Kali Audio IN5-5" Active Studio Monitor, Black (Single Unit)

Product Information

Kali’s IN-Series monitors are some of the most innovative studio monitors ever made. Combining the natural advantages of a 3-way design with hyper-realistic imaging of a co-axial mid-range and tweeter, they offer more transparency, lower distortion, and a soundstage that must be heard to be believed. Performance - Unrivaled Punch and Detail.

The Industry Standard Kali Linux is not about its tools, nor the operating system. Kali Linux is a platform. When you listen to a stereo set of speakers, you’re hearing information about where instruments and players were placed when the material was recorded. Even with purely digital material, producers can manipulate physical locations of elements in the mix, and you will hear these on a stereo recording. We tried it with the IN speakers and the attention to detail down there is astonishing; not that you don’t get a great response already with the IN range, but this subwoofer presents you with an extra few Hz of detail and a more accurate picture. And then there’s the width. You don’t often believe the claims with speaker manufacturers as very often the end results can be so subtle that you barely notice them, instead simply stroking your chin in a knowing way like you really did hear that extra 0.1dB in the high mids.In use, it’s remarkable. Monitoring in mono sounds like a pair of IN-5s collapse into a single phantom speaker sitting between them. Break out a mix to stereo and the clarity across the horizontal plane is incredibly precise. One way of knowing this accuracy can be credited to the coaxial mids and tweeter is how audibly the most solid imaging sits higher in the vertical sound field. The tight phase coherency of the point source design lends the IN-5 a ‘togetherness’ in tonal character; a firm, glued-together, assertive presentation of material.

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 We know. We keep harping on about the “hyper-realistic” imaging of the IN-Series. What does that mean? Not only does this allow producers to create interesting spatial effects, but it means that you can work faster and with more confidence. An accurate soundstage lets you “see” each element of the mix in front of you, so you can hear exactly what happens when you make changes.The IN-Series monitors are unlike anything you’ve ever heard. The three-way design lets both the woofer and the tweeter do less work, resulting in better headroom and lower distortion across the frequency spectrum. 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. The IN-5 sounds very neutral, which is obviously always the goal for any studio monitor, but it’s genuinely difficult to assign it a tonal character. And this is the struggle of reviewing studio monitors – using all manner of adjectives to ultimately describe the absence of attributes more than the presence of them. Is the IN-5 bassy? Not really, but low end is portrayed well enough to make mix decisions. Is it bright? Not without the HF boost, and even then trebles aren’t shrill. Muddy? The low mids are quite clean actually. Piercing? How about ‘smooth’. Fatiguing? I’ve sat through five-hour mixing and listening sessions without batting an eyelid. People had a few niggles with the first generation of IN-8s. Kali Audio has ironed out these wrinkles with the ‘2nd Wave’ models which includes the IN-5. A new amplifier reduces self noise by 12dB, the efficiency of the cone drivers have been improved, and the cabinet is constructed more durably. Internally, Kali Audio says 2nd Wave models have ‘more robust DSP’. The boundary EQ settings for horizontal positioning is a new addition and input sensitivity is 3dB lower, resulting in higher output level for the same input.

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. 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. Not really concrete on if I actually want a 5 inch monitor or 7 inch but I'm pretty sure whichever I consider, from the help & advice you guys give, I can use with either platform. I've had HS7's in the past just to let you guys know. Kali - I've heard great things about Kali IN's series but I'm not really knowledgeable on their line of monitors. All of this make the IN-5 and IN-8 extremely accurate and easy to mix on. You’ll be able to work faster and with more confidence, and your mixes are going to translate to other systems with less work.There is zero mechanical noise from these speakers (pops, over-excursion, vent noise) even at higher volumes. However, these are intended to be used as nearfield monitors in the 1-2 meter range. Going past this will naturally mean you’ll need more volume and if you are listening at absurd levels you will certainly run in to the built-in limiter throttling the output as I showed in my linearity test.