Battle of the Studio Monitors! (Kali IN 8v2 vs ZenPro Modified Yamaha HS8) 

My pleasure, Joey! Thank you for chiming in with your experience! I 100% agree! Warren is truly wonderful (and the ZenPro coffee isn’t too bad either haha) I came to a similar conclusion. Even though I don’t mind having an extra set of monitors (which I have also ditched for the time being.) I find the ZenPro HS8’s give me all the information I could need/want and my mixes translate honestly because of it. It makes working very quick, confident, and streamlined. I will however, typically double check my lows and such on a pair of calibrated AKG 270’s towards the end of the mix. But I rarely ever find myself making any substantial mixing moves on the cans that I wouldn’t have made on the monitors. Although, I have yet to run a sub in my space- I’d love to try out their sub in the future! I’m glad to hear it compliments the monitors well! :D Cheers! -Brent

@@methodofkolishin great reply Brent. I agree 100%. They also modify the sub at zenpro. It is a worthwhile mod because the signal to the speakers goes through the sub first. Makes sense. We finished our last album a few months ago and I have been pleasantly surprised at how good it sounds on different systems. that includes crummy ones good ones smartphones etc. I will likely add a second set back into the studio eventually but I'm not sure what. Recommendations welcome. Will try to keep in touch via your RU-vid channel. Thanks again Joey

I totally agree!! And I'm glad i'm not the only one who feels this same way! I never got around to testing the Amphions myself, but with literally every other monitor I have tried since using the Zenpro's- ALL ended up going back. I've been on the Zenpro's since 2016 and I've just been so pleased that I just can't justify the expense of trying to "level up" to anything "better". (The Kali's were just a fun test to see what the hype was about and see where they stood. They went back a day or two after this video lol) I'm jealous of your Burl's though! I've had my eye on a pair ever since Marc Daniel Nelson's converter shootout- You gotta great piece of kit! :D

Hi. I am planning to get a zen pro mod. Can u tell which focal speaker did u compare and how powerful (spl) is the hs8 after the mod? Can it fill a Large room?

werent we just on the phone about a month ago about these mods ? with stu? you were telling me about them

@@Jafithagreat yessir

Theoretically this is very true. From what i’ve gathered the in 8 is like an introduction to 3 way systems and doesn’t quite get to where others are at higher up in the market. Then again, I saw another video where the guy explains that he’s mastering with his IN 8s over his Barefoots. It seems like most monitors between 500-1500 a piece are favored by personal opinion

@@zackbrunelle7945 I saw that video about the barefoots being ditched. I’ll take them.

@@streamermixtapes I would think the same thing. Dude said he repped out 300 masters in a single month though. Gotta be significant. A few I’m looking at are Zenpro mod HS8, APS Klasik, Eve Sc series. I’m most likely going to get a pair of Eve sc208s. I’ve read that the IN 8s are a little too warm to be surgically accurate. I’l take cleaner separation over a ‘more pleasant listening experience’ any day. I’m trying to make clean ass music, not sit in my 200k listening room and fall asleep listening to classical strings and horns. The SC208s be a little big for my room but i’m DIYing some bass traps with rockwool from acoustimac

you can still buy the nods from the company just google them zenpro audio

My pleasure! Thanks for watching :)

My pleasure! Thanks for watching! Definitely check em' out if you can!

Hey Daniel! Being a 8” monitor you will certainly have more low end “OMPH” over the 6” LP6’s! (Which I hear are plenty good however!) It sounds like you either may be getting some bass build up in the far-end of your space. And/or the monitor positioning needs changing due to speaker boundary interference. I also used to have a rough time hearing clarity and low end in general- until I moved my monitors off my desk/console bridge, and/or put them closer to the front walls. (I know, a thing that is often spoke as sacrilege by many! Lol) However, this advice is actually commonly recommended by professional acousticians. What does your room look like if you don’t mind me asking? (Any acoustic treatment/ bass traps in the corners?)

Hey Davon, thanks for watching! In this case- I’d go for the Kali’s all the way! 👌🏻🔥

Yo! No problem, thanks for tuning in! You'll find the Zenpro's will certainly provide all the clarity and top-end detail you could ask for. And I've personally always had a blast mixing on them! Of course, that's a super subjective thing in itself. For example - What's fun to me is being able to quickly and accurately make my moves without thinking or worrying about what the monitors are doing. So I can then, have more fun experimenting with sounds, really dial in a mix, and just generally feel confident in knowing that what I hear is exactly what I'm going to get! (considering the acoustic space of the room is decent) So I guess, to me, they are the tool that allows me to have the fun I want - if that makes sense. Of course, the immersion factor alone thanks to their detail and top-end clarity, makes things a bit more exciting IMHO! :)

That's great to hear! Fun, and ease of use for intentioned results, is essential! I really do value detail and top-end clarity. I think I'll give a go purchasing them when I move into my new home and set-up my studio. Time to build / buy some acoustic panels, a carpet, a new audio interface + microphone as well. Exciting!

Hey Evan! Yeah man, of course! So the HS8's are a 2-way monitor, and most 2-way monitors are non-coincident; meaning they have their sound sources (typically a single tweeter and woofer) separated, along with a specific crossover range that is developed specifically per-monitor for the most accurate listening positions possible. Now, with a coaxial/coincident monitor design, you essentially eliminate this variable all together. Because, the woofer/driver and the tweeter are "nested" together so they come from the same point of sound (instead of being separated). This makes it possible for the monitor to be placed on it's side with no problem. Then there's only crossover in 3-way designs, due to the bass woofer being separated from the mid-driver/tweeter section! However, because bass frequency response is slower and wider- there's far less phase issues when using them on their sides- in fact most are designed with that position in mind! Although, I found that the IN-8's do have an exception to the above.... There's still a VERY subtle shift in low-end when on their sides. To me, it becomes slightly less focused/punchy. I assume, this is most likely due to them using the same 2-way body/port design as the LP-8 and converting it into a 3-way monitor. Otherwise, it'd probably be spot on! FWIW, as much as I aesthetically prefer horizontal monitors, out of these two options, i'd still currently go with the Zenpro HS8's and use some angled iso stands, so that the tweeters point towards your ears. (you can also use 2-way monitors upside down, with no issue, if it's more convenient- but its not always the most pleasing to look at, understandably!) Worth mentioning, the new Focal Alpha Evo Twin's just dropped- those look promising, but I have no idea how they sound haha Hope this helps! :)

Fantastic question! I'm fairly certain that it's the limiter on the Kali's that compress the soundstage (particularly in the low end.) Years back when I had a factory pair of HS8's they had a VERY similar thing happening in their low-end. (Although, the Kali's would have beat the factory HS8's though!) I'm not sure it anyone's modded the Kali's yet- or if it's even possible to disable the limiter in those. But i'd be curious to know if it opens the monitor up more or not! Cheers!

The kali has a highpass limiter at higher volumes by design

Indeed! Most monitors have limiters for such reasons. Although, from my findings- the limiting process itself, seems to be an important detail in what separates different monitor designs and their costs. In the case of the Kali's- there is some form of band compression, even at low volumes, always audible as a result of their safety limiter circuit.

I didn't encounter any crackling in the low-end on mine! I'd definitely reach out to Kali Audio, if you haven't already- and see if they could help. They were super helpful anytime i've hit em' up!

Nice! I’d definitely go for the Zen Pro HS8’s if you want more clarity and detail. The imaging is really great on both monitors- but there is no comparison when it comes to depth, clarity, and detail 🙌🏻 Although, some might find them TOO detailed and distracting… But that tends to be a subjective “salty vs sweet” kinda thing. 🤙🏻

Without listening directly, I can only go off reviews (sound on sound for example); but from that data- Id conclude that both the Kali IN8's and the HS8's would both be better contenders than the FX 80's. I hear about the Fluid's being noisier and also having a hyped bottom end. Both are things the Yamaha's and Kali's don't struggle with as much. That said, it's a great design and works effectively well if you can calibrate or work past those other flaws.

@@methodofkolishin Thanks!

Correct! 3-Way monitors like the Kali's are generally good to go on their sides (unless specifically designed and stated otherwise.)

I've seen NS-10s in horizontal positions and I have a pair of NS-10 clones made by Avantone and they are designed to be used in horizontal position. These are 2-way monitors that reveal the mids and highs nicely. A sub is needed for the low-end sub bass.

They were not!

Was it a close comparison or was the zenpro a lot better ?

I’m looking at a pair of focal alpha twin evos but not sure how much they cheaped out?

I've heard good things about the Evos, but haven't listened to them. Personally though, if in doubt, go with the Zen Pro HS8's. @@waldowsxxghostxx8577

If you can’t get the Zen Pro mod editions of the HS8’s, then I’d personally go for the Kali’s. The HS8’s require the mod in order to really come alive, IMO. The Kali’s on the other hand, are better out of the box.

Their mod includes disabling the limiter, replacing the op-amps with Burr Brown op-amps, and replacing the electrolytic capacitors with ones with a lower ESR (resistance) level. There isn't much out there for a DIY tutorial or anything. However, there is a decent video on the limiter side of things: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-V-jFU7pYXIE.html

What are your thoughts?

how did it go? what do you think?

They provide the brotherly kinda warmth. 👌🏻