Kali LP-6/LP-8 V2 (2nd Wave) studio monitors released

[sweetchaos]

Here's the comparison:
Kali LP-6v2 (US$400/pair) vs IN-5 (US$700/pair).
Note: Kali IN-5 is already considered Wave 2, since there was no Wave 1. Which means it already has lower noise floor, etc.

Spoiler

Kali has done an excellent job with the new LP-6v2.

 

[hardisj]

 

[sweetchaos]

Thanks for the review @hardisj and the detailed analysis.

These look like an excellent recommendations for US$400/pair.

 

[Ericglo]

Thanks for the review @hardisj and the detailed analysis.

These look like an excellent recommendations for US$400/pair.

Could you update your original post with Erin's review? That is if Erin doesn't start a thread.

 

[dfuller]

These overall look excellent. Probably going to pick up a pair for my living room.

 

[hardisj]

That is if Erin doesn't start a thread.

I won't be starting my own thread for this review. There is a thread from a month or two ago with the details on why but I'm not gonna get into that again. I'm working on living that drama-free life.

FWIW, @pierre has the data for this and a few other speakers I have tested recently so be on the lookout for those to be added to his site sometime soon.

 

[sweetchaos]

Here's a comparison with v1:

Spoiler

LP-6v1:
Preference Score is 5.1 (if score goes to 10.0) and would be 7.0 with a perfect subwoofer.

LP-6v2:
Preference Score is 5.9 (if score goes to 10.0) and would be 7.7 with a perfect subwoofer.

 

[sweetchaos]

Just for fun...Let's see how Kali compares to the better studio monitors in terms of pricing and relative value.

Speaker	Preference Score (if goes to 10)	USD/each
Neumann KH120	6.7	$730
ASR Directiva Open Source Speaker	6.6	$700
Genelec 8030C	6.3	$700
Genelec 8050B	6.3	$1900
Neumann KH80	6.2	$500
Neumann KH310A	6.2	$2300
Barefoot Footprint 01	6.0	$2000
Kali LP-6v2	5.9	$200
Genelec 8330A	5.7	$900
Genelec 8320A	5.7	$625
JBL 308P MKII	5.7	$260

The Kali LP-6v2 is now the value king.
The JBL 308P MKII's come 2nd best in terms of preference score per dollar.

I really want to see Kali LP-8v2 on the test bench now...they're only US$250/each....which would put them against JBL 308P MKII's directly, but with lower noise floor and hopefully better distortion handling.

Anyone willing to send a LP-8v2 unit to Erin (...just because he's measured all other Kali's so far)?
I believe it could beat JBL 308P MKII's value proposition.

 

[richard12511]

Just for fun...Let's see how Kali compares to the better studio monitors in terms of pricing and relative value.

Speaker	Preference Score (if goes to 10)	USD/each
Neumann KH120	6.7	$730
ASR Directiva Open Source Speaker	6.6	$700
Genelec 8030C	6.3	$700
Genelec 8050B	6.3	$1900
Neumann KH80	6.2	$500
Neumann KH310A	6.2	$2300
Barefoot Footprint 01	6.0	$2000
Kali LP-6v2	5.9	$200
Genelec 8330A	5.7	$900
Genelec 8320A	5.7	$625
JBL 308P MKII	5.7	$260

The Kali LP-6v2 is now the value king.
The JBL 308P MKII's come 2nd best in terms of preference score per dollar.

I really want to see Kali LP-8v2 on the test bench now...they're only US$250/each....which would put them against JBL 308P MKII's directly, but with lower noise floor and hopefully better distortion handling.

Anyone willing to send a LP-8v2 unit to Erin (...just because he's measured all other Kali's so far)?
I believe it could beat JBL 308P MKII's value proposition.

Really the JBL 308p is $150 if you're willing to wait a month or so. Super interested to see how the 8" Kali performs now. Hiss of the 308p doesn't bother me, but if the Kali could give equal measured performance with much better distortion, that would be great.

 

[Slyman]

Here's the comparison:
Kali LP-6v2 (US$400/pair) vs IN-5 (US$700/pair).
Note: Kali IN-5 is already considered Wave 2, since there was no Wave 1. Which means it already has lower noise floor, etc.

Spoiler

View attachment 162601

View attachment 162606View attachment 162602
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View attachment 162605

Kali has done an excellent job with the new LP-6v2.

Thanks for the information sweetchaos but would you care to very briefly summarize the information? I'm merely a mortal audio enjoyer and dont have your skill and knowledge of analyzing that data to know how much better the stats on one of the speakers is.

 

[sweetchaos]

Pros of Kali LP-6v2 vs IN-5:
- has better preference score (5.9 vs 5.4 for IN-5) => more neutral. =>IN-5 isn't that flat on-axis due to nature of coaxial drivers.
- has better bass extension -6db point (39hz vs 41hz for IN-5) => not that you'll notice, but still
- is 9% smaller in volume (14.125*8.75*10.25=1266in^3) vs IN-5 (15.1*11.2*8.2=1388in^3) => more bang for buck in a smaller factor
- is easier to EQ than IN-5
LP-6v2's Preference Score is 6.3 with an EQ and would be 8.2 with a perfect subwoofer and the same EQ.
IN-5's Preference Score is 5.9 with an EQ and would be 7.9 with a perfect subwoofer and the same EQ.
- At lower volume, 86db, distortion is below 1% for both units, so it's a non-issue. IN-5 shows a bit of distortion between 100-200hz, that LP-6v2 doesnt have.
- Looking at response linearity, the limiter of LP-6v2 seems to not limit you as much in the lower bass (where it cuts off base below 100hz at 102db playback), as does the IN-5 (where it cuts off bass below 200hz at 102db playback). Which means at higher volume, LP-6v2 will have more bass than IN-5.
- horizontal directivity seems a bit more linear/consistent than IN-5.

Pros of IN-5 vs LP-6vs:
- Coaxial driver gives great "soundstage depth". Erin describes it in his IN-5 video at 28min mark. =>I'm assuming non-coaxial speakers (like LP-6v2) won't have this.
- At higher volume, 96db, IN-5 seems to handle distortion better => advantage of a 3-way speaker
- Vertical directivity is better, being a coaxial than LP-6v2 =>advantage of a coaxial speaker

Did I mention that LP-6v2 are 43% cheaper than IN-5's?

 

[Rick63]

I'm seriously considering a pair of LP-6 V1 for a mid-field bedroom setup while they are still available. At $139 each for the white (which I think look very nice) I like the idea of saving $120 a pair over the V2. And at a listening distance of 7.5 feet I doubt I'd hear any hiss?

 

[sweetchaos]

I'm seriously considering a pair of LP-6 V1 for a mid-field bedroom setup while they are still available. At $139 each for the white (which I think look very nice) I like the idea of saving $120 a pair over the V2. And at a listening distance of 7.5 feet I doubt I'd hear any hiss?

Honestly, I would just buy it. I love the white look. The hiss is subjective (each person's sensitivity to that is different) and will depend on your environment anyway (whether you have background noise elsewhere, etc).

If you don't like the hiss of LP-6v1's, just get the LP-6v2.
Plus, they'll sell out soon, so you have to make a decision fairly quick.

 

[Lilith]

Could someone compare the graphs of the Kali Lp6v2 with the Genelec 8030 please? I wonder if the Kali go lower with less distortion at higher volume.

 

[Triliza]

I'm seriously considering a pair of LP-6 V1 for a mid-field bedroom setup while they are still available. At $139 each for the white (which I think look very nice) I like the idea of saving $120 a pair over the V2. And at a listening distance of 7.5 feet I doubt I'd hear any hiss?

Joe n Tell did a review of the white version of LP-6 V1, he comments about the looks of it, see yourself if what he says will bother you or not:

 

[Liopleus]

Pros of Kali LP-6v2 vs IN-5:
- has better preference score (5.9 vs 5.4 for IN-5) => more neutral. =>IN-5 isn't that flat on-axis due to nature of coaxial drivers.
- has better bass extension -6db point (39hz vs 41hz for IN-5) => not that you'll notice, but still
- is 9% smaller in volume (14.125*8.75*10.25=1266in^3) vs IN-5 (15.1*11.2*8.2=1388in^3) => more bang for buck in a smaller factor
- is easier to EQ than IN-5
LP-6v2's Preference Score is 6.3 with an EQ and would be 8.2 with a perfect subwoofer and the same EQ.
IN-5's Preference Score is 5.9 with an EQ and would be 7.9 with a perfect subwoofer and the same EQ.
- At lower volume, 86db, distortion is below 1% for both units, so it's a non-issue. IN-5 shows a bit of distortion between 100-200hz, that LP-6v2 doesnt have.
- Looking at response linearity, the limiter of LP-6v2 seems to not limit you as much in the lower bass (where it cuts off base below 100hz at 102db playback), as does the IN-5 (where it cuts off bass below 200hz at 102db playback). Which means at higher volume, LP-6v2 will have more bass than IN-5.
- horizontal directivity seems a bit more linear/consistent than IN-5.

Pros of IN-5 vs LP-6vs:
- Coaxial driver gives great "soundstage depth". Erin describes it in his IN-5 video at 28min mark. =>I'm assuming non-coaxial speakers (like LP-6v2) won't have this.
- At higher volume, 96db, IN-5 seems to handle distortion better => advantage of a 3-way speaker
- Vertical directivity is better, being a coaxial than LP-6v2 =>advantage of a coaxial speaker

Did I mention that LP-6v2 are 43% cheaper than IN-5's?

Surely the LP-6 is better value. However, the IN-5 is flatter and has more consistent directivity between 300hz and 3000hz which is another advantage of 3-way due to having a dedicated midrange driver. Since human ears are more sensitive to sound in this frequency range, I think this should be considered an advantage of the IN-5.

 

[sweetchaos]

Kali LP-6v2:
Bass extension: 39Hz at -6dB
Preference Score is 5.9 (if score goes to 10) and would be 7.7 with a perfect subwoofer.

Genelec 8030C:
Bass extension: 46Hz at -6dB
Preference Score is 6.3 (if score goes to 10) and would be 8.5 with a perfect subwoofer.

Comparison:

Spoiler

 

[dasdoing]

View attachment 162602

you got distorsion LP-6V2 vs Adam T5V?

 

[Sancus]

- horizontal directivity seems a bit more linear/consistent than IN-5.

Just to play devil's advocate here a bit, I actually think the IN-5's directivity is better or at least not worse. The LP-6 has some clear issues in the crossover region, which are a bit hard to see in the contour maps, but if you look at the Sound Power DI the broad spikes and dips in the 900hz-2000hz region are clear. The IN-5 has some issues too but they're at 5khz+ where they are less impactful IMO.

A significant portion of the LP-6v2's flatness advantage is also below 300hz. But I consider this region unimportant because it's so heavily impacted by the room and you will(should) be EQing it to correct those issues anyways, and the dispersion is omni so that's not an issue. It's similar to how the inherent FR of a subwoofer is relatively unimportant if you're EQing it, there's no directivity to worry about and room issues dwarf any variations in the speaker.

has better preference score (5.9 vs 5.4 for IN-5)

In addition, 0.5 is less than the 0.8 required for 1 std dev(~66%) confidence that one speaker will be preferred, in fact the chance here would be about 45%. This is such low confidence that a blind test could easily go either way, especially when you consider the score does not consider different frequency regions more important than others, so it undervalues flatness in the most audible regions.

That said, this comparison is pretty educational about why coaxials are rare. Even with a larger budget and a highly competent designer, you can see how challenging it is for a company to beat their own traditional design.

But I do think the IN-5 could be preferred in many cases, and personally(if budget allows) I would prefer it in a nearfield console/desktop setup, where I think vertical dispersion is most important, due to the significant height angle variation depending on how you sit, and also more even reflections off the desktop surface.

There is no question that the LP-6v2 is the value king. However all Kali's speakers are very good value compared to our gold standards like Genelec/Neumann or even Kef.

 

[Ericglo]

Just for fun...Let's see how Kali compares to the better studio monitors in terms of pricing and relative value.

Speaker	Preference Score (if goes to 10)	USD/each
Neumann KH120	6.7	$730
ASR Directiva Open Source Speaker	6.6	$700
Genelec 8030C	6.3	$700
Genelec 8050B	6.3	$1900
Neumann KH80	6.2	$500
Neumann KH310A	6.2	$2300
Barefoot Footprint 01	6.0	$2000
Kali LP-6v2	5.9	$200
Genelec 8330A	5.7	$900
Genelec 8320A	5.7	$625
JBL 308P MKII	5.7	$260

The Kali LP-6v2 is now the value king.
The JBL 308P MKII's come 2nd best in terms of preference score per dollar.

I really want to see Kali LP-8v2 on the test bench now...they're only US$250/each....which would put them against JBL 308P MKII's directly, but with lower noise floor and hopefully better distortion handling.

Anyone willing to send a LP-8v2 unit to Erin (...just because he's measured all other Kali's so far)?
I believe it could beat JBL 308P MKII's value proposition.

Didn't the Neumis have a pretty high score with the ports stuffed?