Kali Audio LP-6

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The Kali Audio LP-6 monitors are a bit out of the “compact and affordable” concept, but we couldn’t help but include them in the top. They are knocked out because of the size, after all, a 6-inch speaker is far from a crumb. And we could not miss them, because this is one of the coolest successful low-cost models in the last five years. In our area, they have not yet won due attention, but if you open an English-language music forum like Gearslutz, you will see an impressive amount of declarations of love.

Made by former JBL engineers

Moreover, they are not easily praised, but put on a step above the recent folk hits from JBL and Adam. And this is not surprising, because the fathers of these acoustics were former JBL engineers who had a hand in many classic lines (including the same JBL LSR of the first revision), and then got tired of the company's corporate ethics and went to free bread. Speaking in cinematic terms, instead of a sequel to JBL monitors, we got an extremely curious spin-off. Still, the LP-6 has a lot in common with the JBL 306P of the first and second revisions. The Kali Audio LP-6 features the same two-way design with a signature "3D" waveguide that expands the soundstage. It has a 6.5-inch woofer for bass reproduction, and it's powered by a much-similar 80-watt D-class amplifier (40 for the tweeter, 40 for the woofer).

One of the best low-cost monitors of recent years

And then small improvements begin. The bass reflex port is located on the front, which is a plus for placement options. In addition to the basic high-pass and low-pass filters, a DIP switch appeared on the rear panel, which helps to adjust the sound of the speakers to the room. And if other manufacturers usually offer 3 or 4 options, the LP-6 has eight such options. However, for many it will be too much. Compared to the JBL 305P MkII, the LP-6 has extended frequency response, reduced harmonic distortion from the amplifier, and increased dynamic range. Well, and most importantly, at a slightly lower price for one monitor, Kali Audio LP-6 sound a little more interesting than the “folk JBL”: both have a dryish and neutral character, but Kali has a slightly more accentuated bottom and more transparent sound with minimal colour. According to the results of testing, we got the impression that we have really excellent entry-level monitors with neutral sound, but we would not be in a hurry to elevate them over other low-cost models, the competition there is extremely high.