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KRK Rockit 5 G4 5" Monitors

B

biaxident82

Oct 2, 2018
7
3
#1
Hi

Was wondering what the overall consensus was on these monitors. I have had a set of Alesis M1's seemingly forever and frankly don't think they are well suited for playing bass through. They feel rather boomy and I always felt that they are not very flat sounding. I mainly practice direct into an Apogee Duet 2 (which surprisingly sounds pretty good as a DI by itself) and was looking to upgrade monitors and I think feature wise the KRK's look appealing.

Just wanted to see if anyone had experience using these in their own home studio. The bass is a Sandberg Electra P with EBMM Cobalt Flats.

Thanks
Mike
 
#2
I have the 8" rpg2 monitors and the sound good, but one speaker has stopped working. They use this nasty black glue stuff on their circuit board which becomes conductive over time and forms corrosion. I fixed the speaker by soldering in a new resistor and it worked for 2 days... then stopped working again.

If you google "krk stopped working" you will find pages and pages of issues. I do not recommend because of poor reliability.
 
#3
KRK's have long been a budget line, I've never been a fan, but I'm sure they've improved since the '90s. You should look at some JBL's 3 series or Yamaha's H5 or H8's. They are really good sounding for the money.
 
#4
If you can handle not being able to turn up very loud then I'd look at the new IK iLoud MTM's, they have built in room correction. I've been using them as my main mix monitors for a little while now and am happy with them, but they don't fill a room. I think personally for just practicing I'd get a little practice amp tailored for bass.
 
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#5
Thanks for all the replies. These are really helpful

I do have a practice amp (Phil Jones Double Four) but was looking to just go direct for ease of use and for some light recording and late night headphone practice as well. Just trying to keep a tidy office as well with less floor space taken up by amps and cables.

I will look into the Yamaha and JBL 5 inch models. Any other brands that should be on my radar in this price range (say up to $500 for a pair)?

Thanks
Mike
 
#6
If you can find a used pair of Focal Alpha 50s, they are incredible and definitely bass guitar translates well. Get an HPF pedal though, set it at like 50hz or 60hz. Will make the speaker happier and your bass sound better.
 
#7
biaxident82 said:
Thanks for all the replies. These are really helpful

I do have a practice amp (Phil Jones Double Four) but was looking to just go direct for ease of use and for some light recording and late night headphone practice as well. Just trying to keep a tidy office as well with less floor space taken up by amps and cables.

I will look into the Yamaha and JBL 5 inch models. Any other brands that should be on my radar in this price range (say up to $500 for a pair)?

Thanks
Mike
Click to expand...

That's a good budget!
You might want to look at:
iLoud MTM

It has ARC software and a MEMS mic that can measure the room and listening spots.

I don't think you can do better than JBL. IMHO. But I already own ARC and the MEMs mic.
 
#8
I have the impression that krk has changed a lot and the new series is very different in a positive way from the former ones. They had a very bad reputation for their budget speakers among pros, but the new series looks very tempting. I even thought about giving them a try. I now use Focal Alpha 50s.
I like the possibility to adjust them to your room. This can't do miracles - a bad room is a bad room and 100.000,- speakers sound bad and inaccurate in a bad room. But to adjust speakers to some inaccuracies of the environment is more important than 2 db's less noise.
 
#14
Found a used pair of Focal Alpha 50s in excellent condition at an out of state guitar center so took the plunge. Should arrive within the next week so plus can return risk free if they don’t work out.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I’ll report back when I get them.
 
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#15
seamonkey said:
That's a good budget!
You might want to look at:
iLoud MTM
Click to expand...

Monitors like these are a bad design. Cramming a bunch of foo foo junk into one side, so what happens when either monitor goes down? I bet you have to buy a whole new pair. Then there's the whole iRig thing which seems low budget to begin with.


seamonkey said:
Isolation pads don't do anything. They are a complete waste of money.
Especially with well constructed monitors as all the ones people mentioned in this thread.
Click to expand...


Eh, I've been listening to lots of different monitors over the years and while they aren't lightning in a bottle, they can improve playback accuracy, especially in weird rooms or if they're set on weird stands/furniture.
 
#16
cornfarmer said:
Monitors like these are a bad design. Cramming a bunch of foo foo junk into one side, so what happens when either monitor goes down? I bet you have to buy a whole new pair. Then there's the whole iRig thing which seems low budget to begin with.





Eh, I've been listening to lots of different monitors over the years and while they aren't lightning in a bottle, they can improve playback accuracy, especially in weird rooms or if they're set on weird stands/furniture.
Click to expand...

Stuff doesn't break like it use to, but like I said, JBL would be a better choice.
Isolation pads are placebo.
 
#17
seamonkey said:
Stuff doesn't break like it use to, but like I said, JBL would be a better choice.
Isolation pads are placebo.
Click to expand...

Yeah, no. Stuff still breaks regularly, sadly nobody fixes or repairs stuff anymore. You end up replacing it with other stuff, and the broken stuff ends up in a landfill.

If you're using those iRig iLoud whateverthefck they're called with the built in cradle/stands, then iso pads won't make any difference. I guess. I don't know man, I haven't heard anything about those things from anyone I know who are serious about recording, or on a budget. They all went with JBLs or the Yamahas and are happy.

I am using monitors with 8" coaxial drivers and they sit on a metal desk. I have them sitting on iso pads that are angled upwards, so they're firing at my ears and not my chest. Any decoupling whether real or 'placebo' is a bonus, but don't listen to me. I'm just a nobody on the internet, I don't even know what a recording studio is.
 
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#18
seamonkey said:
Isolation pads don't do anything. They are a complete waste of money.
Especially with well constructed monitors as all the ones people mentioned in this thread.
Click to expand...

Thank you! It's just funny that we spend tons of money for this nonsense that is worth only pennies. If these materials would significantly improve the accuracy and sound of speakers, every manufacturer of monitors would integrate them in their designs or throw them in the box as an accessory. Sometimes they make good stands or allow to direct the speakers to the ears of the listener. But still...
 
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#19
Ok. Now that I've had the Focal Alpha 50s for a bit I can say they are a great improvement. They sound great and definitely helped out with the boominess I was getting from my old monitors. They are also great for regular listening. Thanks again for everyones help and input.
 
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#20
Just an add on to the comments already made. I was looking to upgrade my old computer speakers with inexpensive monitors. I record our band practices, just with a Tascam DR-5 handheld recorder then clean up the recordings with Audacity - truly a basic setup. Anyway I saw a pair of KRK's on sale for a super deal (Labor Day weekend) to replace my old Gateway PC speakers and on hunch I gave my Sweetwater rep a call to see if they could match. He convinced me to go with the set below, and I couldn't be happier. The point I wanted to make is that during our conversation, he was saying that until you get above the $250 mark per monitor you really don't get much more that in the $99 set below. Not sure if this really applies, but hope it helps.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...VRT0MCh2TEA5dEAYYASABEgIlWvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
 
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