Kali Audio SM-5 (C) monitor

[badspeakerdesigner]

I assume these are for distributed installs. Power amp requirement and pricing definitely puts it there, amps for them are not at all cheap. I wonder if we'll see any trickle down from this speaker to other models such as the hard dome tweeter and waveguided mid range. Woofer likes it's a good upgrade over the LP and IN series. Smart of kali to go after that sweet sweet commercial install money.

I think kali have the worst dust cap I've ever seen though. I wish they'd use a regular dome dust cap, but that's just my aesthetic preference.

 

[dziemian]

Kali has just uploaded its website with full speaker details. To be honest I dont like a huge price increase and a necessity to pay another extra $1000-2000 for amplification. That makes $3000-4000 altogether which puts these speakers in another price range.

Kali Audio — Project Santa Monica Overview

www.kaliaudio.com

 

[Ellebob]

I hope they make a powered version with the DSP corrections built in, similar to how JBL has a passive and active version of there 705/708 speakers. Of course, Kali would have no clue about JBL's design

 

[dziemian]

I hope they make a powered version with the DSP corrections built in, similar to how JBL has a passive and active version of there 705/708 speakers. Of course, Kali would have no clue about JBL's design

That would be like $1500 per speaker. I understand the need to increase profit but in that price range there is a lot of competition starting from Genelec. Kali Audio played a big and important role on audio market with good and inexpensive speakers.

 

[Ellebob]

I wouldn't have a problem with $1500 speaker if they have similar performance as other great monitors like Neumann KH150 and Genelec 8331/8341.

 

[3125b]

I wouldn't have a problem with $1500 speaker if they have similar performance as other great monitors like Neumann KH150 and Genelec 8331/8341.

But they are even more expensive than that, the recommended amp is 2200$ making a pair of these 4200$.
Of all the thing they could have copied from JBL they chose the worst one.
Guess this is really only intended for a multi channel setup with the threaded inserts and front port. It's only 25cm deep too. In a classic nearfield monitor application there are better options at over 4000$.

Guess they have taken a page out of KEFs book though when it comes to coax design, the tweeter now has a similar plastic cap and mini waveguide thing, just not as refined. Could indeed perform better than their cheaper units, but I doubt it comes even close to KEFs 12th gen coaxials. But considering how small of a company Kali is, they have shown remarkable engineering and out-of-box thinking so far. We'll see.

 

[Sancus]

They started off in this line really small. Would be interested to see how this compares to the Genelec 8331A. Hopefully it gets a review from Erin or Amir.

 

[Curvature]

Of course, Kali would have no clue about JBL's design

The founder of Kali is ex-JBL. He was a chief designer there.

 

[Ellebob]

The founder of Kali is ex-JBL. He was a chief designer there.

I know, I meant it sarcastically.

 

[Ellebob]

But they are even more expensive than that, the recommended amp is 2200$ making a pair of these 4200$.
Of all the thing they could have copied from JBL they chose the worst one.
Guess this is really only intended for a multi channel setup with the threaded inserts and front port. It's only 25cm deep too. In a classic nearfield monitor application there are better options at over 4000$.

Guess they have taken a page out of KEFs book though when it comes to coax design, the tweeter now has a similar plastic cap and mini waveguide thing, just not as refined. Could indeed perform better than their cheaper units, but I doubt it comes even close to KEFs 12th gen coaxials. But considering how small of a company Kali is, they have shown remarkable engineering and out-of-box thinking so far. We'll see.

I agree the recommended amp makes this very expensive. I looked at the correction files for the amp and no reason much of this couldn't be done with most DSP amps or a MiniDSP. Even a Yamaha receiver could come close with it's parametric EQ. It uses basic parametric EQ. Hopefully, they will come out with files for other amps as well. I doubt they will have ones for the crown amps though.

 

[tktran303]

@KaliAudio_Official

This looks great- coaxial AND coincident tweeter for directivity control AND time alignment. And demodulating rings in a Kali product- a first!

What's the intended market or use case for this Santa Monica lineup?

Commercial cinema? Installed sound? Recording and broadcast? eg. studios with object based audio eg. Atmos?

Judging by the larger and deeper waveguide I'm looking forward to the bigger SM 7 or 8 models with 7-8" woofers with demodulating rings for even higher sensitivity and dynamic range. Good times ahead.

Good luck @Charles Sprinkle

 

[Pritaudio]

The ws12 subwoofer will give high pass signal to these passives before the amp section.
So integrating will be easier than other subs which are without dsp features.
It could save money buying something like a minidsp flex.
Maybe just use rew with a mic for much cheaper calibration.

But kali will have to provide more information on this, as there is no indication as yet as to what settings they recommend in this setup.

 

[dziemian]

I wonder is passive crossover active at all time, whether you use the speaker in one-wire or bi-amp mode?

 

[tktran303]

This is outlined in the spec sheet and but also the speaker design is the clue (it's a 3 way, but single amp or bi-amp is available, not tri-amp)

The bi-amp will bypass the LP filter for the woofer and HP filter for the midrange. But the passive XO between the midrange and tweeter is fixed.

This gives some flexibility in terms of EQing below 300Hz for placement (boundary compensation) and how much power is required for the MT (typically a lot less than for the woofers.

That's how I'd do it, as a loudspeaker designer.

 

[Somafunk]

 

[juliangst]

I looked at the config files for bi amping and there is a surprising lot of PEQ:

Woofer:
HP: BW 12dB/oct, 47.4Hz
LP: LR 24dB/oct, 259Hz
Midrange/Tweeter:
HP: BW 6dB/oct, 1430Hz, inverted phase

EQ:
56.8Hz, 4.5dB, Q 1.42
205Hz, 1.2dB, Q 2
260Hz, 2.4dB, Q 2.04
497Hz, 2.8dB, Q 3.73
838Hz, -0.7dB, Q 2.08
1552Hz, 1.3dB, Q 3.64
4968Hz, 2.9dB, Q 1.91
7498Hz, -6.6, Q 2.7
11376Hz, -8.2dB, Q 3.48


You don't need those expensive pro amps with build in DSP. Any PC based DSP with a multichannel DAC, a miniDSP or a CamillaDSP based RPi should work fine.
I wonder if it's really needed to byamp them or if they're good enough in their passive single wire mode.

 

[617]

I looked at the config files for bi amping and there is a surprising lot of PEQ:

Woofer:
HP: BW 12dB/oct, 47.4Hz
LP: LR 24dB/oct, 259Hz
Midrange/Tweeter:
HP: BW 6dB/oct, 1430Hz, inverted phase

EQ:
56.8Hz, 4.5dB, Q 1.42
205Hz, 1.2dB, Q 2
260Hz, 2.4dB, Q 2.04
497Hz, 2.8dB, Q 3.73
838Hz, -0.7dB, Q 2.08
1552Hz, 1.3dB, Q 3.64
4968Hz, 2.9dB, Q 1.91
7498Hz, -6.6, Q 2.7
11376Hz, -8.2dB, Q 3.48


You don't need those expensive pro amps with build in DSP. Any PC based DSP with a multichannel DAC, a miniDSP or a CamillaDSP based RPi should work fine.
I wonder if it's really needed to byamp them or if they're good enough in their passive single wire mode.

I really think 99% of people would be better off with IN-8s for most applications. If you do need a professional installation, there are probably better options for the DSP than a raspberry pi. I think the Crown amps have enough dsp to do this, for example.

I'm actually more interested in the little sub they released.

A 1000W, dual 6 inch subwoofer in a tiny box is an interesting proposition. 11 inches wide, 12 inches deep and 14" high.

 

[abrxxx]

While I have no intention of buying a passive studio monitor, the fact that Kali has a new line of studio monitors is really exciting. Hopefully Kali can produce an active version soon a la JBL 708P, and give Genelec, Neumann and JBL a run for their money!

That dinky sub is also really cool. Come on, make it available in white please, Kali! My wife hates those large black boxes (JBL subs) that I have in our family room.

 

[jhaider]

No grilles is a really unfortunate choice. Maybe they'll offer one a la Neumann with KH310/420?

I think the Crown amps have enough dsp to do this, for example.

I think a tell they wanted to make these widely useable is no shelf filters. Bell filters tend to be similarly implemented, but shelf filter math varies widely across platforms.

I'm actually more interested in the little sub they released. A 1000W, dual 6 inch subwoofer in a tiny box is an interesting proposition. 11 inches wide, 12 inches deep and 14" high.

That doesn’t seem particularly small to me, though the price is good.

 

[sunandmoon]

I looked at the config files for bi amping and there is a surprising lot of PEQ:

Woofer:
HP: BW 12dB/oct, 47.4Hz
LP: LR 24dB/oct, 259Hz
Midrange/Tweeter:
HP: BW 6dB/oct, 1430Hz, inverted phase

EQ:
56.8Hz, 4.5dB, Q 1.42
205Hz, 1.2dB, Q 2
260Hz, 2.4dB, Q 2.04
497Hz, 2.8dB, Q 3.73
838Hz, -0.7dB, Q 2.08
1552Hz, 1.3dB, Q 3.64
4968Hz, 2.9dB, Q 1.91
7498Hz, -6.6, Q 2.7
11376Hz, -8.2dB, Q 3.48


You don't need those expensive pro amps with build in DSP. Any PC based DSP with a multichannel DAC, a miniDSP or a CamillaDSP based RPi should work fine.
I wonder if it's really needed to byamp them or if they're good enough in their passive single wire mode.

very interesting, and yes, more EQ than I initially thought, certainly more dB in the upper freq, not a negative, just more than I would have thought