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Kali Audio IN-8 Studio Monitor Review

BYRTT

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...Looked at the post below showing the values and Q, but it has 17 points to adjust and I'm limited to 10.

For a compromise suggest use free Rephase as @QMuse did and set them seventeen PEQs, now to reach a ten times PEQ compromise shift the "Bank" dialog to "02" which means you get seventeen new clean PEQs into bank-02 and task is then use only ten PEQs to make graph as smooth flat as possible, those ten times PEQ you end up with is in reverse so remember to shift + to - & - to + when you set them into the 10 times PEQ unit :) or reverse @QMuse seventeen PEQs using the "Tools" dialog before the ten times smoothing task ;)..
 

Filio45

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Bearing in mind these are active speakers, the one year warranty here in the UK is disappointing. At least that was according to Anderton's when I enquired. Thomann (Germany) say that the manufacturer's warranty is actually two years, plus they add another year to make it three and similar with Bax Music. That's looking to be the best option here AFAICT.
 
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stevenswall

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Bruce Morgen

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Out of stock. How many people ordered?

Can't say, but I'm pretty sure there was only one pair -- or one speaker, since I'm pretty sure this is an error and the $349.95 price makes sense for one that's been repacked at the warehouse -- available. Somebody quite sensibly jumped on it and I suspect s/he is in for some long talks with Zzounds when only one speaker is delivered when the listing clearly said "pair."
 

fpitas

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I'll just mention that numerous classic Tannoy coaxials used the woofer cone as the 'horn' for the coaxial driver.
These coaxes are held in high regard in some circles.


DSC_7124 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

016 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

005 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
(the treble driver is visible, if perhaps not obvious, in the flash photo above)
There are pros and cons. The cone motion modulating the treble is an obvious con. That (to my knowledge) is why the 604 had a separate horn. Of course, that horn is too small for its crossover frequency... The best compromise is probably the hybrid approach that KEF did, a fair-sized treble horn in the middle that transitions to the cone at lower frequencies.
 

stevenswall

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There are pros and cons. The cone motion modulating the treble is an obvious con. That (to my knowledge) is why the 604 had a separate horn. Of course, that horn is too small for its crossover frequency... The best compromise is probably the hybrid approach that KEF did, a fair-sized treble horn in the middle that transitions to the cone at lower frequencies.

Genelec solved this problem in 2010... You just make a three way and then the IMD from the midrange cone isn't an issue.

Unless someone needs tons of SPL like from a main monitor, all midrange and up speakers should be three way speakers with coaxial drivers. For massive SPL, sure, use a compression driver and give up the point source and dispersion characteristics.

The first few sections of this paper talk about it:


Besides no speakers fitting a large magnet for a compression driver in a midrange driver yet, there are zero cons inherent to coaxial designs vs typical 2 and 2 way designs.
 

fpitas

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Genelec solved this problem in 2010... You just make a three way and then the IMD from the midrange cone isn't an issue.

Unless someone needs tons of SPL like from a main monitor, all midrange and up speakers should be three way speakers with coaxial drivers. For massive SPL, sure, use a compression driver and give up the point source and dispersion characteristics.

The first few sections of this paper talk about it:


Besides no speakers fitting a large magnet for a compression driver in a midrange driver yet, there are zero cons inherent to coaxial designs vs typical 2 and 2 way designs.
Well, I agree. 3 way is better.
 

Tovarich007

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May I suggest to withdraw the measurements and comments on the first broken sample.

If one doesn't pay attention to the rather small Edit on the first page, we'll leave this review with the belief the kali IN-8 is a piece of junk, which is obviously not ! By the way, I have no time, like most of us I guess, to read the 55 pages ( ! ) of analysis and comments.
So, the best way to give justice to this kali IN-8 is to start the review with the GOOD sample, but with adding another Edit explaining that a first sample was sent by kali Audio to Amir with a serious issue on the bass driver. This is an important information, however, because this incident may suggest there could be some control quality problems at Kali's.

Well designed monitors with a good value for money, but maybe not always reliable ? This is a very important concern for a customer, pro or amateur.

And by the way, has Amir reviewed the IN-8 or 5 Second wave ?
 

thewas

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Bruce Morgen

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May I suggest to withdraw the measurements and comments on the first broken sample.

If one doesn't pay attention to the rather small Edit on the first page, we'll leave this review with the belief the kali IN-8 is a piece of junk, which is obviously not ! By the way, I have no time, like most of us I guess, to read the 55 pages ( ! ) of analysis and comments.
So, the best way to give justice to this kali IN-8 is to start the review with the GOOD sample, but with adding another Edit explaining that a first sample was sent by kali Audio to Amir with a serious issue on the bass driver. This is an important information, however, because this incident may suggest there could be some control quality problems at Kali's.

Well designed monitors with a good value for money, but maybe not always reliable ? This is a very important concern for a customer, pro or amateur.

And by the way, has Amir reviewed the IN-8 or 5 Second wave ?

FWIW, I have a pair of "2nd Wave" IN-8s and an IN-5 (that model always had "2nd Wave" innards) for the center channel. They are truly excellent in my near field application, especially in light of their very modest MSRP -- add a modest sub (I chose a sealed-box SVS because of space limitations) and IMO their performance is as hi-fi AF!
 

ooheadsoo

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FWIW, I have a pair of "2nd Wave" IN-8s and an IN-5 (that model always had "2nd Wave" innards) for the center channel. They are truly excellent in my near field application, especially in light of their very modest MSRP -- add a modest sub (I chose a sealed-box SVS because of space limitations) and IMO their performance is as hi-fi AF!
How is your experience with using the IN-5 as a center channel rather than using the same model all the way across the front stage? I have a medium field setup and am naturally concerned about center channel output limitations, but on the flip side, I don't listen very loud very often.
 

Bruce Morgen

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How is your experience with using the IN-5 as a center channel rather than using the same model all the way across the front stage? I have a medium field setup and am naturally concerned about center channel output limitations, but on the flip side, I don't listen very loud very often.

I don't hear any timbre shift or discrepancy between the IN-5 and the IN-8s -- subjectively, they seem to have near-identical "voices," with the only discernible difference being slightly less bass extension, IMO a non-issue in the mostly-dialogue center channel role. This makes sense because all three speakers have the same coaxial mid-tweeter driver and crossover frequencies. FWIW, keep in mind that my setup is near field.
 

andymarks

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I am still very happy with my IN-8s V2, every speaker has its flaws, but not as big as the flaws of your room and ears.
This is a speaker for a reasonably flat response, detail and depth, not for high SPL. Changing your sound level will change your perception of the response anyway.
It will also awaken more problems in your room. People who don't have at least a half treated room should not obsess about frequency response in the first place. Everything will be covered by decay and smear of your room.

This is a nearfield studio monitor nothing else. You can still use it mid field but you might find better candidates for that. 96db at one meter still looks okay on the graphs, but it will do better below that. The dip in the highs is solved by towing the speakers 10 degrees off axis. This also makes the speaker more suitable as nearfield as it will feed sidewall reflections a bit more. But you are gonna have to treat your room and use EQ anyway if you are that fixated on getting a flat response. Some mandatory EQ comes in between 100 and 125hz for me, where I compensate for some peaks probably because of my frontwall and desk and screens and I also roll off the highs above 10khz because I don't hear that much above it but also don't want anything to touch my ears that high.

If you want to play modern bass heavy music you also still need a sub or better subs with this. Still at this price point 3 way is better than 2 way and 4 way (so with subs) it is still the best bang for my buck. To my ears these speakers indeed have the 3D detail and depth Erin is talking about in his review. If you keep the volume knob on the back turned down a bit there is virtually no hiss from the speakers when no sound is playing and the amps stay cool.

Lastly, the fact that Kali is responding to forums and reportedly is taking action on feedback is very promising for the future of this company and its products.
 

tlkmx

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How are they 0.5m away ? Its the minimum listening distance of the in8 and the in5 is 0.3m..
My friend hesitate between the in8 or in5 and they are more or less the best in his price range but he cannot order a few to test them
 

andymarks

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Both will do, certainly at that distance because in my room these speakers still need a sub to be truly full range so the woofer size isn't such a big issue as they won't need to reach the deep subs. However, I do wonder about sub placement and treatment at such close range. At that range it certainly is a lot easier to use pro headphones with Equalizer APO and a crossfeed plugin to simulate speakers.
 

andymarks

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In fact I have both setup so that they sound very similar. The only reason I mostly use speakers now is because headphones raise my tinnitus even at low volume.
 

Palladium

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Bearing in mind these are active speakers, the one year warranty here in the UK is disappointing. At least that was according to Anderton's when I enquired. Thomann (Germany) say that the manufacturer's warranty is actually two years, plus they add another year to make it three and similar with Bax Music. That's looking to be the best option here AFAICT.

The warranty is also 1 year only here in Singapore, which is quite a turn off when they aren't exactly budget speakers.
 

tktran303

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What are budget speakers?

I’m shocked at how Kali managed to get the price so low.

3 way DSP tri-amped for $300EU
Incredible,

I’m not saying they are cheap… but value for money they are beat every other studio monitor in that price class.
 

Bruce Morgen

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What are budget speakers?

I’m shocked at how Kali managed to get the price so low.

3 way DSP tri-amped for $300EU
Incredible,

I’m not saying they are cheap… but value for money they are beat every other studio monitor in that price class.

This fact illustrates the successful implementation of Kali's stated marketing philosophy and engineering goal of "value optimization." I for one admire and applaud Nate and Charles for getting that done with respect to multiple products, which in my experience is far from easy!
 
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