Demanding three-ways at a two-way price. Two-way or three-way? Well, it depends. It depends on quality, engineering, manufacturing, reliability, etc. In this case, what can safely be said is that the price range of the Kali IN-8 is extremely competitive, since three-way designs are always more complex and costly to make and generally have higher prices. Let's see why hyperrealism is one of the hallmarks of these units and how they achieve it.
A little history: Kali Audio
Let's get to know the company's philosophy better. It is an organization based in Los Angeles (USA), founded in 2018. Passionate about the pro audio industry, they decided to embark on this adventure with the goal of making products with cutting-edge technology without losing sight of price, so as to offer high-quality products at competitive prices.
This company's products are designed in California. They are characterized by a restless spirit that seeks innovation, a creative environment that lets them enjoy experimentation, taking the time needed to process ideas and create truly useful and innovative products.
IN-8 tri-amped monitors
Following the company's custom, this pair takes the name of a California city. In this case the line is called "Project Independence," after a town in the eastern Sierra. It uses the same woofer and tweeter as its predecessor, the LP-8, but adds a midrange driver that surrounds the tweeter and acts as its waveguide. The result is greater transparency, lower distortion and a better soundstage.
How? By working as a three-way, the workload for each channel is lower, which reduces distortion and increases clarity. The aim is highly directional, hyperrealistic listening.
The front panel
Lows
The lower part could be described as "conventional": an 8" paper woofer coated with polyethylene. The main advantage of paper is its lightness which, combined with the flexibility and finish of the plastic coating, makes it a very "trendy" choice in today's manufacturing. The lows are backed by a dedicated amplifier for this way, delivering 60 W continuous.
Continuing with the low frequencies, we find an advanced bass port design based on airflow experimentation, undoubtedly providing a powerful low-end spectrum.
Highs and mids
From the middle up is where the monitor is most unusual. It uses a coincident system that integrates the tweeter for the highs: a 1" textile dome powered by its own dedicated 40 W continuous amplifier, surrounded by what will be the third way, a 4" polyethylene-coated paper driver, driven by its own amplification of another 40 W continuous. The midrange driver, which surrounds the tweeter in a coincident format, also acts as the waveguide. It is the monitor's boldest design concept and, at the same time, clearly shows the technical knowledge of the engineers who designed it.
Rear panel
Switch configuration
The manufacturer has taken the trouble to suggest the most suitable settings for the panel of switches located just below. These suggestions are based on the position of our monitor relative to the walls, the desk and our ears.
Position 1. On a stand. Free-standing. More than 5 meters from the wall.
Position 2. On a stand, near the wall (less than 5 meters).
Position 3. On a stand, very close to the wall.
Position 4. On a raised surface of the mixing desk or a shelf.
Position 5. On a desk or table more than 5 meters from the wall.
Position 6. On a table less than 5 m from the wall.
Position 7. On a table, right against the wall.
In addition to the preset positions, the IN-8 manual explains in detail what each switch does, boosting or cutting by 2dB or leaving it neutral. This way you can customize the listening experience to your taste in a more "fine-tuned" way.
Connectivity
Besides the obvious power socket and on/off switch, we find the volume knob and three possible inputs:
RCA -10dBV unbalanced (which we can adjust directly with the switches)
XLR +4dBu - Balanced
TRS ¼" (Jack) +4dBu – Balanced
The listening test
Terms used to describe what we hear are really quite subjective. By this I mean that everyone has their own preferences. So some will lean toward a more "American" sound, powerful in the lows, and others will opt for a very "British," lean and crystalline listening experience.
There are obvious factors we will require from monitors: balance, the widest frequency range we can get, listening that is as neutral as possible, and a good stereo image of the soundstage. Although they should also accommodate our preferences, they must do so within reasonable limits of reality. The idea is not to hear it pretty; it is to hear it real so that it sounds good on as many systems as possible on which our mix will later be played.
As we have discussed in other installments, in signal-processing electronics the rule "the simpler, the better" often works. Among other reasons, because if our signals are subject to many processes, alignments and complexities, there is a greater risk of error or distortion. However, it is clear that each frequency range needs different engineering. For example, the lows need to move more air and require larger speakers, while the tweeter that pushes the highs will be more precise and much "narrower." In three-way monitors, a new independent element is added that specifically handles the midrange frequencies. As we said a little earlier, working with tri-amplification means less strain, less distortion and a better soundstage image (if the monitor is well designed). In today's case, to be exact, we are talking about total harmonic distortion of 1.4%, which is an excellent result.
Thanks to the three-way design, the woofer's movement is also made independent, separating it from the necessary restraint of the midrange membrane, which in this case moves less than 1 mm, providing natural mids that are independent of the frequencies generated by the tweeter and the 8" LF driver.
| "Less workload for each of the ways equals lower distortion and greater clarity" |
In our test we compared listening against similarly priced KRK pairs, cheaper ones (JBL two-ways) and a more expensive pair from Focal.
The impression when listening is of powerful lows and the ability to produce high sound pressure levels (always speaking in the context of near-field monitors), without altering the "tension or color" of our tracks. In other words, plenty of meat on the bones.
It will also depend on the type of music or instruments you usually handle in your tracks. Classical, acoustic instruments, vocals and harder-edged music are not the same thing. In our case, we are used to somewhat leaner listening in which crystal-clear highs (without exaggeration) predominate, with solid but controlled lows. To adapt the KALI IN-8 to our preference in this case, we used the rear attenuators to reduce the presence of the low frequencies (although perhaps for you they are perfect as they are). This means that with the rear switch panel we have a range that lets us adapt what we hear to our taste, to the style we work in, or to the monitor's position.
The soundstage is balanced and gives us a rewarding, "spacious" stereo image.
Transparency and stereo image
One of KALI Audio's goals is to achieve a hyperrealistic soundstage. The listener should feel the position of the musicians, where each instrument has been placed, whether naturally in the recording session or "manipulated" by the producer. In short, having a precise "stage" is a powerful mixing tool. The manufacturer had already worked on this concept with the development of its LP-6 and LP-8 two-way monitors. However, since the woofer and tweeter are separate, as in 98% of studio monitors, the sense of space does not provide a complete stereo image.
The IN-8 solves this issue, since the tweeter and the midrange share the same center point. The spatial information of the highs and mids comes from the same position, producing more realistic spatial information.
Conclusions
Two-way or three-way? Well, it depends. It depends on quality, engineering, manufacturing, reliability, etc. In this case, what can safely be said is that the price range of the Kali IN-8 is extremely competitive, since three-way designs are always more complex and costly to make and generally have higher prices.
They offer commendable quality for their price range. The low-frequency range is wide; they are powerful, clear and have a good stereo image. There aren't many three-way alternatives at this price. Something close might be the KRK RP-10.3 G3 pair, although they show some differences in structural design.
Demanding three-ways at a two-way price. If you are tempted to get into the world of tri-amplification in your studio, give them a listen: they are a great alternative in the €300 to €400 range.
Specifications
Self-powered - Class D
3-way
40W Highs – 40W Mids – 60W Lows
Total: 140 W Continuous
Woofer: 8" polyurethane-coated paper
Tweeter: 1" textile dome
Mids: 4" polyurethane-coated paper
Frequency range: 37 - 25,000 Hz (-10 dB), 45 - 21,000 Hz (+/- 3 dB)
Maximum level: 114 dB
EQ for listening position adjustments
Connections: balanced XLR and 6.3 mm jack, and unbalanced RCA
Dimensions: 441 x 285 x 254 mm
Weight: 10.4 kg
Distributed in Spain by: Mogar Music
Manufacturer: Kali Audio
