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

At the heart of the Kali Audio LP-6 is a powerful Class-D amplifier. This integrated amp ensures clean and reliable power, optimised to provide the best performance for the HP-6. The speaker provides you with 40W of power for the 6.5-inch woofer. Since I reviewed them I’ve had numerous requests to look at their entry level range. Project ‘Lone Pine’ consists of two models, the LP-6 and LP8. Now in their second wave ‘V2’ iterations, the model number designates the size of the midbass driver (six and eight inches respectively), but otherwise the two share a similar feature set. Naturally the LP8s have a slightly larger cabinet, approximately two inches (50 mm) taller and 1 inch (25 mm) wider and deeper, and 1.5KG heavier. title=More%20Expert%20Tech%20Roundups&type=articles%2Cvideos&tags=tech-roundup&count=6&columnCount=6&theme=article Starting on the right, the filter at 965 Hz reduced some of harshness and opened the sound a bit. Bass was shy so I dialed up the 70 Hz broad filter. That filled in the bass quite nicely with no increase in distortion.

The LP-6s deliver a sound that punches well above their price point. If you were to blind test them against speakers a lot higher in price tag, I’m pretty sure you’d be surprised as how well they stand up. Similarly, if you were to do the same against monitors at their price point, I think they’d stand head and shoulders above them.

The Listening Window is a spatial average of the nine amplitude responses in the ±10º vertical and ±30º horizontal angular range. This encompasses those listeners who sit within a typical home theater audience, as well as those who disregard the normal rules when listening alone. Contrary one of quietest OEM amps in general with highest dynamic range are Class-D modules from Hypex, IcePower.. (those are being used in more expensive monitors)Mike Doughty’s vocal stylings on Soul Coughing’s Screenwriter’s Blues fit perfectly between the instrumentation without any of his words being covered or obscured. The thud of the bass drum is nice and round while the high hat sparkles behind him. Bass and synth show off the width of the soundfield that the LP-6 provides. The high end can get a little forward, so some might want to bring the HF trim down 2 dB. It certainly mellows it out a bit without losing the sparkle. Purchasing Guide Kali Audio was formed in January 2018, but despite their youth, they are already establishing themselves as one of the leading brands within the affordable home studio market. You can expect pro-grade audio from their LP Series studio monitors. 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. This means that anywhere within that listening distance, you can listen for long periods of time at reference volume, and momentary peaks such as bass drops or explosion effects will come through clearly and with minimal distortion. The LP-6 has enough output for most 1-2 person setups, and the LP-8 can handle larger setups easily. Full output specifications, along with maximum listening distances, can be found in our user’s manual.

I mainly use them with my modeler (FAS FM9) for playing guitar and bass, listening to my recordings/music (FM9 as an interface) and mixing (haven't spent much time doing that yet). I live in an apartment so we are talking about low to moderate volumes. Adjustments are provided for installations on stands or on desks close to a wall (within 0.5 m) or against a wall (as close as possible allowing for cables). There are also curves for placement on a sole bridge or on a desktop with stands or purpose-built studio desk with monitor platforms. The below graphic indicates just how much SPL is lost (compression) or gained (enhancement; usually due to distortion) when the speaker is played at higher output volumes instantly via a 2.7 second logarithmic sine sweep referenced to 76dB at 1 meter. The signals are played consecutively without any additional stimulus applied. Then normalized against the 76dB result. The fast roll‑off above 120Hz or so is partly a measurement artefact and partly the bass driver’s low‑pass crossover filter doing its job. What isn’t an artefact, however, is the sharp dip in the response at around 43Hz: that’s the port resonance locally reducing the driver output. So we know now that the port is tuned to 43Hz which, while being a relatively low frequency for such a compact system is also, coincidentally, close to bass guitar bottom E (41.2Hz in concert pitch). In some respects having the port tuned in such a musically significant region is a good thing, in that it reduces the workload of the bass driver. At the same time, however, the port tuning frequency is likely to be the point at which low‑frequency latency is most significant, and similarly, where port distortion and compression effects will be most apparent. Part of the skill in electro‑acoustics, especially on a tight budget, is knowing how best to manage this kind of compromise. Response is very good with some resonances around 1 kHz. There is also a bit of reduction in level/shelving in bass response.Focal’s Alpha 65 brings you a 6.5” woofer and a 40-22,000 Hz frequency response. The frequency response of these monitors isn’t quite as wide as the other studio monitors on this list. However, sub frequencies should be handled by a subwoofer anyways, while the linear response of frequencies between 20-20,000 Hz is arguably more important than a speaker’s maximum frequency value. You can learn how to properly set up a studio subwoofer here.