The fresh KRK ROKIT Generation Five Studio Displays — the latest in the company’s flagship speech line—come in three dimensions, with five, seven and eight-inch speakers. The speakers use suitable magnetite magnets and woven Kevlar aluminum fiber cones. All three versions ‘ high frequencies are handled by one-inch roof tweeters. A smooth-walled adjusted interface that extends the front of the government extends the diameter of the front of the cabinet is used in all three models. These two-way theater displays are bi-amped, backed by Class-D amplifiers.
A fashionable safe grille is included with the ROKIT Generation Five screens. If you prefer the owners exposed, there is an extra non-protective gate. I liked them as they came, with the bumpers installed, and there is no soundproof difference between the two models. The monitors sleep on a sound-damaged fabric that has been glued underneath the center to lessen the vibrational energy being transferred to the commission’s surface. For additional audio isolation, they also come with foaming isolation pads.
The exterior section includes Friction-Lock Neutrik pairing XLR/ TRS suggestions connectors for + 4 dB healthy procedure. For -10 dBV activity, the mechanical recommends using an unequal adapter cable. For the 30-hour break-in time, I used an RCA-to-1/4-inch Tp adapter plug to link to my Screens L/R high-impedance, unstable outcomes and they worked good. On both the AC energy cables, I did have to pull the ground wire.
The main differences, other than their actual physical sizes—13.35 by 8.86 by 11.42 feet, H x W by D, for the ROKIT 7 tested these —are the size of the woofer and the energy production from the two amps. The ROKIT 7’s and ROKIT 8’s maximum SPL are listed as 108 dB, 110 dB, and 111 dB respectively. The signal-to-noise ratio varies slightly between models, as does the crossover frequency. The ROKIT 7 weighs 16.87 pounds.
Frequency response ( + /-3 dB ) is 45 Hz to 36 kHz for the ROKIT 7, 42 Hz to 36 kHz for the ROKIT 8, and 54 Hz to 30 kHz for the ROKIT 5. The crossover frequencies for the ROKIT 7 and ROKIT 8 are identical, at 1.64 kHz.
Cover coverage angles, which the ROKIT 7 captures at 155 degrees horizontally and 133 degrees vertically, are a crucial feature not often included in monitor specifications. In my control room, musicians rarely squat down between shots. So, with good vertical/horizontal dispersion, I know they are hearing how bright ( or not ) my mixes or recordings are when standing behind the listening position.
LCD FUNCTION SCREEN, SETUP
In the center of the rear panel, just above the four M6 mounting points, is an amber-colored LCD Function screen. This uses the well-known cursor/data entry system, which requires a single knob to navigate menus, followed by a “push” of the knob to select a highlighted choice or to navigate to a submenu section for more information.
When the monitor is first powered up, the LCD screen shows a fader to adjust the operating level in 0.1 dB steps, based on a + 4 dBu, factory-set input sensitivity. This will help you change the monitor’s level to match the rest of your room, which is a common issue when switching between monitors while playing music. The LCD screen also displays the Voicing Mode that is currently active, its frequency curve, and any EQ changes that have been saved.
Pressing the function knob will take you to the home page, where you will find three window options: EQ, Setup, and Back, for quick access from the startup page. Once, unclimb and press the knob to enter any of these sub-section windows. The EQ function, one of the newest features added to this generation, is used to select between three Voicing Modes: Mix, Create and Focus. An EQ preference can also be applied to any of the three Voicing Modes, with the same EQ remaining the same until the other two modes change. The same set of Voicing Modes are used for each of the three monitors in the line, with each one being specifically designed for the model.
For mixing, mastering, and critical listening, mix mode has a flat frequency and phase response. Create mode is suggested for writing, producing and casual listening. It has a pleasant-sounding” smiley curve”, with a lowered midrange and slightly boosted top and bottom.
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It’s good for listening at a lower volume. In contrast, the Focus mode has a strong ( Q ) boost at 1 kHz for hearing vocal lyrics and other important midrange components in your mix. To enable clear interpretation of the lyrics, I liked this because it “dig out” the obscuring lead vocals. The high frequencies are adjustable in + /-2 dB steps for high-shelving at 10 kHz and + /-1 dB for a peaking EQ at either 10 kHz, 3.5 kHz or flat. Higher EQ scores may be required for more challenging rooms with low-frequency modal problems.
The KRK ROKIT 7s have two EQ positions in the bass: + /-2 dB at 60 Hz using a shelving EQ and -2 dB at 200 Hz for a peaking EQ. When the monitor is placed too close to walls, where Surface-Boundary Interference Reflections can cause issues, Low EQ also has a position that provides -2 dB cut at both 60 Hz and 200 Hz for more correction.
The Setup page is for setting up overall system preferences. You’ll have to navigate the menu to the changes made to the factory settings. When selecting a parameter, the knob can be changed.
A factory reset for all parameters ( if you get lost ), a power-save feature, and 30-minute audio input time are all available. Additionally, the monitor goes to sleep when there is no audio input.
Once a setup is “dialed in,” you can lock it down so that no further adjustments can be made until you purposefully unlock them. Pushing on the knob causes the LCD to turn on if it is not lit.
STUDIO SETUP AND MIXING
The KRK ROKIT 7s are ideal for my small mix room, which is only 9 feet wide and 8 feet high. I took out my previous studio monitors and set them up on my Sound Anchor stands with an angled inward design ( where my eyes are now looking at the space between the woofer and tweeter ).
I had them at 36 inches above my reflective hardwood floor, 36 inches from both the left and right walls, and 36 inches apart to obey the rule of the “magic triangle”. At the third corner of an equilateral triangle, where the front left and right corners of the monitors are located, the listening position is out front.
I switched to the flat Mix mode and delved into the EQ page because the speakers had the default factory settings and I had the impression that they were lacking a little bass ( at least in my studio ).
At 60 Hz, I added a + 2 dB shelf and scrolled to Low EQ. This effectively prevented my mixes from being bass heavy. If you are working in immersive music formats or 5.1/7.1 mixing and require an LFE channel, or are mixing in a larger room, or simply like more subsonic level, KRK recommends the S8.4 Powered Subwoofer. The bass sound was pleasant to me.
Once set up in my mix room, the ROKIT 7s performed well for mid-volume-level mixing. They have good, clear stereo imaging, and I sometimes used the -2 dB at 10 kHz shelf if they seemed a little bright when playing back mastered, bright pop songs. I’d like to have this option, but I’d prefer to use my phone’s Bluetooth app to listen in on the DSP feature.
I had to mix a new artist who wanted to watch my process while I had the ROKIT Generation Five monitors set up in my studio. They were floored to find out how their music could sound so balanced when it was mixed on these monitors. A rough mix was a good choice for the car test. Not too booming in the bass, the low-midrange was balanced, and the stereo effects —reverb and delays—sat well. The best version of these already well-liked monitors to date is these new KRK ROKIT 7 Generation Fives.