Looks like another winner from SoCal-based Kali Audio with its full-featured two-way, powered studio monitor that has an 8-inch woofer and 1-inch soft dome tweeter. Like the LP-6, both models feature their advanced 3-D Imaging waveguide, largest in-class magnets and voice coils, and a unique, front-firing, low noise port.
The LP-8 uses a 40-watt Class-D power amp with a built-in protective limiter with fast attack and release timings for the tweeter and a 60-watt amp for the woofer. The LP-8 measures 16.5 H x 10 W x 11.25 D inches and weighs about 20-pounds.
To customize them to the room they are operating within, the Kali Audio monitors have a built-in dip switch on the rear panel for adjusting the monitors to match the exact positioning (console top, stands, wall mounting) along with compensation switches for room boundaries--the nearby walls, floors and ceilings. There are also switches for your own preferred EQ settings and also on the rear panel are XLR, TRS, and RCA input jacks.
I replaced my multi-thousand dollar German monitors with the LP-8s on my monitor stands--the LP-8s have now made my subwoofer obsolete! I especially like that ALL the sound from the left and right mix is coming from the left and right LP-8 monitors only. Compared to the smaller Kali LP-6, 6.5-inch studio monitors (previously reviewed in these pages), I welcomed the increased dynamic range, low frequency extension, and overall output of this pair. I am enjoying using them now as my main monitors exclusively.
So big thumbs up from me on these LP-8s--I'm mixing music on them right now and bass-heavy genres like Hip-hop and EDM translate better than ever. The artists and producers I mix for are all very satisfied with the results.
An awesome choice for surround sound (ATMOS) setups, the LP-8s make for wonderful monitoring for film and video production. The LP-8s are $249 each, and is available for pre-order now at KaliAudio.com.
Barry Rudolph is a recording engineer/mixer who has worked on over 30 gold and platinum records. He has recorded and/or mixed Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hall & Oates, Pat Benatar, Rod Stewart, the Corrs and more. Barry has his own futuristic music mixing facility and loves teaching audio engineering at Musician’s Institute, Hollywood, CA. He is a lifetime Grammy-voting member of NARAS and a contributing editor for Mix Magazine. barryrudolph.com
