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Kali Audio IN-8v2 (Second Wave) 3-Way Studio Monitor Review

audio2920

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Well, the Kali IN8 would be my go-to in that price range. Basically, I heard them and went "wow, that really does sound like a proper studio monitor for a fifth of the price". It really only has two things that bug me, firstly I *think* there's something ever so slightly off around 200 - 300Hz. Not a peak or dip, maybe a bit of cabinet resonance?? Maybe that's the LF/MF crossover. Dunno. And then there's the infamous on-axis HF dip from the co-axial MF/HF. This isn't an issue if you stay in one spot and point them so you're a bit off-axis, but as mixing tool can be a bit disconcerting as you move around the mixing desk and go in and out of the "cone" where that dip is present. Moreover, it's the opposite of a traditional 2-way (or rather, non co-ax....) where HF falls off as you go off-axis, which feels more natural to my brain. Again, this is based on V1, but I imagine V2 is almost the same deal in this regard.

The co-axial is otherwise great, and you have to spend a lot more money to be rid of these kind of little issues.

However, I do think there's something fun about PA speakers in a home environment. A modern compact 2.1 system is probably what I'd get. The FR would doubtless look terrible compared to most stuff ASR, but as you say, the dynamics will be great and chances are on most modern music with the bass bin cranked up to "just a little bit too loud" (which, I would ) it'll probably not sound harsh despite peaks in the FR.
 

Tellus

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Just got my IN8 v2's and I can't really get my head around just how good they sound, it's a perfect match for my small listening room. They are leagues ahead of my old floorstanders and they where actually more expensive and passive to boot. Despite having less then half the volume and half the cone area they deliver more and cleaner bass then the old speakers as well.

The imaging is jaw dropping compared to anything else I have tried here.

To say that I am impressed would be a rather large understatement. I will be purchasing at least 3 more for the remaining channels, that's how good they are.

Well done Kali!
 

Chromatischism

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I want to just put a couple of these on stands in the living room for the 2.0 system as it would make things so easy. Great sound, no amplifier required. But I can't get over the aesthetics of black boxes on stands near the front door. Why does this hobby need to be this way :facepalm:
 

richard12511

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Just got my IN8 v2's and I can't really get my head around just how good they sound, it's a perfect match for my small listening room. They are leagues ahead of my old floorstanders and they where actually more expensive and passive to boot. Despite having less then half the volume and half the cone area they deliver more and cleaner bass then the old speakers as well.
What towers did you have before.
The imaging is jaw dropping compared to anything else I have tried here.
Coax tends to help with that ;)
To say that I am impressed would be a rather large understatement. I will be purchasing at least 3 more for the remaining channels, that's how good they are.

Well done Kali!
Nice! That should be a fantastic setup.
 

Tellus

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What towers did you have before.

Coax tends to help with that ;)

Nice! That should be a fantastic setup.
They are from a small Swedish brand so perhaps a bit obscure
Dynavoice DF-8
They have tested very positive against intl. brands, they do need listening distance in a way the Kalis don't.

Only negative thing in my setup is that my preamp (the onkyo receiver) was/is a tad sensitive to electrical noise/interference from PCs but only on the pre amp out rca's. With a bit of extra earthing and separation of phases it seems to have done the trick.
 

audio2920

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I want to just put a couple of these on stands in the living room for the 2.0 system as it would make things so easy. Great sound, no amplifier required. But I can't get over the aesthetics of black boxes on stands near the front door. Why does this hobby need to be this way :facepalm:
Oh yes, the IN8 is an ugly thing. Even the cheaper LP8 is better looking IMHO. But at least, as a studio monitor, all the money is spent on the sound I guess.
 

Tellus

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Oh yes, the IN8 is an ugly thing. Even the cheaper LP8 is better looking IMHO. But at least, as a studio monitor, all the money is spent on the sound I guess.
Haha, yes they are very focused on SQ, but for me the design in function before form is something that in itself can have a certain appeal, I mean it's simplistic but I find them no worse then other square boxes, main difference is no wood veneer and the simpler kind found on most speakers in this price class don't do much for me. Some of Kalis are available in white though.

Sitting in a dimly lit room listening to them reproduce fantastic sound and they can look however they want to
 

sweetchaos

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Does this make sense?
1637696079219.png

source
 

Tellus

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As far as I can tell it's due to lower sensitivity of the smaller woofer and to compensate its given more power to have the frequency response be more even, it's being driven harder in other terms. Despite this I think the in5 is still a few dB short in terms of max spl/dynamic capability
 

KaliAudio_Official

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This is 100
As far as I can tell it's due to lower sensitivity of the smaller woofer and to compensate its given more power to have the frequency response be more even, it's being driven harder in other terms. Despite this I think the in5 is still a few dB short in terms of max spl/dynamic capability
This is 100% correct.
 

AudioJester

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I think I managed to source the last IN5 wave 2 available in Aus, at least until stock comes next year. Got lucky with pricing as well.
Look forward to setting it up for my son who is recording/mixing his own music, will be desk mounted.
 

Filio45

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FWIW: my kill-a-watt says each IN-8 idles at a mere 5.2 watts approx., so honestly don't miss having auto-standby for that amount. Can just turn them off before bed, as I tend to do with my other gear anyway (as our energy costs are skyrocketing here big time). The combination of class d and smps are very efficient for sure.
 
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nbot

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Has anybody had a chance to compare them to Presonus Sceptres S6 or S8? How do they perform compared to similar speaker design?
Would it be an upgrade or not really?
 

ernestcarl

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Has anybody had a chance to compare them to Presonus Sceptres S6 or S8? How do they perform compared to similar speaker design?
Would it be an upgrade or not really?

As far as I know, there was only one member who listened to both IN-8 and S8 — sorry, but I do not remember the member’s name. He said the IN-8 sounded better to him. That’s quite possible since the IN-8 does has the advantage of being a three-way…. also does not have the notches the Sceptre exhibit far off-axes. The Sceptre’s however, do not have the on-axis hole in the highs which some have reported as making the IN-8 lose some “air” specifically on-axis.
 

nbot

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As far as I know, there was only one member who listened to both IN-8 and S8 — sorry, but I do not remember the member’s name. He said the IN-8 sounded better to him. That’s quite possible since the IN-8 does has the advantage of being a three-way…. also does not have the notches the Sceptre exhibit far off-axes. The Sceptre’s however, do not have the on-axis hole in the highs which some have reported as making the IN-8 lose some “air” specifically on-axis.
Thanks a lot. Are you referring to the dip around 12k in IN-8? I also wonder what's up with this sharp increase in spectrum right after this all the way up to 17k and more. Is this a real thing or just coaxial design issue which is not really noticeable?
S8 are not airy as well - they seem rather dull/neutral
 
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ernestcarl

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Thanks a lot. Are you referring to the dip around 12k in IN-8? I also wonder what's up with this sharp increase in spectrum right after this all the way up to 17k and more. Is this a real thing or just coaxial design issue which is not really noticeable?
S8 are not airy as well - they seem rather dull/neutral

I’m not sure if diffraction is the right term… but there is some interaction between the transition between tweeter and mid-driver causing it. The term “air” is rather subjective, but what I mean is that that band around 10kHz is stronger and sustained longer off-axis. Beyond 17kHz to 14KHz the S8, like many compression driver horns of a similar design drops off precipitously.

When you say dull or neutral, what specifically do you mean in comparison to the IN-8? Is it mainly the rising response off-axis at 12k? I really would not know how that sounds in comparison as I have not heard them side by side… but if you look at the directivity curves, it also isn’t sustained and drops off even more steeply off-axis. This narrowing directivity could be beneficial or not depending on how you position the monitors. For me, in the S8, it just happens to help avoid destructive interference with my immediate sidewall since I position them very close to the wall.
 
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