inch monitor - I would avoid them. That beeing said - I am very impressed with the Yama HS8. Standing freefield
they are amazing and for me much better than the more expensive Eve, Adam, JBL, Genelec, Mackie, Focal,
Dynaudio, Neumann etc. They have good translation capabilities. Great performance for the price.
The HS7 sounds better than the HS5 but not as good as HS8. I don't know how HS7 would behave in a small room.

Thanks a lot for the insight.

I really do want to get the HS7. It is the absolute highest I can go in terms of budget. It's just the small room thing, if it's going to do a worse job than even an HS5 what's the point of stretching beyond what I can afford, if you know what I mean?

In terms of 5 inch, any other suggestions?

Have you looked at the iLoud speakers? I have a pair of the "micro" version - tiny, but well balanced, with decent bass. There is unfortunately some port noise down around 54 Hz. Not a big issue for me, for some though it's a deal-killer.
They recently came out with a larger model, but still a small speaker, and reportedly even more bass extension, and very well balanced.
Not super-cheap, but good sound. Not sure about the port noise on those.
BTW, and I'm sure it's different where you are, but I got a pair of HS7's for less than $400 USD. At that price, an excellent speaker. Not sure I'd pay too much more than that however.
There are a fair amount of other options in the 5" speaker market. If that's the size you want, I'd recommend you look at as many as you can. Good luck.

Thanks for the info. I have never heard of these. Will do some research.

Funny you should say that, the HS7, some guys here are trying to sell them used for around 550 USD. Used! However, I can get some shipped for around the price you said. Including shipping! One guy trying to sell them to me was acting like I am a horse's ass for offering a bit less.

Anyway... The HS7 I can probably manage to afford. The only question is would it be a waste if it will sound bad in the small room, hence why I wonder is there any point if it will end up sounding worse than an HS5 would (or similar).

The KRK Rokit 5 G4 is excellent for the price and size. The JBL LSR 305 mkII is the cheapest thing worth buying. The larger sizes are not as good. The JBL 705 and 708 aren’t very good either. Their tweeters do not sound normal. The older JBL 305 tweeter sucks compared to the mkII too so watch out if you buy used.

The HS5 is a nasty, honking monitor with no bass. The HS7 is similarly honky and nasty but has a more recessed midrange. The HS8 has no honk and the tweeter is much less nasty. It sounds genuinely pretty good and is the only Yamaha monitor I would recommend purchasing. I would take the JBL 5 inchers over any of the smaller Yamahas and the new KRK 5 incher over the JBLs and Yamahas for cheap monitors.

JBL 305 mkII vs HS8 is a tossup. Both have issues and are underbuilt in cabinets and electronics respectively. I just ran into horrific power supply issues with a brand new pair of HS8s but my friend's older pair is perfectly fine. YMMV with the cheap stuff but I find the KRK to be the most consistent if you like their sound even if the older ones had durability issues with the plate amps. I even like the older Rokits as tracking monitors though so it’s all preference.

Thanks for the tips. Interesting to hear. I keep reading that all KRK Rokit are not good. So far I had just not even looked into them.

I was thinking about the JBL LSR305 but I didn't know if a 5 inch was even the best option or not. I have been looking at it though.

The HS8, wouldn't that be just way too big to try to use in my room size though? I mean I am sure they are far better than the other Yamahas but I figured too big? Probably can't find them affordably either.

In terms of the 305 vs HS8 I suppose the 305 is gonna be way cheaper so if it's a toss up I guess cheapest wins. Maybe I should be looking into these.

I will look into the Rokits too since I had not given them a thought yet.

What are all these like in terms of flatness to get a true picture of a mix whilst in a small room in your view?

Thanks again!

I have a pair of HS8s and I believe they are too large for small-medium sized rooms My room is 12 x 14 ft and there's a large dip in the 100 - 150 Hz range that I cannot get rid of. I tried every non-destructive option (since I rent my apt): changing the speaker position closer/further from the wall, added bass traps, using the "room control" switches, etc. Any improvements these made were almost negligible. HMF and HFs sound great through them however. In the end I decided to keep mixing with headphones.

5ft x 7 ft is tricky but it's possible the HS7s will work for those dimensions. I'm almost certain HS8s will not.

The only Rokit stuff I’ve used for mixing are the current Rokit 5 G4, the ancient passive K-Rok, and the huge 10-3. I didn’t feel like I could trust anything else.

5x7 feet is a tiny room. I would definitely get a 5-6 inch monitor with the JBLs and the KRKs as the budget options. The Kali 6” is more extended down low than the JBL 5” but larger, flabbier, and duller.

Thanks for this insight. At least I know I don't have to consider HS8 now. Still not sure what to go with though. Haha.

The JBL is BY FAR the most affordable ones I can find. So, as long as I get the MkII version then they should at least be a reasonable set for the room I have, is that right?

Took me a while to find it but here ya go. Boggy builds rooms for a living. He posts on the Acoustical forum which is where this question should have been asked. This thread will help point you in the best direction.

Why do you need a BIG Studio Monitors even in the small Control Rooms?

Edit: and I’m not suggesting you buy huge monitors with 12” subs or larger, I’m suggesting that a monitor like the hs8 is probably ok. A 30hz sound wave played at 88db in the listening position will sound the same from any woofer that can reproduce it. It’s produced by the movement of air. That’s physics. A bigger woofer doesn’t move the air differently at 88db in the listening position. When you move to a bigger room you’ll be buying another set of monitors if you go too small this time. The real solution to your problem is a bigger room. Buy the best monitor with the best frequency response you can afford and then grow into a bigger room.

Ah, interesting. I will look into this. I haven't read it yet but the title seems to contradict everything in this thread! Hahah. Will take a look. Thanks a lot.

There’s very good advice in this thread. Especially on the playback qualities of the specific monitors, but the guys building rooms have different thoughts on monitor to room size ratios. There are several pro’s in that thread that agree with Boggy. So that should tell you something.

I read the opening post so far. Interesting, yes. Maybe I should not skimp on the size then.

They will mainly be used for mixing but I may use them a little in tracking too, but I suppose considering the above thread that shouldn't make a difference to the point.

That thread completely ignores the fact that additional crossovers kill detail and smaller woofers are more accurate in the all critical midrange. I’ve heard exactly one brand of three way monitors I’d take over most two ways, ATC, and I’d still take a few two-way nearfields over ATCs for general mixing work. For tracking monitors yes, head room is very important but for mixing, often those large, 8” monitors and most three ways will be much less useful than a 5-7” woofer one. All too often the best monitor in the line isn’t the biggest one, eg the JBL 308 is far worse than the 305. Then one of the smaller monitors will bring better mixing results faster. The huge mains monitors go unused in commercial studios much of the time by the engineer for making any real decisions. Two-way nearfield monitors are the most popular for many reasons beyond price.

HS8s are a good monitor and sound wide open without too much midrange recession but many styles of music have nothing really below 40hz. I’d still recommend it over the 5 and 7 because it’s a much better sounding speaker. They are one of the more normal sounding 8” two ways but the presence region is a little dull and the always on limiter prevents hearing punch and very fine compression super accurately. I can get better results faster from smaller monitors from other brands that have enough low end extension and a better midrange. They’re rough mix monsters but not perfect as a sole monitor and the electronics in them are gimped. As is that woofer.

Hs8 is too big for your space. I have them and older yamaha msp5....5" bass...I make better choices with msp5 in my small space. I only check bass in hs8. I would say "5 monitor and sub is good way to go. Sub mostly off, just checking bass sometimes. Too much bass while mixing and your mids are not focused.

This gets hashed over on GS three or four times a year. There is a very persistent myth (and it is a myth) that large speakers don’t sound good in small rooms. The opposite is more often true. Tiny speakers don’t sound very good unless you are recording tiny instruments and listening at low levels.
Within most manufacturers’ product lines, as the size and cost of the speakers go up, the quality of playback goes up. The speakers cover a wider frequency range and will play louder without failure or distortion. That isn’t a bad thing in any room.
If your small room can’t be treated and has awful low frequency peaks and dips, there are hardware and software means to limit bandwidth or compensate somewhat for resonances.
Deliberately buying monitors with anemic low frequency response is like buying a car that is unable to go faster than 65 mph on a flat highway. You are not buying serious performance in either case.

That’s simply not true that playback quality goes up. Most 8” woofer nearfields have major midrange issues limiting their real world use to tracking, impressing clients, and checking the low end. Most pros have multiple sets of speakers for good reasons. Many of the critical decisions are made on extremely frequency limited stuff such as Auratone 5C and NS10m Studio.

Most pros do have multiple references. But I doubt you could find many (or any?) pros who have main speakers with 5” or 3” woofers. So this isn’t really a positive argument for small speakers.
Your post implies that all 8” speakers are the same. But within the category of 8” studio monitors there are wide ranges of box sizes, front/back/no porting, porting of various sizes, shapes and depth, cone weight, cone material, cone rigidity, crossover, amplifier design, amplifier power... the list could go on. There isn’t a generic sound that all 8” studio monitors have, because the don’t all perform and sound the same.
In the old school pro studios, 8” speakers are not considered large. Double 15” soffited monitors are considered large.
The OP wanted to know if 8” speakers were too large for a small room. Your “answer” is that 8” woofers are universally awful.
I didn’t know that, possibly because it isn’t true.