Kali Audio SM-5 3 way Studio Monitor

Kali Audio SM-5 Overview

Kali Audio’s Santa Monica Series becomes active.

The SM-5, the first powered member of Kali’s flagship Santa Monica series, combines the company’s acclaimed three-way coincident design with no-compromise components and cutting-edge digital signal processing. It has a 5-inch woofer and a low-noise port tube for extended low-end performance. Meanwhile, a coaxial 4-inch midrange driver housing a 1-inch aluminum-dome tweeter and a low-diffraction baffle ensures good imaging and smooth on-axis response. The SM-5’s user-definable DSP settings enable you to completely adjust each speaker for your studio environment.

Finally, the Kali manage panel software allows you to manage the SM-5’s EQ, delay, and trim features in real time, as well as locate, mute, solo, and dim functionality via an Ethernet network. The SM-5 is ready to mount, allowing for versatile placement in any studio, even above in an immersive audio system, and its recessed input panel allows for flush wall installation. Most importantly, no matter how you use this speaker, you can rely on it to provide a comprehensive and accurate rendition of any source material.

Custom-designed drivers show every element of your blend.

For the SM-5, Kali Audio went all out. The speaker features three drivers: a 5-inch woofer, a 4-inch midrange, and a 1-inch coaxial tweeter. The flux-stabilized woofer produces deep, powerful, distortion-free bass. Following that, the 4-inch midrange and coaxial aluminum-dome tweeter produce a lifelike image thanks to the midrange driver’s refined waveguide shape. Each driver is designed to handle high SPLs with ease while maintaining smooth response and vanishingly low distortion.

The three drivers, together with the low-noise port tube, provide excellent stereo imagery with a smooth response. Whether you use them in a stereo arrangement or as part of an immersive audio system, the Kali Audio SM-5 will surprise you with its clean and sharp sound.

Thoughtful details enhance the design.

Digging further into the Kali Audio SM-5’s architecture shows a number of innovations that improve sound quality. First, the low-diffraction baffle prevents on-axis diffraction, yielding stunning stereo imagery. The 3-way coincident architecture produces less distortion than comparable 2-way configurations, while the aluminum-dome tweeter’s unique shape decreases high-Q ultrasonic resonances, removing the harsh sound that plagues many metal-dome designs. As if that wasn’t enough, the SM-5 comes equipped with neutral tuning and a DSP-powered limiter straight out of the box, as well as an 8-band EQ, delay, and trim controls with user-definable settings for calibrating each speaker to your studio and application.

Network control with the Kali Control Panel app.

The SM-5 has an Ethernet connector, which allows you to access per-speaker EQ, delay, and trim settings, as well as features like locate, mute, solo, and dim, directly from the Kali Control Panel app in real time. When networked, the SM-5 allows you to easily switch between scenarios, including whole-system tunings, with a single button click.

Sweetwater engineers discovered that the SM-5’s network control allows you to create setups for multiple room EQ curves or listening locations in the room—across all of your speakers—in a single step. Do not have access to an Ethernet network? Not an issue. You may also transfer your settings to one speaker at a time by utilizing a thumb drive and the SM-5’s built-in USB connector.

Kali Audio SM-5 Features:

•  Excellent 3-way active monitor for immersive audio and surround systems.
•  The 5-inch woofer is flux-stabilized for clear, strong bass and minimum distortion.
•  The coaxial 4-inch midrange speaker and 1-inch aluminum-dome tweeter deliver a vivid, realistic image and excellent directivity.
•  The low-noise port tube provides prolonged bass response.
•  Three-way coincident architecture provides a realistic image.
•  The low-diffraction midrange baffle provides smooth on-axis response.
•  Offers neutral tuning and a DSP-powered limiter as standard.
•  User-definable 8-band EQ, delay, and trim controls for accurate room calibration.
•  Use the Kali Control Panel app for real-time control of many settings across an Ethernet network.
•  Use the built-in USB connector to configure each speaker individually via a thumb drive.
•  Contact your Sweetwater Sales Engineer for mounting hardware alternatives.
•  The recessed input panel enables flush wall installation.