KRK VXT4 Active Studio Monitor User Reviews at zZounds

"A necessary upgrade" submitted August 21, 2011

By a customer from hotmail.com

Overall

Sound

Features

Ease of Use

Quality

Value

Manufacturer Support

The Wow Factor

Musical Background: Active musician, hobbyist recording engineer

Music Style: Metal, rock, acoustic

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SPOTLIGHT REVIEW

Sound: Did some extensive research for about 2 weeks and ended up choosing between RP5s, RP6s and Yamaha HS50s. Luckily for me, my local dealer happened to provide all of these, plus VXT4s as well as a selection of Genelecs. I made two separate trips to pre-listen and compare to the selection. After going through all of them I quickly discovered that VXT4s excelled not only in top clarity, but also in sub sound quality. Compared to VXT4 the RP6 sounded "muddy" and although it (RP6) provides the "oomph" -experience one may or may not want, the VXT4 offered somthing different. The bass has a unique clarity that enables the listener to pick out different tones of bass sounds that were lost in the RP-series. Again, some may like this and some may not but I tell you, there's a quality difference here. Point of interest: when comparing the VXT4s to Genelec's 8020BPMs (which I previously owned but had to give up for other reasons), the Genelecs had a noticable dip in mid freqs. The VXT4's sound was even, thus exceeding the 8020s in transparency. The bass sound is, as mentioned, clear and transparent. For that added punch, however, you may want to consider a larger set of VXTs (6 or 8), or a KRK 10S sub to kick things up. Feature: The VXT4s do not provide the controls for LF and HF adjustments that are featured in the VXT6 and VXT8 models, which is a bummer. Not necessary something that you can't "tune" through 3rd party softwares. It is a lack, however, and therefore points are deducted. It does, however, offer other controllers (also featured in larger models), but those will not be discussed. Ease of Use: The VXT4s provide inputs for both plugs and XLR wires, which greatly increases versatility, especially in mobile / changing enviroments. This may or may not be a critical factor, but at least it will make things easier for "spontaneous monitoring" on the road etc. (if such a thing exists). Also, no real setting up is required (save from the preparation of the listening space, which should never be ignored). Quality: It's a solid build with a massive body, at least when compared to Genelecs. Out of all KRKs these would propably suit "the road" or a bedroom studio the most. If, however, you are looking for a set of monitors for serious portability, explore other brands. Value: The quality of the monitors convinced me to spend an extra 150€ on these instead or RP5s. Plus, as I mentioned, they exceed Genelec's 8020BPMs in Quality vs Price (around 650€ / pair for 8020s). So yeah, it definitely worth the buck. Manufacturer Support: Well... uh... no need for customer support yet. Freq charts are not provided (if they even exist). The Wow Factor: Well, after seeing (and hearing) the VXTs the RP-series seemed a bit cheapish, sort of big and clumsy. Getting RPs would've felt like hiring a pro wrestler to do clocksmithing; the basic structure just isn't meant for something delicate. Overall: As a conclution, if you plan to do recording / mixing on your monitors, go ahead and invest that extra 100 - 150€ on those monitors and get VXTs instead of RPs. If this quite doesn't convince you yet, get this. The second time I went to listen to the selection of monitors (and buy a pair of VXT4s), I took my bandmate along, who is an educated and certified audio technician (and the owner of a studio). By the time we were done, he was so impressed he ordered a pair for himself, even though he initially came along solely as a "neutral evaluator" to present me with his opinion. He'll get his pair next week, so we'll see how he'll feel about the VXTs after a while.

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"Perhaps the most useful, affordable small monitors on the planet" submitted April 23, 2011

By a customer from aol.com

Overall

Sound

Features

Ease of Use

Quality

Value

The Wow Factor

Musical Background: recording engineer, active musician

Music Style: rock, hip hop

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VERIFIED BUYER

zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.

Sound: Clear, detailed mids and highs, subjectively not overly aggressive (though somewhat "forward" and modern in their tonal balance), reasonable low frequency representation (given their diminutive size), stereo spectrum is very distinct and is better than run-of-the-mill in presenting the illusion of 3 dimensionality and the positioning of instruments and voices in the mix, excellent lack of that "boxy" sound that is typical of small and/or poorly designed speakers. Things sound more natural than "reproduced" when used in the nearfield position. The amplifier output is low but they are plenty loud when used at realistic mix volumes in the nearfield position. Feature: Has a limiter circuit and clip indicator light that can independently be toggled on/off and used simultaneously if desired. Both are useful features. I use the limiter when tracking with inexperienced people near the controls. I mix with it off, but with the clip indicator light on. The toggle switches are blocked by a plastic shield to keep accidental adjustments from happening. There is also an auto mute feature that can be toggled on/off that supposedly cuts power to the speakers when they aren't in use after a certain amount of time. I have never felt the need to use that feature. Including the volume adjustment knobs the available controls are very useful and exactly what I deem necessary for a professional speaker. Ease of Use: These are plug and play so long as you understand that they are self powered. They are very easy to use. Quality: I have found the build quality to be quite respectable. They are dense and consequently heavy for their size. They feel sturdy. The controls feel sturdy. The XLR jacks are the locking type w/release buttons and cables attach snugly. I've had no issues with build quality at all and my pair is at least 2 years old. There are reported issues with low level RF interference audible when the monitors are in certain locations, but I haven't experienced any problems with that myself. Those reports are the reason I haven't given the highest marks possible in this category. Value: A monitor used for recording is a tool to tell the engineer how things actually sound, while no monitor does this perfectly, in balancing the trade offs between affordability, size and power, while still remaining useful, the KRK vxt series (and the vxt 4 specifically) is an excellent value. Mixes translate to a wide variety of playback systems when done on these, with a relatively gentle learning curve. They are among my absolute favorite small nearfields. They might actually be the most practically and usefully designed small, affordable nearfield monitors in existence. Manufacturer Support: I haven't needed support for this product. The Wow Factor: I think the combination of usefulness and affordability made this a "must have" item for me. I really needed something small and portable but useful enough to trust tracking and mixing duties with. These really fit the criteria well. What might be a turn off for some with these are their size, power and bass output. They just can't compete in terms of sheer sound pressure levels and low frequency output because of the restrictions of the laws of physics. But as small nearfields go, as far as I'm concerned it's no contest. They are superior to almost all other competition. The only way I see getting a better comparably small, active nearfield is to pay much more money. Overall: Overall I don't expect to get rid of these in the near future. They are such a good small monitor set that unless I'm in the mood for working with a larger, more powerful system I wouldn't stop using them. Mixes have translated very well, even when I was working in listening spaces that were less than ideal. I don't think there is any competition of comparable performance, size and power that has such an affordable price. I'd definitely buy them again if they were damaged, lost or stolen. The only thing I think I'd ask for from the manufacturer would be plugs specifically designed to close the ports in case the user wished to integrate these into a 2.1 or 5.1 system. When I use them in 2.1 I plug the ports up to improve time coherence. I find it helps a lot, though the sound does get noticeably brighter as a result of the reduced bass output when I do that, which I enjoy, though other users might not. Detail, clarity and stereo imaging subtly improve as well when the ports are plugged, as is the case with almost all ported speakers.

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"VXT - you gotta check them out!" submitted November 21, 2007

Overall

Sound

Features

Ease of Use

Quality

Value

Manufacturer Support

The Wow Factor

Musical Background: active musician

Music Style: Rock

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Sound: For a little monitor, this thing rocks! Very detailed, and a surprising amount of low end. But the proof is in the mix, and mixes translate much better on these than my Mackie 824s. The mackie's are a bit "boomy", and my mixes always sounded thin, as I pulled out bass to compensate for the mackie boom. I got the little VXTs initially to switch between with the mackies and provide another point of reference. I found myself mixing on these exclusively, as details were easier to hear and mixes just sounded better. Anyone wanna buy some 824s? Feature: They look great and their small size works in my cramped studio. They have some options on the back for things like ground lift and automute, nice features. I heard they just came out with grills for these as well. That's nice. I also dig the lighted KRK logo on the front! Ease of Use: Plug in and go. Plays well, sounds good. Quality: Wow is this thing solid!. It's like a little brick. This is cool because the cabinet doesn't rattle or shake or bounce around. The pad on the bottom really grips to the surface (unlike the mackies) so even if they are accidentally bumped they still stay in their proper listening position. Value: For their price, I don't think anything comes close. I've owned Events, Mackies, and mixed on Genelecs and M-audio (YUK) at friend's houses, and these just are sooo much nicer and deliver better mixes. Manufacturer Support: Never had a problem. KRK has a good website with information and FAQs and stuff like that The Wow Factor: Looks really cool, lighted logo is subtle but nice. Maybe they'll come out with a white pair to match my macbook... Overall: If I lost these, I'd buy another pair. I might upgrade the the VXT-6 or 8, or maybe add a sub for when I'm monitoring at louder levels or for when I get a bigger mix room...

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Rating And Reviews: KRK VXT4 Active Monitor

"A necessary upgrade" submitted August 21, 2011

"Perhaps the most useful, affordable small monitors on the planet" submitted April 23, 2011

"VXT - you gotta check them out!" submitted November 21, 2007

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