If you’re recording and producing music, digging into sound-design, mixing, DJ-ing, or just looking to make the sickest beats…eventually, you’re going to need a good pair of studio monitors. Mixing on headphones and hi-fi speakers will only get you so far before you start pulling you’re hair out from fatigue and frustration. So having a having a trusty set of neutral, transparent speakers is crucial.
Recently I spent some time with the KRK Rokit RP6 G3, the third generation model. Basically, The RP6 is great entry level speaker that offers a lot of bang for the buck. So lets dig in.
The Setup
Setting these up is pretty standard fare. The Rp6’s come with all of the usual audio connectors (RCA, TRS [1/4’’], or XLR. Ideally, you’ll want to connect these to your computer via an audio interface with balanced connectors. Doing so will reduce the risk of noisy interference. Having wireless interference bleed through your speakers when you’re trying to mix is literally the worst, which is a problem I ran into with these.
I tested this out by hooking them up to an older mbox2 USB audio interface, using unbalanced connectors. Unfortunately, I encountered a lot of noise like ground-loop hums and wireless interference, which was frustrating and alarming. Given how big, bulky, and shielded the speakers cabinets are, this shouldn’t be an issue.
I also hooked them up to my TV, using unbalanced RCA cables and had the same problem. So the Rp6’s really don’t jive with unbalanced sources.
However, when I connected the RP6’s to my computer via my RME Babyface audio interface using balanced XLR connections, it was all smooth sailing. The RP6’s were clean and quiet. So balanced connections are definitely the best option and highly recommended.
As with any reference monitor, place them in the listening sweet spot for the best stereo image. There’s a wellspring of info and diagrams available online that demonstrate this. Speaker stands, acoustic pads and room treatment will have a huge impact on their performance as well.
New Design Features
For those of you audio geeks who may be familiar with the previous generation of RP6’s, there are some new design features implemented into to the newest G3’s, all of which factor into an improved soundstage.
For one, it has a bigger Front-firing resonance port (the big hole, or slit at the bottom of the speaker). This wider, more open port produces a surprisingly rich, extended low-end that, quite honestly, was a bit lacking on the older RP6’s. Also, The front edges of the speaker cabinet now have curved sides, intended to further reduce acoustic problems in small rooms.
On the rear of the speaker they’ve added a 3rd knob for LF (low-frequency adjustment), in addition to the HF-knob (high frequency adjustment) and volume knobs found on older models. This allows you to further taylor the speakers to your room. For example, you can attenuate the LF on speakers placed directly on your desktop to help control bass frequencies.
These new features might seem small, but they actually make a noticeable impact on the overall sound, especially the low end.
The Sound
One of the first things I noticed right off the bat was the bass! For a budget monitor, The low end was surprisingly tight, rich and present––even without a sub-woofer. In fact, the bass was much more pronounced than other KRK monitors I’ve heard in the past.
The high end was clear, and smooth thanks to the 1’’ soft-dome tweeter. They are a little dull in the details compared to a high-end speaker, but certainly not bad. The mids are kinda the weakest link here, i.m.o. After they warmed up a bit, I did get used to them and the mids became more apparent. For the most part, the stereo image is big, even and balanced.
I ran the RP6’s through the paces with a variety of music from indie rock to classic rock; EDM; funk and soul; Hip-hop; folk; jazz and classical as well as some personal mix sessions. Bass and drums were nice and tight; beats were pretty beefy; Guitars and vocals had more depth and presence than I was expecting; String sounds were nice and synth sounds were clean without sounding harsh or shrill.
So they are smooth enough to where you can listen for hours without much fatigue. This is both good and bad––they sound awesome, but some of the nuances get smoothed over as well. In other words, they don’t translate as well as high-end monitors. So don’t expect to hear subtle reverb decays, but it wouldn’t take long to get a good mix out of these.
After testing the RP6’s out with music, I opened up some sound design projects I’ve done for TV. I was able to pick up on some subtle SFX and EQ adjustments in the mix. Similar to my experience with music mixes, nothing really jumped out like it would with a more expensive monitor, but the RP6’s are more than suitable for the job.
Movies and games sound really nice! I was able to appreciate some of finer details in The Last of Us and The Dark Knight sounded good too. Similar to my experiences with music, the stereo image wide and balanced. You could easily listen and play games for hours at high volumes with little fatigue. Unfortunately, some of this enjoyment was marred by noise issues, since I had to connect the Rp6’s to my TV with unbalanced RCA cables.
So here’s my takeaway–the KRK RP6 is a great option for a budget, entry-level, reference monitor. I haven’t heard much better from other monitors in their price range. They don’t come close to matching the finer details and excitement of higher end monitors like a pair of Focals and others in the $1,000 and up range. They are however, very balanced and neutral enough to make just about anything sound great. The bass response is especially impressive, potentially eliminating the need for a sub-woofer! I could definitely work with them. So if you are wanting to step up your game by investing in your first proper audio monitors, or looking for a reliable, secondary monitor for your studio, The KRK Rokit RP6 is a solid, inexpensive choice. Just make sure you have balanced connectors!
