Hafler M5

Hafler M5
Proof That Good Things Come in Small Packages

Page 1, 2, 3

Gold-plated, five-way binding posts on the rear of the cabinet provide connections to your power amp. The M5s are conservatively rated to handle 100W RMS and 200W peak power—quite a load for such small monitors (and considerably more than the larger Yamaha NS-10Ms can handle). The only downside to the M5’s small size is that, as one would expect, the speaker’s bass-frequency response doesn’t extend down very far. (Low-frequency response is rated at 70 Hz.)

The M5’s peak acoustic output is rated at 110 dB at 1 meter—plenty loud for those who want to preserve their hearing and have a long career. Sensitivity is rated at 89 dB, which is a bit weak. In practice, I found the M5s’ output to be noticeably quieter than that of the Yamaha NS-10Ms. This is not an issue unless you routinely use a superefficient second pair of monitors, in which case switching between them and the M5s could cause disconcerting monitor-level changes. It’s a minor point, but one worth considering.

Sounding Off
I tested the M5s using a Hafler P3000 Transnova power amp ($779), which Hafler kindly provided. My control-room setup is modeled after a LEDE (Live End Dead End) design, featuring the ASC Attack Wall at the front and RPG Skyline diffusors and an ASC Studio Soffit Poly-Trap on the rear wall. Optimal speaker placement for my room was rigorously devised using a combination of Metric Halo Labs’ SpectraFoo and RPG’s Room Optimizer software. The remaining low-bass room modes that resisted acoustic treatment were electronically equalized at the mix position for an even room response.

During the time I had the M5s, I used them to overdub vocals, flute, and Celtic harp tracks. I also used them to mix Celtic and modern country (including drum set) tracks. Mixes that sounded good on the M5s invariably translated well to other systems, as long as I used a subwoofer to reinforce lower bass frequencies (a point I’ll come back to). In addition to tracking and mixing on the M5s, I used them to listen to a variety of commercially released rock, jazz, pop, R&B, techno, and new-age material, including some tracks that I had mixed previously.

Besides their outstanding stereo imaging, the M5s’ incredible depth was immediately noticeable. For example, reverbs sounded dramatically clear and three-dimensional. From a timbral standpoint, the M5s sound warm, yet also clear and detailed. Upper mids in the vicinity of 2 kHz sounded very slightly understated, preventing vocals and guitars from being too forward or cutting. Yet the M5s have an uncanny ability to sort out loads of competing guitars and keyboards in a midrange-heavy mix. The spectral balance sounded quite good even outside the somewhat narrow sweet spot.

As I mentioned earlier, the M5s’ low-bass response is a bit weak. Alone, these monitors don’t reproduce kick drum and low bass notes adequately enough. Were you to rely solely on the M5s for mixing, you might inadvertently add too much low end. (Of course, the same can be said about other small close-field monitors on the market.) For critical work, then, you’ll want to either add a subwoofer or use the M5s as adjuncts to a larger pair of primary reference monitors.

It’s worth noting that many of the M5s’ positive attributes were severely compromised when the monitors were poorly positioned (for example, on some workstation shelves). This demonstrates how important it is to do an acoustical analysis of your room to determine optimal speaker placement, and to effectively couple the monitors to their stands (another point that is true for all reference monitors). Though Hafler recommends that the M5s be placed in a vertical alignment, I found that they also performed extremely well horizontally.

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