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Photos provided by Iloud IK Multimedia
Choosing monitors for a home studio can be a challenging task, the offer is large, in terms of the number of brands and configurations, from inexpensive speakers for a few dozen dollars, to Focal or Genelec for several thousand dollars, and then the configurations and speakers size, 3, 5 or 8 inches?
To make matters worse, most of the time we have to buy them online without being able to listen to them first, or even worse, without being able to compare them, how can I know if an $80 M-Audio is enough for me or do I really need a pair of $1,700 Adam's A7Vs?
Logically, the answer to this question is personal, and will depend most on our bank account. It is undeniable that more expensive monitors are better, but are we paying for quality that our ears can really perceive? At the ends of the price range, the answer is easy, a $1,000 monitor clearly sounds better than an $80 one, but the mid-range is where it gets complicated, and this is where brands like KRK, Adam Audio and Yamaha have been fighting side by side for a long time, and this is where in recent years IK Multimedia has joined with their iLoud series and with the latest release of this series, the iLoud Micro Monitors Pro that we will analyze below.
Portable Home Studio
In recent years, there have been several launches of studio monitors aimed at mobility, with the growth of remote workers who move around the world, many prefer to have the option of working with monitors to avoid spending all day with headphones plugged in. I think the KRK GoAux is one of the first examples, Adam has the D3V and IK multimedia had the iLoud Micro that have now been replaced by the new Pro version.
Since I am currently traveling, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to test this concept of "portable" monitors, so I ordered the iLoud Micro Pro from IK and put them in a suitcase and flew with them to my destination on a Caribbean island where I will be Working with them for a couple of months.
The hateful comparisons
Before traveling I had the opportunity to compare the iLoud Micro Pro head to head with my other monitors in my Home Studio, the Adam T7V and the KRK Rokkit 8. Physically the difference is enormous, both in size and weight, the iLoud weighs less than 3 kg per pair (6.1 pounds) with the power cables, and both fit into a 20x20x16 cm box. Therefore, they can be easily transported even in a backpack along with the Laptop and a small Sound Card.
But how do they sound? The short answer is: They sound better than what is expected of them, due to size and weight, comparing with Adam T7V the difference in bass is evident, but it only appears from the volume above 30%, at low volumes the difference in the bass is very small, but if we force the volume above 70% of the iLoud (approximately 50% of the T7V) we feel that the 7' speaker makes a big difference in the bass, but with less difference in the mids and without difference in treble. In terms of volume, the iLoud Micro Pro have plenty of power to work on recording and mixing without having to force the volume, so you don't really miss the bass unless you want to have a party with them ;-D
When I spoke with IK Multimedia I had in mind the first generation of the iLoud Micro, which were more oriented towards mobility, since they had the Amp in a single monitor, the 2nd being a passive slave, this made them 1 pound more lightweight and 15% smaller, but in exchange for this increase in weight and size we have truly professional monitors, with a better balance between both sides and the possibility of using several Micro Monitors to create an Atmos solution with 11 units, since they are available individually or in pairs.
Professional calibration
Last but not least, the bundle includes an ARC Microphones for room calibration, which integrates with IK Multimedia's X-Monitor software and allows us to adjust the response of the monitors to the acoustic characteristics of the room in which we will be working, which transforms these small monitors into true tools for professional use in Home Studios or portable studios, The difference after calibration is subtle, but real, for well-trained ears I think it is a very valuable option.
Summary
If what you are looking for is to be able to continue working on recordings and mixes when you are traveling and not depend 100% on headphones, this solution is ideal, I think they are the best option on the market currently for this purpose. If what you are looking for are all-terrain monitors for a not so small studio, I think they can work if you are not looking for a lot of volume, because they can fall short of bass if we increase the volume to more than 40%, but if you have a small studio and you are looking for quality above high volume, they can work quite well.
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