KRK ROKIT MONITORS REVIEW
Posted on Fri 14 January 2011 in entries
Christmas has been and gone, so I'm sure you've enjoyed being subjected to the usual carol singers, cheesey songs on the radio, songs of praise on the TV, heavy wall shaking dubstep, and your little brothers jingle bells CD.
Wait...rewind a second, what was that? Heavy wall shaking dubstep???
At least, this is what you'll have experienced if Santa brought you that pair of legendary KRK speakers that you've been craving for so long!
KRK ROKIT G2 POWERED MONITORS - WHY ARE THEY SO POPULAR?
If heavy music is your thing, it is highly unlikely that you haven't at least heard of KRK monitors. In fact these speakers are just as popular with rock producers as they are with dance music producers! As well as owning a pair of Rokit 8s myself, they are the most commonly used make of studio monitor throughout all my friends, and it was my experience around numerous other home studios that tempted me to make them top of my purchase list when it came to building my own set-up.
So what makes the KRKs so appealing?
Reason 1: A friend once put it to me before I bought my own pair that 'although they do not possess the flattest frequency response of all monitors available on the market, the sound you hear out of the KRKs will be exactly how you hear it through your average club/gig speakers, where the bass end tends to be more pronounced'. And I do see (or should that be 'hear') exactly what he was saying! If you are mixing professionally for the radio and home stereo systems, then a more expensive pair of high-end speakers with a flatter frequency response should definitely be on your wishlist. But, if you're mixing your own songs mainly to burn them to CD/WAV format, and play them in clubs, then the KRKs are perfectly capable of achieving professional results!
Reason 2: KRKs are renowned for their low end frequency response. In fact, the KRK RP8 G2s have a rumblingly low end limit of 45Hz, the RP6 G2s are minutely more limited with a low end of 49Hz, and the modestly sized frame of the RP5 can still crank out bass down to 53Hz! This makes the KRKs highly useable even without a sub-woofer, although if you feel that your walls aren't shaking enough when you listen back to your mixes, you can always add a KRK 10S active sub-woofer to your set-up. Your Mum's Christmas hymns CD has never sounded so grimey!
Reason 3: Considering the quality of these products, they possess an exceptionally low price and so are ideal for budding young producers and performers to get their work to a standard that will be appreciated by the masses. In fact, they are even specified as being the most accurate monitors in their price range! I'm not sure if this has been scientifically proven, or is just a statement dreamed up by KRK to drive sales, but from my experience, I haven't heard anything better at their price, so it could well be true!
KRK ROKIT G2 POWERED MONITORS - LOVIN' THE CURVES!
I'm going to start by saying something that may sound crazy, but stick with me: the radically curved edges of KRK speakers actually make them sound better! Sounds like a load of rubbish when you say it like that, but I'm going to switch to science mode to explain why!
](https://www.absolutemusic.co.uk/search.php?search_query=krk+rp8)
It's all to do with diffraction, and how sound waves bend when they come into contact with differently shaped surfaces. Without going into all the hardcore acoustic physics, the heavily curved edges of the KRKs help channel sound waves in a way that reduces the diffraction effect, which results in a more accurate monitoring platform, and wider 'sweet spot' for the user. Compare this to traditional rectangular edged speaker cabinets, or speakers with slightly rounded edges, which reflect the original sound back from the speaker edges at different time intervals, creating a narrow, boxy sound, and it doesn't sound like such a silly claim after all now does it?
The KRKs also feature high-quality woofer and tweeter technology, with drivers, crossovers and amplifiers that are 'tuned for maximum performance'. This essentially gives the speaker an improved top end frequency response, increased articulation, better imaging, faster attack times, and less distortion. All good stuff!
KRK ROKIT G2 POWERED MONITORS - TWEETING AND WOOFING!
KRK monitors are constructed with a 1 inch Neodymium Soft Dome tweeter, which is less harsh than metal-domed tweeters and hence reduces listening fatigue as well as gifting your mixes a more natural sound. The cone woofer is built from Glass Aramid Composite, which maximises excursion performance without compromising reliability, and minimises distortion. From personal experience, the KRK woofers can be pushed a long way before they begin to show any signs of distortion at all. In fact, I once DJed at a party in a small basement, and the soundsystem was a pair of KRK Rokit 8s, and a 10S subwoofer! Whilst I would not recommend this application for them, it proved to me just how far they can be pushed! The speakers were pumping out loud deep bassy music until the early hours and the sound quality remained exceptional!
KRK monitors also feature a recessed high frequency waveguide, which functions by directing sound outwards, away from the speaker cabinet. Monitors with less highly thought out designs usually direct sound along the plane of the cabinet, where waveforms are at risk of interacting, resulting in phase problems, increased diffraction, and ultimately a less accurate mix.
"KRK knows a properly engineered high frequency waveguide is a critical component to great sound, and one key to our award winning performance".
It's details like this that ensure the KRKs remain a highly competitive choice for studio monitors in their price range.
KRK ROKIT G2 POWERED MONITORS - CHECK OUT THAT REAR!
And it's not just the front of the KRKs that have been designed with professional usability in mind. The back of the cabinet features a selection of recesses for RCA, 1/4" (balanced/unbalanced) jack and XLR connections. So whatever setup you are running and whatever cables you possess, you should find it easy to get up and running with the KRKs.
](https://www.absolutemusic.co.uk/search.php?search_query=krk+rp8)
The back of the speaker also features 2 dials. The high frequency level control can be used to fine tune the output of the KRK monitor to suit your particular working environment, by controlling the high frequency content of the output (which is most commonly affected by room acoustics). The second dial is an Input Gain control, ranging from +6dB to -30dB, meaning you can simply adjust this control to bring the output down to a comfortable listening level, rather than adjusting any of your mix settings on your other hardware or software units.
KRK ROKIT G2 POWERED MONITORS - BASS PORTS
And finally a word on the bass ports, which are found on the fronts of the speaker cabinets so as to guard against bass coupling and reflections with walls (which can be a problem with rear-firing bass ports). The bass ports of the KRKs have been scientifically designed with ultra precision to form a shape that reduces port turbulence, whilst clearly and naturally adding to the low frequency sound reproduction, and channeling sound out towards the user.
The KRK RP5 G2 Rokit studio monitors are the smallest in the KRK Rokit series, but that doesn't mean that they don't pack a punch!
The specifications for the KRK RP5 monitor is as follows:
• Drivers: Woofer: 5" Glass Aramid Composite Woofer
• Tweeter: 1" Neodymium Soft Dome Tweeter with Ferro Fluid
• Input: XLR (3-pin), RCA & 1/4" TRS - 10k Ohm, Balanced / Unbalanced
• Amplification: HF: 15 Watts/LF: 30 Watts
• Freq Response: 53Hz - 20kHz (+/- 2 db)
• Video Shielding: Yes
• Dimensions: (H x W x D) - 10 7/8" x 7 1/4" x 8 7/8" - 27.6cm x 18.5cm x 22.5cm
• Weight: 13.8 lbs (6.3 Kg)
The KRK RP6 G2 Rokit studio monitors are the middle of the road products in the Rokit series, and are slightly larger than the RP5's, incorporating a larger woofer. The RP6 specifications are as follows:
• Drivers: Woofer: 6" Glass Aramid Composite Woofer
• Tweeter: 1" Neodymium Soft Dome Tweeter with Ferro Fluid
• Input: XLR (3-pin), RCA & 1/4" TRS - 10k Ohm, Balanced / Unbalanced•*
• Amplification: HF: 18 Watts/LF: 50 Watts
• Freq Response: 49Hz - 20kHz (+/- 1.5 db)
• Video Shielding: Yes
• Dimensions: (H x W x D) - 12 11/16" x 8 7/8" x 10 1/2" - 32.1cm x 22.5cm x 26.6cm
• Weight: 19.6 lbs (8.9 Kg)
Introducing the Daddy of all the KRK Rokit monitors, the KRK RP8 G2! These monitors are larger than the RP6's with a larger woofer, and as such can also be cranked up louder, and possess an increased bass response. The RP8 specifications are as follows:
• Drivers: Woofer: 8" Glass Aramid Composite Woofer
• Tweeter: 1" Neodymium Soft Dome Tweeter with Ferro Fluid
• Input: XLR (3-pin), RCA & 1/4" TRS - 10k Ohm, Balanced / Unbalanced
• Amplification: HF: 20 Watts/LF: 70 Watts
• Freq Response: 45Hz - 20kHz (+/- 1.5 db)
• Video Shielding: Yes
• Dimensions: (H x W x D) - 15" x 10 7/16" x 12" - 38.1cm x 26.5cm x 30.4cm
• Weight: 26.1 lbs (11.8 Kg)
The KRK 10S is the perfect compliment for any KRK monitor set-up. Although the surprisingly deep bass response of the individual monitors will allow you to produce a final mix to a high standard, if you feel that your studio isn't vibrating enough with the pumping bass, then the 10S is sure to sort this out for you! The KRK 10S is designed to allow you to hear a clear representation of the sub frequencies that your standard monitors can't reproduce, giving you a full frequency spectrum to play with in your mix.
The KRK 10S features the sleek curves of its Rokit Powered partners, along with the front firing bass port. Plus, the KRK 10S also features all the same connections (RCA, 1/4" jack, and XLR), so set-up is simple! The KRK 10S even features a sweepable 50Hz-130Hz low pass filter, which is a great addition if you want to tune the 10S to fit in with your specific monitor set-up (you don't HAVE to use it with KRKs!) The 10S also features a bypass footswitch control, which allows you to disable and enable the sub as and when required, and provide a full range of audio to your recording monitors.
The KRK 10S specifications are as follows:
• 225 Watt (peak) Powered Subwoofer for Studio Use
• SPL: 110dB Music and 113dB Peak
• Frequency Response: 34Hz – 50Hz to 130Hz Variable
](https://www.absolutemusic.co.uk/krk-10s-active-studio-subwoofer.html)
KRK ROKIT G2 POWERED MONITORS - SUMMARY
To be honest, there isn't much more I can say about the KRKs. If you haven't been tempted by what I've already told you then these monitors probably aren't for you. Personally, I rate them very highly, especially at such a competitive price. As I've already mentioned, they are especially suited to dance and rock producers, who's music is going to get boomed out over a large soundsystem to drive a crowd wild, although saying this, they are also an excellent all round speaker, for a great price! If you like everything I've said so far, or are just curious and want to learn more, the Rokit 5s , Rokit 6s and Rokit 8s are all on show and available for demonstration in our Poole store. I'm confident that once you hear them, you'll also be bitten by the KRK bug!
(Check our Youtube channel for more videos of me looking over each speaker! They are basically all the same but give you an idea of how big each one is!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7X63s1Q-H0
For more information on any KRK monitor, click the relevant link below or give us a call on 01202 597180.
KRK RP5 G2 (Single) - More Info/Buy
KRK RP5 G2 (Pair) - More Info/Buy
KRK RP5 G2 (Pair) With Auralex MoPADs Bundle - More Info/Buy
KRK RP5 G2, 10S Sub & Auralex MoPADs Bundle - More Info/Buy
KRK RP6 G2 (Single) - More Info/Buy
KRK RP6 G2 (Pair) - More Info/Buy
KRK RP6 G2 (Pair) with Auralex MoPADs Bundle - More Info/Buy
KRK RP8 G2 (Single) - More Info/Buy
KRK RP8 G2 (Pair) - More Info/Buy
KRK RP8 G2 (Pair) with Auralex MoPADs Bundle - More Info/Buy
KRK RP8 G2 (Pair) with Ergo Room Correction and MoPADs Bundle - More Info/Buy
KRK 10S Active Subwoofer - More Info/Buy
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