TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
KRK Systems Rokit 8 Generation 3
ACTIVE LOUDSPEAKER
Nigel Palmer looks at the largest of the three new Generation 3 Rokits and is impressed by the price:performance ratio on offer.
DESIGNED IN the US and manufactured in China, products from KRK Systems (now part of Gibson Brands) have been with us for 25 years, I was recently surprised to learn. Originally founded by Keith R Klawitter the company has established a solid reputation for itself with a particularly strong showing in the Rokit budget active monitor range. The three new Generation 3 Rokits are identified by their woofer sizes, five-inch six-inch and eight-inch (127, 152 and 203mm respectively), the largest of these two-way systems being the subject of this review.
OVERVIEW The Rokit 8 Generation 3’s MDF cabinet measures 15.6in x 10.8in x 12.4in HWD and weighs in at a relatively lumbar-friendly 24.6lbs (11.2kg). The front panel, curved at the edges to reduce diffraction effects, sports an eight-inch Aramid-glass woofer, a one-inch (25mm) soft dome tweeter in a moulded waveguide and a wide bass reflex port. Also of note on the front is an illuminating KRK Systems badge, which acts as a power indicator. Around the back there’s a
control panel for the unit’s electronics: from the top are high- and low-frequency level adjusts on click detents, -2, -1, 0 and +1dB for HF and the same for LF except for a +2 boost. These are sensibly chosen ranges enabling the user to tune response according to the size and treatment of the room and placement, and after some
50 September 2013
experimentation I kept both in the ‘zero’ position. Below them is a volume control with approximately 1dB steps ranging from -30 to +3dB – I found a setting around -15 gave a similar output to my usual speakers’ reference level. The analogue-only inputs are as comprehensive as one could wish, with unbalanced RCA (phono), balanced quarter- inch TRS jack, and female XLR connectors, and below these are the fused mains socket and a power switch.
IN USE
I installed the supplied pair of Rokit 8s on substantial stands in the mastering room at Lowland Masters and conducted my usual listening tests; but before that could happen the speakers needed to be run in. This is something that’s not always taken into account with new monitors, and there are people out there who will deny any boost in sound quality takes place. While it’s true that some transducers change less than others (and there are speaker companies that do this for you as part of their manufacturing process), a good run-in period should help loosen bass drivers in particular. In their well- written user manual KRK suggests 15-25 hours, and I did this with a variety of material playing medium-loud overnight. Out of the box the monitors sounded quite pinched and thin – and even being aware of the issue I’ll confess my heart sank a little – but after only a few hours’ playing time the bass response deepened significantly and presentation as a whole started
to come more into focus. Rokits suitably exercised, I
sat down to listen. What I heard surprised me for loudspeakers in this price range, and they acquitted themselves well with any music from the deepest dance and shoutiest rock to the most delicate of acoustic material. I recently mastered a beautifully recorded album of Coldplay tunes played in a symphonic style by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the KRKs made a very decent fist of representing the dynamic and frequency extremes of the project as I originally heard it on my usual speakers, but at a small fraction of their cost. The Rokit 8’s two on-board Class AB amplifiers are rated at 75W and 25W for low and high frequencies respectively, and they generated volume levels that were more than adequate in my room with plenty in reserve. The -3dB points at the frequency extremes are a creditable 45.5Hz and 28kHz, and the presence of the port means that the bass rolls off more sharply than in a sealed cabinet while going lower than it otherwise would. KRK subwoofers are available, but for many practical audio tasks I felt I could manage without: while not going all the way to the lowest octave, the Rokit 8’s unassisted low-end performance was tight and believable, with little of the hype one typically finds with ported enclosures around the kick drum area. I found the overall voicing slightly to the ‘forward’ side of things, though I wasn’t unhappy with this as it pointed up the important mid and vocal area without
emphasising the 2kHz crossover point, and as I would expect from a soft dome unit the tweeter presented the upper frequencies in a smooth and unfatiguing but truthful fashion.
CONCLUSION In my opinion these KRKs represent something of a price-to-performance breakthrough. With their solid, no-nonsense delivery I would gladly use them for
INFORMATION Feature set
• One-inch soft dome tweeter with ferro fluid • Glass aramid composite cone woofer • Peak SPL: 109dB • Frequency Range: (-10dB ) 35Hz-35kHz
Price: £399.99 (inc vat) per pair (UK) Focusrite 01494 462 246/
krk@focusrite.com www.krksys.com
www.audiomedia.com
most day-to-day sound work such as recording, mixing, speech and post-production, and I also see the Rokit 8 G3’s as a tremendous bargain for anyone with a project studio looking for monitors.
THE REVIEWER NIGEL PALMER has been a freelance Sound Engineer and Producer for over 20 years. He runs his CD mastering business Lowland Masters (
www.lowlandmasters.com) from rural Essex where he lives with his family and two dogs.
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