Monitors can take up a lot of space, especially in a small home studio situation. Finding good sounding speakers that won’t clutter a desk is pretty much impossible. IK’s iLoud Micro Monitors deliver a great sound, in a small footprint, and have some nice extra features. In fact, these may be the lightest reference monitors we’ve ever tested.
The casing seems to be a durable plastic, and has a 3⁄4” tweeter and a 3” woofer, along with a front facing bass port. Positioning is flexible with a rubber rear pad, and a folding kick stand like leg that angles the speakers up just enough for proper imaging. With a threaded insert in the bottom, they could be mounted on a mic stand as well.
Connectivity is by either a 1⁄4”, RCA or by Bluetooth, and the EQ can be optimized for desktop use, or a flat frequency response. There are two options for the EQ response from flat to -3dB on the high and low-end frequencies. It’s all controlled by a 56-bit processor, and brings a nice simple on/off functionality to adjusting the overall reaction to the music source.
First off, these have plenty of power, and throughout the volume range, there’s plenty of dynamics and fullness without clipping. The EQ adjustment switches do make a difference, albeit slight. It would be just enough to show the difference in a mixing format.
So, who are these meant for? With the street price of $299, a musician looking to make the next step from a pair of computer speakers or cheap headphones, might want to give these a listen before they embark on their next project. They’ll work great for tracking and mixing, as well as recreational use. The ability to toggle between flat and desktop modes will help inexperienced users start to dial in their ears. For users tracking with computers with limited audio connections, such as an iPad, the Bluetooth is excellent. For a professional studio, a pair of these for a B room won’t break the bank either.
IK does offer a travel bag, and yes these would be a great set of speakers for a small mobile recording platform. The only down downside is the cable that links the left and right speakers is an odd mini 4-pin type, so if this gets lost, you’re out of luck.
Consider these the first step into pro speakers meant for mobile or small-studio home production, and you likely be as impressed as we were at their sonic capabilities and space-saving qualities.
PROS:
good sound, tiny footprint, ultra-lightweight and portable.
CONS:
non-standard cable may be hard to replace if lost/damaged.