Reviewer: Gizmo • Date: November 2007 • Price: £229/pair • Link: HTFR

Introduction

HTFR continue with their Red fixation - this time picking up the diminutive powerhouse that is the KRK Rokit RP5 active studio monitors, wacking them into the HTFR spray booth and putting out their very own limited edition Red RP5s.

I'll start by saying that this isn't going to be an especially long or detailed review as pretty much everything I said in my KRK RP6 based Stanton ATM.6 review holds true for these RP5s in terms construction, function and styling. But due to their smaller size and power output, there are subtle differences that you should take into consideration before deciding if these monitors are for you.

Cosmetics

I wonder what the overriding key feature of these HTFR RP5's is? Oh yeah - it's the Red paintjob. Not Diablo Red like their recent Stanton special carts, but a pretty close match nonetheless. I'm pretty certain that the decoration has little to do with the performance of the monitors, but they sure do make an impression in your room.

Style-wise, they're just like the rest of the rest of the Rokit range. The signature yellow woofer remains, adding a further colourful dimension to your setup. At least when you're looking into your speakers when listening (we all do it), you have something bright to look at. And the Rokit logo has a little ight to tell you they're still wasting vital environmental resources as well.

What is striking is the size. Coming in at 185x280x230mm, these will fit into just about any nook and cranny in anyone's setup. They certainly make my ATMs look like sound system subs. But don't be fooled - small doesn't mean weak.

Features

KRK's RP range takes its name from the main speaker size - in this case, the RP5 features a 5" main woofer backed up with a tiny but effective tweeter. The case appears to be carved from one lumped of freshly felled MDF, but of course the structure is hidden beneath the glossy red exterior. All the controls are round the back, but easily accessible because of the small size of the case and everything being located towards one side.

Of course, there is a gain control ranging from -30dB to +6dB as well as HF adjust for fine tuning the very top end. And like the rest of the RP range, all sorts of inputs are catered for:

• Balanced XLR
• Balanced TRS (that's 1/4" to you)
• Unbalanced RCA

Obviously, being active means having its own power source and add to the weight. But for bedroom setups this means no separate amp is necessary, simplifying the setup and increasing the sound quality due to the direct connection from mixer to monitor.

In Use

These RP5s are near field monitors, meaning that they're designed for close quarters listening. Having got used to ATMs, I was even more surprised by how much difference there was in monitor placement. Despite being only a little smaller, they seem much more directional that their bigger sibling. Perhaps it's the smaller driver, but location and direction is even more critical.

When setting up, you should point them to your ears in what's called the mid-field configuration. Essentially the monitors and your head make the 3 corners of an equilateral triangle. Stepping outside this setup reduces the quality that you hear. I had these RP5s set up about 5 ft away from me and they sounded wonderful. But stepping back seriously reduced the effectiveness and volume, underlining the specific use of these as high quality listening monitors rather than room filling loudspeakers.

Going back to the size - in the whole scheme of things, 150W is small change in the monitor scene. So you can imagine just how bowled over I was when I cranked these up. How the hell do KRK get so much noise and bass from such small monitors? At lower volumes, the bass isn't as effective, but cranking it up made my concrete floor shake - and the RP5s were situated on shelves as well. But all this happened with no distortion - crystal clear quality sound all the way, but better at louder volumes. The speakers didn't suffer at the lower volume end, but certainly came to life the louder they got. You could of course adjust your mixer EQ for lower volume listening but that does rather defeat the point of flat response studio monitors.

Summing Up

KRK and quality sit very happily and frequently in the same sentence. And just because they're small and relatively cheap doesn't mean that the quality has been compromised. The market for these has been narrowed in that they're ideal for bedrooms and small studios rather than large rooms, but provided you match them to the room, they'll rock your world with quality audio and a splash of colour. Maybe KRK should make headphones and tiny mobile phone speakers as well.

Ratings

Build Quality - 9/10
Small and perfectly formed, as long as Red is your cup of tea.

Sound Quality - 9.5/10
For such a small package, these little monitors knock out some real volume, but they do perform better at a louder volume.

Features & Implementation - 9/10
Good set of inputs as well as HF adjust.

Value For Money - 9/10
Hard to imagine a better monitor for the price.

Pros:
• Size
• Sound quality
• Value for money

Cons
• Struggling to find anything really

The Bottom Line

KRK bring you power and quality in a firey Red cost effective package. Highly recommended.