Kali Audio's new 2nd Gen LP-6. An incredible bargain at $400/pair.
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- Written review/data can be found here:
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It really shows that a manufacturer have confidence in their product when they send it to Erin for measurement before release.
Great review for a great product. I'm a happy owner of a pair of IN-5s.
Great point!
Yes so happy to see these reviewed in detail!
I got the original LP8's and the hiss drives me crazy, so happy to hear they fixed it in this new version, I'll be swapping mine asap.
Can you check back here if it's as good as promised?
Make sure to use balanced connections (TRS or XLR aka 3 conductor). Mine hissed as well using standard 1/4' and RCA cables. Got a balanced pair of TRS and it hushed them right up. They seem more sensitive to this than most other monitors. (Maybe the class D amp)
Also, make sure the dip switch for RCA is off.
When looking at the on axis response linearity graph, there is indeed a slight dip from 2k - 4k and 7k - 11/12k... which isnt a bad thing at all for listening experience. When I see a graph like this, I know right away it wont grate on the ears even after long listening sessions.
Glad this was finally posted.
I'd be interested if you ever had a chance to do a "bakeoff" between otherwise comparable 3-way and 2-way speakers to see if it really makes a noticeable positive difference. One possiblity would be the Kali lp6 vs Kali in5 thought that wouldn't be quite apples to apples. Maybe more directly comparable would be the Kali in-8 vs. the Kali lp8 and/or the Yamaha Hs8. I"m just curious whether the 3-way concept is more marketing and/or whether the additional engineering challenges of a 3-way design outweigh the benefits of an added speaker and the further spectrum division that allows. Thank you for your great work pulling the veil back on a lot of audio myth overall. Your science focused analysis stands out in a field dominated by vague generalities and personal preferences presented as fact.
these guys do some seriously great stuff for fabu prices.
*Rebelling and sneaking out (at night?) of the "Death Star" ------- legendary behemoth JBL ------- and deftly Euro-stepping the Superlaser.*
*Then becoming Jedi-fied (?) and returning to fight the legendary behemoth! Popcorn Time!*
*Saving up for a pair or so of IN-5, LP6v2 or MM-6.*
Ohh God i thought you were Manu Ginobili! Thanks for the review!
These were a buck fiddy last year on az. I'm hoping they repeat it this year. Thanks for the analysis!
These Kali reviews are addictive bro.
Excellent work
I bought these last summer by my retailer failing to fulfill an order on the previous version closeouts, so I brow beat them for the ridiculous screw-ups by selling me the new version for $300. After going through 2 less than engaged reps, I FINALLY landed on a gem of a sales rep at Musician Friend (Guitar Center) who finally took care of the problem. She was empathetic to my plight and did not flinch when I suggested the compromise offer. I was originally spending $129 each, but made the offer to pay $149 and she said OK. All was right in the world and I received the new ones in good nick. I was listening to this review on them and reminded me how they have lifted the veil on my mixes when referencing against my Sennheiser HD650s. Highly recommended even at $400. You will have to spend double to best them with Adams or Yamahas, both of which I strongly recommend, but value for money is hard to beat with the Kali's. They sound and perform amazingly well.
Great review!
Glad you enjoyed it
For a PC solution where I'd like the full range a subwoofer will compliment with these speakers, do you have a budget subwoofer you could recommend for these under $250? Room is approx 1500sq ft
Love what Kali’s been doing. Great pun, btw. 😆 👍
Thanks! 😁
Second Wave ❤🔥❤🔥
A totally INDEPENDENT REVIEW, I knew it would be a very good result. 7 to 8 K eq boost would help if you a mixing as it let you hear a bit more detail and it adds a bit of airiness. I have the V 1's and I can't fault them on most music I play. They are from JBL engineers so they know exactly what this speaker is for, and the market they are aiming at. Sales must be good.
Great review Erin, how I wish they did a passive version of this speaker.
The design is heavily DSP-dependent -- you'd need two channels of amplification and very sophisticated DSP per speaker to get anywhere near the performance Erin measured.
Why do you expect advantages from going passive?
FWIW, Kali addressed this in a recent video with the Daily HiFi:
ua-cam.com/video/8qpdGlV-ESc/v-deo.html
@@astra004 He probably spends too much time on r/audiophile.
Kali now has a 3 way passive speaker for $999... Go figure, more expensive than their flagship IN-8 powered monitors...
Great speaker & review again Erin! Still hesitating between this and the IN-5. Which one would you pick for listening to electronic music & occasional producing?
We generally say that if you have the budget, the IN-5 is the better choice.
^ I can't really argue with that. :D
Thank you both! I'm sold, decided to get a pair of IN-8
Looks really good.
Also it looks like one could experiment with inserting a sheet of some kind (plastic, wood etc) to decrease the height (the port works fine down to 7mm height) of the port opening and thus lowering the tuning frequency. Looks like they have tuned it a bit too high with a very sharp "knee" as a result.
Typically a lower tuning freq give a better match to the room, it also give lower group delay.
...and ruin them for their intended purpose.
Studio monitors are not meant to 'better match' a room. The idea is for the room to have as little influence as possible.
Judging from the way you're thinking, these speakers are not for you.
@@denizenofclownworld4853 No thats not true. The suggested fix would make it a more accurate speaker.
Coming back to post this DEAL! The *Kali Audio LP-6 V1.0* are ON SALE right now (8/16/2022) for $139 Each Online at *Musician's Friend* and are avaliable in WHITE as well. That's $280 for the Pair. The V2.0 or "2nd Wave" versions that Erin reviewed here are just $169 now. They were a bargain at $400/Pair when Erin made this review. Grab 'em while you can.
Great speaker at such a low cost! Do you have any plans of reviewing for ex Behringer B212XL/B215XL? It's a great PA speaker that's been appraised a lot and it's a budget speaker instead of some of the DIY options such as the DIYSG HTM12. Lots use it for HT as the sensitivity on them is great.
I do not. I'm not opposed to it. Just not in the plans at the moment.
and if anyone seeing this happens to have a pair (or even just a single) for me to review, let me know and maybe we can work something out.
Great review! You said you heard no hiss, as I do hear on my Kali LP6 (V1) though; you did not measure a hiss? By the way, even with the hiss on my Kali LP6 (V1) they are great monitors, I like them very, very much!
Right. Measuring hiss on something like this would require having a noise floor lower than the hiss itself. With a very noisy speaker that’s not hard to do. But with a quiet speaker, that’s not trivial. I’ve considered building an isolated chamber to place speakers like this in and use an RTA to measure the self-noise but it’s not something I see much benefit from for the time and cost it would take. If I only tested powered speakers then I might feel differently.
@@ErinsAudioCorner Understood. I probably would have to listen myself to decide whether there is a hiss that I could hear.
@@a.h.d.h.2803 Make sure you're using balanced connections. These are sensitive to interference (at least the original LP models were), and I would not recommend using RCA or TS connections. Use TRS or XLR.
@@denizenofclownworld4853 Thank you for your tip. I use balanced (XLR) connections.
@@a.h.d.h.2803 It was the solution for me. Maybe there's a defect.
Thanks for the great review ! I’m quite a treble junky , I listen to dance / trance music and I like a lot of sparkle in the highs. Will those fit my taste ? And final question - are the highs worse on V2 model rather V1 model ? Thanks 🙏🏻
Hello,
Thank you for your review ! Seems a great speaker :)
Have you compared it to some other, like jbl 306p mkII ? Thank you in advance
LP-6 V2 or IN-8 V2 for my living room for music and movies?
Thanks again for the sound review. Can you guess, why the results are outstanding? DSP? Drivers? Baffle and wave guide?
All of the above. Solid engineering. :)
Thanks for the excellent, very clear, very well explained review. Is there a software EQ for Mac you would recommend? I’ve narrowed my options down to Kali LP-6 V2, Adam T5V, or Mackie MR624, and it is almost certain I’ll need some EQ, regardless of my choice. It’s irritating to me I can’t go to an actual store to audition them.
You won't need EQ. Unless you have a very well treated room (not just sticking those stupid foam squares up everywhere but genuine treatment) the room is going to influence the linearity at the sweet spot way more than any little squiggles in that frequency response graph will.
Which has a more neutral response after EQ Polk XT 20 or Kali LP-6V2? Thinking of using it in the home theater system.
I wish they made passive versions of their monitors so we could pick our own amps.
The design is heavily DSP-dependent -- you'd need two channels of amplification and very sophisticated DSP per speaker to get anywhere near the performance Erin measured.
have a function stand by? my krk turn off if the sound does not arrive, and as soon as I turn on the sound, the speakers turn on too, it is very convenient, you do not need to turn off the button at the back every time, does Kali have this?
Shame that in Europe the 2nd wave costs more than v1. I got the v1 pair for £240 ($320), while the 2nd wave costs £195 each ($260). I'd say they're still worth the money, but are they worth the difference? Mine also have the hiss problem, it's unnoticeable when music is playing, but it can be heard when listening to a single instrument or a song with not too much going on. Should I return the v1 and go for the 2nd wave?
Interesting how good cheap speakers have gotten.
Indeed.
So how good of a bargain would you say they are for $530 a pair (which are the European prices)? Also how does the subjective flatness and clarity compare to v1?
So how many are you buying?
Haha. Well, my desk isn’t large enough for them but I may try to make it work. 😂
The self noise of the first gen is not cool at all. I have had also two units with broken amps that cause an audible distortion at some frequencies. What really worries me is how dozen UA-cam reviews all fail to mention any of these issues that were obvious from the second you turn them on.
They sound overall really good but reality is that they are huge in size, and they are just cheap speakers.
Next time I will save my money and buy some Genelecs.
I don't have any experience with the 1st gens. But I've seen many complaints about the noise. I can tell you that in my office space there was no audible noise. Of course, these things depend on how quiet your room is and how much you have the gains cranked. I imagine most will not notice any noise, though. Even within a foot, I didn't have any issues with the gain knob set to '0'.
@@ErinsAudioCorner Yeah, they are still great speakers for the price. If I had to stick to 400 dollars I would still get them, and especially with Gen 2 it's a no-brainer. Overall I love Kali audio, they are such a genuine and entrepreneurial company that I really want to support them.
@@amusik7 Are you using unbalanced connections? Most of the people having issues are using RCA or TS which is susceptible to interference (on 1st gen more so than others). Try XLR or TRS connections.
@@denizenofclownworld4853 Thanks for the tip! But i have been using balanced, high quality cables from Mogami
@@amusik7 Had another say the same. I guess there was a quality control issue with the 1st gen. Mine had noise using RCA. Switching to TRS solved it. Used RCA with the older monitors without problems. These things are more susceptible to interference I suppose.
Are they good for general listening as compared to passive bookshelf speakers?
If the compression changes the frequency response as seen at 6:16 then why doesn't the DSP correct for that? Is that not possible or not at this price range or something?
Hi Erin, would you recommend the kali LP-UNF over these for a desktop/PC setup? I have plenty of desk space so space is not an issue if these are better for desktop use.
I’d get the larger speaker if you want more dynamic range.
@@ErinsAudioCornerAlright, thanks
I would like to see how these compare to the Monolith Encore bookshelf speakers
Well, keep in mind these are powered and the Encore speakers are not.
Other than the directivity blip at 2KHz this is almost a flawless speaker objectively. The price is insane.
It’s kind of getting predictable with small companies generating speakers with resonances in the mid-range. Is it really THAT difficult to have a measuring setup with decent resolution at the midrange?
I also expected slightly better compression results for a 6.5 inch driver.
I have a subwoofer, will i need to buy an amp to connect the sub to these speakers? Also, i'd be buying 2, so what amp (if needed for subwoofer) would I need? thanks
I'm in a untreated room with the speakers about a foot from the wall, I have tried every setting and no matter what, any youtube video with male voice sounds boxxy and fatiguing to my ears at all volume levels. I have tried just about every dipswitch setting and feel like nothing is changing this. Will a subwoofer with a 80hz crossover help with this?
something with the mic + room causing a lot of resonance at 125hz.
Ok.
I've always wondered if or how you could hook up a subwoofer to these kinds of active speakers. If it is possible, I'm assuming there would be no high pass filter?
We have a subwoofer (the WS-12) that has high-passed outs to use with the speakers.
@@kaliaudio -- What are the WS-12's low-pass frequencies for the various 2nd Wave models? I don't have enough room for a WS-12, so unless/until Kali comes out with a smaller sub, I need to know where to set the knob on my current sub with my 2nd Wave IN-8s. Thanks in advance!
@@editorjuno 80 Hz for everything!
@@kaliaudio -- Interesting recommendation given that the PS-12 has different DIP switch settings for "LP-6" vs. "LP-8/IN-8. Thanks!
Most subs meant for studio monitors have ins and outs to pass through the signal to your mains.
Hello, I want to buy the 8" version, is the measuring quite the same? Best wishes, and thank you for your work and time!
I created a video comparing them that you should find helpful.
How long do you think a pair of these lp6 v2 will last?
For the purpose of using this in both near and midfield , would it be smarter to go with the in8 v2 ? I know audio wise, both of these are great :)
The three-way 2nd Wave IN-8 is a considerably superior monitor in every way and much more suitable for midfield -- and, for double the MSRP, it should be.
I'd agree.... the IN-8v2 would be my choice if I had the extra cash to spend. They're all great. But you get advantages when you spend the extra cash.
@@ErinsAudioCorner How about if you had to choose between LP-6 2nd vs IN-5? Thanks for the review :~)
Hi Erin, about the CEA2034 standard: how much smoothing is to be applied to the on axis response?
1/20-th octave if I recall correctly.
Hi, Erin! These look like a great value for money. The price difference between lp6/8 V2 and Yamaha HS8 in Europe is minimal. Would you recommend lp6v2 over hs8 for mixing?
I don't have personal experience with the Yamaha HS8 so I can't say other than simply that I like the LP-6. If you're on the fence, you may want to see how the LP-8v2 performs; I will be reviewing that soon-ish. Expecting a pair to be delivered next week.
Heya, I actually made the move from HS8 to Kali and they translated a lot better for me if that helps
@@DJSoulbrother I got a pair of used Alpha 65s for around $200 so i'm pretty happy now.
@@byniasofficial2567Yikes lucky price haha, nice
Yamaha monitors are over-rated af. Living off the past glory (or infamy) of the NS-10's.
Kali is killing it for the price. You simply can't do better for the money.
Could you use these as TV speakers?
@Erin's Audio Review
It's great to see Kali's commitment in continuing to improve their lineup of products across the board. 👍
It would be great if Charles or Nate @Kali Audio would send you their matching WS12 12" Active Subwoofer for review. ;) Hopefully that's in the works at some point.
As always, thanks for the excellent reviews with reliable, comparative measurement data. It means A LOT! K.O.K.O!
Agree, it would be great to see a review of the LP-6 2W + WS-12 combo.
A little 'sprinkle'....of Charlie...😉
😂😂😂🤣
How do you set it up for your cat pushing it off your shelf to its death? 😭🤣😅
Easy: get a dog. 👍
This one vs in-5 ? what would you buy for yourself? :)
I'd say the IN-5.
In 5 or LP 6 v2? Plz suggest.
IN-5
I'm sure they are great for their intended purpose, but I find them awful for