Yamaha HS4

Sources split, with most weight on the positive side. The German magazines, Home DJ Studio, Forbes and most owners call the balance neutral or even — "no hype", "little or no coloration" — and HiFiReport hears it as a little warm and smooth. The critical side rests on audiore.kr's Klippel measurement. The on-axis curve is fairly even, but the woofer is not filtered where it meets the tweeter. Audio Science Review members and Reddit critics conclude the HS4 is flawed, and one Amazon owner hears muddled mids.

Sources split, and room and use explain much of it. Reviewers mostly find the bass tight and ample for a 4.5-inch speaker: firm and punchy to delamar and Forbes, sufficient to amazona, and extending lower than the HS3 in audiore's measurement. All of them add that it is no substitute for a subwoofer. Owners who compare with headphones or bigger monitors, or who make bass-heavy music, find it thin. A Thomann owner boosted the lows with EQ, an r/synthesizers owner says they sound thin next to headphones, and an Amazon owner says a sub did not fix the balance.

Sources split, with most weight on the praise. Delamar calls the mids crisp and clean, Home DJ Studio and HiFiReport praise vocals as present and full-bodied, and a mastering engineer on Sweetwater says the midrange is what he bought them for. Amazona finds the HS4's mids a little less clear than the HS3's, and an Amazon owner hears muddled midrange.

Sources split three ways. Most reviewers hear clear, smooth highs that are not harsh: amazona, delamar, Forbes ("silky smooth") and a Sweetwater owner. On the other side, audiore.kr measured an octave-wide on-axis dip from about 5 to 10 kHz, and a Thomann owner finds the treble lacking. A Japanese owner heard the opposite, a slight sizzle that HIGH TRIM at −2 dB removed. Tweeter height changes the treble noticeably (see placement).

Praised wherever it is mentioned: Forbes calls the stereo imaging exceptional, amazona good, and owners describe a wide, accurate stereo image. The measured dispersion suggests this depends on sitting in the sweet spot with the tweeters at ear height.

“The stereo imaging is exceptional and the firm command of the signal is exactly what you want.”

Mark Sparrow, Forbes

“They have a more accurate midrange, faster transient response, and a wider stereo image.”

Intelligent-Tea-8539, r/audiophile (owner, comparing with the HS5)

Mostly praised by owners, more guarded from the magazine. Owners and the Alex Tech video describe crisp, clear sound that exposes mastering flaws or details missed on cheaper speakers. Amazona's reviewer would not call it high-resolution or transparent and finds it not revealing enough for demanding detail work, though fine for beginners.

“These let me play my music a little higher and the first time I played them I noticed something in my mix I didn't notice with both of the other speakers.”

Amazon US owner review (after returning PreSonus Eris 3.5 and Edifier MR4)

“Die beschreibenden Worte „Transparenz“, „hochauflösend“ oder „durchsichtig“ würde ich bei der Klangbeschreibung nicht wählen”

Jörg Hoffmann, AMAZONA.de ("I would not use the words 'transparency', 'high-resolution' or 'see-through' to describe the sound")

A strength for the size. audiore.kr measured very good compression performance and clean output at 95 dB from 1 m. HiFiReport pushed a pair in a 230 sq ft room without strain, Forbes heard no break-up when pushed, amazona finds the level enough for studios up to 20 m², and owners call them plenty loud at a desk. Delamar notes a slight loss at very high volume. A few Thomann owners wanted more level, one needing 80 % volume with a keyboard.

“컴프레션 성능은 체급 대비 아주 훌륭한 편입니다.”

Seyun Song, audiore.kr ("Compression performance is very good for its size class.")

“There’s no breaking up of the bass or treble when things are pushed.”

Mark Sparrow, Forbes

Wall distance matters less than tweeter height. Close to a wall, the ROOM CONTROL switch is enough for most: delamar, Forbes (near office walls, toed in) and a Japanese owner 10 cm from the wall at −2 dB are all satisfied, though a Reddit commenter warns about the rear port in a corner. Height is critical. audiore.kr measured narrow, uncontrolled vertical dispersion, Yamaha's manual says to put the tweeters at ear height, and a Japanese owner found the sound bass-heavy and poor sitting directly on the desk until he built stands. Horizontally the spread is wide, and a Sweetwater owner praises the off-axis response.

“Auch wenn Du ihn nah an eine Wand stellst, kann er dank Raumkorrektureinstellungen wie Room Control und High Trim ohne Klangeinbußen überzeugen.”

Thorsten Sprengel, delamar.de ("Even placed close to a wall, it convinces without loss of sound thanks to the Room Control and High Trim settings.")

“直置きだとトゥイーターの指向性が強いため低音しか回り込まず、低音が強調された音になっていましたが、耳と正対させると非常にフラットな音に。”

makoro, Think threshold owner review ("Sitting directly on the desk, the tweeter's strong directivity meant only the bass reached me and the sound was bass-heavy, but aimed straight at my ears it became very flat.")

Sources split, with the weight slightly on the sceptical side. Two experienced Sweetwater owners — a former studio owner and a mastering engineer — say mixes made on them hold up, and the engineer finds a better overall balance on them than on Genelec 8010s. Other owners find the missing low end shows up later: a Thomann owner hears bass "appear" on bigger monitors, and a Reddit owner says anything below 60 Hz needs a sub for critical mixing.

Sources split, and unit or setup probably decides it. A Korean owner who returned a Kali LP-6 for hiss found the HS4 silent even at high volume beside a monitor, microphone and PC cables. Other owners report hum or buzz. A Thomann owner hears a hum at idle and suspects nearby cables, a Reddit owner's left speaker buzzed with only the power cable connected, and a Sweetwater owner needed a ground-loop isolator when feeding it from a computer's headphone jack.

Generous for a desktop pair: balanced XLR/TRS combo inputs alongside RCA and 3.5 mm, a front headphone jack and volume knob, ROOM CONTROL and HIGH TRIM switches, and a single power cable for the pair. Delamar notes that balanced inputs are unusual at this size. The recurring wish is Bluetooth (Home DJ Studio, Forbes). There is no digital or USB input and no subwoofer output.

“Das ist nicht selbstverständlich bei Studiomonitoren dieser kompakten Größe.”

Thorsten Sprengel, delamar.de, on the two XLR/jack combo inputs ("That is not a given for studio monitors this compact.")

“The one feature I’d like to have seen is a Bluetooth input, but you can’t have everything.”

Mark Sparrow, Forbes

Sources split over small everyday details. Reviewers like the front volume knob that doubles as the power switch and the front headphone jack. The link between the speakers draws the sharpest complaint: amazona's reviewer calls the spring-clip terminals unacceptable in a studio, and a Japanese owner found the bare speaker wire fiddly to insert. A Thomann owner finds the lit ring around the volume knob far too bright. The lack of auto-standby divides owners — Alex Tech is glad it never sleeps, and an Amazon owner wishes it switched off by itself.

Sources split between praise for the cabinets and reports of faulty units. Every editorial reviewer praises the finish and solidity: "top" to delamar, very good to amazona, and exceptional for the price to Forbes. audiore.kr found little variation between samples. Owners report failures: a Sweetwater buyer got two pairs with a dead right speaker, a Thomann buyer heard more bass from the left speaker on two pairs, and an Amazon buyer's pair died within hours with no user-serviceable fuse.

Sources split, mostly positive. Amazona, delamar, HiFiReport and Forbes say the price is justified by the sound, build and inputs, although Home DJ Studio and delamar note it costs more than many rival pairs. Critics say the same money buys better-measured speakers: ASR members and Reddit critics name the Kali LP-UNF, Adam D3V and iLoud Micro. Some owners would have preferred a pair of KRK 5s or found the HS4 barely better than a PreSonus Eris 3.5.