Got me some fancy speakers... KRK Rokit 8 G2 Review

Introduction

Dominating my desktop space are the KRK Rokit 8 G2 studio monitors.


After years of listening to my uber-cheap and cheerful Logitech 2.1s and relying on my trusty Sennheiser HD 595s for infrequent mixing, I decided it was time to upgrade.

In a big way.  Literally; these things are huge, sonically and physically.

Installation

At 15" high and 11" wide, make sure you have room for them in your setup.  Wall brackets may not be suitable here due to weight (26lbs!) and depth.

The VideoSecu Side Clamping Speaker Brackets (MS56B) I sourced were not appropriate, despite on paper meeting all requirements.  The L-bracket, mounted to wall studs, was solid as a rock. They're rated to 33lbs and I believe it.  Sadly, the rotating mount lacked sufficient depth to safely hold a speaker while allowing full rotation or any tilting.  The side clamps flexed slightly, as they were at max extension.

In the end, my wife pointed at my Blackstar speaker stack and asked why I didn't just use that for the left side.  Turns out it was the perfect height!  Feels solid as a rock too.  My Blackstar HT-5 amp head now lives under the desk.

Some old binders form a stand on the right side of my desk for the right speaker.  This side is definitely a temporary solution!  I need to build or procure a stable stand or shelf.

For both, I'll be looking into getting some Auralex MoPADs Monitor Isolation Pads.

$25 for some foam padding seems a bit steep..

Connections

The entire Rokit G2 line has identical connections (which is nice, given other manufacturers' propensity for skimping on lower end models).

You get Unbalanced RCA and Balanced TRS and XLR inputs.

The 2 knobs are for High Frequency adjustment and for Volume.  I've left both at 0db until I can develop my ears and determine if my room acoustics merit tweaking the HF at all.

Your experience with the RCA inputs may vary but I got the most obnoxious hum noise imaginable outputting from my Edirol UA-25 USB audio interface's.  It was so bad that listening to music was unpleasant, never mind using it for mixing.  Oddly, hooking them up to my Pioneer AVR's Zone 2 RCA outputs was fine, so I think it may be specific to the Edirol UA-25.

Regardless, buying a new audio interface was not an option (no matter how much I love getting new gadgets!).

The solution to the hum was twofold:

1. Eliminating ground loop / dirty mains as a cause.
2. Switching to balanced TRS cables.

I was short on outlets anyway, so a new power strip was ordered.  

After some research, the Tripp-Lite Isobar 8 Ultra seemed like a safe bet.  Love the isolated pairs of outlets.  Even with no connections, there had been a very slight mains hum. The Isobar got rid of that entirely.  Additional benefit: built like a tank.

However, it did not resolve the hum coming from the UA-25.

Switching to some cheap Hosa Balanced TRS cables sorted that out.

End result?  Silence when not playing audio.  I have to get within 6" to hear the faintest of noise from the tweeters.  Chuffed.

Audio Performance

Confession: I'm not a sound engineer.

My ears work and I have a feel for what sounds good but I am not trained in any way.  I've read that KRK speakers tend to have a slightly emphasized mid range (in a pleasing way), which may need to be factored into your mixes.

Listening to tracks I'm familiar with, I'm hearing more detail than I previously realized existed.  Parts of the song that before seemed buried now jumped out at me.

Bass is present and defined without dominating.  You feel like you should be able to feel it but don't (does that even make sense?).  Bass lines in rock songs that have complex mixes can now be heard.

I like a pretty wide range of music, including some fairly heavy rock and metal.  Playing Slipknot's Duality, I was blown away by how tight and defined everything was.  Same with my favorite Killswitch Engage tracks (My Last Serenade, and My Curse).  Mars Volta have some crazy mixes but all the pieces could be heard and picked out.

KRK make a 10" subwoofer that I'd been thinking of getting (eventually; at $400, it's way outside my budget!).  It's something I'll be putting on the back burner, given how great bass sounds with just the speakers.

Pricing

KRK have recently released the G3 versions of their Rokit line, so bargains are to be had; I snatched these up for $165 each, and that price has since dropped to $156 (seems like Alto Music and Amazon are trying to undercut each other).

Now, $165 may seem like a lot to pay per speaker but the Rokit 8 G3 models are coming out at $249.  For what they are, it's a tremendous saving.

Conclusion

For the price of a pair of KRK Rokit 6 speakers (or a single Yamaha HS80M) you can now get a pair of KRK Rokit 8 speakers, with all the sonic benefits that brings.

If you have the room and these fall within your budget, you need to try these out.