UPDATE: The Kali IN-8 now has -12dB self noise per this video. I do not currently own the IN-8v2, but it uses the amplifier and DSP improvements of the IN-5 to get lower hiss now on their 8" version:
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The team at Kali Audio has offered to send me an IN-8 to test after seeing several of my posts noting the hiss. It will be here tomorrow.
Here is the hiss from the first production batch, ordered the day they came out:
One of them let me know that due to customer feedback including mine, the engineers identified a capacitor that was out of spec in some cases, and they are tightening the tolerance of that component.
I have no doubt there will still be some hiss, but if it's significantly less offensive they would be great in a living room setup.
Right now, I'm curious how hiss should be measured, and there are a few options:
1. Using the UMIK 1 USB microphone I have, and making a single recording in Audacity and normalizing it, first holding it directly in front of the Genelec 8260 tweeter, in line with the baffle, then the Kali IN-8. Shortcoming would be if I did this with other speakers, some of them don't have waveguides and the mic would be touching the tweeter or much closer.
2. Using a Tascam DR07 MkII I have and setting it to a certain level. This would be useful because I can carry it aroudn when I demo speakers at other stores and such, and can make a small "database." Maybe I could just roughtly be a hands width from the front face of the speaker?
3. Using my phone microphone, which is the easiest, but only shows relative hiss levels and wouldn't be comparable to other things unless the other person has the same phone.
Also of note: The outlets have been replaced in my house and are all tested and grounded now where they weren't before in the video (thanks previous owners who shoved the grounding wires to the back and clipped them)... BUT, I also took these to a friends studio who lives in a newer house with a fully balanced setup and heard the hiss. Could have been less, though it sounded the same (a lot of hiss.)
Assumptions:
-The Genelec 8260 will have more bass extension.
-The Kali will have no port chuffing. (As tested before. Have a few more songs this time too.)
-The Genelec will hiss less.
-The Kali will his about on par with a JBL LSR308.
-The Kali will handily outperform my HiVi DIY 3.1
-The Kali, if okay with some hiss or not used to close, will be a better value because you can afford subs to get the extension of the 8260
-Grounding vs Ungrounding will not make a difference for hiss. (In the video, I removed a grounding plug from the orange splitter. The outlet I tested with that was supposed to be grounded was not though.)
Also: Does anyone else have links to videos like this?
--------
The team at Kali Audio has offered to send me an IN-8 to test after seeing several of my posts noting the hiss. It will be here tomorrow.
Here is the hiss from the first production batch, ordered the day they came out:
One of them let me know that due to customer feedback including mine, the engineers identified a capacitor that was out of spec in some cases, and they are tightening the tolerance of that component.
I have no doubt there will still be some hiss, but if it's significantly less offensive they would be great in a living room setup.
Right now, I'm curious how hiss should be measured, and there are a few options:
1. Using the UMIK 1 USB microphone I have, and making a single recording in Audacity and normalizing it, first holding it directly in front of the Genelec 8260 tweeter, in line with the baffle, then the Kali IN-8. Shortcoming would be if I did this with other speakers, some of them don't have waveguides and the mic would be touching the tweeter or much closer.
2. Using a Tascam DR07 MkII I have and setting it to a certain level. This would be useful because I can carry it aroudn when I demo speakers at other stores and such, and can make a small "database." Maybe I could just roughtly be a hands width from the front face of the speaker?
3. Using my phone microphone, which is the easiest, but only shows relative hiss levels and wouldn't be comparable to other things unless the other person has the same phone.
Also of note: The outlets have been replaced in my house and are all tested and grounded now where they weren't before in the video (thanks previous owners who shoved the grounding wires to the back and clipped them)... BUT, I also took these to a friends studio who lives in a newer house with a fully balanced setup and heard the hiss. Could have been less, though it sounded the same (a lot of hiss.)
Assumptions:
-The Genelec 8260 will have more bass extension.
-The Kali will have no port chuffing. (As tested before. Have a few more songs this time too.)
-The Genelec will hiss less.
-The Kali will his about on par with a JBL LSR308.
-The Kali will handily outperform my HiVi DIY 3.1
-The Kali, if okay with some hiss or not used to close, will be a better value because you can afford subs to get the extension of the 8260
-Grounding vs Ungrounding will not make a difference for hiss. (In the video, I removed a grounding plug from the orange splitter. The outlet I tested with that was supposed to be grounded was not though.)
Also: Does anyone else have links to videos like this?
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