Kali Audio has added the SM-8 to its top-tier Project Santa Monica, or SM-Series, line of studio monitors, promising ‘unparalleled imaging, accuracy and detail’ for critical listening applications.
The SM-8 is a three-way monitor with an 8-inch woofer and 4-inch midrange, with a coaxial 1-inch metal dome tweeter. Like Kali’s IN-Series loudspeakers, the SM-8 is an acoustic point source, and special care has been taken with the unique geometry around the midrange to ensure a seamless transition to the edge of the loudspeaker. Off-axis lobing that is unavoidable in two-way designs is virtually eliminated in the SM-8.
The transducers on the SM-8 are precision-engineered for high dynamic range, smooth response and low distortion. The woofer incorporates features that reduce magnetic flux modulation, bringing distortion down dramatically.
The midrange has been optimised not only for its own frequency handling, but also for its role as the tweeter’s waveguide. The tweeter is an aluminium dome with a special geometry that reduces high-Q ultrasonic resonances, eliminating the harsh sound that can plague metal dome designs.
THD of the loudspeaker is less than 0.5% and lower frequency response is 37Hz at -10dB. With 300W of total power, the SM-8 can deliver 119dB SPL peaks, allowing for reference-level listening at up to 5m from the loudspeaker.
On top of its out-of-the-box performance, the SM-8 features user-editable DSP to control parametric EQs, delays, and trims per loudspeaker for room calibration. This is all processed natively on the speaker’s own DSP chip, allowing for a less complicated signal chain and no additional latency while processing room calibration.
Users can set these DSP features using a USB drive plugged into the cabinet, or by networking loudspeakers together via Ethernet. While networked, changes in processing settings happen in real time, and tuning profiles can be toggled between.
The SM-8 can be mounted using hardware from Triad Orbit, or any other mount that uses a 4.25 x 2-inch hole pattern and can support the loudspeaker’s 31lb weight.
The SM-8 is available now in the United States, with worldwide availability soon to follow. Its MSRP is US$2499.
More: www.kaliaudio.com