KRK 8 G2 Monitor review.

 
A tradesman is only as good as the tools that they use. I have heard “that one” a million times over. Now, however, and for the first time, I understand just what that saying means. From this day on, in my little corner home studio, I have the best tools! They are KRK RP8 G2 Rokit Powered Studio Monitors .

Today, I have “heard” my very own music for the very first time. I have opted to toss out my “el-cheapo” studio reference monitors and install a KRK RP8 G2 Rokit Powered Studio Monitors . I then opened up a work in progress, and “took a listen”. As I worked along, I asked myself a couple of questions; like “Would I be able to hear a difference?”, and “Would I be able to “hear” something new?”

 I would find out in a few moments, as I turned the new monitors on, just what folks mean when they claim that “getting a good pair of quality monitors is just as important as getting a good quality microphone”. I can't simply put into words just how much of a difference there now is in the quality of the music that is coming out of the KRK RP8 G2 Rokit Powered Studio Monitors !

Every little nuance of the music is clear and audible now, where as before it was all “missing” in a way. All of this time I thought that I could hear what was happening within my mixes, and now I know that I was wrong. Could this even be possible? Had this quality of “sonic-ness” been eluding me all this time?

The one thing that I can say with words is that “I can now achieve much better results due to the ability to actually hear what is sonically happening within my songs”. Yes, I have the right tools now.

Let me tell you about what has become the most important studio upgrade that I have made in a very, very long time. I am talking about the recent addition of a pair of KRK RP8 G2 Rokit Powered Studio Monitors .  
Yet another old piece of advice that was given to me a long time ago is, “crap in, crap out”. This advice has led me on a mission to obtain better instruments, better microphones, and a better DAW system. However, I stopped there and continued on with less than desirable monitors. These “less than” monitors were actually tuned to sound sweeter. This alone is why my mixes sounded so darn good in the home studio and yet so bad in the car.

I needed to hear what was actually going “to be heard”, raw as it was, and not some engineers idea of a sweet eq'd addition to my overall mix. With all of the attention we give to recording with the best possible gear, top of the line plug ins, and the highest sample rates, to then mix down using the best possible bit rates and conversion file types, isn't it worth it to “hear” what you actually have, and with as amazing detail as possible? I could go on and on about just how good my original music sounds while pumping through the KRK RP8 G2 Rokit Powered Studio Monitors , but that would be a given.

Any review or advertisement for the KRK RP8 G2 Rokit Powered Studio Monitors will tell you that much. I want to explain how “different” my original music sounds pumping through these monster monitors.

I have never quite “felt” the kick drum “thud” and the bass “woof” before. Notice I chose the word “felt”? I knew that the kick drum and the bass were both working their way through my old monitors, because (although whimpy) I could hear them if I tried hard enough. The KRK RP8 G2 Rokit Powered Studio Monitors have a way of projecting the kick drum and the bass woof to the listeners ears, but also to his or her chest.

I had not ever felt results like this before, but it makes such darned good sense. This is a pleasant thing to boot, as high volume levels are not necessary for mixing (like before I installed the KRK RP8 G2 Rokit Powered Studio Monitors ). I liken the difference of the quality of the overall sound detail of my old monitors to my new KRK RP8 G2 Rokit Powered Studio Monitors to the difference between the usual “acoustic night” at the local coffee shop, and a stadium concert featuring a full blown metal band. Perhaps that will “paint the picture” of what I am trying to relate about actually “feeling” the kick drum and the bass woof with the KRK RP8 G2 Rokit Powered Studio Monitors .

And now for the guts of the KRK RP8 G2 Rokit Powered Studio Monitors .

First of all, you know quality when you feel it. These babies are hefty, weighing in at 26.1 pounds each! This comes from a quality, well built product. Video shielding is built in too, so forget the “colored hot spots” on your tv's or monitor screens. The back of the KRK RP8 G2 Rokit Powered Studio Monitors has some knobs and switches, so lets see what is there. First up is the usual on/off switch. This is in part of the internal amps, “amps” as in two! One amp is 70 watts for pushing the glass aramid composite woofer. The second amp is 20 watts, and is for the neodymium soft dome tweeter (with ferro fluid). Peak volume is rated at 106 decibels, so make sure to hang on!

Inputs are either an XLR jack, an ¼ inch mono, 10k ohm, jack, or one unbalanced RCA jack. The two “dial type” knobs are for (top) high freq adjust, and (bottom) volume level. The HF adjust is a “pre-set” type, with four positions. This adjusts the monitors to your listening environment, with settings of -2db to +1db of HF gain.

The front of the KRK RP8 G2 Rokit Powered Studio Monitors is as pictured in the images found on this post, but with a little bonus. The KRK logo actually lights up, which I found to be a cool feature. I know at a glance if I left them on by accident (or not). This was not the case with my old monitors.

Wrapping up this review, I need to put into words just what these monitors have done for me, and my music writing/recording process. This is a tough thing to relate. I will attempt to explain, though, so you can all understand where I am coming from.

When tracking, my “input instruments” are now a lot more precise. The old monitors could not “dial in” on what was exactly happening in this important process. Now, however, I can easily hear where a high or low pass filter is needed, and applying such filters is a snap. Compression can now be applied with accuracy, and can be “heard” in my mixes. Where as before I was adding unnecessary EQ boosts and EQ reductions just to get my inputs to translate after the fact, only finding out that I blew it, later, while listening to the finished mix in the car. How much is this worth to you? Again, “crap in, crap out”.

Mixing is no longer a chore, but a fun process! I find myself tweaking what has been tweaked, just because the detail and clarity of the KRK RP8 G2 Rokit Powered Studio Monitors allow for this sort of thing.

I now trust what I am now hearing, and it relates as I mix my tracks down for other stereo systems. Before, it was a crap shoot, but not any longer. Look, if you want to stop wasting time and get the best tracks, mixes, and finished exports possible, upgrade your monitors! They are a very important link in your chain of tools. Your music is important to us all!!! When affordability is an issue, like to all of us home recording nuts, KRK delivers the most “bang for the buck”, hands down, time and time again!
Do yourself a favor and listen to a pair of KRK RP8 G2 Rokit Powered Studio Monitors for yourself. You will hear just what I am writing about. You can thank me later! Please stay tuned for a demo video that is in the works. I want to give you all a listen, using a decent microphone.