Kali LP-6 2nd Wave Experience

[Advadva]

Last week I got a pair of those snow-white studio monitors.
Previously I used KRK RP5G1, RP8G2, Focal Alpha 65.
Now I'm in love-hate relationships with those Kalis and quite confused to be honest.
On the one hand, I can see why people love them, sound is more spacious and detailed. Bass is not exaggerated.
However, I faced a couple of issued and I would like to hear someone else's input on.

Bass: some tracks entirely lack of it, while the others still sounds good. Surprisingly techno sounds amazing.
Upper mids: I feel there is a dip that makes some music sound dull. Some of recordings are more affected.
Highs: they are fatiguing. I have never experience this with my previous speakers.
Adjusting to -2db helps a little bit, but it also worsen upper mids problem.

Subjectively, some tracks sounds alright, some improved, but the others have lost their charm.
I wonder whether it caused by better overall flatness or something is not right with LP-6.

Would replacing them with IN-8 2nd wave improve anything or I'd better go for another brand?
It could be that they are not fully broken-in yet, but I doubt it could change sounds upside-down.

Any input is highly appreciated, especially from other LP-6 owners.

 

[tifune]

It's nearly impossible to answer this meaningfully without in-room measurements from MLP

 

[wacomme]

I bought a pair of Kali LP-6 v2 monitors last week too. I have yet to measure and EQ them, but out of the box they sound good, at least on par with my Adam T5V monitors.

 

[Sokel]

Is your room treated?

 

[Advadva]

Is your room treated?

The room is untreated and after rough measurements I can hear how it bumps ~130hz.
Dip-switching mitigates this more or less. I don't think room affects that much mids and highs though.
I think I solved half of the riddle. Room compensation only works when listening on mid and high volume.
On low volume feature is pretty much unusable as it dims the low band and makes freq. response uneven.
Apparently wall reflections affect sound only when the music is loud enough.

 

[Sokel]

Untreated room+studio monitors with ruler-flat response are a hard combination.
Unlike others who (hopefully) go in depth I would suggest a simple trick.
Put a pillow behind each speaker (make sure is bigger than the speaker and at some distance) have a listen and tell us.

 

[usern]

How is the hiss (self noise with no input connected) compared to others?

 

[Advadva]

How is the hiss (self noise with no input connected) compared to others?

My old RP8G2 were pretty noisy, it was never a problem though from the listening near field distance.
Kali LP-6 2nd wave are almost quiet. Just did a test and I can hear hiss at 10cm distance and less.
It depends on the volume knob position even when nothing is connected and RCA is disabled.
I would say their self-noise level is lower compared to the others old school (AB-amplified) monitors that I had before.

 

[Advadva]

Untreated room+studio monitors with ruler-flat response are a hard combination.
Unlike others who (hopefully) go in depth I would suggest a simple trick.
Put a pillow behind each speaker (make sure is bigger than the speaker and at some distance) have a listen and tell us.

It does make some difference for sure, I have switched compensation off and used "special acoustic pillows" from Walmart
I really doubt it can affect mids and highs though, as for lows, I really believe "Boundary Compensation EQ" is a culprit.
This thing makes some tracks sound dull and bass-lacking while improving the others.
I have never had anything similar on my speakers before.

 

[Sokel]

It does make some difference for sure, I have switched compensation off and used "special acoustic pillows" from Walmart
I really doubt it can affect mids and highs though, as for lows, I really believe "Boundary Compensation EQ" is a culprit.
This thing makes some tracks sound dull and bass-lacking while improving the others.
I have never had anything similar on my speakers before.

Mids and highs are exactly what pillows affect mostly
(ok,pillows are just a hint to what real absorption can do and you have to cover a lot more space to make a big difference).

 

[Advadva]

Mids and highs are exactly what pillows affect mostly
(ok,pillows are just a hint to what real absorption can do and you have to cover a lot more space to make a big difference).

Yes, thank you, it was a nice trick to try.

Meanwhile, I got a reply from Kali support:

Yes, the dip settings are somewhat dependent on your listening level, and may not function quite as intended at very low volumes.
As the volume of the speakers increases, the ratio of direct sound from the speakers versus reflected frequencies from nearby surfaces also changes.

They also provided dip-switch modes breakdown, not sure whether this is a secret or not. It might useful for the others, so I post it here.

Spoiler: DSP Presets

1. Preset 0:
   1. Anechoic tuning
   2. System High-pass: 2nd order high-pass
      1. f = 47 Hz
      2. Q = 1.7
2. Preset 1:
   1. System High-pass: 2nd order high-pass
      1. f = 47 Hz
      2. Q = 1.4
   2. Peaking EQ
      1. f = 136.4 Hz
      2. Q = 1.4
      3. Gain = +1.6 dB
3. Preset 2:
   1. System High-pass: 2nd order high-pass
      1. f = 47 Hz
      2. Q = 1.2
   2. Peaking EQ
      1. f = 200 Hz
      2. Q = 3.0
      3. Gain = +3.0 dB
4. Preset 3:
   1. System High-pass: 2nd order high-pass
      1. f = 47 Hz
      2. Q = 2.0
   2. Peaking EQ
      1. f = 234 Hz
      2. Q = 3.5
      3. Gain = -4.0 dB
5. Preset 4:
   1. System High-pass: 2nd order high-pass
      1. f = 47 Hz
      2. Q = 2.0
   2. Peaking EQ
      1. f = 250 Hz
      2. Q = 0.7
      3. Gain = -2.4 dB
6. Preset 5:
   1. System High-pass: 2nd order high-pass
      1. f = 47 Hz
      2. Q = 1.7
   2. Peaking EQ
      1. f = 300 Hz
      2. Q = 0.7
      3. Gain = -2.0 dB
7. Preset 6:
   1. System High-pass: 2nd order high-pass
      1. f = 47 Hz
      2. Q = 1.4
   2. Peaking EQ
      1. f = 415 Hz
      2. Q = 1.6
      3. Gain = -3.2 dB
8. Preset 7:
   1. System High-pass: 2nd order high-pass
      1. f = 47 Hz
      2. Q = 1.4
   2. Peaking EQ
      1. f = 275 Hz
      2. Q = 3.0
      3. Gain = -2.7 dB

 

[Nodean]

I bought a pair of Kali LP-6 v2 monitors last week too. I have yet to measure and EQ them, but out of the box they sound good, at least on par with my Adam T5V monitors.

Did you buy them to replace the T5V's? Which do you prefer?

 

[Advadva]

I ended up returning Kali and getting a pair of Focal Alpha 65 (non-evo).
While I can see where Kali might outperform Focal,
overall Focals sound character is much more familiar and expected for myself.

This is what I didn't like with Kalis:
HP Filter curve is way too steep and cannot be disabled, it is weird to not hear any sub-bass at all.
Cabinets are not damped well, you can clearly hear thin-walled box playing.
Big difference in sound when you listening quiet and loud.
Probably DSP correction is a culprit here – room doesn't reflect much on low volume.

On the other side high mids sounded more readable and interesting on Kalis.
The problem is, while some tracks benefit from this, the others turn unbearable.
It might be a good choice for mixing but not for everyday listening.

This is of course just my unprofessional and humble opinion.

 

[Palladium]

I got a new pair of LP6-V2 on a discount.

Pros: Amazing bass and midrange (I used the factory recommended DIP 1, 2, 3 config for desktop + stands, 50cm listening distance)
Zero idle hiss.

Cons: Highs, imaging and off-axis not on par as cheaper 305p. Female voices and cymbals lack the sparkle of the 305p and iLoud MMs.
No indents below and above 0dB on volume adjustment, making it PITA to accurately adjust volume next to a wall.
No auto-standby for people who wants it like me.

IMO the 305p is still the better speaker.

 

[Bust3r]

I just picked these up myself completely doubting them at first. After directly testing them live against the AA T7V, KRK rokit 5/7, Yamaha H5S, JBL 306 and Edifier S2000MKIII. This was for nearfield listening because anything outside of a klipsch promedia for PC desktop use is complete junk and not even worth listening to if you're looking for any real SQ.

First things first, the Edifiers got tossed to the side because they didnt perform anywhere as well as the others. I can see why there is no direct comparisons. In fact OP's post exactly describes everything I experienced about the Edifiers and my experience with the Kali's is completely the opposite. I just didnt care for the Edifiers at all, I thought they sounded thin, weak, and had no body, and worst of all, no volume. Not anywhere in the same league in SQ/power as the rest while being $120 more/pair.

Of all the monitors I listed to, the JBL was the closest to the LP-6, and the loudest, but I thought the Kali had a more natural sound, less colored. The JBL's and the Kali's sound very similar in its presentation with the JBL having a bit more weight in the bass but the Kali having better imaging. Its dead center. The only speakers mentioned that I thought had better imaging was the KRK rokit 5's, their imaging was really something, even from a good distance (10-15 ft) it was as dead center as the Kali's
.
I dont have any of the audio abnormalities the OP is experiencing, on my setup bass is full and deep across the spectrum, highs are soft and not overbearing, and the mids are clear and cracking. No room treatments, all I did was apply a small EQ found online, no dip switch adjustments. I'm loving these far more than I thought I would, very happy with the purchase. Especially when they brutally smoked the edifiers, which were heavily recommended to get instead of the Kali's.

I was also looking at the AA T7V's to purchase and while they sounded good and their bass is impressive, they have a color to their tweeters (all cymbals, hi-hats, crash, and splash cymbals regardless of weight/size and all high frequencies seem to sound the same) that seem to be a characteristic of the ribbon tweeter and can't be EQ'd out, like the tweeters on the focal Alpha 50/65 lineup. So the AA T7V's were the next to get the boot. I'd say it was a real tossup between the JBL 306's and the Kali's but the Kali's sounded more analog/smoother while the JBL's were more rough around the edges and had more power. This really didnt bother me as the JBL's were $100 more/pair so I thought the Kali's are a great bargain.

 

[badspeakerdesigner]

I get to use the lp6 about once a week, my friend has them setup in his rented studio space. They irritate me because they cost so little, yet deliver pretty exceptional monitoring. I would have preferred to grab them instead of what I have and saved some money. I don't really hear any sort of "box sound" and frankly never have with a speaker, not sure what people mean when they say that.

Pro's IME

-Imaging is excellent, there is no confusion about the placement of elements in a mix. I appreciate this the most as I have problems with imaging with my home setups.

-Highs seem pretty soft, they are an easy listen.

-I very much enjoy the mid bass, makes it easy for me to dial in the low mids/mid bass region which I find to be a little tough, probably just my small room being crappy.

Con's

-Volume pots aren't stepped

-Wish it had a built in high pass (I kinda wanna see this on all monitors) so you can integrate non-studio oriented subwoofers that lack XLR.

-I'd like to see some charted graphs for the dip switches on the back. They provide pictures of setups and the recommended dip switches but it doesn't tell you what they're doing.

 

[Bust3r]

I get to use the lp6 about once a week, my friend has them setup in his rented studio space. They irritate me because they cost so little, yet deliver pretty exceptional monitoring. I would have preferred to grab them instead of what I have and saved some money. I don't really hear any sort of "box sound" and frankly never have with a speaker, not sure what people mean when they say that.

Pro's IME

-Imaging is excellent, there is no confusion about the placement of elements in a mix. I appreciate this the most as I have problems with imaging with my home setups.

-Highs seem pretty soft, they are an easy listen.

-I very much enjoy the mid bass, makes it easy for me to dial in the low mids/mid bass region which I find to be a little tough, probably just my small room being crappy.

Con's

-Volume pots aren't stepped

-Wish it had a built in high pass (I kinda wanna see this on all monitors) so you can integrate non-studio oriented subwoofers that lack XLR.

-I'd like to see some charted graphs for the dip switches on the back. They provide pictures of setups and the recommended dip switches but it doesn't tell you what they're doing.

Pretty sure 'box sound' means it sounds like no dampening on the inside. I looked inside myself, its there but not very thick, looks like thin carpet. And yes imaging is exceptional, that is a strong point of these speakers. Agree with everything above and would also include the lack of feet and grills is quite annoying. I live in the US desert SW and its really dusty where I am and the lack of grills means lots of dust on the cones.

 

[badspeakerdesigner]

Pretty sure 'box sound' means it sounds like no dampening on the inside. I looked inside myself, its there but not very thick, looks like thin carpet. And yes imaging is exceptional, that is a strong point of these speakers. Agree with everything above and would also include the lack of feet and grills is quite annoying. I live in the US desert SW and its really dusty where I am and the lack of grills means lots of dust on the cones.

The ones my friend bought came with some really thin little feet you can put on the bottom.

 

[Bust3r]

The ones my friend bought came with some really thin little feet you can put on the bottom.

Ah yes, I found them but anything would have been better than what they gave. I wonder if its on purpose to help create the sound it has but not lifting them up of the stand/table

 

[badspeakerdesigner]

Ah yes, I found them but anything would have been better than what they gave. I wonder if its on purpose to help create the sound it has but not lifting them up of the stand/table

They're just little anti-slip feet, not there to provide any sonic benefits.