• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

KRK ROKIT 5 Gen 4 Review (Studio Monitor)

YSC

Major Contributor
Joined
Dec 31, 2019
Messages
3,194
Likes
2,570
personally if that's real hardly used and taken care of it's a real deal! I am very satisified with the 8030C alone already, the 8330 with GLM should be quite a bit better IRL
 

dominikz

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 10, 2020
Messages
803
Likes
2,626
I can just over double the investment for a pair of (hardly used) Genelec 8330SAM (white) + GLM 3.0 and stands. Still Rokits, or are we getting to where it's worth the extra investment?
I don't own Genelecs nor the KRKs, but my understanding is the GLM DSP of Genelec is pretty configurable, while KRK G4 only provide static EQ presets (25 of them). That should make Genelec DSP more precise for correcting in-room bass response.
 

Phos

Member
Joined
May 27, 2021
Messages
60
Likes
39
Does this have an ADC/DAC conversion in it or is it an analog EQ? I also realized that a DSP monitor with analog in could be described as having an ADCDSPDAC, unless it had a digital amp.
 

YSC

Major Contributor
Joined
Dec 31, 2019
Messages
3,194
Likes
2,570
Does this have an ADC/DAC conversion in it or is it an analog EQ? I also realized that a DSP monitor with analog in could be described as having an ADCDSPDAC, unless it had a digital amp.
I don't know if I am really correct, but as far as I know there's not really an digital amp which did all amplification in digital domain, and since this only accept analog input, there must be an ADC->DAC conversion and all the EQ/DSP are done in that progress
 

Weeb Labs

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Jun 24, 2020
Messages
604
Likes
1,417
Location
Ireland
Does this have an ADC/DAC conversion in it or is it an analog EQ? I also realized that a DSP monitor with analog in could be described as having an ADCDSPDAC, unless it had a digital amp.
Yes. Most modern active monitors make use of a common DSP such as the ADAU1701 or similar, which include onboard DACs, ADCs and digital inputs. From my own measurements, shmoo is about 80dB down in a typical scenario for the pre-amplification signal chain. It does not deliver state of the art performance but is adequate.
 

Streamc

Active Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2020
Messages
277
Likes
69
Have heard KRK Rokit 7 in not prepared room. Sounds good. No so much details as in headphones or KEF R3 but good. I like them.
 

B-Flow

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2021
Messages
20
Likes
11
I was excited about this a while ago, but then found it is not really much different than the voicing corrections offered by other brands via (DIP) switches.

Yea I got pretty excited as well but as you say this is akin to the high/low shelf selections afforded by just about every studio monitor. "Room tuning settings" would be a more apt description over "graphic EQ". I gather the "25 presets" comes from their being 5 choices for high, 5 for low (5x5=25 possible combinations). By that logic one could say Kali monitors have "72 presets" (8 placement compensation options plus 3 options each for high and low shelf's). I guess its a question of do you prefer switches and pictograms or a super low dot-count LCD with a push-knob and menus. :)
 

B-Flow

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2021
Messages
20
Likes
11
I have to admit, I'm very torn between the 7" Rokit and the Adam T7V. I just dont know how much we can infer aboit either one by looking at the reviews and measurments of their 5” counterparts.
 

life.exeMPLAR

Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2021
Messages
21
Likes
3
I don't know if I am really correct, but as far as I know there's not really an digital amp which did all amplification in digital domain, and since this only accept analog input, there must be an ADC->DAC conversion and all the EQ/DSP are done in that progress
Does not using eq bypass the ad da conversion?
 

B-Flow

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2021
Messages
20
Likes
11
So I'm curious, what is the REAL size of KRK drivers?!?

I just picked up a pair of 7 G4s, which are billed as having a 7" woofer, but even if I measure generously past the outer edges of the surround/suspension, they are a most 5.5".

If they are basing their '7 inch' on the largest dimension of the basket (ostensibly the mounting flange), that would be chicanery. I've been in the business of reviewing speakers for 25 years and have at worst seen manufacturers quote the cone+surround (back in the day it was just the cone).

At least the tweeter really is a 1" diameter diaphragm.
 

napilopez

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 17, 2018
Messages
2,109
Likes
8,424
Location
NYC
So I'm curious, what is the REAL size of KRK drivers?!?

I just picked up a pair of 7 G4s, which are billed as having a 7" woofer, but even if I measure generously past the outer edges of the surround/suspension, they are a most 5.5".

If they are basing their '7 inch' on the largest dimension of the basket (ostensibly the mounting flange), that would be chicanery. I've been in the business of reviewing speakers for 25 years and have at worst seen manufacturers quote the cone+surround (back in the day it was just the cone).

At least the tweeter really is a 1" diameter diaphragm.

Hmm, that's not how it usually goes though. I don't know what it was like back then, but as someone who regularly creates speaker measurements and needs to measure the woofers (as in, with a ruler) in order to make proper calculations, "6.5-inch" woofers are almost always roughly 5" across their diameter from surround to surround.

Although I agree it's misleading, the industry standard does seem to be using the largest dimension of the basket for woofers, so the actual radiating surface is much lower. Tweeters are normally accurate in their dimensions though.
 

Frank Dernie

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 24, 2016
Messages
6,445
Likes
15,780
Location
Oxfordshire
So I'm curious, what is the REAL size of KRK drivers?!?

I just picked up a pair of 7 G4s, which are billed as having a 7" woofer, but even if I measure generously past the outer edges of the surround/suspension, they are a most 5.5".

If they are basing their '7 inch' on the largest dimension of the basket (ostensibly the mounting flange), that would be chicanery. I've been in the business of reviewing speakers for 25 years and have at worst seen manufacturers quote the cone+surround (back in the day it was just the cone).

At least the tweeter really is a 1" diameter diaphragm.
Back in 1968 when I built my first speakers here in the UK the dimension was the PCD of the mounting holes, so the Wharfedale 8" RS/DD full range drivers had a mounting flange bigger then the nominal 8" and a cone smaller.

The 9" bass drivers in the 1980s ProAc EBS speakers sitting in front of me just now in my study also have a mounting bolt PCD of 9", the cone is about 7.25", FWIW.

The 12" bass driver in the Yamaha NS1000M in my bedroom are also 12" for the PCD of the mounting holes, these are also over 30 years old and (obviously!) Japanese.

It certainly was not the cone size back in the day, though dome drivers seem to have always been quoted as the dome diameter, whether mid or tweeters.
 

tktran303

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 27, 2019
Messages
683
Likes
1,179
Yes.

There’s no industry standard of how midwoofers or woofers are marketed. Frame sizes go from anywhere from 160mm to 190mm for “6”, 6.5” 7”, 7.5”” drivers.

What’s important is Sd. Which depends on cone diameter and surround size and presence or lack of phase plug etc…
 
Last edited:

AnalogSteph

Major Contributor
Joined
Nov 6, 2018
Messages
3,334
Likes
3,278
Location
.de
I just picked up a pair of 7 G4s, which are billed as having a 7" woofer, but even if I measure generously past the outer edges of the surround/suspension, they are a most 5.5".
The woofers in my K+H O110s are nominally 145 mm (~5.7") diameter - surround OD is about 11.2 cm (~4.4"). So ~5.5" on a nominal 7" woofer sounds about right.

Fun fact, the Yamaha HS7 has pretty much the same surround OD on a nominal 6.5" driver, and the ADAM T7V (nominal 7") woofer might be a 1/10" bigger (i.e. 5.6") but that's about it. Kali LP-6 (6.5" nominal) - about 5.7". ADAM A7X (nominal 7") - about 5.25"; S2V (nominal 7") - about 5.65". EVE SC207 (6.5") - about 5.6"; SC307 - about 5.6". Dynaudio LYD-7 (7") - about 5.3". Presonus R65 (6.5") - about 5.6". Presonus Eris E7 XT (6.5") - about 5.6". Tannoy Gold 7 (6.5" coax) - about 5.4". RCF Ayra Pro6 (6.5") - about 5.5". (No, I didn't measure all of these directly, I got the dimensions and photos from Thomann, cropped and resized to speaker width/mm x10 in pixels, and then created a selection the width of the woofer. So keep your salt shaker handy.)

So from our little informal survey it looks like nominal 6.5" and 7" drivers can pretty much be considered the same thing, and in fact the latter may be smaller than the former at times.
 

Hipster Doofus

Active Member
Forum Donor
Joined
Sep 12, 2020
Messages
250
Likes
337
Would these do ok as surround speakers in a med room home theater if my AV has pre outs
 

B-Flow

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2021
Messages
20
Likes
11
I would say yes, but for just a few bucks more, get the 7s. They have way more amplifier/headroom, and are only slightly larger.
 

foxxx0

Member
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 6, 2020
Messages
35
Likes
54
Location
Germany
So, after almost 7 years the power stage in one of my KRK Rokit RP6 G3 started to fail a couple of days ago.
The gain went down to almost being non-existent with lots of distortion and crackling added. :rolleyes:

While this might be salvageable, I currently lack the time to do proper testing and possibly fix them.
There are numerous reports of issues with the buffer electrolytic capacitors in the trafo of these RP6 G3 (or KRK Gen 3 in general) and replacing all of them has yielded great results for some. I'll definetely put that on my agenda for when I have time, apart from a slight hiss / white noise at idle, which has increased over time, these RP6 G3 are still fine.

After looking around a bit, it came down to either Yamaha HS5 or RP5 G4 based on the budget I was willing to spent for such an unplanned purchase.
Since I am using these on my desk pretty close to the wall I decided the HS5 with rear port might get in quite some trouble and went with the RP5 G4.

A couple of hours ago, the KRK RP5 G4 pair arrived and I could easily swap them out.
The LCD panel on the back is nice, settings are easily configurable and finally there is a DIM setting for the front logo lighting (and even the option to toggle it off completely).

Due to the slightly smaller woofer they are lacking a bit in the bass region compared to the RP6 G3, which is understandable and fine.

I took a look at the RP7 G4 also, but there were many reports with hiss / white noise issue at idle, which is a complete NO-GO for me.
My daily driver workstation is passively cooled without any moving parts and I really dislike hiss / white noise sounds.

The headroom of the power stage on these RP5 G4 is huge again, I've dialed them down to -25dB and have not dared to even push my DAC towards 4V out (which roughly translates to volume ~34 on my SMSL M500, have yet to crank past 30). o_O

Efficiency of the class D power stage is also insanely better compared to the class A/B of the previous gen. They are now drawing around 9-11W at normal listening volume where as the others would never go lower than 25W and with a bit of music where usually around 30W. :cool:
(Measured consumption as a pair)

As expected, tonality is just right and while the suggested EQ tweak for that one resonance is only making a slight difference, it is a welcome one and improves it. :D

Haven't messed with their builtin DSP / App / EQ stuff yet, as I have no need for it.


TL;DR:

They match the expectations I had from this review perfectly and their performance is really nice considering their price.
I have paid 310 EUR for a bundle with 2 speakers and a set of foam pads - can't really argue with that.
(translates to roughly ~360 USD currently)

I hope you enjoyed my new-owners initial impression. :)
 
Last edited:

B-Flow

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2021
Messages
20
Likes
11
I took a look at the RP7 G4 also, but there were many reports with hiss / white noise issue at idle, which is a complete NO-GO for me.
My daily driver workstation is passively cooled without any moving parts and I really dislike hiss / white noise sounds.

I recently went with the 7 G4s and they are DEAD silent at idle, to the point you might even wonder if they are on.

Connected directly to my PC's sound card there is all sorts of low level noise (even moving the mouse generates some), but that has nothing to do with the Rokits. I recently swapped in a Focusrite 2i2 and now there is NOTHING at idle!

I wonder if the reports you saw were incorrectly attributing source noise to the KRKs.
 

foxxx0

Member
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 6, 2020
Messages
35
Likes
54
Location
Germany
Maybe there was a revised RP7 G4 released sometime earlier this year, all reviews mentioning high idle noise are 9-18 months old.
Thanks for the feedback though, if I ever feel like upgrading I might give the RP7 G4 a shot then.

As daily drivers the RP5 G4 are fine, if I really want to enjoy the music with a bit more volume I'll put on my HD660S anyways.
 
Top Bottom