Kali LP-UNF vs LP-6 when paired with sub

[underneath42]

Hey Team,

Long time reader, first time poster ;-) I'm upgrading my desktop setup - I'm WFH so it gets heavy use. The Kali LP-UNF seems to get rave reviews for it's size and price, so that was what I was thinking of going with, but I don't need the USB input or bluetooth. My engineer brain tells me

1. With speakers, bigger is almost always better
2. With the LP-UNF I'm paying for features I don't need

With the LP-6 there are bigger woofers and no bluetooth/USB, so it seems like more of the money should be going into what I want :-D And still within budget. That said, maybe the extra money is not worth it when paired with a subwoofer anyway?

For context, the rest of the signal chain will be Macbook to MiniDSP DDRC24 via USB, then RCA cables to speakers + a B&W AS608 subwoofer.

Caught in analysis paralysis... Any opinions? :-D Basically, given that the lows will be handled by a sub anyway, would there be any benefit to the larger woofer in the LP-6?

 

[staticV3]

Hi @underneath42! Welcome to ASR.

Erin from Erin's Audio Corner has actually measured both the LP-6v2 and LP-UNF on his Klippel Nearfield Scanner, which gives you the best opportunity for an objective, apples to apples comparison:

Kali Audio LP-6v2 (Second Wave) 2-Way Studio Monitor Review

Kali Audio LP-6v2 2-Way Studio Monitor Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

Kali Audio LP-UNF Desktop Speaker Review

Kali Audio LP-UNF Desktop Speaker Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

I don't see any noteworthy advantage in frequency response or directivity, but harmonic distortion and dynamic range are expectedly better on the LP-6, even considering that they'll be high-passed.

And although Erin had not yet started measuring multitone distortion when he reviewed the LP-6, I'm fairly certain it would do better there as well.

 

[underneath42]

Thanks heaps for the response! To be frank, while I did read the reviews before posting, I do struggle to understand all the graphs and what I’m looking for to compare, so the analysis you gave is much appreciated and I can see what you’re saying

Since I’m hoping this will be my “end game” for my desk, seems like the LP-6 might be they way to go.

 

[Bstrom]

I'll be using an Energy brand powered sub with my Kali LP-UNF's - the M4 Mac Mini has an aggregated speaker output capability through the Midi settings. Pretty cool...