ULTRA NEARFIELD

How’s the ultra nearfield experience? I have to be honest – it takes some getting used to. With typical studio monitors sitting horizontally at ear level, I am accustomed to the stereo image spreading out in front of me like a widescreen TV. Because the IN-UNF satellites sit at desk height angled up – much like a pair of Logitech computer speakers – listening to tunes with the expectation of a studio monitor experience was initially disorienting, and felt somewhere in between listening on headphones and being in a fishbowl. 

After telling myself to give the monitors a proper go, my ears began to settle into the IN-UNF experience. The full stereo spread is still very much present; all the precision of the bigger IN-Series siblings is evident in the IN-UNF and imaging is firm and articulate. It’s just lower. That may sound weird and obvious, but it took a few days before it felt natural. 

One thing’s for sure: tonally, the IN-UNF’s are excellent studio monitors. Music is presented with a flat, honest neutrality. High and low frequencies extend smoothly in either direction. Worth noting is how the sub (on its flat setting) beautifully lifts the low end without sacrificing accuracy, and the unit’s placement at desk height between the satellite speakers seems to help everything glue together. On a slap bass track, for example, both the metallic ‘snap’ of the strings and the thump of the bottom end emanate from the same physical point, resulting in a super tight, focused and broadband sound.

From jazz to funk to pop to metal, the IN-UNF faithfully served back whatever I gave it without playing favourites, thanks in no small part to a particularly smooth midrange that neither flatters nor ruins source material. Trebles felt mildly under-represented to me, perhaps because my daily monitors are comparatively toppy, so the 2dB high shelf boost worked a treat. The textile dome tweeters have a sweet sound that’s a far cry from the piercing counterparts of other studio monitors in this price range. And the sub is really just a joy to mix with. Never obtrusive or overstated, it’s perfectly voiced for a small space and amazingly manages to maintain clean and tight low end even while sitting flat on a desk. 

I also found the IN-UNF easy to monitor through for long periods. That may have something to do with the fact I didn’t feel a need to crank the speakers up in order to adequately hear a mix, and I’m sure the lower monitoring levels combined with the gentle trebles contribute to the lack of listening fatigue. 

FIELD GOAL

Being my first encounter with ultra nearfield monitoring, the Kali Audio IN-UNF has sold me on the concept. Placing a large pair of monitors at its optimal distance from the listening position might be impossible in a small room. The IN-UNF solves this problem, yet without making sonic compromises. The inclusion of the subwoofer is what allows the IN-UNF to compete with (or replace) a pair of traditional nearfields, letting you rest assured the full frequency spectrum is adequately covered, and it certainly sounds good enough to take seriously as a studio monitor.

If you’re in a situation where bigger studio monitors would be overkill for your mixing environment but you don’t want to switch exclusively to headphones, the IN-UNF could be the perfect choice. Just remember to allow for a brief adjustment period. 

THE EAR TEST

The coaxial design of the IN-5’s mids driver and tweeter is what makes this monitor special. Essentially, all material above the 280Hz crossover frequency emanates from the same point source. This works wonders for phase coherency in a crucial chunk of the frequency spectrum, which in turn dramatically improves spatial imaging accuracy. 

In use, it’s remarkable. Monitoring in mono sounds like a pair of IN-5s collapse into a single phantom speaker sitting between them. Break out a mix to stereo and the clarity across the horizontal plane is incredibly precise. One way of knowing this accuracy can be credited to the coaxial mids and tweeter is how audibly the most solid imaging sits higher in the vertical sound field. The tight phase coherency of the point source design lends the IN-5 a ‘togetherness’ in tonal character; a firm, glued-together, assertive presentation of material. 

The IN-5 is a forward-sounding monitor with plenty of ‘smack in the face’ punch. Upon first listen I was hard pressed to identify any ugly bumps or dips in the frequency range although the highs seemed to open up slightly after several hours of break-in time. 

The tweeter beautifully balances speed and purity. Percussion and other transient sounds feel authentic and snappy while cymbals, strings, and other treble-rich content isn’t overblown. The HF boost is helpful should you need a little extra definition up there. As for bottom end, a five-inch monitor naturally won’t have the low-end presence of an eight-inch but you may be surprised how little you miss the big boys after switching them out for a pair of IN-5s. What they lack in grunt they make up for in clarity.

The IN-5 sounds very neutral, which is obviously always the goal for any studio monitor, but it’s genuinely difficult to assign it a tonal character. And this is the struggle of reviewing studio monitors – using all manner of adjectives to ultimately describe the absence of attributes more than the presence of them. Is the IN-5 bassy? Not really, but low end is portrayed well enough to make mix decisions. Is it bright? Not without the HF boost, and even then trebles aren’t shrill. Muddy? The low mids are quite clean actually. Piercing? How about ‘smooth’. Fatiguing? I’ve sat through five-hour mixing and listening sessions without batting an eyelid.

All that’s to say the neutrality of the IN-5 is confidence inspiring if you want an honest representation of a mix. It won’t flatter, and it won’t lie. As I compared it to a few other monitors, I felt the IN-5 has a boldness, confidence and precision about it, like pulling a blurry image into sharp focus then turning up the contrast. Weak, flabby or hazy it certainly is not. 

As with every other studio monitor, pick the room and position carefully. The boundary EQ controls help negate frequency areas where build up may occur but it doesn’t excuse a lack of acoustic treatment or sitting in the wrong monitoring position. Kali Audio recommends a listening distance between 0.5-2.2m. 

KALI 2.0

People had a few niggles with the first generation of IN-8s. Kali Audio has ironed out these wrinkles with the ‘2nd Wave’ models which includes the IN-5. A new amplifier reduces self noise by 12dB, the efficiency of the cone drivers have been improved, and the cabinet is constructed more durably. Internally, Kali Audio says 2nd Wave models have ‘more robust DSP’. The boundary EQ settings for horizontal positioning is a new addition and input sensitivity is 3dB lower, resulting in higher output level for the same input. 

There’s lots of good news with the Kali Audio IN-5, not the least of which is how much it costs – you’ll get a pair for around A$1300. The accuracy and transparency of the IN-5s is akin to much pricier monitors, making that figure a real bargain. A word of advice, though: don’t buy the IN-5s for enjoyment listening. They’re too truthful for that. But if you want to get serious about mixing sound and feel ready for monitors that’ll tell it to you like it is, the IN-5s will be a faithful studio companion.