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Not loving the Kali LP8. Reccomendations?

J.Wolf

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Hi everyone, first post on this forum. Wondering if I could get some suggestions.

I'm using a pair of Kali LP8's in my studio/office, primarily for listening while working from home, but occasionally for some mixing/tracking/critical listening. But mainly I just want a really enjoyable listening experience that doesn't result in ear fatigue for a long workday.

The Kali's seem big for my application, and i had to move them back to about a 4 foot listening distance to not feel overpowered. The other night I was at a buddies studio and really liked the way his Focal alpha 50's sounded at about half the distance, and wondering if I would be happier listening on something with a little less oomph than an 8" driver. I am a bassist so I really like a great low end, but I have to say I'm not blown away by the representation from the Kali's. And with as strong as the mid range is, it almost feels like it needs a subwoofer to feel balanced to my ears. That being said, for the money they are pretty outstanding.

Anyone have any suggestions on what might suit my needs better for all day listening, without breaking the bank? Thinking something in the five to $600 per pair new range. Thanks in advance!
 
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Matias

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Maybe Neumann KH 80 DSP, KH 120 A or Genelec 8030C?
 

GimeDsp

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Ill tell you what i prefer, at close distance a dsp corrected speaker with deep bass and less dynamic range.
Its close speakers with high dynamic range that feel "too close".
One member here has the iloud mtm in a desk set sup.
I would second the Neumann, genelec, or iloid mtm. They just wont be very loud
 

abdo123

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I would honestly spend the money on an SVS 1000-Pro Series Subwoofer (before they increase in price mid October) and just play with DSP until you're satisfied with the sound.
 
OP
J

J.Wolf

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Ill tell you what i prefer, at close distance a dsp corrected speaker with deep bass and less dynamic range.
Its close speakers with high dynamic range that feel "too close".
One member here has the iloud mtm in a desk set sup.
I would second the Neumann, genelec, or iloid mtm. They just wont be very loud

MTM's were on my short list when I ended up with the Kali's.

Unfortunately with my work desk set up I can't have stuff right on the desk due to the multi Mondor configuration so I've got stands next to them but I could sure bring them a lot closer. Big volume is not an issue, I would rather have really nice sound texture with a good bottom end. Because I'm primarily listening as opposed to mixing, I initially was wondering if bookshelf hifi's would be a better way to go but, here we are.
 
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J.Wolf

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I would honestly spend the money on an SVS 1000-Pro Series Subwoofer (before they increase in price mid October) and just play with DSP until you're satisfied with the sound.

I had wondered if adding a subwoofer would balance things out but I still think there's something about the way the LP'8s behave that is a little bit jarring.

Oh and I forgot to mention, the room is pretty much garbage lol. And not much ability to change that at the moment.
 

pierre

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Hello,

before buying more stuff, did you measure your speakers response? That may explain what you hear. Post them here to get more help.
The Kali are supposed to be pretty good and should not be reason for unpleasant sound but that's always subjective.
 
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J.Wolf

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Hello,

before buying more stuff, did you measure your speakers response? That may explain what you hear. Post them here to get more help.
The Kali are supposed to be pretty good and should not be reason for unpleasant sound but that's always subjective.

Pardon my ignorance, but is there a simple way to do this?
 

fieldcar

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I would honestly spend the money on an SVS 1000-Pro Series Subwoofer (before they increase in price mid October) and just play with DSP until you're satisfied with the sound.
While I love my SB2000pro, the DSP's 6ms latency in a studio application may negatively impact fidelity.
 

SimpleTheater

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I absolutely love my Adam Audio T5V's.

 

Matias

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Pardon my ignorance, but is there a simple way to do this?
This is the basics:

Then use MMM moving mic method and RTA as I have been instructed too, search for more info about it.
 

daftcombo

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I absolutely love my Adam Audio T5V's.

Do you EQ them, as Amir advised?
 

Tangband

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Hi everyone, first post on this forum. Wondering if I could get some suggestions.

I'm using a pair of Kali LP8's in my studio/office, primarily for listening while working from home, but occasionally for some mixing/tracking/critical listening. But mainly I just want a really enjoyable listening experience that doesn't result in ear fatigue for a long workday.

The Kali's seem big for my application, and i had to move them back to about a 4 foot listening distance to not feel overpowered. The other night I was at a buddies studio and really liked the way his Focal alpha 50's sounded at about half the distance, and wondering if I would be happier listening on something with a little less oomph than an 8" driver. I am a bassist so I really like a great low end, but I have to say I'm not blown away by the representation from the Kali's. And with as strong as the mid range is, it almost feels like it needs a subwoofer to feel balanced to my ears. That being said, for the money they are pretty outstanding.

Anyone have any suggestions on what might suit my needs better for all day listening, without breaking the bank? Thinking something in the five to $600 per pair new range. Thanks in advance!
If you will have something that plays bass in a natural way, Genelec is very good. A slightly used pair of 8030c will fit your needs.
 

digitalfrost

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Maybe Neumann KH 80 DSP, KH 120 A or Genelec 8030C?
While these are all excellent speakers, shouldn't they be close to the Kali LP8 in terms of sound and performance? After all, they all follow a similar design philosophy. If he doesn't like the Kalis, I think chances are high he won't like those either.

I would be better to find out makes him dislike the Kalis and like the Focals before spending any more money. So I agree with @pierre in that regard.

To the OP: You could try the EQ from here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...s-e8-xt-spinorama-and-eq-design-inside.16689/

I can't find any data about the Alpha 50, but the Alpha 65 was measured by soundandrecording.de: https://www.soundandrecording.de/equipment/focal-alpha-65-nahfeldmonitor-im-test/

The frequency response seems pretty okay, a bit jagged, but ok, and the horiztonal directivity is not even, and rather small. Judging from the LP6 Review https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/kali-lp-6-review-studio-monitor.17978/ the LP8 directivity shouldn't be that big either, but it's bigger than the Focals. Also we can see a bit of a midrange bump with the LP6 starting from 1khz.

Oh I want to quote one interesting comment from the soundandrecording test that kinda goes in the same directions as OPs comments:


"Hi Daniel,

have heard today the Focal 65 at JustMusic sample, compared with Adam T7V, Kali LP-6 and KRK RP7 had the Focal 65 actually the best bass. Volume, spaciousness and crispness clearly better.
I had the 80s on briefly, but did not notice any improvement in the music. The official reviews are also in favor of the 65s over the 80s."

There seems to be a new version out at the moment the Focal Alpha 65 Evo. So why not try to get the 65 non-Evo for cheap?
 
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J.Wolf

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While these are all excellent speakers, shouldn't they be close to the Kali LP8 in terms of sound and performance? After all, they all follow a similar design philosophy. If the doesn't like the Kalis, I think chances are high he won't like those either.

I would be better to find out makes him dislike the Kalis and like the Focals before spending any more money. So I agree with @pierre in that regard.

To the OP: You could try the EQ from here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...s-e8-xt-spinorama-and-eq-design-inside.16689/

I can't find any data about the Alpha 50, but the Alpha 65 was measured by soundandrecording.de: https://www.soundandrecording.de/equipment/focal-alpha-65-nahfeldmonitor-im-test/

The frequency response seems pretty okay, a bit jagged, but ok, and the horiztonal directivity is not even, and rather small. Judging from the LP6 Review https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/kali-lp-6-review-studio-monitor.17978/ the LP8 directivity shouldn't be that big either, but it's bigger than the Focals. Also we can see a bit of a midrange bump with the LP6 starting from 1khz.

Oh I want to quote one interesting comment from the soundandrecording test that kinda goes in the same directions as OPs comments:


"Hi Daniel,

have heard today the Focal 65 at JustMusic sample, compared with Adam T7V, Kali LP-6 and KRK RP7 had the Focal 65 actually the best bass. Volume, spaciousness and crispness clearly better.
I had the 80s on briefly, but did not notice any improvement in the music. The official reviews are also in favor of the 65s over the 80s."

There seems to be a new version out at the moment the Focal Alpha 65 Evo. So why not try to get the 65 non-Evo for cheap?

Totally fair question. My experience with the Kali is that their midrange is full in a way that overshadows the low end extension, which actually may be preferable/superior for mixing. For my listening purposes, I am seeking a slightly more relaxed mid range presence that lets the lows speak with more authority, and results in a little bit less ear fatigue from the upper mid and low treble. Also just the size of the drivers makes it feel like they need to be farther away to not blow me out. By comparison, the focal's seemed to have a bit more relaxation through the entire mid range, which felt like it let the highs and lows speak a little bit more clearly. I could imagine that in the right room for the right purposes, these Kali's would be spot on especially for the money.

They don't sound bad by any means, but I don't think they are quite the right thing for my particular preferences or purposes. That being said, I should spend a little bit more time with the dip switches to see if I can find a better balance. But the driver/proximity thing seems consistent.
 

renaudrenaud

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The Focal Alpha 50 sound really good according to @renaudrenaud (and I also agree).

Well I like the Focal Alpha50 and I am very happy with the product. I cannot see why I would spend more, because I am happy as it and do not need some social representation in buying something more expansive.

I accept the little restrictions and frankly speaking I do not care og them, because in fact I do not want spend my life chasing another products.
 

Trif

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I've been at this a long time, and the list of speakers I've enjoyed more than the IN-8s is very short and absurdly expensive.

I got The Watts with them, and we both agree we've never been fooled as often that a sound is in the room, when it's really on the speakers. More importantly, I just love listening to them and have never once thought, "this could be better". Of course it could be better. They are cheap speakers. But it doesn't need to be better, so well balanced they are.

I think it's just the size of the box that bothers you. My computer speakers are LS50s, so I'm used to the coaxial effect, and the INM-8s sound just the same at a closer distance. Sure, they would be too close if that was just a tweeter and woofer, and if you have been doing this long enough it makes you cringe..... (but it's all in your head. just close your eyes.... )

And get a subwoofer.

No, really, get a sub. You're a bass player. I had no idea what a difference it would make. There's way more info on more recordings than I ever imagined. Bass tracks I knew intimately have been transformed. Get a sub!
 
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