Kali Audio IN-8 2nd Wave: the studio monitor gets a nice update
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Kali Audio has announced the second wave of IN-8 studio monitors. The concept and design remain largely unchanged, but Kali Audio has made several significant improvements, including lower self noise, higher SPL, and substantially less distortion. The Kali Audio IN-8 2nd Wave monitor speakers are now ready for order.
Kali Audio IN-8 2nd Wave
Since the company’s debut in 2018, Kali Audio has received much praise for its studio monitors, including the LP-6, LP-8 and the first edition of the IN-8. After introducing the smaller IN-5 a couple of months ago, the manufacturer has decided that it was time to upgrade the IN-8 with their latest technology. It should be noted that the newer IN-5 already incorporates that technology and was part of the “2nd wave” from the start.
On the outside, the 2nd wave IN-8 speakers look almost the same as the earlier versions. They still sport an 8-inch LF woofer and concentrical 4-inch midrange and 1-inch HF drivers. But if you take a closer look, you’ll notice that the driver cones look a bit different. Kali Audio says that the new cones use less material, which increases their efficiency and results in a more consistent transient response.
Kali Audio IN-8 2nd Wave · Source: Kali Audio
The triple Class-D amplifier modules still deliver 140 watts in total: 60 watts for the lows and 40 watts each for the mids and highs. But within the amp modules lies one of the major improvements of the 2nd wave. Kali Audio has managed to reduce the amplifiers’ self noise by a whopping 12 dB, which is quite impressive. The manufacturer claims that the new speakers are “dead quiet” when they’re not being used.
While the frequency response remains the same (37 Hz – 25 kHz at -10 dB), Kali Audio has managed to squeeze an extra 3 dB of SPL out of the IN-8: 117 dB instead of 114 dB for the earlier versions.
The Kali Audio IN-8 2nd Wave monitors also come with an improved DSP, which allows for smoother high frequency tuning, the manufacturer says. They’ve also implemented a new tuning preset for horizontal placement.
Kali Audio says that all of these improvements result in a significant improvement of the total distortion of the speakers. The manufacturer claims that the new 2nd wave IN-8 has less than 0.3% of distortion above 400 Hz, compared to 1.1% on the older model.
And here’s the best part: Despite these substantial improvements, Kali Audio has managed to keep the price the same. The new IN-8 still retails for just under €400 apiece, which is great news.
Price and availability
The Kali Audio IN-8 2nd Wave is now available to order at Thomann.de* for €399 apiece. The speakers should begin to ship in a couple of weeks.
More information
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2 responses to “Kali Audio IN-8 2nd Wave: the studio monitor gets a nice update”
Wish manufacturers would stick to a +/-3dB measurement. -10dB is a farce of a number.
”Kali audio in5” has too the second wave version?