Question re monitor pops (especially if you own a G4 KRK)

[juniorspesh]

Hi! Long time lurker, first time poster. I've been on this forum every day for last month or so while I've been agonising over a new pair of monitors. They are mainly for home djing, with a bit of production. I had a pair of G2 Rokit 8's that lasted 10+ years but have finally just about given up the ghost. I know they had a bit of a rep but hey, I liked 'em.

Anyway I got tempted by the newer Rokit 10's when I heard them in-store, mainly because of their low low frequency response which for the type of music I make and play means I can get away without a sub most of the time. I've had them nearly 2 weeks now but I'm not really happy with them for a few reasons.

1. They make a very loud mechanical click/pop when turned off, and a slightly quieter pop when turned on. I'm led to believe this is circuits discharging and a couple of people I've messaged have reported the same thing. Might be nothing to worry about but it feels really cheap. No such issues on my G2's.
2. The noise floor is ridiculous, I can hear them hissing from 2-3 metres away.
3. On top of the hiss, there is a lot of weird frequencies, sometimes sounds like an old dial-up modem coming out of the tweeter/midrange. This is with no audio input, ran through a power conditioner into the mains.

I'm in two minds whether to return them because when I'm playing records the hiss is more than drowned out. But for production, MAN is it annoying. I could live with just the hiss but the weird high pitch frequencies makes it feel like I've got tinnitus... And the pops and clicks don't really fill me with confidence. For reference, I plugged in a battered old Alesis M1 Active and it's pretty much totally silent (so quiet I had to double check it still actually produced sound with an input)

So I have a couple of questions.

- Does anyone own a pair of Rokit 10 G4's and can confirm if they also get the click/pop on power on/off?
- Any recommendations for monitors with acceptable levels of self noise? I am leaning toward the Kali IN8 V2's given what I've heard about the 12db reduction and if needed maybe a WS-12 to fill in the low end.

Thanks for taking the time, this site is an absolute treasure trove. I am by no means an expert, just a confused guy trying to figure out why powered monitors in 2022 are so damn noisy.
Cheers

 

[Somafunk]

I had a pair of the G4 Rokit 7’s and the hiss was noticeable when sat at the desk but not an issue when playing music, seems like the Rokit 10’s are considerably louder - have you spoke to KRK?

 

[juniorspesh]

@Somafunk thanks for the reply dude. I actually emailed the guy who made that video yesterday and he had the same issue before sending them back. He also said he runs the 12s2 subs and that has the same power on/off pop.

I've emailed KRK (via Gibson) but not really holding my breath for a timely reply from them...!

 

[AnalogSteph]

I had a pair of G2 Rokit 8's that lasted 10+ years but have finally just about given up the ghost. I know they had a bit of a rep but hey, I liked 'em.

Just FYI, these should generally be fixable. It's the Black Gunk of Death® that starts getting conductive and corroding whatever it is on. Mostly tedious but not generally too hard a repair for those in the know.

2. The noise floor is ridiculous, I can hear them hissing from 2-3 metres away.

That already was the same for the 10-3 G3s (something like 35 dB SPL @ 10 cm if memory serves, pretty much the highest value recorded or close at least). Unfortunate, yes.

3. On top of the hiss, there is a lot of weird frequencies, sometimes sounds like an old dial-up modem coming out of the tweeter/midrange. This is with no audio input, ran through a power conditioner into the mains.

Now that would be driving me nuts altogether.

I know that these are the cheapest 10" 3-ways out there by a long shot, but what good is that if the end result is not something you want to live with? I don't think fixing the worst issues would drive up the price to unacceptable levels. The Focals that, erm, inspired these still cost 3-4 times as much.

Any recommendations for monitors with acceptable levels of self noise? I am leaning toward the Kali IN8 V2's given what I've heard about the 12db reduction and if needed maybe a WS-12 to fill in the low end.

Sounds like a plan. You may not even need the sub, depending on what your relationship with frequencies below 40 Hz is... they can easily be flattened out to at least that point.

There is a potential minor construction issue that would be worth watching out for...

Kali audio IN-8 V2 measurements

Hi. This is Kali audio's 8-inch 3-way coaxial speaker IN-8 V2. First, SPL/FR. It is quite flat except for some HF. And 37.6hz(-6dB) This speaker seems to be doing the right thing. Next is the directivity. This speaker has good horizontal and vertical directivity...

www.audiosciencereview.com

This was eventually traced to a buzzing speaker cable for the midrange that had not gotten a foam sheath for some reason, so should be quite fixable for those willing to invest a bit of elbow grease.

Recommending something in the 8" class actually isn't that easy. I guess the Yamaha HS8 is decent if your level needs aren't too extreme (might be limited by its woofer amp), Tannoy Gold 8 may be worth looking at, ADAM T8V realistically has too small a waveguide (and not sure about noise), RP8G4 twice that, Behringer B2031A needs EQ, JBL 308P MkII is decent but on the noisy side, Presonus Eris E8 XT doesn't look too bad if you straighten out the treble. Oops, almost forgot the Mackie MR824, that might actually be one of the best candidates (the whole range seems a bit prone to transformer hum but pretty good for hiss).

 

[juniorspesh]

@AnalogSteph really appreciate the detailed response. Thanks!

Just FYI, these should generally be fixable. It's the Black Gunk of Death® that starts getting conductive and corroding whatever it is on. Mostly tedious but not generally too hard a repair for those in the know.

I read about the Black Gunk of Death I might have a go one day and open them up, it can't be any harder than replacing the battery in a 2015 Macbook...! They do still put out a decent sound to be fair, but lots of strange noises (arguably LESS than the G4's though, to be totally honest....)

Now that would be driving me nuts altogether.

I know that these are the cheapest 10" 3-ways out there by a long shot, but what good is that if the end result is not something you want to live with? I don't think fixing the worst issues would drive up the price to unacceptable levels. The Focals that, erm, inspired these still cost 3-4 times as much.

Exactly. I know the 10-3's and KRK in general are by no means the last name in quality, to say the least. I fully expected a bit of white noise given everything I'd read, and I could live with just that. But it seems like too many corners have been cut and the combination of issues, especially the whining, makes them feel a bit nasty. I want an upgrade, not a compromise. Which Focals are you referring to out of interest? The Alpha 80 Evo's were on my list but I couldn't get a pair to listen to in person and I read some questionable things about their QC...

There is a potential minor construction issue that would be worth watching out for...
This was eventually traced to a buzzing speaker cable for the midrange that had not gotten a foam sheath for some reason, so should be quite fixable for those willing to invest a bit of elbow grease.

I saw that thread last night! Not sure if this has been fixed in a later run, but either way seems like a faily simple fix, as you say. They're probably top of the shortlist right now. From your other list of candidates, I didn't really get on with the HS8s, the Adams sounded good but I heard them in a shop with lots of background noise. The Mackies look pretty good, as do the Presonus - esp with the front port. Do you have any idea of the noise floor with either of those?

Thanks again!

 

[AnalogSteph]

I read about the Black Gunk of Death I might have a go one day and open them up, it can't be any harder than replacing the battery in a 2015 Macbook...! They do still put out a decent sound to be fair, but lots of strange noises (arguably LESS than the G4's though, to be totally honest....)

Sounds like a fairly typical case. Opening them does not seem to be very difficult (unlike my old Tascams which were glued shut as well ), and it's mostly lots of chipping away at that pesky glue while watching out for and poking parts (including wire links) that may have been damaged.

Which Focals are you referring to out of interest?

Trio11 Be or Trio6 Be. About 6 and 4 times as expensive as the 10-3s, respectively.

Do you have any idea of the noise floor with either of those?

MR824: 24.2 dB(A) @ 10 cm according to the S&R hiss list. At the distances these are used at, this should generally be inaudible. (The smaller models seem to be even quieter.)

The main noise complaint with both MR824 and E8 XT seems to relate to physical transformer hum / buzz rather than hiss.

 

[juniorspesh]

Sounds like a fairly typical case. Opening them does not seem to be very difficult (unlike my old Tascams which were glued shut as well ), and it's mostly lots of chipping away at that pesky glue while watching out for and poking parts (including wire links) that may have been damaged.

Sounds like a job for the xmas holidays

MR824: 24.2 dB(A) @ 10 cm according to the S&R hiss list. At the distances these are used at, this should generally be inaudible. (The smaller models seem to be even quieter.)

The main noise complaint with both MR824 and E8 XT seems to relate to physical transformer hum / buzz rather than hiss.

That hiss list is very interesting, thanks! Nearly spat my tea out at the KRK measurements... maybe I just need a bigger house. Shame the Kali's aren't on there, I keep hearing "12db reduction" but struggling to find what that was from.

Do you have any first hand experience with the WS-12 sub? I've been speaking to someone from Kali as I really want to see a chart for power consumption, esp at lower volumes. They said they don't have it to hand but will get back to me.

Should also say I'm happy spending a bit more for a decent pair of satellites and a sub, if needed ... but don't think I could stretch to those Focals

 

[bede]

I found this thread after being frankly horrified by the hiss from my pair of RP7 G4. I can easily hear it at 3m, and my hearing is average. I find it hard to believe that the hiss list values are reprensentative and that KRK is mid pack, maybe it's an amplifier batch issue?

 

[B-Flow]

On top of the hiss, there is a lot of weird frequencies, sometimes sounds like an old dial-up modem coming out of the tweeter/midrange.

Was there a computer anywhere near by the at the time? Thats the sort of sound you get when picking up RF noise from one.

As for the hiss, maybe they had a bad run? I cant imagine the 10 is that different, but my RP7 pair is the quietest active speaker i have ever come across. Hiss/self noise is something that really bothers me, and at very nearfield distance (PC audio workstation) it is inaudible. Only with ear almost touching the tweeter is anything heard.

Did you have a chance to try them with a properly grounded source? I have the RP7s connected to a balanced audio interface right now: dead quiet at idle. When i tried them on a crappy PC sound card there was noise, but that was entirely in the source.

 

[jverhagen]

Hi I have 9 of these 10-3 g4 for a base layer atmos surround. They all indeed do this (only from the midrange), and the pitch jumps. Unlistenable at 3m even. My solution is to up the krk gain to +6dB which leaves much less objectionable steady white noise, or to -6dB where you’re left with a mild amount of hum. I find +6dB best and very acceptable. Excellent monitors! Best, Justus V