I know all the yabba-dabba about Kalis. They are affordable, proper monitors of the modern age. I'm getting the chance to buy a pair for about 350 USD. Maybe I can pull the price down a little. They're a year old, burned-in and in excellent condition.

Of course, I'm tempted to buy them, but first I'd like to hear opinions of people who use or have used them. I'd like real-life experiences instead of Internet bloat.

Currently I'm using a pair of 1st-gen Samson Resolv 8 monitors. I know them well, I can make fast and solid mixing decisions, but I know they are not that revealing. I'm used to them, so that makes stuff easy.

Any opinions?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

friends of mine say they are black sheep being really bad,
but I'd say at their price point they're good bang for the buck,
though I'd personally never buy 2-way monitors again, using Kali IN-8 is so huge step up I'd rather save a bit more for at least Kali IN-5

 

i have the "first wave" kali LP6s. i like them and get good results with them. not sure i'd make them my exclusive monitoring option, but coupled with some headphones / correction software they're great reference. biggest pros for me were the price, the front porting, all of the dip switch options for room tuning, and the visual aesthetics

two negatives of note:

- i had an issue with the internal amplifier in my right monitor causing high frequency distortion, which started randomly a few months after purchase. customer support was really helpful and they replaced the amp for me free of charge. two of the cabinet corners got a bit dinged up upon return shipping which didn't make me very happy, but it is what it is

- they tend to hiss a bit more than i would prefer, but this is apparently something they've remediated with the "second wave" of LP6s

all in all i think they punch above their weight for the money

 

I use them every day and have for months. I cant gripe about anything. For their price point, I think they are about as good as one get. I tried out a few out at the music store and these sounded the best to me so I brought them home and have been satisfied. I think the 5 or 6 microscopic switches on the back to adjust response are far too tiny and need a different interface though.

 

for budget monitors they translate well, i have, i dont mix on them as my monitors are in a completely different league, but i have 11 of them in my bedroom with 2 rcf subs. i have a big room but they definitely fill out the room(close to 1000sq ft). could i use something better or actual home theater stuff sure, but an atmos setup for 3200 fully powered isn't easy. granted ive been in genelec and atc atmos setups but 1 speaker cost more than my whole setup! so im just fine with the average mans atmos setup. i would say if youre serious, save a little more for the in5's as far as music...but the lp6s can do... all depends on your room and skillset

 

350 bucks? They are 400 new!
Offer 200, set your max at 235.
Say this:
"I understand these speakers mean a lot to you, you kept them in good condition and they offer good value bla bla, be sympathetic. However, my budget is 200, is it impossible to let them go for that?"

 

As always with monitors you need to take time to get to KNOW them that goes for both cheap and expensive ones and you will get a good mix result when you know them really well.
So it always has some leanring curve at first with new monitors you probably will go ooh this sounds fantastic comapared to the old ones you had but after a while you start to hear thing differently.
And always remember that they use to mix on Yamaha NS10 which sounds awful they mixed on those even if they didnt sound good beacuse if they can get a mix to sound good on those it will sound good everywhere

I have often wanted to change my monitors as they are over 17 years old and i read about others that get good reviews but i KNOW my old monitors very well so why even bother to change them and start all over again?

 

Last edited: Nov 20, 2023