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

[ernestcarl]

So in this case are the IN-8s better choice than the IN-5s because of flatter off-axis response? 10k dip almost disappears on the off-axis curves, while the IN-5s are only getting worse in this range. Can´t decide between those two, but what are you saying makes more sense to get the IN-8 monitors. On the other side Erin reported about noticeable resonance in the lows, which the IN-5 monitors don´t have.

Even so, I probably would pick the IN-8 v2 if size of the box were not a very important factor to consider. Maybe if my use case were only for a surround satellite monitor, I'd be happy to consider the IN-5. Well, even the much larger sized (and more expensive) Sceptre S8 has some box resonance -- which I was able to reduce some with additional damping and mass reinforcement -- though, I'm not so sure if the latter had much of an effect.

 

[pisikak]

Even so, I probably would pick the IN-8 v2 if size of the box were not a very important factor to consider. Maybe if my use case were only for a surround satellite monitor, I'd be happy to consider the IN-5. Well, even the much larger sized (and more expensive) Sceptre S8 has some box resonance -- which I was able to reduce some with additional damping and mass reinforcement -- though, I'm not so sure if the latter had much of an effect.

My main use is the music production. Currently I mix with the JBL LSR 305, but I am not happy with them for some reasons (a lot of resonance, hiss and the lack of clarity in the midrange). Sure, the IN-8 is a quite big speaker, but I tend to get the better performance than a smaller size.

 

[KaliAudio_Official]

@KaliAudio_Official
Do you all have plans to make more speaker series? If so, will these be called Big Pine or Fish Springs?

For the rest of us on this forum, look at the manual of the IN-series:

Unfortunately, "Bishop" was just too awkward and we're using "Mammoth" for something else. Might go closer to LA for the next line up...

 

[Coin3]

Just put in my order for a pair of the IN-8 V2's! I will be using them as living room HT speakers, about 12 ft away. Excited!

 

[nbot]

One more question for IN-8 owners - does this on axis 10k dip really bother you? Is it something annoying/noticecable or not really?

 

[thewas]

One more question for IN-8 owners - does this on axis 10k dip really bother you? Is it something annoying/noticecable or not really?

On the first gen which I used to own I could hear a bit too few energy in that region, but on the v2 the dip is less pronounced deep, haven't hear that one though yet.

 

[nbot]

On the first gen which I used to own I could hear a bit too few energy in that region, but on the v2 the dip is less pronounced deep, haven't hear that one though yet.

But if you moved your head off axis (~10 deg) - was it ok?

 

[thewas]

But if you moved your head off axis (~10 deg) - was it ok?

I used to listen to them slightly off-axis (around 10°-15°) as recommended for most coaxial designs but still could perceive the a bit too low sound power in that region, see my original review

Kali Audio IN-8 Studio Monitor Review

Terminology note: generally, a gated measurement in a non-anechoic environment will be called "quasi-anechoic." Yes, it should look (above about 2x the reciprocal of the gating time) just like a measurement in an anechoic environment, but the "quasi" distinguishes the particular method to obtain...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[nbot]

I used to listen to them slightly off-axis (around 10°-15°) as recommended for most coaxial designs but still could perceive the a bit too low sound power in that region, see my original review

Kali Audio IN-8 Studio Monitor Review

Terminology note: generally, a gated measurement in a non-anechoic environment will be called "quasi-anechoic." Yes, it should look (above about 2x the reciprocal of the gating time) just like a measurement in an anechoic environment, but the "quasi" distinguishes the particular method to obtain...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Interesting read- thank you

 

[Filio45]

One more question for IN-8 owners - does this on axis 10k dip really bother you? Is it something annoying/noticecable or not really?

I'm not sure it's the 10K dip as such, although it could well be. I just found the overall balance too warm/smooth, bearing in mind I prefer an airier presentation than many do. In addition, their LF response, while present and controlled, was not as well-defined as expected. This guy's subjective opinion, for what it's worth, is pretty close to my experience of the IN-8 v2.

Otherwise, the Kali's really rock. Just not to my taste overall. YMMV though!

 

[ADoIDo]

Just put in my order for a pair of the IN-8 V2's! I will be using them as living room HT speakers, about 12 ft away. Excited!

Just got mine in the mail yesterday, so far so good. Now need to upgrade my DAC.

 

[ndis]

Just got mine in the mail yesterday and that's what I'm doing with them. Have a short throw located within a compartmented coffee table along with micro computer, dac, etc.. Replaced my Adam Audio T5V with them.

I'm no audiophile so I can't tell what the hell all those lines are doing in those graphs but they subjectively sound good. Wish they'd go a little louder though. They don't seem to be putting out much more dB than the Adams. Something I find peculiar is when watching movies I used to only have to have the computer volume at 20-30 and now with the v2's I'm at least 50 to hear the dialog. The youtube video above I had to be at 70 to make out what he's saying.

To you guys who know everything, would the genelec 8040's by a noticeable jump in dB over the kali's? I can get a 2nd hand pair for close to what I paid for the v2. Also I have to take into consideration the ugly factor of the v2's vs the pretty genelec. My living room speakers are literally the first thing people see when they go into my house (small house in the hood).

This would have been a bad trolling post even in the early 00s...

 

[Sancus]

Wish they'd go a little louder though. They don't seem to be putting out much more dB than the Adams. Something I find peculiar is when watching movies I used to only have to have the computer volume at 20-30 and now with the v2's I'm at least 50 to hear the dialog. The youtube video above I had to be at 70 to make out what he's saying.

This has nothing to do with how loud the speaker can play, but is rather a function of your DACs voltage output relative to the input sensitivity and gain setting on the monitor.

It looks like both the Adams and Kali offer RCA inputs that should work OK with consumer DAC levels, but the Adams have a gain control that goes up to +18dB and Kali only has +6dB.

If you are using the RCA input and have the gain knob set to +6dB that's as loud as they'll go. You'll need a DAC with higher voltage output to go louder. All that said, I don't see how it matters unless it's not loud enough for you at 100 with everything maxed out. There is no benefit to having your digital volume control set at 30 or whatever.

 

[Coin3]

This has nothing to do with how loud the speaker can play, but is rather a function of your DACs voltage output relative to the input sensitivity and gain setting on the monitor.

It looks like both the Adams and Kali offer RCA inputs that should work OK with consumer DAC levels, but the Adams have a gain control that goes up to +18dB and Kali only has +6dB.

If you are using the RCA input and have the gain knob set to +6dB that's as loud as they'll go. You'll need a DAC with higher voltage output to go louder. All that said, I don't see how it matters unless it's not loud enough for you at 100 with everything maxed out. There is no benefit to having your digital volume control set at 30 or whatever.

I agree that this is likely the case. The Adam T5V doesn't appear to have a published sensitivity spec. The IN-8 V2 is specced at 97dB SPL @1m (anechoic) for -10dBV input. That seems fine, but we can't directly compare to the T5V.

My IN-8's just got delivered. I'll report back later about my experience.

 

[Coin3]

XLR. I'm using https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/UMC404HD--behringer-u-phoria-umc404hd-usb-audio-interface? . If there's something better/more compact I should be using better more compact between the computer and monitors I'm all ears.

What about genelec 8040 for the same money in a small livingroom home theater? dB and esthetic wise.

Based on this, the UMC404HD's max output is +3dBu. The standard for DACs with XLR output is 4V, which is about +14dBu. You should be able to gain an additional 11 dB of output just with a new audio interface. I don't know exactly what would be best in your situation, but Amir has reviewed plenty of DACs so I'm sure there is something that would work.

I don't see a sensitivity spec for the 8040, so I can't comment on whether they'd be louder or quieter than the IN-8 with the same input, but if you really can get them for a similar price as what you paid for the IN-8 then that sounds like a worthy investment to me.

 

[Sancus]

I don't see a sensitivity spec for the 8040

Genelecs are all 100dB@1m for -6dBu at their default(max) setting. You can find that in the manual. So that is louder than the Kalis even with them set to +6dB, which would make them 103dB @ +4dBu.

the UMC404HD's max output is +3dBu.

Yikes. Behringer pls, that is a pretty half-assed professional audio interface.

I see Amir reviewed the 2-channel version of this, and it horribly clips even at 1.1V, which is about +3dBu... that makes me think this whole product line is best avoided, unfortunately.

XLR. I'm using https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/UMC404HD--behringer-u-phoria-umc404hd-usb-audio-interface? . If there's something better/more compact I should be using better more compact between the computer and monitors I'm all ears.

What about genelec 8040 for the same money in a small livingroom home theater? dB and esthetic wise.

If you are interested in a new audio interface, I like the Motu M2 best for nice and compact interfaces. Or the M4 if you do actually need more channels. But obviously there are a zillion options and you can look at the Review Index if you want a new DAC. Unfortunately it seems that Behringer line is quite poor, so you might want to just replace it and not have to worry about these things in the future. I hate to say that, since it is pretty rare that a DAC is actually a problem... lol...

 

[Coin3]

Here are my first impressions using the IN-8 V2 as living room speakers:

1. Definitely loud enough. Using RCA from a miniDSP 2x4 that only outputs 0.9 V, I actually had to lower the gain below half to keep the max volume at a comfortable level.
2. Big and blocky. My wife hates me now. They do sound great but for her sake I am starting to consider other options... we'll see, maybe she'll get used to them. New things always stand out when you first get them.

I did do an initial measurement, but not enough to start testing EQ. I have them right up against the wall, so for now I turned on Boundary EQ dip switch #2, as recommended.

 

[nbot]

Here are my first impressions using the IN-8 V2 as living room speakers:

1. Definitely loud enough. Using RCA from a miniDSP 2x4 that only outputs 0.9 V, I actually had to lower the gain below half to keep the max volume at a comfortable level.
2. Big and blocky. My wife hates me now. They do sound great but for her sake I am starting to consider other options... we'll see, maybe she'll get used to them. New things always stand out when you first get them.

I did do an initial measurement, but not enough to start testing EQ. I have them right up against the wall, so for now I turned on Boundary EQ dip switch #2, as recommended.

How's the sound? Do you feel they have enough bass? What about the mentioned 10k dip - do you feel they are missing some frequencies there?
How would you compare them to other monitors you had in the past ?

 

[Coin3]

How's the sound? Do you feel they have enough bass? What about the mentioned 10k dip - do you feel they are missing some frequencies there?
How would you compare them to other monitors you had in the past ?

I've been more invested in headphones since getting into this hobby, so I can't compare them to much. My only other "decent" speakers are Micca MB42X that I use nearfield with an 8 inch Dayton subwoofer, so this is a huge upgrade. I think it will take a lot more use of the IN-8 to notice any issues for me. As far as the bass, I would probably get a subwoofer if I didn't have to worry about bothering my neighbors... but on their own they still do a good job. I will need more time testing out different movies and music to form a more concrete opinion.

 

[stevenswall]

How close are they to Genelec Ones?

I use the 8260 which is the precursor The Ones with the IN-8 v2 as a center channel and am satisfied. I've also used the IN-8 nearfield.

These days when people ask for recommendations, it's either saving for Kali's or saving a ton for Genelecs.