Ex-JBL crew Kali Audio intros LP-6 & LP-8 budget studio monitors
4,7 / 5,0 | 
Founded by former JBL Pro personnel, SoCal startup Kali Audio announced a very intriguing pair of studio monitors as its debut offering. The Project Lone Pine speakers start at USD 150 for the 6.5-inch model and have some nice properties for their price class like the front-firing, low-noise port tubes and a range of EQ settings. Other notable features for this price point are the elaborate waveguides and 1.5-inch voice coils as well as the “largest in class” magnets.
Kali Audio claims a frequency response of 45Hz to 21kHz (+/- 3dB tolerance) for the LP-6 6.5-inch variant. According to Kali’s Director of Acoustics, Charles Sprinkle, the large drivers help deliver “punch and clarity” throughout the entire frequency chart. With its 40W + 40W Class D power amps, the LP-6 is capable of 85dB continuous output measured at 2 meters, Kali Audio says.
Both models have boundary compensation EQs and accept XLR, TRS & RCA inputs. Look for the Kali Audio LP-6 to start shipping in the USA in September, with the LP-8 coming a little while after. The LP-6 could be a killer budget speaker at this price, especially knowing that the team behind it has expertise working on JBL Pro’s 3- & 7-series studio monitors.
Hopefully, availability will expand outside the USA eventually. JBL’s LSR 305 sells at around USD 125 apiece and they are excellent speakers for the price, though they are obviously 5-inchers and Kali is selling a 6.5-incher so you get additional oomph for the money. Furthermore, we haven’t come across a pair of sub-USD 200 speakers with front firing ports, 6.5-inch woofers, and boundary EQs. While there are cheaper alternatives that are smaller or omit some of the features like the front ports and EQ compensation, the combination in Kali’s monitors appears unmatched for now.
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