The entire line of new KRK/Gibson ROKIT Generation 3 two-way active monitors have more than just cosmetic upgrades—but I do like the new “rounded” corner look of this pair of black vinyl wrapped ROKIT 5 G3s. The radius edges reduce distortion caused by diffraction while the new proprietary waveguide is said to optimize the system’s imaging. The KRK 5 G3 model is bi-amplified; a 30-watt amp powers a 5-inch Aramid Glass composite woofer and a 20-watt amp drives a 1-inch soft dome tweeter—both amplifiers run in Class AB.
Besides these 5-inch models, there are also 6-inch and 8-inch models each with the same set of controls on their back panels. There is the HF Level adjust, LF Level and a Volume control knob that goes from -30dB to +6dB. The back panel also has an RCA 7k-ohm unbalanced, plus both 10k-ohm balanced TRS and XLR input jacks. The KRK ROKIT G3 has a frequency response of 45Hz to 35kHz with a max peak SPL of 106dB. I like Auto-Mute—they self-mute after 30-minutes of no input signal and the bottom of the ROKIT MDF cabinets have an integrated soft rubber matt to decouple them from you speaker stands or desktop.
I placed my ROKIT 5s on my DAW desktop left and right on either side of my flat panel monitor. Their front firing bass ports allow for placement anywhere you like—even near walls and corners.
With the controls set flat I found them to sound fairly neutral—in my acoustically treated control room I wanted a touch brighter sound from them and one click on the HF level did the trick for me. The ROKIT 5 G3 two-ways sell for $250 MSRP each.
http://krksys.com/krk-studio-monitor-speakers/rokit/rokit-5.html
By Barry Rudolph
miniBio: Barry Rudolph is a recording engineer/mixer with over 30 gold and platinum RIAA awards to his credit. He has recorded and/or mixed: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hall & Oates, Pat Benatar, Rod Stewart, the Corrs and Robbie Nevil. Barry has his own futuristic music mixing facility and also teaches recording engineering at Musician’s Institute, Hollywood, CA. http://www.barryrudolph.
