@@kaliaudio I would love to! Let me know what you need from me. You can email me at matt@mattcitrano.com if that's a better mode of communication for you.
Just an addendum to this review (or a few things to consider). The LP-6's are huge for what they are. They take a much bigger footprint than most other 6" monitors. If you're down on space it's something to think about. These are more susceptible to RF interference (likely due to using class D amps.) At the end of this video, I can hear some RF interference going on. Most of these noise problems can be mitigated by using balanced connections from the interface to the monitors. 1/4" 'stereo' (balanced) to XLR will work for most interfaces and most good interfaces should have balanced outs. You can also use 1/4" to 1/4 so long as they're 'stereo' or 'balanced'.
@@denizenofclownworld4853 If I go higher on the price point will powered monitors come with better amps? That hum / hiss of the LP6 is the only con and it’s unfortunate since it ticks all the boxes otherwise
I don’t usually write comments, well I think I posted 5 comments in 10 years. Keep up the good work and I wanted to tell you that there is a sincere approach in the way you do things that sets you apart from the other people that review stuff. My 2 cents. All the best!
By far one of the best reviews you given...you know how to explain the details in mixing vocals and why the one brand is more usefull then the other. Thanks for that
Such a well balanced and detailed review. Your video was super helpful with my studio monitor shopping. Fairly certain I'm going with the Kali LP6. Thank you.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! The LP6s are genuinely quite great for the money! I was definitely surprised by them and can’t wait to see more stuff from Kali over time.
@@MattCitrano Great video. I've had LP6s since they first came out in 2018. I had a set of HS5s when I first moved from my work studio to home studio and I couldn't get anything out of them that translated. I've got three Avantone Mixcubes that I use for my mids (Stereo and mono). I'm getting ready to upgrade and I'm still on the fence between the IN5 and IN8s.
You're review was great, very concise explanation and accurate portrayal of both monitors... I have never had the LP6's but have heard them and was incredibly impressed with them... I have the IN-8 2nd Waves and the Kali 12" Sub and love them to death... I went from my beloved Yamaha HS8's to them and while I was also sad about replacing the HS8's (as they're very good, well balanced speakers I've made some great mixes on) the Kali's IN-8's sound like the rooms in Acustica Audio's Sienna plugin for headphone emulation of very nice high end studios, the sibilance was clear I hadn't done enough from mixes done on my HS8's, but I also have a second pair of Yamaha's (no longer available sadly) the MSP7's which are a step up from the HS series, but I wouldn't say as clear as the IN-8's... All in all Kali are incredible and I always love to hear what other reviewers say in their videos about them, the only thing I noticed on my Kali IN-8's and you may have noticed this on you LP6's, is you really need to crank the volume on them to get them as loud and volume matched as other speakers... I did send an email to Kali about this and they were so prompt in replying (awesome service from Kali and their agents by the way) in stating that this line of speaker does need more boosting, and best not to turn the overall volume knob up on the back of the speaker, but to use your volume knob on your monitor controller / switcher (I have a few sets of speakers for referencing, and switch between them, initial mix on a mono Auratone cub, then on to MSP7 which used to be my HS8s, then up to IN8 with and switch between Kali 12" sub, which used to be my MSP7 and HS8S 8" sub, what I love about the Kali sub is it has a foot switch that Yamaha didn't, so you can quickly and easily switch between the sub in and out) but to get them all volume matched, I needed more volume for the Kali's to get a seamless switch over point, but they do go very loud if you push them and the frequency response on my IN8's are basically flat down to 50hz and -6db at 38hz, but they extend way further down, if you add a sub to the picture (a 12" Kali in my case and I was nervous going to such a large sub from an 8" HS8S Yamaha that I had paired with my Yamaha MSP7's beforehand) I get flat down to 25hz and about -6db at 20hz very usable, tight, accurate bass (I did initially have the HS8 and HS8S sub working together and while they were great, they seemed a little soft and flabby in their bass, when I matched the HS8S with my MSP7's however, I got a very nice response flat down to about 28hz and -6db at 22db and that worked beautifully, so for smaller studio space maybe you could match the LP6 with a smaller sub like Yamaha HS8S, I know they're not made for each other, but neither were the MSP7 and HS8S, but they paired beautifully after some moving them around and tweaking them with Sonarworks and crossover points etc)... A little more detailed and fuller sounding the IN8's are with their 12" sub, but by no means do you need a sub for the IN8's (I just love sub bass and my room can handle it)... Thanks for your detailed review, as before I purchased mine, I couldn't get much information from anywhere so really appreciate reviews like yours to help others make purchasing decisions.
Great review. My friend has HS5, and they, as expected, lack some bass I would like to hear. I switched from KRK RP6 G3 to these Kali LP6 and I was blown away with how much clearer and wider they sound. It was like my speakers were covered with a blanked and positioned one next to each other, and Kalis just opened all that up.
@@shirmusic134 They do have a nice low end, but I always check it on headphones as well. LP8 would be more suited if you need more bass. Also, of course, your room plays a big role when it comes to low end. You may think the speakers lack 50-60Hz, when really your position and room acoustics cancel out at those frequencies... I've had that problem.
@@Leopardipzg I get Great mixes but I’m also Using HS8S as well so idk I’m gonna keep my HS8S and replace the G4 with Focal Twins only 500$ each and they Sound nice and Flat like My HA8s😎
I'll join in and say this video is much better than what I expected. I'm currently considering one of these 2 pairs. This helped a lot and made me decide to buy the LP-6s. Would've liked to see some more B-Roll, and maybe be a little more to the point with stuff, but I'm a nitpicky dumbass. This was awesome, please make more. subbed.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment Drew! I hope you enjoy your LP6s. As of right now, it looks like they even went down in price a bit! So it's great time to buy. I hope to make more soon :)
I got my LP6's two weeks ago and they are absolutely phenomenal for the price range. I checked the hs7's but i'd need additional woofer for them as i work with bass heavy music. About the Kali's.. YES , they do have hiss but when u put them on a proper distance of 2-2,2m away from you , the hiss becomes unnoticeable. Always read the manual :D ! Other than that i love working with them for many hours without my ears getting tired. An issue i had with HS7 in another studio environment. To sum up ..i highly highly recommend the Kali Audio LP6's , you will love them for a reason! Yamaha is dope but with a woofer.
The headphones comment you made helped me make my mind up, I almost bought the lp6 when they first came out but just never did, then again was about to get the 8in lp8 recently. But I really want a smaller speaker than what I have now, I've been on the Mackie hr824s for like 10+ years now and wasn't sure if either wld be any better. But I always have to check a few things on my headphones when mixing (which I think I will always do atleast a little for the low end and background details). Sometimes I get a little muddy on the Mackies if I'm not careful about monitoring the mids.
Wow! You should have more subscribers. Quality review with great content! I am in that well known process of picking out the right monitors on a budget. I finally decided on the LP 6 from Kali Audio. Most reviews I have seen about them is saying it's the best monitors in that price range. I hope I'm right in my decision. Great channel and great stuff. Keep it up :) I'm definitly subscribing!!
It’s certainly the best I’ve heard in the price range! And punches well above too. I’m so glad you found it helpful! And your words mean a lot, thank you so much!
I have had the lp6 v2 for about 6 months and I just cant get the bass to translate right. I bought a used pair of hs 7's and did my own shootout. For the purpose I am using them for I will be keeping the yamaha's. I mainly play a helix through them.
Very nice video. Glad you're not a sound physicist, like the rest of us. I have the LP-6s and have had no issues. My only issue is should i go for the V2 of the LP-6s. Looks like you have a KORG Minilogue too. Nice. :-)
Wow! Thank you so much for this review Matt. I just ordered myself a pair of the LP6's to replace my KRK Rokit 6's which have been discontinued. I was debating to get either the Yamaha's HS5 or these LP6's. I chose the latter. Time will tell how well these hold up.
@@ZacSpyrakis No issues at all so far. They're better than my KRK's. I like the fact that the bass port is towards the front and these speakers sit literally 2-3 inches from my wall.
One of the most honest and clearly informative reviews I ever watched. have you reached out to Kali asking the Noise thing? do they have any word for it?
It's related to the amplifier if I am informed correctly. With the 2nd wave of the IN series they brought down the noise floor of the speaker by 12dB. So I'm hoping we can eventually see the same for the LP6! It doesn't bother me most days but I would recommend keeping them farther away from your ears.
interestingly in terms of placement you should try and get them as close to a wall as possible as this pushes the reflections up the frequency band and out of the bass range which is easier to absorb.
I have exactly the same noise issue with my HS7s. However it seems to go away once the speakers warm up. Might dismantle them one day and check the capacitors, I expect that’s the issue. Overall love the Yamahas though like you I have to place them very close to the wall and corners. Bass can be a bit overwhelming but the switches help. Great review so might look into the LP6s if I ever change them.
Great video. I've had a pair of LP-6 and just love 'em. Would recommend them unquestionably, at the price point. Side by side with a pair of Adam Audio T5V.
@@JohnJones-yw3dm Hey there. I really like them both. The high end of the T5V seems a bit more defined with the ribbon tweeters and the mid range of the LP-6 seems a bit more "forward", so I check my mix on both pairs. Are the T5V worth $100 more than the LP-6? I'm not sure. But still at a great price point regardless.
I have a pair of LP-6 monitors, & I honestly don't hear any hiss... Maybe its my interface blocking it, I'm not sure. Sound wise they are amazing sounding monitors.... Also if you add a sub its game over....
People have been talking about the problem you said and hiss problems with kali monitors but alot of people have said they bought power conditioners and it fixed everything.
Damn, really well done review. I wish this had shown up a couple months ago when I was researching the LP6s as I probably would have bought them sooner lol. Kali recently came out with an updated version of the LP6s, hopefully without the hiss/static. Have you tried or heard anything about them?
I can confirm I have the V2's and they have hiss as well. Im not sure how bad they were on the V1 but its not so bad. A little disappointing though I must say
Finally got a video out on the V2’s! They are significantly better noise-wise than the V1’s. I never notice them. You have to put you ear right up against the tweeter to hear any semblance of noise, which is a great place to be at!
Just bought mine today and I second this. The hiss was disappointing to hear as V2 is supposed to address that issue but I had to put my ear next to the tweeter almost touching it with my ear to notice it.
I appreciate your efforts on our behalf, very helpful. Do you use a lower range subwoofer with the LP6's? If so which one. Also, are the LP8's "better"? Your experience is respected.
I don’t have a subwoofer currently. I haven’t used them in a controlled setting, but the LP8’s offer slightly more low-end reach and primarily offer more clarity due to lower distortion with the larger woofer size.
You forgot that with the front ported box the port resonances also be presented in your face. Generally I rather have the port at the back (sealed + sub would be ideal) and at 50Hz port tuning, the bass is omnidirectional. Usually spkrs which are more revealing are tiring after a while, a lot of metal cone midwoofers might do this and crossover design is very important to keep cone resonances down so they don't add their flavor to the sound. On the other hand, it would be nice to have a few spkrs and headphones (yeah just a few pairs of each) to check your mixes on.
Yes, great point! I actually didn’t know this was a thing until doing some research on the ASR forums and seeing how much that came up. I do notice with the LP6s that some frequencies in the low-mids if I’m not mistaken seem a bit weirdly accentuated at times (my room also could do with more treatment), but I think some of that may be related to port resonances. I want to check out some sealed speakers eventually!
@@MattCitrano Stuff some foam or even socks into the ports and check if you like it. It will attenuate the ports output and change the low freq slope into something more shallow. But you might be missing the low bass - just if you want to try some experiment.
I looked at ASR - freq resp looks good, yeah the port adds flavour, but might also let through resonances present inside the enclosure, maybe more stuffing will cure some of it and clean the midrange. Most manufacturers put as little of it as they can, I used Roxul with good effect. Depending on the cone material used the resonances around 1k might also be caused by 'cone edge'/surround resonance. But without measurement without crossover I can't tell you exactly. I like that they crossed tweeter in shallow guide low to match woofers directivity and time alignment. Very good measuring spkrs indeed. Best of luck. PS: try 3/8 inch foam, or something porous to absorb/disperse, covering the port - it might kill the resonances without killing the port output too much.
I have the HS7 and I'm in quite a problematic room... Maybe i should change them to a pair of LP6s... Or have both. Thanks a lot for s great review. Subscribed :)
In the research I did for this review I found that they are quite touchy speakers; sound has many ways of changing and reflecting, but on the HS7s, they actually have a measured tendency for vertical reflections to make a big difference. I noticed with mine that getting them further from my desk made a weirdly noticeable difference. With that said, I would still highly recommend getting a pair of LP6s too! If you’ve learned the sound of the HS7s well, they may be good companion speakers for you. I still have mine.
@@MattCitrano Thank you, that was very helpful suggestions for the HS7. I'll do some experimenting with stands! I just have them on foam now right on the desk. Again, appreciate the feedback! 👍
Thanks for the great video- very helpful. The original LP6's (V1) have come down in price- do you think there is a great enough difference between V1 and V2 that it would justify paying the extra $80 per speaker?
I think if you will have the speakers fairly close to you that the price difference would be justified - the lack of noise from the V2’s is much nicer, especially when compared side-by-side with the V1’s. I’m currently working on a comparison between the two which will highlight some other small differences but I would personally recommend the V2’s. The V1’s are still fantastic and if you wanted to go with those first I think you’d still be very happy with them at an appropriate distance.
I have this issue when I play guitar on HS7 and HS8 and I hit a guitar note C# or 140HZ frequency on multiple different guitars were I get this after boomyness can figure it out ! Rest of the guitar notes done do it.
This is probably from your room, especially from a floor-to-ceiling reflection. Many rooms will have resonance in that part of the frequency spectrum when untreated.
Hi, thanks, great comparison. Might be just what I need to help me pull the trigger. On another note, how much better do you think the IN series would be. Is it worth the price difference. Here in India there is no option to demo the speakers, so I will have to purchase them blind.
My best friend has the IN-8’s. They’re incredible, and would be dangerously amazing in a well-treated room (especially now with the second wave with a lower noise floor).
@@MattCitrano Ah well, my room is untreated, well, mostly. But I am guessing form what you are saying that it might still be worth it. Thanks again for the reply!
Hi! About LP-6. Tell me, what happens if I connect one source to XLR and another source to RCA at the same time? Will I be able to switch between these sources using selector #8 at the back?
Balanced cable do help to ensure there is no extraneous noise, but this advice does not apply if the noise is still present without any audio cables plugged in.
Would it be a good idea to buy only one piece of speaker monitor. And buy the second piece after some time as it very expensive to buy a pair of studio monitors in my country.
Hi 😁 just subscribed ! Would the V2 LP6 or LP8’s be okay for my music room? It’s only about 10ft by 10ft in size… I do not do any recording or mixing, I just want to plug my keyboards into my Soundcraft Mixer (in stereo) then plug the mixer to the speakers… I also listen to RU-vid music and my normal WAVS and MP3’s, I’m asking all this because I just sold my Yamaha HS7’s, my keyboards sounded awful through them! very “mid” sounding and “boxy” My speakers have to go in the corner of my room, around 8 inches from the wall……. My maximum budget is £500 british MAX - any help would be great 👍🏻😊
I would recommend contacting Kali before consulting the RU-vid comment section. I do know they have a video on disabling the sleep mode altogether. But if this doesn't work for you, please contact them. They are generally kind and very helpful.
At what distance is the LP-6's hiss audible? I will listen at a 4.5 meter distance (14 3/4 feet). I will use them as LCR speakers in a 5.1 home theater, and some HS-5's as surrounds (as they will be alot closer and will need ro be really quite).
Kali is doing a 2nd wave of their products where besides the woofer/tweeter improvements they also lower the noise floor of their amps a ton, so they too recognize that it can be an issue.
what about hs8 vs lp6 i m currently sing jbl lsr 305 and just curious about upgrading them to a big size for the low end purpose just asking if u could help me on that a it being confused on hs8 vs kali lp6
That’s a bit of a tougher one. I really loved the HS8s and they will have much more low-end info than the HS7s and the LSR305 (as well as less distortion). As for those vs Kalis, it’s hard to say as I haven’t A/B’d the two. HS8 will have less hiss, and better fit and finish. They are still used widely by mixers I respect, but are a significantly older design (not inherently bad but worth noting). I have a feeling if you could get LP8s, you may be very happy with those as long as you had a big enough room to support them (and they would be generally better than the LP6s with less distortion all around). It’s a tough call but I hope that helps some. The best way to extend low range is really with some kind of a dedicated subwoofer wherever possible, that way the Speaker itself can focus more on the rest of the frequency range and have less upset trying to reproduce the sub frequencies.
i had this noize issues a lot. try a hum destroyer. remove LED lamps and their powerbriks. remove any lan over powerline adapters. try optical out from pc. test it with a phone or not charging laptop-
Thanks for your comment! The noise doesn’t get to me as much now, but I appreciate the feedback. I don’t know if the optical out or phone would help with troubleshooting as the issue is still present without an audio cable plugged in. I am excited to try the IN-8 2nd wave at some point as it seems they have improved the noise floor considerably on those monitors. Thanks for watching!
would you say the lp6 is missing the ammount of detail in the treble that is necessary for a good master? seems like the yamaha series has this saturation with the treble which ultimately gives you more treble detail, from the sound demos I heard online of the lp6 its missing that info entirely. The yamaha hs8 might be a compromise between both of the features you're looking for I think, its less topsy-turvy in the lower mids and bass.
Honestly I wouldn’t use either for professional mastering. As far as the treble is concerned, I actually have felt in my own experience that the LP6s are more detailed everywhere, including in the high end. The HS7s bring out more mid information in a way which clouds the detail elsewhere. I am still reviewing mixes I made on my HS7s and wondering how I made the choices I did, by comparison. Just one person’s take, obviously!
@@rsvp9816 I think for mixing and so many other things, both speakers are excellent (I think the LP6s are better), but whenever I hear mastering, that is certainly something that tends to be best done with some very high quality speakers in a very high quality room. That’s moreso for individuals paying you lots of money to master their music. If you are self-releasing and want things to sound good for distribution, you can go a long way with mastering with the right equipment/plugins (Ozone and Gulfoss are the first plugins that come to mind but there are many more).
@@MattCitrano I've been using ozone elements, eq and testing around with xfer ott(all free too, ozone was free last year), I think it has potential this combo. I just need speakers because I can make them sound good on MY speakers but everyone always says my mix is horrible, and after I while I begin to see it. right now im using creative t20's.
@@rsvp9816 Such is the never-ending peril of the musician. Everyone’s budget and needs are different. I don’t think Creative T20’s, while likely being great speakers for listening, will give you an accurate and flat enough response for mixing purposes. If you are on a budget, the LP6s are a no brainer to me for the money. They will serve you very well! If the LP6s are a bit much right now, I would recommend researching some headphones to use for mixing purposes. I have used the popular ATH-M50x for a while and enjoyed them, but am beginning to really like open-back headphones from Sennheiser. Good speakers will still require a decent room for accurate listening. Headphones can be more convenient in this way but are still not ideal as a complete solution.
was these the v1 lp6? thats the ones i have for backup hardly use em still use my krk rockit 7s. got yamaha hs8s about a year ago and didnt like the sound of them at all but i make hip hop so? lol
Cheap Capacitors bad shielding….. Incredible design….. Should be able to mod them to lower the noise floor…. Are You running a power conditioner of Any type? Is it grounded power coming from your walls?
Oh my God!! The static issue you had with Ben! I'm having the exact same issue with another brand, not Yamaha and nobody was able to explain what's happening. Only one of my monitors does that and it slowly fades away as the speaker has warmed up properly. If ANYBODY has any idea what to check or what is dying inside, I'd be super grateful!
I read somewhere else that the static might be caused by the radio wave from your WiFi router interfering with the speaker. I was not able to validate this claim myself though.
@@MrSmetanka Nope, nothing to do with that. Static is static and interference is interference... these are 2 distinct things unfortunately. Routers don't cause static, they cause periodically repeating "glitches".
Previously yes, but both either have already received or are currently receiving a "2nd wave" update which gets rid of the noise issue present in the 1st generation.
I wouldn't recommend them (Kali LP6), they have great low's and mind's, but they have problem with higher frequencies and almost no control over it and I have to turn volume knob to max and give more volume on the interface, they are very quite :/ I compared them side by side with PreSonus E5XT and E7XT and both of them sounds better overall. I think JBL 306 could be better either or buy some used HS8.
The first-generation LP6 had a noticeable hiss (you will see this mentioned in numerous reviews and forum discussions online). The hiss was present even if the speaker was turned on with no audio cables connected. As a result, Kali released a V2 of the LP6, LP8, and IN8, which dramatically reduced the hiss that was present.