IK’s iLoud Micro Monitors stunned an industry. Producers and engineers at every level marveled at the performance coming from such a small setup, so IK challenged our team to push its concept even further - to design a new compact speaker to rival 5”, 6” and even 8” monitors. As to the question I raised on the interaction between the iLoud MTM EQ options and the use of ARC, the protocol is that the desk EQ option is unavailable when ARC is operational, however the other EQ options can still be engaged on top of the corrected response. This makes reasonable sense to me. The desk EQ option is effectively an acoustic correction that, if the monitor is desk mounted, ARC should provide, while the LF and HF EQ options are more a matter of personal taste.

iLoud MTM leverages IK’s two decades of DSP experience to offer a true phase-coherent response across the useful frequency spectrum, for unbelievably realistic, natural sound like you’ve never heard. Product names are used solely for the purpose of identifying the specific products that were studied during IK Multimedia’s sound model development and for describing certain types of tones produced with IK Multimedia’s digital modeling technology. This is a more expensive option, but will give you the best quality sound. A stereo DI box, like the Radial Pro D2, will convert an unbalanced audio signal into balanced, while eliminating hum and buzz caused by ground loops. Any signal entering the iLoud MTM is converted into digital format (48kHz, 32 bit), so it can be processed with IK Multimedia’s Physical Response Linearization (PRL) system. While the Precision 5 also performed admirably in the larger control room environment, they did feel a tad underpowered for the space. So, to give the Precision 5 a more accurate representation of a real-world room they’d typically be set up in, I decided to put them through the paces at my (much smaller) home studio. In Use: Project StudioTurn each monitor slightly inwards, so the tweeters are inline with your ears. The iLoud MTM monitors monitors also have a tilting base, so you can angle them upwards to point towards your ears. The DSP also optimises the phase response, making it a great feature to compliment the midwoofer-tweeter-midwoofer format that it derives the MTM name from. This is a speaker design perfected by Joseph D’Appolito in the 1980s, where the tweeter is placed between two mid-range drivers. Moving away from the sweet spot brought about the expected changes in phase and image clarity, but didn’t have much of an effect on the overall tone. And then there’s that ARC technology which might well make up for any room issues you have. Indeed, paying the extra on these monitors might mean you don’t have to pay for extra room acoustic treatment, perhaps helping to justify that four-figure price.

The rest of the response follows suit, with an incredibly balanced tonality throughout the spectrum. In some cases, monitors designed for ‘accuracy above all else’ can be clinical and often don’t make music fun to listen to—making you work harder for your mixes. While there is a place and need for those types of monitors, I think IK found a pleasant middle ground. While tuned for accuracy from head to toe, the Precision series models still translate the energy and excitement in the source material.Phase coherence. I had forgotten how much I love MTM designs (somewhat similar effect to coax speakers, but with significantly fewer negative side-effects IMHO). There's an immediacy to the transients, and a great sense of impact/punchiness. All these amazing features also make iLoud MTM the ideal monitors for today’s immersive studios. Learn more about how iLoud MTM is ideal for use with multichannel audio systems. On either side of the tweeter are two polypropylene 3.5″ mid-woofers. This creates the classic midwoofer-tweeter-midwoofer configuration, which tightens up the vertical dispersion, minimising desktop reflections. IK Multimedia’s two studio monitors, the iLoud Micro Monitor and the larger iLoud MTM have created quite a stir in the music industry due to the combination of diminutive size and accurate sound.