The Rokits are available in three sizes, based on five‑, seven and eight‑inch woofers.
KRK’s Rokit series just keeps getting better!
With their distinctive yellow woofer cones, KRK’s Rokit monitors are a familiar sight in studios everywhere. The latest Generation Five models have seen some significant upgrades over their predecessors, but remain affordable for the project studio owner. The new series comprises three models based around five‑, seven‑ and eight‑inch woofers; for this review we’re looking at the smallest and largest speakers in the range.
All three models have common features such as new MDF cabinets with moulded front baffles and rounded cabinet sides, removable protection grilles for both the woofer and tweeter, and an enhanced set of DSP functions accessed from a small screen on the rear panel to aid setup. They feature magnetically fixed protective grille faceplates that can be replaced by alternative, included non‑protective faceplates if preferred, and KRK assure us that there’s no sonic difference with or without the grilles. A flared slot‑shaped reflex port occupies the bottom of the baffle, and the driver topography provides a slightly wider horizontal dispersion than in the vertical plain.
Hearing Voices
The DSP section offers three voicing modes: Mix mode, with a flat frequency and phase response; Create mode, which gives a more flattering sound for writing or producing; and Focus mode, which applies a midrange lift that KRK say can be useful for homing in on vocals or instruments such as electric guitar. My personal choice is always to use speakers in their flat mode, though for those used to the midrange focus of something like Auratones, the Focus mode may be useful. There are also 25 boundary/EQ permutations to help optimise performance for the acoustic environment in which the speakers are to be used.
The Rokit 5, as its name implies, is equipped with a five‑inch woofer utilising KRK’s signature woven Kevlar aramid‑fibre cone material, presented in the familiar KRK yellow. This is teamed with a one‑inch, soft‑dome silk tweeter, crossing over at 2.27kHz and capable of reproducing frequencies of up to 40kHz. The overall frequency response is specified as 54Hz‑30kHz (±3dB), or 43Hz‑40kHz at the ‑10dB points. As the speakers are all two‑way, bi‑amped active systems, separate Class‑D amplifiers (20W HF and 35W LF) are used to power the woofer and tweeter. A maximum SPL of 104dB at one metre is quoted. To aid performance when mounted on stands or shelves, there’s an acoustic foam isolation pad at the base of the cabinet, plus a separate foam wedge for angling the speakers up when they’re placed on a desktop, and there are also mounting points for use with optional KRK brackets should you need a wall‑mounting solution. Each cabinet measures 288 x 191 x 242mm and weighs 4.95kg.
For the new Rokit 8, the cabinet is scaled up to match the eight‑inch woofer, which crosses over to the one‑inch tweeter at 1.64kHz. The cabinet measures 400 x 266 x 319mm, and weighs more than twice as much as the Rokit 5, at 10.45kg per speaker. As you’d expect, the frequency response shows more low‑end extension (42Hz‑36kHz at the ±3dB points), and the maximum SPL is also higher, at 111dB at one metre. There’s a fair bit more amplifier power in hand, too, with 68W for the highs and and 135W for the lows.
Given all the functionality on offer, the rear panels of the Gen Five monitors are surprisingly uncluttered, with just a power inlet and switch, the XLR/jack combi input, a monochrome LCD screen and a press/turn data‑entry knob. To extend screen life, the LCD turns off after five minutes, but springs back to life when you press the data knob.
When the speakers are first powered up, the Home screen is displayed, showing options for Level, Voicing Mode and EQ Mode. Pressing the data knob steps through different functions while turning the knob selects options or changes values. The display is able to show the current EQ curve, and icons are used where possible to simplify navigation. In addition to selecting the voicing mode, there are also multiple settings for the low and high EQ.
The voicing modes are selected using the LCD and jog dial on the rear panel, with options comprising Mix (flat response), Create (LF and HF boost) and Focus (mid boost) modes.
The rear‑panel adjustments are easy enough to make and there are plenty of options to tailor the response to your acoustic environment, but as you have to be able to see the display to make changes, you have to turn the speakers around, make the adjustment, then put them back again to check if your changes make things better or not. It would not have been practical to put the display and data knob on the front, so this is something we have to live with, but in my case I got the best result with the speakers set flat and left in Mix mode. If you need to keep switching between Mix and Focus modes, then accessing the controls could be frustrating in a small studio with no access space behind the speakers.
Rokit Man
I started with the Rokit 5s, which I set up on my IsoAcoustics speaker platforms. The speakers sounded detailed but smooth‑sounding, turning in a performance that would suit long listening sessions without incurring fatigue. That silk‑domed tweeter certainly seemed to be doing a fine job on the high end, while down below the bass was full and solid but still tight enough to give good definition to dry kick drums. Inevitably there’s a little overhang, which is part of the trade‑off of ported cabinets (the up side being increased LF extension), but not enough to compromise performance.
Midrange sources such as vocals can prove tricky for two‑way monitors to reproduce, because they occupy the same frequency as the crossover point, but again there were no problems in this area with the Rokit 5s. Given their affordability, the overall performance is impressive, and while a monitor of this price can’t be expected to rival expensive, esoteric speakers for accuracy, these will tell you what you need to hear in order to create a reliable mix.
Moving on to the Rockit 8s, as expected there’s more headroom and more low‑end extension, making them well suited to larger studio spaces. The lower crossover frequency doesn’t seem to change the character of the sound in any obvious way, either — both the 5s and 8s have a coherent family sound. For both models, the sound seemed to be unaffected by the grilles, so I left these in place throughout the review.
The balance of solid bass, smooth but extended highs and a capable midrange ticks all the right boxes for speakers in this price bracket.
Verdict
In all, then, I’d be happy to trust mixes made on these speakers, with the usual caveat that it is safest to also check mixes on headphones, just to remove any room issues from the equation. The balance of solid bass, smooth but extended highs and a capable midrange ticks all the right boxes for speakers in this price bracket.
For small rooms I’d recommend sticking with the Rokit 5s, as getting an even bass response in a small space is next to impossible, but if your studio space is the size of a single garage or greater, the Rokit 8s would be a good fit. Despite being almost twice the price of the Rokit 5s, the Rokit 8s are still very affordable and still turn in an impressive performance:price ratio. In summary, then, the Gen Five models are a worthwhile upgrade on the previous Rokits and they fall into the pricing sweet spot for most home studio operators.
Summary
As ever, KRK’s Rokits offer impressive value for money, with these new Generation Five versions being packed with more technology than ever.
Information
Rokit 5 £378, Rokit 7 £518, Rokit 8 £598. Prices are per pair, including VAT.
Rokit 5 $398, Rokit 7 $538, Rokit 8 $638. Prices are per pair.
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