Status, October 2026: current. Yamaha still lists it in its HS Series of studio monitors.
What it is
The HS5 is a 5-inch powered nearfield studio monitor from Yamaha, the smallest model in the second-generation HS Series (Yamaha product page). Yamaha introduced the series at Musikmesse in April 2013, replacing the original HS line from 2006, alongside the HS7, the HS8 and the HS8S subwoofer. The new models moved from a 3/4-inch to a 1-inch tweeter. Yamaha also sells the HS5 in white and as the HS5I, which adds mounting points on four sides.
It is a two-way, bi-amped, bass-reflex monitor with a white 5-inch cone woofer and a 1-inch dome tweeter, a 2 kHz crossover and separate 45 W and 25 W amplifiers. Yamaha quotes 54 Hz to 30 kHz at -10 dB. The cabinet is MDF, and the bass port uses Yamaha's noise reduction design to cut the air turbulence that causes port noise.
The rear panel has a level knob, a HIGH TRIM switch of plus or minus 2 dB and a ROOM CONTROL switch that cuts below 500 Hz by 2 or 4 dB for placement near a wall. The inputs are one XLR and one 1/4" TRS jack, each taking balanced or unbalanced signals, one at a time. There is no RCA input, so a controller with RCA outputs needs RCA-to-1/4" cables. The HS8S subwoofer can sit between the source and a pair of HS5s and take the range below 200 Hz.
Each monitor draws 45 W from the mains, measures 170 x 285 x 222 mm and weighs 5.3 kg. It is sold singly, so a stereo pair means buying two, and the box holds the monitor, a power cord and the owner's manual; signal cables are extra.