Kali IN-UNF - new ultra nearfield speakers

[gorb]

Kali Audio — IN-UNF Ultra-Nearfield Studio Monitors

www.kaliaudio.com

Same coax midrange/tweeter as the IN-5 and IN-8. Separate sub module houses the inputs, one of which is usb-c

 

[Tom C]

Very nice! Reasonably priced, too.

 

[3125b]

Way to think outside the box. This might be what a number of not so audio-savvy people actually need instead of placing conventinal speakers very poorly where there is no room for them. That does however lead me right to criticism:
The fact that this system is IEC Class I is a big oversight, it would have been more accessible for many people if it were Class II. This will need additional investments (interface) or cheap workarounds (line isolator), either way figuring that out will make people unhappy with additional cost and unwanted noise in the meantime.
Edit: It actually has digital inputs as well. That's good and should solve many potential issues.

 

[Kachda]

they have only accounted for the bass unit to be on desk. Why not on the floor?

 

[AnalogSteph]

Satellites are passive, oh well... I hope the XO is half-decent. That part would be helping the noise level, of course.

Specs state the LF driver to be a "4.5-Inch High-Excursion Woofer", which appears to be incorrect... the dual 3"s mentioned elsewhere in the manual seem to be fit the images much better, which show drivers a fair bit smaller than the 5.25" sub thickness.

they have only accounted for the bass unit to be on desk. Why not on the floor?

Given the 280 Hz crossover frequency, that would make for a terrible hole in the low midrange. Owners of the old Cambridge Soundworks PC Works 2.1 system and similar will know what I mean. A sub under the desk has to be crossed over much lower in order to avoid desk interference, say 120 Hz max or so.

Given how rare 2.1 systems allowing sub placement on the desk are, this effort is commendable. $599 seems a tad steep, but let's see. Good-quality choices for space-constrained setups aren't that plentiful.

 

[RoA]

When I listened to Genelec's (very nice) at MusicMatters/UK they had some Kali's there. More often than not, products look better in the flesh than on pictures, unfortunately they looked awful and I'd be amazed if anyone married or with a partner, no matter how easygoing they may be, would get a pair of these past them into a shared room ... . Strictly for nerds, singles and home studio ownership. Even cheap Adam's look stylish in comparison and that is saying something.

I didn't bother listening to any of them. - Charge a hundred more and have somebody that knows a little about design do something to them!

 

[Digby]

Call me odd, but I can see these speakers playing their part in a horror film. The main character returns home every day to find one of these speakers positioned in unusual places around the house.... in the bathroom cabinet, on the driveway, in the dog's bed...seemingly watching him as he goes about his day.

 

[LearningToSmile]

Interesting concept for people with limited desk space. A higher quality version of popular solutions like Klipsch Promedia 2.1? But with a on-desk bass solution instead of traditional subwoofer. Digital inputs are a big plus.
Niche product, but a cool one.

 

[ernestcarl]

I would have liked a grill to protect the satellite drivers, and maye the ability to thread the bottom of each sphere unto a 3rd party short mic stand if desired.

I can imagine using this on a very tight office space desk.

 

[KaliAudio_Official]

Satellites are passive, oh well... I hope the XO is half-decent. That part would be helping the noise level, of course.

Specs state the LF driver to be a "4.5-Inch High-Excursion Woofer", which appears to be incorrect... the dual 3"s mentioned elsewhere in the manual seem to be fit the images much better, which show drivers a fair bit smaller than the 5.25" sub thickness.


Given the 280 Hz crossover frequency, that would make for a terrible hole in the low midrange. Owners of the old Cambridge Soundworks PC Works 2.1 system and similar will know what I mean. A sub under the desk has to be crossed over much lower in order to avoid desk interference, say 120 Hz max or so.

Given how rare 2.1 systems allowing sub placement on the desk are, this effort is commendable. $599 seems a tad steep, but let's see. Good-quality choices for space-constrained setups aren't that plentiful.

This is Nate. I wrote the manual, and 4.5-inch is correct. I’ll update the manual.

 

[Rednaxela]

Cool product! Nice and out of the box.

 

[abdo123]

they have only accounted for the bass unit to be on desk. Why not on the floor?

The crossover is at 280Hz....

 

[stevenswall]

OP: Could you put these in your first post? Might get more traction showing photos right away to get people to click through since the URL preview just shows normal Kali speakers. I found these at the bottom of the product page.

The only competitor to these is the pill shaped JBL coaxial speaker for nearfield use on a desk. Those sound... Okay-ish, but are $45. This seems great for a large step up from those with low end extension and being able to point them, though I do wish there was a "dynamic EQ" or volume based EQ so that at low volumes it would match an equal loudness contour and sound more like Sonos speakers where you can still hear the bass at low volumes.

 

[LightninBoy]

Doesn't ultra nearfield = headphones?

 

[Somafunk]

KRK have a new range of mini (portable) monitors out, they come with a 3” woofer/1” tweeter or a 4” woofer/1” tweeter with a measurement mic to calibrate them to whatever room you’re working in, seem like decent wee portable system.

 

[spacevector]

This is brilliant!

 

[3125b]

KRK have a new range of mini (portable) monitors out

But those are just small speakers in a bag. No sub, not coaxial etc.

 

[Sancus]

Interesting, I wonder how the bass unit does behind a large monitor or something like that rather than a laptop.

 

[gorb]

OP: Could you put these in your first post? Might get more traction showing photos right away to get people to click through since the URL preview just shows normal Kali speakers. I found these at the bottom of the product page.

The only competitor to these is the pill shaped JBL coaxial speaker for nearfield use on a desk. Those sound... Okay-ish, but are $45. This seems great for a large step up from those with low end extension and being able to point them, though I do wish there was a "dynamic EQ" or volume based EQ so that at low volumes it would match an equal loudness contour and sound more like Sonos speakers where you can still hear the bass at low volumes.

Images added. Thanks!

 

[KaliAudio_Official]

Interesting, I wonder how the bass unit does behind a large monitor or something like that rather than a laptop.

I'm using them like that. And obviously I'm as biased as they come, but I'm REALLY liking it. I honestly prefer to listen to the IN-UNFs than IN-8s. The imaging is quite good.