KRK RP5 Rokit 5 G4 Professional Bi-Amp 5" Powered Studio Monitor Pair, Black CDN$ 413.44

Another great deal, comparisons to mkII found in thread also;

JBL 305P MkII 5" 2-Way Powered Studio Monitor, sale still on
jbl-305p-mkii-5-2-way-powered-studio-mo ... e-2423327/

Worth the upgrade over the JBLs?

tunda11 wrote: ↑ Worth the upgrade over the JBLs?

Not an upgrade, but on equal footing...I'd say.

My thoughts:
1. Based on size of woofer? No, for $400, you can get 6.5" woofer on 306P, unlike this KRK 5" woofer model. The larger woofer will extend deeper, and play with lower distortion overall.
2. Based on frequency response? Both will be comparable. KRK RP8 (8" woofer) Gen1 was measured in 2006 by soundrecording, and shows a generally flat on-axis response, meaning it's a well designed neutral speaker. I'm not seeing many resonances or frequency anomalies on KRK's.
3. Based on directivity/dispersion? Both look wide, and well controlled.
4. Based on looks? That's your call.
5. Based on self noise (aka hiss)? KRK's would win and have lower hiss. See my post below.

I would say, based on the Gen 1 measurements, and knowing JBL 30xP MKII measurements, they're both recommended.
Overall, this model is a thumbs up from me, especially since KRK's aren't on sale often.

sweetchaos wrote: ↑ Not an upgrade, but on equal footing...I'd say.

My thoughts:
1. Based on size of woofer? No, for $400, you can get 6.5" woofer on 306P, unlike this KRK 5" woofer model. The larger woofer will extend deeper, and play with lower distortion overall.
2. Based on frequency response? Both will be comparable. KRK RP8 (8" woofer) Gen1 was measured in 2006 by soundrecording, and shows a generally flat on-axis response, meaning it's a well designed neutral speaker. I'm not seeing many resonances or frequency anomalies on KRK's.
3. Based on directivity/dispersion? Both look wide, and well controlled.
4. Based on looks? That's your call.

I would say, based on the Gen 1 measurements, and knowing JBL 30xP MKII measurements, they're both recommended.
Overall, this model is a thumbs up from me, especially since KRK's aren't on sale often.

One of my biggest beefs with the JBLs is the hiss. Considering both JBL and Rokit are using class D amps, should I expect less hiss with the Rokits?

tunda11 wrote: ↑ One of my biggest beefs with the JBLs is the hiss. Considering both JBL and Rokit are using class D amps, should I expect less hiss with the Rokits?

Based on soundrecording's hiss measurements, KRK RP5 (Gen2) had lower hiss than JBL LSR305 (Gen1).
Measured in anechoic chamber, self noise @ 10cm was 25dbA for that KRK model, and 28dbA for JBL model.

If you extrapolate that, I would expect KRK RP5 Gen4 (this model) to have less hiss than JBL 30xP MKII.

krk has some hiss, its not wild but there is some. all budget studio monitors have some sort of issue you cant really win. the presonus eris e5 are similairish to these and cost 149.99 amazon if someone wants a cheaper alternative.

msz87 wrote: ↑ krk has some hiss, its not wild but there is some. all budget studio monitors have some sort of issue you cant really win.

It's very mild, but it is there.

I have a pair of these on my desk right now, and I only really hear it late at night when it's dead quiet around here.

Here's my 2¢.

FWIW, I'm not enamoured with this setup. I lean towards very unforgiving and neutral sounding speakers, because they're best for my work needs (and I can eq when I want to colour the sound for my own listening prefs). I find the KRK's too muddy. Thankfully, these speakers are not mine - they belong to the production company I'm working for.

Having said that, the Rockit 5's are insanely popular in the post-production world. You see them everywhere, which kind of blows my mind: as I said, I personally think they're not very good for any kind of discerning audio work. But they're cheap and I hear they're pretty reliable - which explains their ubiquity, I suppose.

The JBL's sound less muddy than the KRK's, but they still have a pretty coloured sound IMO.

I find both these and the JBL's ugly. The Rockit's have this gnarly yellow driver (and this horrible series logo...and don't even get me started on that name..."Rockit" WTF? Is this a 90's classic rock station?). They're cheesy.

But the JBL's are even weirder looking to me, with that bizarro bowtie tweeter. In patent gloss black, no less. Feels like they escaped from a Turtles chocolates commercial.

[I know the bowtie design is part of their "secret sauce", but I just can't get over that look]

But, despite my criticisms: both speakers are decent bang-for-the-buck at this range. They're popular for a reason. Just make sure they sound good to you, and that you can return them if you don't like them.

One last thing: looks should be at the very bottom of one's wish list when buying speakers on a tight dime. The sound is everything. Looks should only really matter if it's a deciding factor between two essentially equivalent set-ups. When you're spending more money, looks can start to factor into what you're getting. Bad looks don't affect the sound of a quality speaker. It's just a matter of visual design preference.

yea im not a fan of the jbl sound either, mids are too recessed, lacks precision and just sounds like a hifi speaker, great for a small home theatre.

sweetchaos wrote: ↑ Based on soundrecording's hiss measurements, KRK RP5 (Gen2) had lower hiss than JBL LSR305 (Gen1).
Measured in anechoic chamber, self noise @ 10cm was 25dbA for that KRK model, and 28dbA for JBL model.

Your link doesn't lead to any measurements and the site is in German or something. Do you have a link to those measurements?

reddyflag wrote: ↑ Your link doesn't lead to any measurements and the site is in German or something. Do you have a link to those measurements?

Yes, it's in German. You'll need to purchase their 'Studio Monitors Special'. This is a public forum and I have no right to post the full source. If you want access, you need to pay for it.

reddyflag wrote: ↑ Your link doesn't lead to any measurements and the site is in German or something. Do you have a link to those measurements?

Open it in Chrome for auto translate.

https://www.soundandrecording.de/?s=krk+rp5

.

Price is showing up as $436.18 now

Price is back to CDN$ 459.74.
Deal is expired now.

sketchy wrote: ↑ One last thing: looks should be at the very bottom of one's wish list when buying speakers on a tight dime. The sound is everything. Looks should only really matter if it's a deciding factor between two essentially equivalent set-ups. When you're spending more money, looks can start to factor into what you're getting. Bad looks don't affect the sound of a quality speaker. It's just a matter of visual design preference.

hallelujah