Kali Audio LP-6 2nd Wave loudspeaker, studio monitor (active near-field monitor, loudspeaker with waveguide technology, bass reflex system, thanks to amplifier module hardly any inherent noise), Black

Product Information

All measurements are referenced to the tweeter axis. I could not find anything regarding this in the manual. Since I reviewed them I’ve had numerous requests to look at their entry level range. Project ‘Lone Pine’ consists of two models, the LP-6 and LP8. Now in their second wave ‘V2’ iterations, the model number designates the size of the midbass driver (six and eight inches respectively), but otherwise the two share a similar feature set. Naturally the LP8s have a slightly larger cabinet, approximately two inches (50 mm) taller and 1 inch (25 mm) wider and deeper, and 1.5KG heavier. 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.

I compared the LP-6s with a pair of RCF Ayra 5s that I’ve had for many years. They were my first reference monitor and a more apples to apples comparison. Also front-ported, they lose an inch to the LP-6s in the midbass driver but use a rectangular slotted port design, albeit less elaborate than the port of the Kali. The cabinets comprise a vinyl-wrapped MDF with moulted plastic front baffle. The front port tube is moulded as part of the baffle itself, and is shaped using computer simulation to minimise port chuffing by ensuring that air exits the port at a constant velocity. A similar port is used to great effect in the IN-8, and I find them to be entirely unfussy about room placement and without the sonic downsides I often hear in ported loudspeakers, namely bloated bass caused by the constricted passage of air through the port, or puffing noises as large volumes of air are forced through a thin port tube.

The reference plane in this test is at the tweeter. Volume set to ‘0’ with XLR input. The dip switches were all set to ‘0’ for the free field setting. The below graphics indicate how much SPL is lost or gained in the long-term as a speaker plays at the same output level for 2 minutes, in intervals. Each graphic represents a different SPL: 86dB and 96dB both at 1 meter. If Focal Care is of significant importance to you, and you’re willing to spend a little extra cash on the inverted dome tweeter design and shelving features that the Focal Alpha 65 delivers, you won’t be disappointed with these studio monitors. For further information, you can view the full list of Alpha 65 tech specs here. 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.

The Early Reflections curve is an estimate of all single-bounce, first-reflections, in a typical listening room. I have a very harsh test environment for larger monitors like the LP-6. I just drop them on my desk, with a half inch pad under it. I don't touch any of the controls and just listen. First impression of the LP-6 was quite good. Lots of detail, ability to get quite loud with some kind of soft compression that was much less noticeable in other monitors. I tried to improve the situation still, using equalization: The On-axis Frequency Response (0°) is the universal starting point and in many situations it is a fair representation of the first sound to arrive at a listener’s ears. The 3-D Imaging Waveguide allows you to hear a 3-D soundstage from a stereo pair of speakers. By matching the shape of the waveguide to the interactions of the HF and LF drivers, this waveguide produces a stereo image that is wider, taller, and deeper than the space where the speakers are placed. Sound Power represents all the sounds arriving at the listening position after any number of reflections from any direction. It is the weighted rms average of all 70 measurements, with individual measurements weighted according to the portion of the spherical surface that they represent.Kalis products are designed and engineered in California, and each of our product lines is named after a town or city in California. Lone Pine, our debut line of studio monitors, gets its name from a town in the Eastern Sierra from which climbers disembark to summit Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the lower 48 states. Much like this climb, we felt that our debut line was ambitious, challenging, and a little risky. Mountain View, an accessory for connecting Bluetooth devices with professional audio systems, was named after the town in which several large tech companies, including Google, are headquartered. As these companies insist on removing physical audio connectors from their devices, we thought this name would be a fun way to put them on notice. Let's dig into the issue with disturbance around 1 kHz by looking at the near-field measurement of the woofer, port and tweeter:

Measurements that you are about to see were performed using the Klippel Near-field Scanner (NFS). This is a robotic measurement system that analyzes the speaker all around and is able (using advanced mathematics and dual scan) to subtract room reflections (so where I measure it doesn't matter). It also measures the speaker at close distance ("near-field") which sharply reduces the impact of room noise. Both of these factors enable testing in ordinary rooms yet results that can be more accurate than anechoic chamber. In a nutshell, the measurements show the actual sound coming out of the speaker independent of the room. It's enormously important to understand that there is absolutely no possibility of having any pleasure in life at all without skill. Money doesn't buy pleasure ever."-Alan Watts I was immediately right at home with the LP-6s. They sound organic and natural, uncoloured and clean, just like the IN-8s that I am so fond of. They have a surprisingly rich, deep bass response given their comparatively small cabinets and drivers. The bass isn’t as impactful as the IN-8s, nor as authoritative, but I wouldn’t expect it to be. It’s refined though, without too much blurring around the edges of sustained notes and without audible colouration at high listening levels. The speakers also produce very little idle noise so won’t become irritating if you’re close to them in an extreme near-field setup.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.