Yamaha HS8 vs Event 20/20 V3

[Gloopikat]

Hi gang, I'm in the midst of upgrading to a new set of monitors and wanted to hear your thoughts. I come from Moscow and can't find a shop that sells both at once, so side by side comparisons are out. I currently have the first version of the Pioneer DJ05, which are surprisingly good in the low end, but don't extend far enough (I use Beyerdynamic DT880 and AKG 712s to assist with 40Hz- monitoring).

I'm currently in the market for the two monitors I mentioned in the subject line and would appreciate a comment from experienced users who have heard both, if possible. It bugs me that Yamaha is listing its impressive 38Hz at a -10dB rolloff (what's the point of hyping them when -10dB already renders accurate monitoring useless - at least compared to -3dB other makers use?). Event, on the other hand, goes down to 35Hz at -3dB, but this of course will entail sacrifices at such an impressive price point.

The Yamahas are somewhat cheaper than the Events, and the Events' selling point seems to be low bass distortion at high volumes. That's cool if you don't live in an apartment block. But Russian laws border the Swiss on strictness for that, and I don't need to blow clothes off women, really.

Also, I've read that the Events do have impressive bottom end, but may mask some lower mids, while the Yamahas dazzle with their 30KHz high extension, which appeals to me more because I like making lots of synthesized hats that require precise control. I can compensate for the difference between the low-end response, like I said, with 2 kick-ass pairs of headphones, or get a sub later. Also, The HS8s + a Yamaha sub aren't that much more expensive than the Events without the sub.

Moreover, people say that the soundstage on the Events may be sacrificed for forwardness, while Yamaha gets good marks in the soundstage department.

And lastly, I listened to the HS8s at Sonic Sense on Youtube, and found them incredibly revealing in terms of upper air - which is a personal taste thing.

Having considered all of this, any comment from producers who have heard both would be extremely illuminating. Thanks in advance for your time.

 

[B Side Producer]

I'm curious to this as well. They're two of the contenders I'm looking to aim for as well.
Other contenders for me are the mackie mr8 and adam f7 ( if i can't afford the a7).
Also looking into passive monitor speakers, but can't find a lot of them available around tbh.

 

[Gloopikat]

Now reporting my purchase of the HS8s, and must say I'm very happy. I think, in purely statistical terms, the two most common advantages of the Events were a) low distortion at high levels b) sheer power. But they're much more expensive where I'm from, whereas Yamaha has all but set up a second home in this country. Besides, you need to have a slightly larger than average room in order to make use of loud monitoring like the Events - and would you really want to? I'm not saying it's gimmicky, but for me the clearly articulated highs and the deep soundstage of the Yamahas I'm now hearing is more than enough (the highs can be trimmed on the back, as they are a tad too bright). The spectrum analyzer is also a good guide, just until you buy a sub to go with them. But the bass out of the box is very tight in the spectrum that's available.

I was very surprised though that the Adams weren't that impressive to me, despite the well-articulated highs as well. They go up to 30Khz, which obviously impacts the overall flatness of the sound, but when hearing them on Sonic Sense's youtube channel in HD, and through AKG 712s, and comparing them to other more laid-back speakers, they sounded too harsh in the upper-mids. Those are of course just my ears.