KRK Rokit G2 6

[tonester]

Hey all:

What do you think about the KRK Rockit G2's? Are they good? Looking to get some studios monitors, possibly to replace or augment my M-Audio BX-8's. I need something that is a little less coloring.

[mhschmieder]

I have the G1's and heard the G2's at Guitar Centre this morning as they were hooked up to a Korg SV-1 Vintage Electric Keyboard. I think the goal of the changes was to reduce the likelihood of room modes (i.e. buildup of bass frequencies) by tapering the sides for non-parallelism. Otherwise it's the same driver design.

I have been wanting to upgrade for some time, but bought the Rokit 6's to start with because it was the best bang-for-buck without spending upwards of $2000 or more, and sounded even better than my 25-year old unpowered Celestion 6" speakers mated to a Bryston power amp, so I was impressed.

I still think these are best bang-for-buck, but now there are some options that are closer to 2x the price vs. 4x the price, so I think the important thing to decide is how soon you would want to upgrade again.

I've been using these for around five years now, and my mixes do translate well but I do most of my mixing and mastering on top-end headphones such as Beyerdynamic DT770 and DT880. The latter in particular was reviewed in a Sound-On-Sound headphone shootout this month as being a rare case where headphones deliver translateable mixes.

I augmented mine with the Rokit 10, to cut rather than add low frequencies. This reduced the mud in the lows and low-mids by making the 6" drivers more efficient in handling the mids and highs. Some people buy subs to get more low end but I use them to reduce low end.

My ears are good enough to be able to compensate for deficiencies in speakers that are not overly coloured. I do not consider the Rokits to be very coloured but they are budget speakers and the mid-lows are not as detailed as on some MUCH more expensive models.

The best way to test speakers is to use pre-recorded acoustic piano solo material and solo cello -- at the start of the avulation curve.

Once you've eliminated the coloured speakers and the ones that don't deliver a reasonably consistent response, you are left with speakers whose imperfections can probably be compensated for easily by the human ear. At that point, you might need to play material that involves more instruments and/or is closer to genres you work in directly (especially if you do hip-hop or other music with deliberately boosted sub-lows).

As for alternatives, you still have to spend almost 2x as much if not more to get a more neutral and efficient speaker design than the Rokit 6. I'll get back to you with some suggestions if you decide you'd rather do that than start with the Rokits and upgrade later for something more in the $2000 range.

[tonester]

Well, I appreciate the detailed answer! From what i've seen on various forums, the G2's offer a lot of bang for the buck. I haven't completely decided yet, but i am leaning towards them. maybe even the 8's, because it's a matter of a bout $100 difference. The only other possibility is something from Event. I think comparable Genelec's will be out of my price range, as would the ADAM 7's. Haven't priced DynAudios yet, either.

I will give them a test drive, too. But we all know the real test is at home!

Musicians friend has them (6's) at $199 each, plus $50 off the order(a promotion), free shipping, no tax and 3% cash back from eBates. com.

think I'll bite......

Thanks.......

[tonester]

Oh yeah, and free Auralex MoPads...

[mhschmieder]

Yep, I use the pads and it makes a big difference. Also the platform for the sub (from Auralex).

I personally feel the 8's are a bit more prone to mid-low mud than the 6's, but I haven't heard them in awhile now, and the room matters.

[mhschmieder]

Wouldja believe this post came up during a general Google search for people comparing my cheapo ESP Ltd ST-203 strat copy to their more expensive Vintage Plus model? No actual comparisons came up, but this post showed up just because of my forum signature!

Anyway, it's a timely reminder of this brief discussion of the KRK Rokit 6 V2's, as I did a shootout the other day against all of the M-Audio range, the KRK VXT's, Yamaha HSM's, and Dynaudio's, and ended up selling my KRK Rokit 4 V1's the next day.

The winner was: None of the Above! I had to discard years of prejudice against JBL and acknowledge they've turned things around with their revolutionary new LSR series. This is the most balanced monitor I have ever heard for under $1000, and even gives some of the more boutique monitors a run for their money. No hot spots, no boominess or muddiness, and no harshness, regardless of material.

I'll be picking up a pair of the LSR2325's on Monday. I'll hold off a bit on the sub.

These are $400/pair -- the same as the Rokit's.

I tried every model at every size, and changed position accordingly. I've definitely concluded that 8's are usually too large for project studios that aren't using deep console desks, and even 6's can be slightly mismatched to such environments. But the LSR2325 is the first 5" monitor I have ever heard that doesn't sound weak in the lows or brittle in the highs.

I threw the usual material at it:

Murray Perahia playing Chopin ballades (+ recital)
Bach's Solo Cello Suites (Ralph Kirshbaum)
Dvorak's Cello Concerto (Raphael Wallfisch & LSO/Sir Charles Mackerras)
Keith Jarrett Trio: At the Deer Head Inn
Stevie Wonder: Innervisions

Acoustic piano, cello, and jazz upright are amongst the hardest instruments to reproduce consistently and realistically. I chose that particular Jarrett disc as Paul Motian guests on it, and though I like jack DeJohnette better overall, Motian is more nuanced and uses a lot of subtle top kit action.

These are also some of the best engineered recordings of all time.

[monkey man]

Curious, Mark, how do you feel about the Event Opals? Are they simply too expensive?

[mhschmieder]

They didn't have the Opals unpacked. Like JBL, Event is a brand for I am having trouble getting past my bias, as their past series (including the ASP) was extremely hyped -- though in a different way from a Mackie.

My original goal was to save up for K+H O110's, but these JBL's are so good and so cheap that I decided to go ahead and upgrade now, and wait on the next generation of K+H's, which will be relabeled Neumann as I recall (I think Sennheiser will be the name for stage monitors and Neumann the name for studio monitors, after the K+H brand name is retired).

[HCMarkus]

I'd love to hear the Opals. Event was purchased by Rode before the Opals were introduced, so the Opals are a new breed of monitor.

[mhschmieder]

Aha; I didn't know that. I had heard the Opals represented a from-scratch rethink, but didn't know about the buyout. I'm sure Rode has set them on a more focused path than they had before.

I see that they only seem to have an 8" model, though, so this is unlikely to work well in a living room converted home project studio. They are pricier than the Focal or K+H line-up, but those are mostly 5's and 6's so it's apples and oranges. They seem to be more or less on-par price-wise when compared to other mid-to-high-end 8" active monitors.

[monkey man]

... and it's said they perform way above their price point, Mark. The amount of headroom is said to be incredible, too.

Whilst I've not heard them yet, I'd love to know what you think of 'em. Perhaps you'll get a chance one day soon.

[mhschmieder]

If they have the Opals out when I pick up my JBL's this week, I'll give them a listen.

[monkey man]

Alright! Thank you, Mark.

I've heard many opinions but not from someone who's ears I trust, and If Dave P trusts your ears, so do I.