It was the 2nd Day of the NAMM show, with craziness wailing around us – guitars, performers and DJ equipment on all sides. We walked over to KRK booth (www.krksys.com) for our appointment to check out the new KRK VXT series. Although, GuitarGearHeads has come up in the world over the last couple of years, we really weren’t expecting the VIP treatment!

We met the KRK rep and he surprisingly asked us to follow him. We weaved in an out of the booths to end up at a rather unremarkable door. We entered the door and were led up a staircase. At the top of the stairs was a door to the left, a door to the right, and a guard in the middle. For a moment, I felt like I was in a new episode of the “The Matrix”, hoping someone was going to ask me to choose between a red pill or a blue pill.

Entering the door on the left, we were escorted into a nice “living room” style space with couches, chairs, water, and snacks. Behind this room was a listening room where the KRK folks were giving demos of their latest KRK VXT series monitors.

During the demo, the VXT 4”, 6”, and 8” models were compared against high-end competitors costing 2-4x as much – I can’t even tell you the models, but rest assured these were the top-of-the-line in each class. In each case, the VXT equaled or bested the higher priced monitor. When the demo was over, we were politely escorted out the “secret room” back to the din of show floor below.

Back in my studio, I was able to spend some quality time with the KRK VXT 6 speakers. The conclusion is that these speakers are an amazing value for the price, but you’ll have to read on for all the details!

KRK VXT6 Monitors

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in a home studio is to skimp on your monitors. It would probably be a better choice to shave off a few bucks on software or mixing hardware and buy a great pair of near field monitors. Your monitors are like critical divining rods to a great mix.

KRK monitors have become a home studio staple and are instantly recognizable by their “bumble-bee” yellow Kevlar woofers. As mentioned above in the intro, the new VXT series comes in three sizes – the VXT4, VXT6, and VXT8. Outside of size, all have similar features. Although this review focuses on the VXT6’s, my observations in the “matrix” room lead me to believe that for most home studio applications the VXT6’s actually represent the sweet spot for price and sound. The VXT4’s matched up extremely well to its 4” competitor, but without a subwoofer, 4” speakers lack the low end necessary to stand on their own. The VXT8’s also sounded great – probably the best of the group; however, they are a bit large and would be ungainly, at least in my studio. Like Goldilocks says, the VXT6’s are “just right”!

Taking design cues from their Expose’ E8B series of high-end monitors, the VXT series features several new design elements that have undoubtedly brought this series into direct competition with elite studio products. These include elliptical sides and rounded corners for improved sound imaging. Slotted, front facing ports designed to reduce frequency distortion from port turbulence. A redesigned woofer and tweeter allow an expanded frequency response. Upgraded electronics with Auto-Mute, a group of 5-way dip switches on the rear of the unit for adjusting elements of monitor’s sound response to your room, a system level adjust, a switchable limiter and ground lift.

Other features include a tacky rubber pad on the bottom of the speaker designed to insulate the speaker from “rattle” and “walk”. An omni-mount provides placement flexibility. A Neutrik combo connector provides monitor various input options of XLR, ¼” TRS, and ¼” TS connections.



Features at a Glance
• Video Shielding: Standard
• Drivers: HF 1" Soft Dome Tweeter, LF 6" Kevlar Woofer
• Input: XLR & 1/4" TRS Combo, 10K Ohm Balanced, Pin 1 + Sleeve = Ground, Pin 2 + Tip = High, Pin 3 + Ring = Low
• Amplification: 120 watt Bi-amp with 24dB/octave
• Dimensions: 13-5/8" x 9-7/16" x 10" (34.6 x 24 x 25.4 cm)
• Shipping Weight: 25 lbs (12 Kg)

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Gear Guy Tip: Although it can be a matter of preference, most near-field studio monitors are designed for placement distances of 5’ to 6’ from the listener. An ideal scenario would have the listener at the tip of an equilateral triangle made up of the listener and each of the two speakers. This setup assures that you are gaining proportionally greater direct sound from the speaker elements rather than sound reflections from the room, which greatly improves monitoring accuracy.

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Studio Test

I placed these speakers in my studio as a replacement to a pair of TAPCO S5 monitors. These monitors are active, each requiring a separate power receptacle. I connected these monitors to a Mackie 1220 mixing board using XLR balanced outs.

Before I moved out the S5s, I had a chance to conduct a direct comparison. I’ll have to be honest and say that the TAPCO’s, price-wise, aren’t even in the same ballpark as the KRK VXT6’s. Also the woofer is quite a bit larger and should give it quite a bit more punch. This is confirmed by each of the monitors’ specifications. The KRK VXT 6’s have an advertised frequency response range of 45Hz to 20Khz. The TAPCO monitors advertise a frequency response range of 65Hz to 20Khz. With a 20Hz differential, in theory the KRKs should have much better frequency response at the lower range.

I tested the KRKs using a variety of methods. Playing CD’s across a range of genre’s, particularly songs that were bass and treble heavy. Also, I used a few mixes I have been experimenting with in Mackie Tracktion 3.

The reality certainly lived up to the expectation. The KRKs offered much better bass response across all of the tested applications. Of particular note was the sense of clarity. While I obviously expected the bass response to be better overall, which it was, I found the clarity of the VXTs to be exceptional, particularly in the mid-range frequencies that can often get muddy. In my research, some reviewers indicated that KRK VXTs need additional EQ compensation at the high end due to a sense of “softness”. I only mention this because I did not perceive this myself – all of the highs were well defined in my opinion. I did however, spend some time compensating for my room which I think helped mitigate some of the reflected frequencies.


Grade- A
Pro's – Awesome high-end sound, Modern look, Back-panel features, Front-facing ports
Con's- Monitors are still somewhat large for 6”, so plan your space or consider the 4"'s with a subwoofer
Street Price – $450 each ($900 pair)


Conclusion

I’ll have to be honest at this point and tell you that the VXT6’s are a serious speaker and at $900 a pair may not be in the price range of the occasional recording enthusiast. However, they are a very compelling option if you are in the market for a more than solid mid-range speaker that offers high-end monitoring response and features. I can tell you first hand that these speakers compare very well to (and sometimes surpass) speakers costing many times more.

For their size, the VXT6s offer excellent low-frequency response. Bass heavy music, such as club mixes, may still require the addition of a sub-woofer (or a move up to the 8” VXT8s); however, they should be excellent nearly all other home and small studio applications. I was particularly impressed with the overall flat response and clarity of these speakers, particularly in the mid-range frequencies.

Overall, I am proud to say that KRKs are now my speaker of choice in my home-studio. For that reason, I am giving KRK the GuitarGearHeads “Studio-Ready” award for 2008. Congratulations to KRK on their excellent and innovative speaker design.



Dan Halberg

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