The midbass driver is an optimised paper cone construction with large dual-layer voicecoil, convex dust cap and carefully tuned surround, giving plenty of excursion but maintaining the integrity of the cone around its outer circumference where the cone is naturally weaker. The tweeter waveguide ensures that the acoustic centres of the drivers are as aligned as much as possible, though there’s plenty of opportunity to correct for any time alignment and phase error in the digital crossover. In the second option, which I've called 'Conservative', the port is tuned to 30Hz, which results in an increase in the -3dB point to about 70Hz and a drop in 50Hz group delay to about 5ms (yes, the group delay increases significantly at lower frequencies but they are not so musically significant). The system also rings only for a cycle. Because the LP-6 and LP-8 are so close in frequency response, there is little cause for concern here. Further, room modes can be mitigated with clever placement of the loudspeakers, or acoustic treatments that target problematic frequencies.

Both are two-way loudspeakers with 1-inch textile dome tweeters set within Kali’s custom 3D imaging waveguide. Unlike other waveguides which are a highly directive horn shape, with sharp angles designed to aid directivity but with a small sweet spot, the Kali waveguide is a gentle, gradual contour. Almost an ovoid, though wider than it is deep and with a sharper curve to the faces spanning the tweeter’s vertical axis. The result is an even dispersion that doesn’t adversely affect frontal imaging, but gives you a much wider listening sweet spot than you might be accustomed too with a typical waveguide arrangement. The intent is to cohesively blend the sound from them loudspeaker to the reflective sound that is result of physical obstacles, or even dispersion into the air itself, that occurs as the sound travels toward your ear. Nothing can image like a true coaxial speaker does, but the LP-series waveguide comes very close. The Kali Audio IN-UNF is designed for ultra-nearfield monitoring, with the speakers at about an arm’s length from your ears. That’s perfect for multimedia applications and gaming, but also for many home studios. Kali Audio says that the desk becomes an acoustic component and that the system takes the reflections from the desk into account, yielding a transparent mix that translates well.Convincing imaging is a major plus-point of this phase coherence. The stereo imaging is excellent, presenting a wide, cinemascope-like soundstage with first-rate left-to-right separation. Similarly, central images – lead vocals in particular – are tightly focused with no sense of vagueness or drift. Another dimension

So specs-wise, we’re looking good so far, and setting up, we’re impressed too, as the ‘more for your money’ vibe continues. These are big speakers for starters, not too heavy (10.4kg each) but at 44.1 x 28.5 x 25.4cm (height x depth x width) they won’t suit tiny studios. That, dear readers, is monitoring in a couple of sentences. You want to hear all the detail, even the mistakes; in fact especially the mistakes so that you can correct them.

Powerful Woofer

When it comes to their woofers, Kali Audio claim they use the largest magnets and voice coils in their class. By investing more resources than usual into their woofers, their monitors boast the same SPL (sound pressure level) with significantly lower distortion. No matter which Kali Audio studio monitor you go for, you can expect tight, punchy and uncompressed bass that doesn’t detract from the highs or the mids. Customisable Response

Kali Audio was started in January 2018 by some of the Professional Audio Industry’s most passionate individuals. With engineering at the forefront, Kali aims to make loudspeakers and related products that present the best possible value to our customers. By devoting time and resources to research and development, and with a little bit of panache, we offer high-performance products that fit any budget. This is decent but should you wish to expend the low end, there’s also a new (and absolutely massive) subwoofer in the Kali range, the WS-12 [see boxout]. The [massive] WS-12 sub-woofer So far I like them more than the Eris, full and big sound, they seem even through out the full range frequencies (mayby and that's a big maybe, they have a touch sweeter highs). Zero hiss, several settings to adjust them for your room/placement. Unfortunately, I can't directy compare them with the Eris since they are not operational. Whilst Kali Audio have aimed to make their monitors as natural and accurate as possible to give you a true representation of your mix, they also understand some mixing engineers are used to a certain response from their monitoring rig. If you prefer a certain character of speaker with more or less bass, you can reach for the high and low-frequency controls to customise the response of the monitor to your personal taste. These controls are also handy if there are any problematic frequencies in your space that need to be compensated for. Despite their affordability, the LP6 and LP8 monitors project audio with incredible fidelity, allowing you to mix your music with excellent precision. Featuring integrated Class D power amps, these studio monitors deliver clean, reliable power for their speakers. Also boasting dual-layer, large diameter voice coils, these help to retain clarity and definition without adding distortion. So, if you like to listen to or mix your music loud, Kali Audio's LP6 and LP8 studio monitors can handle higher volumes without sounding muddy or causing ear fatigue.Combined with the LF and HF trims, this will ensure that the speakers sound their best no matter what room you’re mixing in, or where the speakers are placed. Kali Audio has solidified themselves as not only a contender in the pro studio monitor market, but a frontrunner in studio monitor technology and advancement." - Charles Hoffman for Sonic Scoop And so to a little FuzzMeasure analysis. The first question I asked that FuzzMeasure can help with is what frequency is the port tuned to? The answer appears in Diagram 1: a frequency response curve capture by a microphone positioned close up against the bass driver’s diaphragm. Diagram 1: A close‑mic measurement of the IN‑5 bass driver, revealing a port tuning frequency of around 43Hz. This much power also makes the WS-12 a capable live subwoofer. Its enclosure is 18mm plywood and it has handles for easy carrying. Kali’s team made sure that it will fit in small passenger cars, so you can take it with you even when you’re calling a ride to get to your gig!

These compact monitors from new company Kali Audio strike an enticing balance between performance and affordability.

The power of three

Opt for the LP8 and you gain an extra 2Hz base extension, 2dB in max SPL, and better distortion figures; <2.5% (80 Hz – 400 Hz) and <1.4% above 400 Hz, with the same 90dB SPL at 1 m. The crossover point is slightly higher at 1.8kHz, still well within the range that is most pleasing to the ear. The LP8 will better fill a larger room though and is better suited to environments where more than two people will be listening to the monitors. Diagram 2, just for interest, shows the output from the IN‑8 port captured by a microphone placed a centimetre or two inside. Even though the port data typically captured by this type of measurement is unavoidably 'contaminated' by the bass driver output (especially when the bass driver is so close) it can still reveal if there's any undesirable 'organ-pipe' resonances going on in the port. As revealed in the curve though, the IN‑8 port looks completely clean. A very good, and surprisingly unusual, result. Kali Audio defines a listening distance as the maximum distance at which the speakers can play continuously at 85 dB while maintaining 20 dB dynamic headroom. I'll describe the benefits of dual-coincident drivers in a few paragraphs time, but first there's a little more general IN‑8 description to run through. The IN‑8 is not a small monitor. I had read the dimensions from the spec sheet before the monitors arrived but I was still slightly surprised at just how substantial an IN‑8 turned out to be in the flesh. At 10.4kg each they're not particularly heavy, so there ought not to be any great issue with mounting arrangements. This is a common issue with many active monitors, especially KRK and Presonus. When the glue ages it becomes electrically conductive and shorts the amplifiers, in the case of early KRK ‘Rokit’, often blowing the tweeter.