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

[ninetylol]

How are these speakers 3-4 years later? Still worth the money or is there something newer maybe more technical advanced or some insider tip for something better?

I mean of course these are still great, im just asking if theres something better for the money these days.

 

[ninetylol]

For anyone interested heres a quick measurement of the IN-8 v2 (purple line) in my room vs my Wharfedale Lintons (red line) and in comparison to Harman curve

also psy smoothing:

 

[AudioJester]

For anyone interested heres a quick measurement of the IN-8 v2 (purple line) in my room vs my Wharfedale Lintons (red line) and in comparison to Harman curve

View attachment 386970

also psy smoothing:
View attachment 386972

How do they compare subjectively for you?

 

[ninetylol]

How do they compare subjectively for you?

Cant say yet, because i only measured and listened mono. But both are very good. Also the coaxial design of the IN-8 shows its strength in its dispersion, you can angle or toe in the IN-8 however you like and Sound will be the same at MLP

 

[ninetylol]

Update:
Clarity, soundstage and detail the Kali wins vs the Lintons. Big time. It feels like the Kalis got a bit less bass, but I think its just less bloated and less resonances.

Overall its a different sound, the Kalis just always show/play the truth and the Lintons just always "sound good".

A good recording sounds better on the Kalis than on the Lintons to me.

Really awesome and special speakers!

 

[ninetylol]

Put them on stands, set the dipswitches to correct position and needed only 3 eq filters till schroeders. Yeah these are good.

 

[sharock]

Put them on stands, set the dipswitches to correct position and needed only 3 eq filters till schroeders. Yeah these are good.
View attachment 388077

Noob REW question but how do you put in a Harman curve like that?

 

[ninetylol]

Noob REW question but how do you put in a Harman curve like that?

You can Import frequency responses in different formats, there is a compilation thread of different ones here on the forum.

 

[Enthusiastic Casual]

Put them on stands, set the dipswitches to correct position and needed only 3 eq filters till schroeders. Yeah these are good.

What EQ filters did you use, out of interest?

 

[ninetylol]

What EQ filters did you use, out of interest?

But those are just my room modes. Cheers!

 

[Bartez2000]

What about transients? Is Kali IN-8 v2 speaker fast? What about step response?
best regards!

 

[Newman]

What about transients? Is Kali IN-8 v2 speaker fast? What about step response?

There are a lot of misconceptions around those terms as used for the 'sound' of a speaker. It can keep up with 20 kHz, so how fast do you need it to be?

 

[Bartez2000]

There are a lot of misconceptions around those terms as used for the 'sound' of a speaker. It can keep up with 20 kHz, so how fast do you need it to be?

I ask those who understand what transient and speaker speed are. And that you don't know what it means is not my fault

 

[ninetylol]

I ask those who understand what transient and speaker speed are. And that you don't know what it means is not my fault

LOL

 

[DSJR]

I ask those who understand what transient and speaker speed are. And that you don't know what it means is not my fault

I'm going to stick my neck out (I'm going SUBJECTIVE here) and suggest that many passive speakers appear to get the sound caught up in the passive crossover network and this 'decoupling of the drivers' effect can add a kind of light fog or 'smear' to the reproduced proceedings. Over-ported passive speakers as in some of the weaker and older BBC-derived models can magnify this effect, giving a lush, almost 'squidgy' kind of sound in the bass and midrange, the tweeter balanced in as something of an afterthought (I'm thinking some 80s Spendor and 70s Rogers models, not all of them, but this character is easily heard if there).

Transients and speed in passive speakers often means no deep bass (slows the sound down if there, according to audio-flat-earthers I once knew) and 'speed' is often a peaky upper mid, making the sound appear to leap out at the listener. Add some hf resonances in the 10-15kHz region to add some spit and sparkle and 'Bob's your uncle' for a dynamic and 'fast' speaker...

To properly answer your question, if you ever get the chance to directly compare active and passive versions of the same speaker, I think you'll find the active version, if done right, will have all the 'dynamics, inner details and speed' you require, with none of the smear, thuddy bass and 'gentling up' that the passive version of that speaker often does. In subjective terms, the active version can usually sound more 'engaging and tactile' with less effort to delve into a recorded mix.

The thing is, the domestic market hasn't yet caught on as many of us have and dealers are incredibly resistant to selling all-in-one actives with built-in amps, as they make more money selling piles of add-on boxes and extra cabling. Harbeth found this and their top active model when it appears, will have all external amps/active crossovers, either Harbeth built - class D amp modules - or an active crossover box leaving the end user to choose whatever amp confection they desire, the dealer rubbing their hands with glee as the profit will be pretty good per system sold...

 

[Newman]

What about transients? Is Kali IN-8 v2 speaker fast? What about step response?

There are a lot of misconceptions around those terms as used for the 'sound' of a speaker. It can keep up with 20 kHz, so how fast do you need it to be?

I ask those who understand what transient and speaker speed are. And that you don't know what it means is not my fault

I took it from your top post, quoted above, that you see some correlation between the terms 'transients', 'step response', 'speed', and what a speaker sounds like. Do you or don't you?

So I explained that, other than sufficient step response to deliver 20 kHz of bandwidth, there is little reason to demand to see the step response of a speaker, and it is a misunderstanding to think that faster and faster step responses give one a faster and faster-sounding speaker.

You then tossed off an insult about my knowledge of the subject of, ahem, what 'speaker speed' is. Good job.

If you do have an interest in learning more on this subject, there are several threads on ASR that might assist. Search for 'step response' in the title.

The bottom line is: if you are hearing (in controlled listening conditions) a sense of greater or lesser 'speed' from a speaker, it is almost certainly due to issues that can be seen in the frequency response. Looking at the step response, as if a steeper slope means faster sound, is misleading at best. Like. I. Said.

In fact, Amir only started including step response in his speaker reviews as a courtesy to readers who can't stop wanting it, or as he calls them, "fans of timing analysis". Not because he thinks it tells us anything about how a speaker sounds, that isn't better found in the frequency response.

cheers

 

[Bartez2000]

I took it from your top post, quoted above, that you see some correlation between the terms 'transients', 'step response', 'speed', and what a speaker sounds like. Do you or don't you?

So I explained that, other than sufficient step response to deliver 20 kHz of bandwidth, there is little reason to demand to see the step response of a speaker, and it is a misunderstanding to think that faster and faster step responses give one a faster and faster-sounding speaker.

You then tossed off an insult about my knowledge of the subject of, ahem, what 'speaker speed' is. Good job.

If you do have an interest in learning more on this subject, there are several threads on ASR that might assist. Search for 'step response' in the title.

The bottom line is: if you are hearing (in controlled listening conditions) a sense of greater or lesser 'speed' from a speaker, it is almost certainly due to issues that can be seen in the frequency response. Looking at the step response, as if a steeper slope means faster sound, is misleading at best. Like. I. Said.

In fact, Amir only started including step response in his speaker reviews as a courtesy to readers who can't stop wanting it, or as he calls them, "fans of timing analysis". Not because he thinks it tells us anything about how a speaker sounds, that isn't better found in the frequency response.

cheers

If you were a little interested in working with sound and not just playing songs, you would know that each speaker plays sounds differently. And it does not depend only on frequency. You need to educate yourself, and do not use Amir to defend your theories. You still have a lot to catch up on before you start considering yourself an expert on this forum.

 

[Bartez2000]

Do this experiment. Use a transient shaper plug-in. Set the attack fast once, slow once. Does the sound sound the same? No. It's the same with speakers, some have a fast attack, others slower. You can add high frequencies and the attack won't speed up, because the impulse matters. Now verify your knowledge and open your mind to the unknown. You'll thank me later.

 

[Newman]

now measure the FR before and after...

 

[Bartez2000]

...but as a function of time, and that's something completely different than your usual eq. Physics and mathematics my friend, not just listening to music.

Do you seriously think that all physical phenomena can be explained by an equalizer?