Kali Audio at six - a brief reflection, and a glimpse into the future
by Scott Jay
24th January 2024
Sponsored by Kali Audio
In the world of speaker design and placement, reflections can be the enemy. Kali Audio pauses for one with us anyway.
A cause for celebration
Just a few Saturdays ago from the time of this publication, Burbank-based speaker manufacturer Kali Audio celebrated their sixth birthday. In celebration of that not-insignificant milestone in the occasionally cutthroat world of pro audio, co-founder and current Director of Marketing Nate Baglyos is on the line with me from a typically sunny southern California, to take stock of where Kali is at as 2023 fades into memory.
It’s the briefest of pauses in a relentless work schedule, but you don’t last six years in any business without some serious graft.
Nate Baglyos, Kali Audio
“Six years, it’s like, we're definitely on our way now. We're not Yamaha and we never will be in terms of the brand recognition - it's not like oh we've ‘made it' and now we're here - it’s more like ‘we did a really good job this week!’ Nate chuckles.
“We're doing a good job, and we can take a moment. Early on, I think you could look at this market and say ‘oh, it's totally saturated - there's too much stuff in the entry-level studio market’ - but I think the quality that we put forth initially was such a huge step up from what was already available - which is already a high bar from companies like JBL and KRK and Yamaha. Initially the buzz was very sort of forum-focused - enthusiast focused, you know people who are really paying attention. Now it's gotten to the point where really anybody who's thinking about getting studio monitors knows who we are and has a lot of people in our corner saying ‘this is the thing you ought to get.’”
Secretly high-end
It’s not just enthusiasts dominating the customer lists anymore, either. Last year Gearspace published an article about how Aaron Mattes is making exceptional use of Kali monitors for Atmos mixes for A-list artists. Nate is also keen to tell me about another high-end client. “Jeff Ellis, who's working out of East West, LA has something like 19 of our speakers in his various rooms. And he's the person who did Planet Her with Doja Cat. He also did Frank Ocean's big records, and more. He's an increasingly big name. You've heard his work and if you have ears you've liked it! He chose our stuff not because it was inexpensive - he has some very expensive speakers in his setup and he's very comfortable using those and paying for those. He chose our speakers because of the translation, And that isn't sort of an old-school like ‘oh you got to make some crappy speakers, people are listening on crappy speakers’ Nate laughs.
“The new world that we're in is that playback systems are great, by and large. Especially people listening on headphones, especially people listening in the car,” pointing out that the old trope of mixing on deliberately low-end monitors might be a thing of the past sooner rather than later as technology improves almost any listening experience. “You can sort of rely on the fact that people are listening on a good system. The translation that (Jeff) is looking for is from an accuracy standpoint, from an imaging standpoint. Knowing that what he's hearing in his room will translate out to the masses and that's why he chose Kalis over much more expensive speakers - because he knew he didn't have to second-guess anything he was doing in his room. And he likes working in there and the people he brings in - the artists, the other mixers, they also likes the sound of them. Which is huge for us!”
2023 (and very slightly before)
It was at the end of 2022 that Kali Audio announced and subsequently released their IN-UNF Ultra Nearfield monitoring system, and that’s the first recent product we talk about as 2023 was the year when the uptake of that system hit the next level for Kali. Nate points out to me that the IN-UNF system was developed to address a use-case and a certain type of customer that until then they had largely been ignored: the “desktop space-conscious” - maybe students, maybe home producers, maybe small B-rooms that were looking for Kali Audio quality but in the most compact possible format to be as economical with studio real estate as possible.
Kali Audio IN-UNF compact desktop monitoring system with USB
“People without a lot of space still want to use our systems. And that is where the IN-UNF came from. (We could have made) an LP5 [ed: referring to a smaller version of their insanely popular LP6 speaker) - it wouldn't cost us any less to make an LP5 versus an LP6. But we would have to sell it for less because it’s the thing that you do in a market.”
“With this product, people aren't necessarily reliant on having an interface, which is both a space and a budget concern. How do we fit this into people's ‘deskscapes’ so that it makes sense while still presenting something that is useful as a mixing tool and also making sure that it addresses those budgets? So the IN-UNF came out of that and now it is obviously the cheapest way to get a stereo pair of speakers in our IN series. Then, looking at what we had developed for that in terms of the USB interface, in terms of the smaller format of the amplifier, and in terms of taking desktop reflections into account, we were able to develop the LP-UNF out of that and do the same thing.
The LP-UNF desktop monitors from Kali Audio
Now we have an LP series speaker with the same technology as our LP-6 and our LP-8, but we're presenting a desktop option - and we're presenting something (importantly) substantially smaller - not taking up a ton of space on somebody's desk!” Nate continues. “It's not an easy environment to work in acoustically, So we've had to do a lot of work in that regard to make these the best possible thing for that environment. I think we've really succeeded,” he finishes, proudly. Gearspace user comments are reflective of that real-world success - “the sound is excellent. The bass is big and tight, the whole frequency spectrum is crystal clear and detailed,” says one glowing post, “Very balanced sound with nice clarity and detail on the top without being harsh” says another. High praise from an often fickle crowd… you know who you are!
Going in low
Kali Audio WS-6.2 Subwoofer
The next major release from Kali Audio in 2023 was the WS-6.2 subwoofer. “It was a similar sort of thought process to the LP-6 - we know we can make a pretty big sub for a pretty low price point. The previously-released WS-12 is an incredible amount of subwoofer for under $1,000,”“There is nothing that competes with it from a performance standpoint. anywhere near that price point - and that has to do with the expertise of our engineering department and what (chief designer) Charles Sprinkle has been able to bring to the table in terms of the years and years and years of loudspeaker development that he has and just say, ‘you know, if we did things this way, we can present this sub that does this and keep it down to this price,’ which was has been really big for us. It's a popular sub and there are a lot of people using the WS-12 who are not looking at any other Kali speaker, just because they need the power, and the price is right! It's huge though, physically, it is a very, very large sub. It is not appropriate to stick under your desk unless you need earth-shattering bass in your in your studio environment. So we knew we needed to develop a smaller sub - Charles really spearheaded the WS-6.2 in terms of thinking about the question - ‘what is the most sub that we can cram into the smallest space?’
And so they did.
“Charles is very proud of this and he'll point out that if you take apart a WS-6.2 you will see there is not a centimetre to spare anywhere in that subwoofer. In terms of the output and in terms of the bass extension, it is physically impossible to get more performance out of the size of sub that we have, which is something he is personally very proud of and I think we as a company are very proud of just because it kind of represents who we are,” Nate explains. “This is a subwoofer that can go under any desk extremely comfortably. You'll notice it's there, acoustically - but from a size standpoint, you're gonna barely notice it,” he concludes.
2023 fades into 2024
The final major product release of 2023 was the SM-5-C - Project Santa Monica, which is regarded as the “flagship” monitor speaker from Kali, with an asterisk - said asterisk is that they are in fact passive speakers. Nate tells me that “the SM series is geared toward someone who is doing immersive music - and there are enough of those studios that we are aware of that are running passive speakers already that don't want to have to replace their entire systems - we wanted to make sure we had a passive option available.”
Wait a minute - did he say “series”?
“It's not official-official, but it's well-enough known that we're not trying to keep it under wraps There will be powered SM-5s, which we’re just gonna call the SM-5,” and in telling me that Nate’s unveiled one of their major intended releases for 2024.
“What if we took the same architecture as the IN-8 and used fancier components with lower distortion? What if we spent the money to make this $1,000 speaker instead of making it a $400 speaker? And so Charles really went through that whole system with fine-tooth comb and thought about it - where are there opportunities to improve if the budget of making the speaker is not an issue? What can we improve? On one hand, you're not making as many compromises, so you don't have as many difficult decisions to make - on the other hand you're building a much more expensive speaker. It’s gonna have a lot more scrutiny than the less expensive speakers so you better get it, right!” he says with a definite sense of confidence.
“Beyond these new speakers, there are bigger plans into 2025 and beyond - and Nate is keen to drop some hints. “Yeah, so active Santa Monicas [SM series] are coming out. Might not be quite 2024, but it’s going to be an entire series of loudspeakers, not just one 5-inch. So you can probably make some guesses as to where we’re gonna go with that. They will have some networking capabilities built in. To complement that you might see some different versions of our subwoofers that are made to go specifically with those speakers, so that you can address a whole system. Again, might not be 2024, but just to give an idea of what we're looking into,” he teases.
“We have a very well fleshed out studio speaker line - there are some studio products that we feel we have an opportunity to go after that you're gonna see from us in 2024 and I'll leave it at that because I don't want to get too Into the weeds of things that might be coming - but there are going to be some “non-speaker” products from Kali Audio,” Nate hints, carefully.
A guiding principle, from a chair
“I was struck when I went to the Oakland Museum of California over the holiday break and they have a whole exhibit on Charles and Ray Eames. These are the people who are responsible for the Eames chair as well as other pieces of furniture and things that they manufactured and one of their quotes, which I love, was “Making the best for the most with the least”. And I hadn't seen that before but it really resonated with me because I think that's really been sort of a guiding principle for Kali Audio - making a product for as many people as possible that is as good as it possibly can be and as affordable for them as we can possibly make it. And moving into 2024, where suddenly we've got the speaker line that starts at $1,000 per speaker, that will continue to be a guiding principle and it's not just about, you know ‘let's make sure we're addressing the budget part of the market.’
Nate wants to make one more thing ultra-clear before we end our pow-wow - it’s that despite all the growth and all the expansion (Kali now sports 13 employees), they have not lost their focus on a top-tier customer experience. “Across our six years one thing that has always been really important to us is customer service - being in touch with our customers, making sure that people have a vector to give us feedback and ask any questions that they have. If you ever have any questions, even if you're just sort of generally thinking you might buy a Kali Audio speaker and certainly if you have bought a Kali Audio speaker, we are heavily available. You can always hit us up on social media, or via our website. I just want people to know that I want people to feel comfortable in that because it's something we're really proud of.”
For more information on Kali Audio products, please visit https://www.kaliaudio.com
In the world of speaker design and placement, reflections can be the enemy. Kali Audio pauses for one with us anyway.
A cause for celebration
Just a few Saturdays ago from the time of this publication, Burbank-based speaker manufacturer Kali Audio celebrated their sixth birthday. In celebration of that not-insignificant milestone in the occasionally cutthroat world of pro audio, co-founder and current Director of Marketing Nate Baglyos is on the line with me from a typically sunny southern California, to take stock of where Kali is at as 2023 fades into memory.
It’s the briefest of pauses in a relentless work schedule, but you don’t last six years in any business without some serious graft.
Nate Baglyos, Kali Audio
“Six years, it’s like, we're definitely on our way now. We're not Yamaha and we never will be in terms of the brand recognition - it's not like oh we've ‘made it' and now we're here - it’s more like ‘we did a really good job this week!’ Nate chuckles.
“We're doing a good job, and we can take a moment. Early on, I think you could look at this market and say ‘oh, it's totally saturated - there's too much stuff in the entry-level studio market’ - but I think the quality that we put forth initially was such a huge step up from what was already available - which is already a high bar from companies like JBL and KRK and Yamaha. Initially the buzz was very sort of forum-focused - enthusiast focused, you know people who are really paying attention. Now it's gotten to the point where really anybody who's thinking about getting studio monitors knows who we are and has a lot of people in our corner saying ‘this is the thing you ought to get.’”
Secretly high-end
It’s not just enthusiasts dominating the customer lists anymore, either. Last year Gearspace published an article about how Aaron Mattes is making exceptional use of Kali monitors for Atmos mixes for A-list artists. Nate is also keen to tell me about another high-end client. “Jeff Ellis, who's working out of East West, LA has something like 19 of our speakers in his various rooms. And he's the person who did Planet Her with Doja Cat. He also did Frank Ocean's big records, and more. He's an increasingly big name. You've heard his work and if you have ears you've liked it! He chose our stuff not because it was inexpensive - he has some very expensive speakers in his setup and he's very comfortable using those and paying for those. He chose our speakers because of the translation, And that isn't sort of an old-school like ‘oh you got to make some crappy speakers, people are listening on crappy speakers’ Nate laughs.
“The new world that we're in is that playback systems are great, by and large. Especially people listening on headphones, especially people listening in the car,” pointing out that the old trope of mixing on deliberately low-end monitors might be a thing of the past sooner rather than later as technology improves almost any listening experience. “You can sort of rely on the fact that people are listening on a good system. The translation that (Jeff) is looking for is from an accuracy standpoint, from an imaging standpoint. Knowing that what he's hearing in his room will translate out to the masses and that's why he chose Kalis over much more expensive speakers - because he knew he didn't have to second-guess anything he was doing in his room. And he likes working in there and the people he brings in - the artists, the other mixers, they also likes the sound of them. Which is huge for us!”
2023 (and very slightly before)
It was at the end of 2022 that Kali Audio announced and subsequently released their IN-UNF Ultra Nearfield monitoring system, and that’s the first recent product we talk about as 2023 was the year when the uptake of that system hit the next level for Kali. Nate points out to me that the IN-UNF system was developed to address a use-case and a certain type of customer that until then they had largely been ignored: the “desktop space-conscious” - maybe students, maybe home producers, maybe small B-rooms that were looking for Kali Audio quality but in the most compact possible format to be as economical with studio real estate as possible.
Kali Audio IN-UNF compact desktop monitoring system with USB
“People without a lot of space still want to use our systems. And that is where the IN-UNF came from. (We could have made) an LP5 [ed: referring to a smaller version of their insanely popular LP6 speaker) - it wouldn't cost us any less to make an LP5 versus an LP6. But we would have to sell it for less because it’s the thing that you do in a market.”
“With this product, people aren't necessarily reliant on having an interface, which is both a space and a budget concern. How do we fit this into people's ‘deskscapes’ so that it makes sense while still presenting something that is useful as a mixing tool and also making sure that it addresses those budgets? So the IN-UNF came out of that and now it is obviously the cheapest way to get a stereo pair of speakers in our IN series. Then, looking at what we had developed for that in terms of the USB interface, in terms of the smaller format of the amplifier, and in terms of taking desktop reflections into account, we were able to develop the LP-UNF out of that and do the same thing.
The LP-UNF desktop monitors from Kali Audio
Now we have an LP series speaker with the same technology as our LP-6 and our LP-8, but we're presenting a desktop option - and we're presenting something (importantly) substantially smaller - not taking up a ton of space on somebody's desk!” Nate continues. “It's not an easy environment to work in acoustically, So we've had to do a lot of work in that regard to make these the best possible thing for that environment. I think we've really succeeded,” he finishes, proudly. Gearspace user comments are reflective of that real-world success - “the sound is excellent. The bass is big and tight, the whole frequency spectrum is crystal clear and detailed,” says one glowing post, “Very balanced sound with nice clarity and detail on the top without being harsh” says another. High praise from an often fickle crowd… you know who you are!
Going in low
Kali Audio WS-6.2 Subwoofer
And so they did.
“Charles is very proud of this and he'll point out that if you take apart a WS-6.2 you will see there is not a centimetre to spare anywhere in that subwoofer. In terms of the output and in terms of the bass extension, it is physically impossible to get more performance out of the size of sub that we have, which is something he is personally very proud of and I think we as a company are very proud of just because it kind of represents who we are,” Nate explains. “This is a subwoofer that can go under any desk extremely comfortably. You'll notice it's there, acoustically - but from a size standpoint, you're gonna barely notice it,” he concludes.
2023 fades into 2024
The final major product release of 2023 was the SM-5-C - Project Santa Monica, which is regarded as the “flagship” monitor speaker from Kali, with an asterisk - said asterisk is that they are in fact passive speakers. Nate tells me that “the SM series is geared toward someone who is doing immersive music - and there are enough of those studios that we are aware of that are running passive speakers already that don't want to have to replace their entire systems - we wanted to make sure we had a passive option available.”
Wait a minute - did he say “series”?
“It's not official-official, but it's well-enough known that we're not trying to keep it under wraps There will be powered SM-5s, which we’re just gonna call the SM-5,” and in telling me that Nate’s unveiled one of their major intended releases for 2024.
Kali Audio “Santa Monica” SM-5-C
“Beyond these new speakers, there are bigger plans into 2025 and beyond - and Nate is keen to drop some hints. “Yeah, so active Santa Monicas [SM series] are coming out. Might not be quite 2024, but it’s going to be an entire series of loudspeakers, not just one 5-inch. So you can probably make some guesses as to where we’re gonna go with that. They will have some networking capabilities built in. To complement that you might see some different versions of our subwoofers that are made to go specifically with those speakers, so that you can address a whole system. Again, might not be 2024, but just to give an idea of what we're looking into,” he teases.
“We have a very well fleshed out studio speaker line - there are some studio products that we feel we have an opportunity to go after that you're gonna see from us in 2024 and I'll leave it at that because I don't want to get too Into the weeds of things that might be coming - but there are going to be some “non-speaker” products from Kali Audio,” Nate hints, carefully.
A guiding principle, from a chair
An Eames Chair, designed by Charles & Ray Eames
Nate wants to make one more thing ultra-clear before we end our pow-wow - it’s that despite all the growth and all the expansion (Kali now sports 13 employees), they have not lost their focus on a top-tier customer experience. “Across our six years one thing that has always been really important to us is customer service - being in touch with our customers, making sure that people have a vector to give us feedback and ask any questions that they have. If you ever have any questions, even if you're just sort of generally thinking you might buy a Kali Audio speaker and certainly if you have bought a Kali Audio speaker, we are heavily available. You can always hit us up on social media, or via our website. I just want people to know that I want people to feel comfortable in that because it's something we're really proud of.”
For more information on Kali Audio products, please visit https://www.kaliaudio.com
