Kali Audio LP-8 V2

Strong agreement: flat and neutral, with little coloration, which reviewers who mix on it count as the point. Erin's anechoic data backs the broad picture, with a little more variation than the LP-6 V2.

“both the LP-6 and LP-8 share near identical frequency response curves, which are almost flat from 50Hz to upwards of 15kHz, with a slight dip at around 700-900Hz.”

MusicRadar

“These sound very flat and neutral overall, which is ideal for mixing and mastering.”

FireWalk (YouTube)

“it's very flat out of the box.”

u/tomakorea · r/mixingmastering

Sources split, unevenly. Most call the bass deep, tight and clean for a two-way, with no port noise, and the anechoic data shows it reaching about 40 Hz with more output than the LP-6 V2 below 100 Hz. The minority view is that the port-tuned bass smears timing (one mastering engineer, recording in his room) or that smaller, pricier monitors are tighter.

Sources split, close to evenly. Reviewers and owners in one camp hear clean, neutral mids with present vocals. Erin's anechoic data shows a resonance between about 500 Hz and 1 kHz that the LP-6 V2 lacks; he heard it as a slightly 'chesty' sound on some tracks, and one critic heard a boxiness he traced to the plastic baffle and unbraced cabinet.

Mostly praised as detailed and smooth rather than harsh. Erin's data suggests the LP-8 V2 is the more neutral of the two LP sizes in the 1–3 kHz region. One critic wanted a little more 3–4 kHz bite on acoustic instruments.

“The top end is detailed but never harsh.”

FireWalk (YouTube)

“The V2's soft dome tweeter is noticeably smoother than the V1, detailed without being harsh”

octa_khan · Thomann owner review

“i feel myself wishing that there was slightly more three to four kilohertz transient information to really bring out that detail”

PresentDayProduction (YouTube)

Praised for a precise, wide stereo image from the waveguide. Erin's data has the LP-6 V2 radiating slightly wider in the treble, a difference he wasn't sure anyone would hear.

“sitting there in front of them, you can figuratively place the sounds around you, giving you a natural and pleasant sense of space and depth.”

WeRaveYou

“A imagem stereo é surpreendentemente ampla e o sweet-spot é bastante generoso, mesmo num espaço pequeno.”

M_R_B · Thomann owner review (Portuguese: 'the stereo image is surprisingly wide and the sweet spot quite generous, even in a small space')

“LP-6v2 might get the soundstage width lean by being maybe 5-10° wider in horizontal radiation in the treble.”

Erin's Audio Corner

Mostly described as articulate and revealing for the price; one owner preferred it to JBL's 308P MkII for precision. Two voices place it below pricier, smaller monitors on detail.

“I was simply amazed by panorama and details that they provide.”

Hibiscus Of The Valley · Thomann owner review (2.5 × 4 m treated room)

“The JBL was fun, but didn’t have the accuracy and precision of the Kali Audio LP8.”

u/trap_pope · r/edmproduction

“It's a good entry level speaker I think, but there are smaller monitors with more detail and more deep and tight bass than LP8, it's more expensive though.”

u/tomakorea · r/mixingmastering

Sources split, nearly evenly, and partly over which comparison they're making. Anechoically it plays louder than the LP-6 V2, with more bass headroom, and one owner credits it with lower distortion than JBL's 308P MkII. But two reviewers pushing it in a studio found it strains or hits an audible limiter, and an owner says it doesn't go especially loud for its size.

The front port and boundary-EQ switches make walls and desks workable, and reviewers found the settings match the rooms they describe. The caveat is size: at 42 cm tall and 29 cm deep it suits medium rooms, deep desks or stands, and several sources steer small-room buyers to the LP-6. Its vertical listening window is narrower than Kali's three-way IN series, so tweeter height matters.

“Comprehensive boundary EQ settings enable easy placement in a variety of room types.”

MusicRadar

“These are best suited for medium-sized rooms. For a small room, I recommend the lp-6 instead”

FireWalk (YouTube)

“LP6s are really big, and LP8s are even larger. If you have a small desk in a small room, LP8s could easily be a problem.”

u/Ksenobiolog · r/mixingmastering

“They're capable of going very, very low... But that will expose inadequacies in your room. It does have particularly good boundary EQ settings, though.”

u/Junkyard-Sam · r/edmproduction

Reviewers who mix on it say mixes made on it hold up elsewhere; even its critics say a good mix is possible on it.

“The LP-8 is super quiet, accurate and won’t colour your mix.”

MusicRadar

“The LP series from Kali opens the door for budget minded artists to mix their music on something which yields reliable results that translate well on all systems without spending a year’s salary to do so.”

Erin's Audio Corner

“there's no reason you shouldn't be able to do a good mix on one of these”

PresentDayProduction (YouTube)

Quiet at idle: the reviewer and the owners who mention it hear no hiss from their seats. This is the 2nd Wave's main change; first-generation pairs, still common used, had audible hiss.

“The LP-8 is near silent when powered up, but with nothing playing through it”

MusicRadar

“They are very quiet when no sound is playing; no hiss or noise.”

JThorn · Thomann owner review

Covers the basics: XLR, TRS and RCA inputs, eight boundary-EQ positions and ±2 dB LF/HF trims. No auto-standby, sub output or app.

“Setup is easy thanks to the multiple inputs – TRS, XLR and RCA – and its generous number of boundary EQ options, configurable on the back panel.”

MusicRadar

“There's no unnecessary controls or gimmicks here, you get what you need.”

FireWalk (YouTube)

Rear-panel DIP switches with printed placement diagrams: reviewers found the presets matched their rooms, though one called setting them a little fiddly.

“I found that these presets actually work surprisingly well.”

FireWalk (YouTube)

“Setting the boundary EQ is a little fiddly, but we’re nit-picking.”

MusicRadar

Sources split, mostly against. Reviewers note budget construction: a plastic front baffle on a vinyl-wrapped MDF box, and one teardown found no internal bracing and a baffle that resonated where he heard boxiness. Others found it well made and thoughtfully designed for the money, and one owner reports 2.5 trouble-free years. No owner failure reports specific to the 2nd Wave LP-8 turned up.

Broadly rated one of the best values among eight-inch monitors, by the measurement reviewer, the press and owners. Two qualifications recur: the cheaper LP-6 V2 gets close, and the hype outruns it. It matches its price rivals rather than beating far pricier monitors. US dealer pricing has risen to about $299 each since most of the reviews were written at $235–250.

“the LP-8v2 is a great product at a entry-level price and performs better than “hi-fi” passive speakers costing much more.”

Erin's Audio Corner (2021, at $500 a pair)

“Kali’s LP-6 offers almost as much for a fraction less money.”

MusicRadar

“Do they sound as good as higher-end monitors that cost many times more? No, they don't, and they're obviously overhyped in that regard”

FireWalk (YouTube)

“personally Kali audio is over-hyped, they definitely make decent monitors”

u/krowonthekeys · r/mixingmastering