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Mixdown’s Picks: Kali Audio IN-8

Wednesday, 30 September 2020
Released in May of this year, Kali’s powered, Class-D IN-8 monitors seek to offer a slightly more premium offering to the brand’s own LP-8 models; a monitor we praised in excess upon test-running a pair back in June 2019.

Authored 24 September 2020 by Mixdown

Key Features: Despite launching as recently as 2018, Kali Audio have attained a tremendous level of attention in the audio world in the short timeframe they’ve been around for, with audio professionals praising the company’s intuitive approach to making their budget near-field monitors sound as if they’re punching far above their price-tag.

Released in May of this year, Kali’s powered, Class-D IN-8 monitors seek to offer a slightly more premium offering to the brand’s own LP-8 models; a monitor we praised in excess upon test-running a pair back in June 2019. With an improved three-way co-axial mid-range and tweeter that forms its waveguide and assists in imaging, the IN-8s deliver a natural sounding monitoring experience that’s strikingly transparent, and makes the sound-staging of these speakers a true feat of electro-acoustic design.

Meanwhile, bass is delivered through a whopping 8” woofer and low-noise bass port to ensure that the IN-8s handle the dirtiest of low frequencies without bending under pressure, while a frequency range of 37 Hz – 25 kHz ensures that your ears stay trained on the sounds that matter the most.

While rather bulky and baring an ominous appearance, it’s the power and performance of the IN-8s that really help them stand to out from the pack and shine as frontrunners in the home studio market. However, they’re also incredibly easy to operate and tweak, with low frequency and high frequency trims letting you shape their sound to suit any room. There’s also a trio of XLR, TRS and RCA inputs on the back of the unit,  ensuring that the Kali Audio IN-8s are ready to conquer any source you may throw at them.

Mixdown Says: One of Kali Audio’s greatest claims to fame with their monitors is their pristine stereo imaging, and I can safely report that the IN-8s certainly live up the legacy of their forbearers. The immersive sound-staging of these monitors truly is something wonderful, with the shared acoustic centre of the midrange and tweeter making for a pristine 360 degree listening experience.

If you’re mixing a record, or even critically listening to a reference track in order to scrutinise each minuscule element that lays beneath it, you’ll hear the difference of the IN-8s immediately – there’s few monitors that sound this ‘real’ out there, and thus, the IN-8 experience is one that you’ll remember.

Overall: With their immense power, gorgeous stereo sound-staging and unprecedented versatility, I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option than the IN-8s given the price bracket they’re in. If Kali Audio weren’t already on the road to attaining trailblazer status, then the IN-8s have well and truly put them in the fast lane.

Kali Audio IN-8