IK Multimedia iLoud MTM Review (active monitor)

[Elitzur–Vaidman]

Would these be bad for a small living room setup? Listening distance would be around 3-4m. I currently have the Kali LP6s but I am thinking of getting something a bit smaller because the Kali's are huge physically and soundwise. When I use them "loud" they are at around 30-35% volume and the regular listening levels are at around 15-25% so the MTMs "not being loud enough" should not be an issue.

I use these in my living room and never hit distorted volume levels. I'll measure my listening distance when I get home

 

[Rowaj]

Is there any way to avoid this farting sounds from bass reflex? In all spectrum of bass settings, 40-60Hz, the farting sounds are hearable, just less or more.
It's becomng annoying when only subbas region music is playing, then it's easly to hear this moving air.

For example, beginnig of this track

 

[solderdude]

You can plug the port and then recalibrate (using the mic) but you will loose some output power in the bass (amp will clip sooner)

 

[Elitzur–Vaidman]

Would these be bad for a small living room setup? Listening distance would be around 3-4m. I currently have the Kali LP6s but I am thinking of getting something a bit smaller because the Kali's are huge physically and soundwise. When I use them "loud" they are at around 30-35% volume and the regular listening levels are at around 15-25% so the MTMs "not being loud enough" should not be an issue.

FYI I just measured my listening distance and it's about 2.5m. IMO 3-4m is a fine listening distance if you don't listen super loud.

 

[oobboo]

Hello,

I am searching for speakers for listening to music but also to power my Line 6 Helix Hardware Guitar Modeler. I also compose demo tracks with an Audient ID4 MKII interface, so some mixing will be included. I have read some things about coil whining with the MTMs. Does someone here have examples for this? I couldnt find any videos or audios that demonstrate this problem.

the problem is that the MTMs are simply much cheaper than comparably good speakers (Genelec, Focal, Neumann). Only the coil whining worries me. I know that from graphics cards with high FPS numbers. If the volume is equally high, it would be quite disturbing.

 

[Rowaj]

Hi @oobboo I use them just as you desrcibe. Listening to music and some guitar recording and mixing. They to the job more than fine for me. I really like them. I was space limited, so those mtm are my savior.
Coil whining. Yes, I can hear it from one speakcer. I don't care about it cause it is very quiet. Another speaker is dead silent.
I think they can work with your modeller with no problem, unless you start to pass some volume level. They are not built for really loud work (and may fart from bass reflex when bass is pushing hard in low region. I did'd observe it in metal music). Anyway, they are loud enaught to make your family crazy.

I'm recording via Motu m4, using Neural DSP metal guitar plugins. Guitars are clear and heavy. Low kick is noticable very well, cymbals going high with no harsh and fatiguing.
I like to think about this MTMs as a super multimedia speakers, and semi pro monitors for home creating music. Lot of fun with it, nothing professional but very good and satysfaying level.

 

[Berwhale]

Is there any way to avoid this farting sounds from bass reflex? In all spectrum of bass settings, 40-60Hz, the farting sounds are hearable, just less or more.
It's becomng annoying when only subbas region music is playing, then it's easly to hear this moving air.

For example, beginnig of this track

Yes, you can add a sub woofer. I have a Presonus Sub8 that sits in-line between my Topping EX5 source and the MTMs. The Sub8 is set to Low Pass @80Hz and the MTMs have LFE extension set to 80Hz.

*edit* I just tried your test track turned up uncomfortably loud, with the floor shaking, but I could not hear any chuffing from the MTMs

 

[oobboo]

Thank you @Rowaj

Yes, super multimedia semi pro monitors sounds good for me . I am always listening at a fairly low level because I live for rent. Only the coil whine worries me! Do you hear it when you come close with your head or also when you sit at your desk and no music is playing?
I can have a pair of MTMs for 400€ used. Pricewise the KH80 would be a stretch.

 

[Elitzur–Vaidman]

Thank you @Rowaj

Yes, super multimedia semi pro monitors sounds good for me . I am always listening at a fairly low level because I live for rent. Only the coil whine worries me! Do you hear it when you come close with your head or also when you sit at your desk and no music is playing?
I can have a pair of MTMs for 400€ used. Pricewise the KH80 would be a stretch.

I use my MTMs within 2ft and hear absolutely 0 noise. The only time I've heard noise with my MTMs was when I initially got them and tried using an RCA to XLR adapter. I got my pair for roughly the same price as you, and I absolutely love them.

 

[oobboo]

I use my MTMs within 2ft and hear absolutely 0 noise. The only time I've heard noise with my MTMs was when I initially got them and tried using an RCA to XLR adapter. I got my pair for roughly the same price as you, and I absolutely love them.

Do you hear coil whine when you come close to the speaker?

I think I will go for them

 

[Elitzur–Vaidman]

I hear nothing unless I literally put my ear next to the tweeter (just checked), and even then it's just noise, not coil whine.

 

[Rowaj]

@Berwhale if you put your ear to the bass reflex hole you will hear this. I'm ok with this, big bottom and small speakers, it has to hurt somewhere.

@oobboo Go for them, and don't look back. I don't know what happen but now there is no any coil whine sound at all, just a little hum when putting ear on speaker. Possibly coil whine sound burned in himself?
Any way, this MTM in setup and creation like this song is reachable easy (I'm not saying its perfect, but making it was a lot fun, listen to it as well)

 

[Berwhale]

@Berwhale if you put your ear to the bass reflex hole you will hear this. I'm ok with this, big bottom and small speakers, it has to hurt somewhere.

The 'big bottom' is being handled by my sub, the MTMs are not playing the 'big bottom' because LF Extension is set to 80Hz, there is no port noise.

 

[Zensō]

Hello,

I am searching for speakers for listening to music but also to power my Line 6 Helix Hardware Guitar Modeler. I also compose demo tracks with an Audient ID4 MKII interface, so some mixing will be included. I have read some things about coil whining with the MTMs. Does someone here have examples for this? I couldnt find any videos or audios that demonstrate this problem.

the problem is that the MTMs are simply much cheaper than comparably good speakers (Genelec, Focal, Neumann). Only the coil whining worries me. I know that from graphics cards with high FPS numbers. If the volume is equally high, it would be quite disturbing.

I never experienced coil whine with mine. It is my understanding that the coil whine is only happening in countries on 220-240V and in those cases it can be solved with a step-down converter to 110V.

 

[Berwhale]

I can't hear any coil whine from my MTMs and I can't see any either... Here's a grab from Speccy on my phone held against my left MTM (right is the same)...

 

[oobboo]

@acbarn Unfortunately I live in germany and here we have 230V . The user in the IK-forum who used a converter to solve the problem, reported that it came back after some time. Maybe it will not annoy me as much as others, we will see

 

[Vict0r]

Dutch here, so no 110v, but ZERO coil whine on my MTM's. Just read back in this thread; it's not as common as some people make it seem.

 

[Rosenbloom]

My new MTM speakers just arrived 30 minutes ago. I purchased them at Amazon UK for £399.98 a pair. I must say these speakers are easy to live with. I will put them on my desk in another room later this week.

 

[Berwhale]

My MTMs are approaching 3 years old. One of them has developed a fault where it turns itself off - sometimes after a few minutes, other times after a few hours. A similar fault has been reported 2 or 3 times on the iLoud forms and it appears that the fault was usually rectified under warranty. My MTMs are obviously out of manufacturer warranty, but the retailer, Bax Music, provides their own 3 year warranty, so i've sent it back for them to have a look. I've bought another MTM from Amazon as a spare in case the warranty repair doesn't go well.

 

[Robbo99999]

My new MTM speakers just arrived 30 minutes ago. I purchased them at Amazon UK for £399.98 a pair. I must say these speakers are easy to live with. I will put them on my desk in another room later this week.

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Expensive though aren't they, when I saw someone in Euro Deal Thread say they've been reduced to £199 from £369 I thought that was for a pair, not a single speaker! So £400 for a pair. I bought a pair of JBL 308p Mkii speakers back in 2020 in a sale for £300 a pair, granted they're not as convenient as these desktop speakers, and we have had inflation, but the 308p's are more capable. Ha, I almost felt like buying these iLoud MTM when I thought it was £199 a pair, and then I thought "no I don't need them" - they would be tremendous value at £199 a pair though, but like you say the reduced price is double that at £400.

EDIT: but you wouldn't want to use JBL 308p on your desk at close range due to hiss when nothing playing.