The HS series is said to carry on the tradition of Yamaha’s legendary NS line (the ancient NS10 is still a fixture in countless pro studios), and it features the same iconic white cones.

Right off the bat, we were happy with these. The HS80Ms have a sound that’s neutral, detailed, clear and articulate. The agile dynamics enable you to hear such details as vocal plosives in a mix context, and to more easily perceive the ‘shape’ of percussive elements (that is, their amplitude envelope). You get some sense of front-to-back depth and reverb space, too (impressive for the price), and the low end is held down well.

Mixing is straightforward, and the results cohesive and consistent. With a solid, authoritative low end and reverb levels that are also ‘just right’, we definitely recommend the HS80Ms. There’s also a matching subwoofer to consider.