I don't really have guidance as such but I am putting in IN-5s plus a WS-12 sub in a larger room (maybe 6m x4m). I chose the IN-5 due to aesthetics (them being quite a bit smaller than IN-8). In the same room I had JBL 308s before (paired with 2 JBL10S subs), and although I never did a blind test or anything I preferred the sound of the smaller JBL 305s in the same room, which is what is in the room currently until I can figure out wall mounting the IN-5s.
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Kali IN-5 Studio Monitor Review
- Thread starter hardisj
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One goes a little louder and a little deeper.... If you want that, get it, if you need something smaller, get that one.
There's no such thing as a speaker too big for a room, You might excite some additional bass peaks, but those can be corrected.
Unless you are pressed for space or want to mount it, I don't see a reason to get the 5 over the 8 v2 with the prices so close.
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IN-8 IMO.
I was able to go to a physical shop and saw IN-8 in person. They are sounding fine (and not as lively as some focals over there). To me the speakers are quite large compared to the speakers that I have. I could not compare them against IN-5 as they do not have them on stock. So, I ordered IN-5 from an online shop. Will keep posted about how I feel about the sound and size in my room.
Thank you for your inputs! I do not have a big space constraint but since the room is not a dedicated one and my wife prefers speakers that are not in your face, if you know what I mean. We checked IN-8 and they were quite large. Since you have both, may be you can tell me if there is any big difference in SQ above 100Hz as I will use two subwoofers in my system. This will be only used in a Home Theatre context with an AVR in place and I will get a matching center (IN-8 or InN-5). So only L,C,R and subs will be active. Rest of the speakers will be passive.
They sound identical to me. Go for the small ones if you are using subwoofers and need a center that fits under your TV. You might also look up the IN-5c which is mountable.
Thank You! That is really good to know!! I looked for In-5c but I could not find them in Germany. I am reasonably handy with DIY so if it is the same speaker with an additional mount attached then I can get the attachment later when it is available or make one with wood by myself. I definetly want to put the L and R on wall so it would be a self made wall attachment on which I can just place the speakers.
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There's no significant difference in timbre AFAICT -- the IN-8 has better bass extension, but with two subs that's probably irrelevant.
I was reading else where that the IN-5 has a THD < 2% where as IN-8 V2 has a THD < 1%. Does it translate into audible noise in comparison? Also, in one of the videos from Kali, where they are talking about why IN-5 has more power (160W vs IN-8V2 at 140W), he keeps saying that the IN-5 woofer has more distortion and if they want to make the woofer less distortion then it will cost the speaker a lot more. A bit confused about what is going on with distortion / THD of IN-5 compared to IN-8V2
theblackhole
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Guys, I have one question. I've bought 4 IN-5 do to a surround setup. I've tried to put a Kali as a center channel to see the result but I found the center "thin" and weak compared to the Left and Right. Since I've the screen in the middle, the center channel is actually on top of it, in vertical position and upside-down (to have the tweeter/mid down and the woofer higher) but still the height of the tweeter is not the same as in the left/right (a bit higher). Is there a real center channel (horizontal) that can match these IN-5 in timbral tone? I just looked at the Adam A44H which would be perfect for its compact size and height, it would actually go on par with the IN-5 tweeters, but I can't test it and I fear that the different tweeters type (dome for IN-5 and AMT for Adam) would lead to a different tone anyway. Do you guys have some suggestions? Active center speakers, possibly in the same price range (can't afford, for example, an A77H or coincident Genelecs)
Move the Kali or adjust the controls on the back. Mine can sound thin and odd as a center just like my Genelec monitors, but it's the floor bounce or in your case may be the ceiling bounce and you just have to move it or the seating position or use DSP if it's a peak.
Best of luck.
Best of luck.
I found this late but I couldn’t pass it without a comment. I totally agree with @Charles Sprinkle. The Watt wars is nonsense and we pay unnecessary attention to them. What is the other option I don’t have an answer but the traditional way of rating power as V^2/R with sine waves is silly.
Seems like a good place to ask this question since there's a rep here. Assuming Charles Sprinkles still checks this place -- do you have any information on what latency the IN-5 has? I know there's some, since there's an integrated DSP. It might seem minimal, but I'm trying to play virtual instruments on my DAW computer and also use it for playing guitar, so I'm trying to drive that number down as low as I reasonably can and every component adds up. I do already own the speakers, but no particular reliably way to test. You will make me a very happy customer if you can share the information 
Hi all! New here. I need some advice on placement of a pair of Kali IN-5 monitors. The biggest question regards toe-in.
I'm not using them to mix; just for casual (if serious) listening: everything from opera to jazz to Americana. Thus far they sound superb, but I'm having trouble optimizing them. The review here suggests that they sound best on-axis, but also that the treble is more prominent at closer distances. Kali themselves seem to stress that they should not be toed in that much: they recommend 10 to 20 degrees (but they don't address the IN-5 specifically). And then there's the general advice for coaxial speakers: that you should not have them pointing directly at you. Which goes contrary to the general advice for near-field listening, where on-axis listening is said to be the best way to cancel room effects. All very confusing.
My setup is ultra-near-field on a desk. An equilateral triangle, with just less than 1 meter between tweeters (depending how much I toe in). I have them on hemispheric silicone isolation feet. And, crucially, there's a large window behind them, 23" from the rear of the monitors. The room is a large untreated loft; I am indeed looking to mostly nullify room effects (although the speakers sound good from pretty much anywhere when I walk around).
Preliminary observations: when toed in so that they're facing me, the treble is occasionally a touch harsh; especially with an instrument that's harsh by nature (say, harmonica). The upper bass is occasionally muddy. And the soundstage is accurate, but narrow. When I turn them outwards, I *think* I hear the highs smoothing out, and the bass clearing up. Unquestionably the soundstage is wider, and remains absurdly accurate. ((FWIW, my test for imaging is Duke Ellington's "Malletoba Spank" on the album Jazz Party: a wild assortment of percussionists, and a cult classic for this purpose — highly recommended.)
So. Is toeing them out the best solution? Am I missing out on something if I do that? Is there some better way to deal with the treble and bass issues? I have the dip switches set for "Position 5: On a Desk, Away from Walls", with no frequency trim; am I better to mess with that?
I may move them onto stands and separate them a bit more, but I'm in fact pretty happy with this arrangement; just want to get it right. (Kali recommends a listening distance of .5 to 2.2 meters.)
Sorry for the complex question; perhaps Too Much Information. Nice to be here!
I'm not using them to mix; just for casual (if serious) listening: everything from opera to jazz to Americana. Thus far they sound superb, but I'm having trouble optimizing them. The review here suggests that they sound best on-axis, but also that the treble is more prominent at closer distances. Kali themselves seem to stress that they should not be toed in that much: they recommend 10 to 20 degrees (but they don't address the IN-5 specifically). And then there's the general advice for coaxial speakers: that you should not have them pointing directly at you. Which goes contrary to the general advice for near-field listening, where on-axis listening is said to be the best way to cancel room effects. All very confusing.
My setup is ultra-near-field on a desk. An equilateral triangle, with just less than 1 meter between tweeters (depending how much I toe in). I have them on hemispheric silicone isolation feet. And, crucially, there's a large window behind them, 23" from the rear of the monitors. The room is a large untreated loft; I am indeed looking to mostly nullify room effects (although the speakers sound good from pretty much anywhere when I walk around).
Preliminary observations: when toed in so that they're facing me, the treble is occasionally a touch harsh; especially with an instrument that's harsh by nature (say, harmonica). The upper bass is occasionally muddy. And the soundstage is accurate, but narrow. When I turn them outwards, I *think* I hear the highs smoothing out, and the bass clearing up. Unquestionably the soundstage is wider, and remains absurdly accurate. ((FWIW, my test for imaging is Duke Ellington's "Malletoba Spank" on the album Jazz Party: a wild assortment of percussionists, and a cult classic for this purpose — highly recommended.)
So. Is toeing them out the best solution? Am I missing out on something if I do that? Is there some better way to deal with the treble and bass issues? I have the dip switches set for "Position 5: On a Desk, Away from Walls", with no frequency trim; am I better to mess with that?
I may move them onto stands and separate them a bit more, but I'm in fact pretty happy with this arrangement; just want to get it right. (Kali recommends a listening distance of .5 to 2.2 meters.)
Sorry for the complex question; perhaps Too Much Information. Nice to be here!
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Welcome! Offhand, I'd say you're correct -- at least 10 degrees off-axis is what I'd recommend too. The "Erin's Audio Corner" review of the "2nd Wave" IN-8 explores that issue, and the IN-8 has the same mid/tweeter driver as the IN-5 -- it's apparently intrinsic to coincident/coaxial drivers in general, not just for Kali products.
Thank you! It makes sense.
I've just started to play with the LF trim using the dip switches. I think the bass boost helps, without causing the muddiness I was experiencing before. I can use a touch more bass, given that the walls don't seem to be adding anything much.
voltronic
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My IN-5's arrived today and I have been rocking with them the last few hours. WOW these things punch so far above their (price) weight! Mind you, I was replacing a very old set of KRK Rokit RP5 G2, so I only could go up!
I just finished putting them through their paces with REW because I needed to tame the mid-bass hump in my room (like most people). When generating correction, I initially went with Julian Krause's default recommendation of "Bass Limited Speaker" with an 80 Hz, 24 dB/oct low cut. Well, there goes my bass extension. So I went back in and generated new correction files with 60 and 70 Hz cutoffs. Side note: I am using EACS so I can switch these correction files on the fly.
Only the 60 Hz cutoff file seems to preserve most of the low end. That's the one that visually most closely matches the measured rolloff in my averaged measurements. Then I thought, why not trying changing the speaker type to Full Range, which just puts in a 10 Hz cut? There we go; even better. Now I'm getting all my LF extension, with that midbass hump still tamed nicely.
What I find curious is that setting the speaker type to Full Range generated fewer correction filters than those generated from the Bass Limited cutoffs at various frequencies. But the Full Range correction definitely sound the best, so unless there's some glaring mistake I'm making in doing this, that's what I'm going to stick with. See attached.
I just finished putting them through their paces with REW because I needed to tame the mid-bass hump in my room (like most people). When generating correction, I initially went with Julian Krause's default recommendation of "Bass Limited Speaker" with an 80 Hz, 24 dB/oct low cut. Well, there goes my bass extension. So I went back in and generated new correction files with 60 and 70 Hz cutoffs. Side note: I am using EACS so I can switch these correction files on the fly.
Only the 60 Hz cutoff file seems to preserve most of the low end. That's the one that visually most closely matches the measured rolloff in my averaged measurements. Then I thought, why not trying changing the speaker type to Full Range, which just puts in a 10 Hz cut? There we go; even better. Now I'm getting all my LF extension, with that midbass hump still tamed nicely.
What I find curious is that setting the speaker type to Full Range generated fewer correction filters than those generated from the Bass Limited cutoffs at various frequencies. But the Full Range correction definitely sound the best, so unless there's some glaring mistake I'm making in doing this, that's what I'm going to stick with. See attached.
This is interesting. I have a midbass issue, and I just plugged your Full Range figures into IIEQ Pro (a 10-band equalizer I use with SoundSource on a Mac). It seems to do good things. But it mostly cuts things at about 150 Hz, no? I don't see a 10 Hz cut here. Or is there some other software you're also using that has a Full Range setting on top of this?
Oh, and the overall gain is just left at 0.00 db?
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voltronic
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No sub, and for the music I record I don't think I'll ever need one with these monitors.
I had thought Julian's recommendation of using "bass limited speaker" when generating EQ curves was to protect against a bass boost being added, and possibly increase distortion with small woofers. But I do remember reading about the protection tested in Erin's review. Glad to know I'm not doing anything weird!
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