Yamaha HS10W User Guide

HS80M/HS50M/HS10W  Owner’s Manual

The HS-series speakers are also an excellent choice for 

direct connection to your electronic keyboard or other 

electronic musical instrument.

Speaker placement is one of the most important 

considerations when setting up a monitor system, but it is 

all too often overlooked with the result that performance is 

seriously compromised. Admittedly the obstacles to 

perfect speaker positioning in the small studio are 

formidable. Having the space available to place your 

speaker system so that it can provide optimum 

performance is a luxury, but it is definitely worth the time 

spent doing a little experimentation and measuring to 

make the most of limited resources. The difference can be 

astounding. The basics are the same whether you’re 

setting up a stereo or 5.1 surround system.

For the most accurate response your speakers should be 

positioned away from walls and especially corners, which 

can play havoc with a speaker’s frequency characteristics. A 

minimum of about 1.5 meters (about 5 feet) away from 

walls would be ideal, but in reality they’ll probably end up 

being placed on a desktop and pushed up against a wall. 

Just keep in mind that fact that the closer you get to walls 

and corners the more exaggerated the speaker’s bass 

response is likely to become, and some compensation — 

whether you compensate mentally or use some 

equalization — will probably be required. The HS50M and 

HS80M speakers make this easy by providing a ROOM 

CONTROL switch that modifies the speaker’s bass 

characteristics to compensate for the exaggeration caused 

by nearby walls. As your speakers get closer to the walls 

you might find that setting the ROOM CONTROL switch 

to the “-2” or “-4” setting gives you more natural response 

in the bass range. As a reference, remember that you’re 

trying to approach the way the speakers sound when 

they’re located more than 1.5 meters (5 feet) away from 

the nearest walls.

As we’ve just learned, the response of a speaker can 

change drastically according to where it is placed in 

relation to surfaces. So what happens if one of your 

speakers is up against a wall and the other is out in the 

open? Rest assured that the results will not be good, and 

will definitely not be conducive to producing good mixes. 

You’ll have totally different response from your left and 

right speakers, making it next to impossible to create a 

well-balanced mix, or even position tracks accurately in the 

stereo sound field. So whatever you do, if you’re serious 

about your sound make sure that your speakers are located 

as symmetrically within your listening environment as 

possible. Use a tape measure to ensure that your speakers 

are the same distance from the side and rear walls. Large 

objects can throw the acoustic symmetry of a room off 

balance, too. It’s also important to be aware of the location 

of doors and windows. It is not always possible to achieve 

ideal symmetry, but it’s worth getting as close as possible.