Kali Audio SM-5

Active 3-way studio monitor

The Kali SM-5 is the high-end monitor of the Santa Monica series, Kali Audio's most advanced line, and its 5-inch model. Its coaxial midrange and tweeter, three-channel amplification and room calibration DSP deliver detailed listening and precise stereo imaging for nearfield mixing and mastering.

A coaxial 3-way design

This 3-way studio monitor combines a 5-inch paper woofer, a 4-inch paper midrange and a 1-inch aluminium dome tweeter mounted at the centre of the midrange. The midrange surround is only a few millimetres wide, so its cone forms a continuous waveguide for the tweeter, without the diffraction a conventional, wider surround would add. Each band has its own Class D amplifier channel, 225 W in total, with crossover points at 280 Hz and 2.8 kHz. The bass reflex port is on the front panel.

Precision and stereo imaging

Midrange excursion is limited to under 1 mm peak to peak, and the woofer motor is designed to reduce magnetic flux modulation. Kali specifies total harmonic distortion below 0.75% at 90 dB SPL and a frequency response of 47 Hz to 21 kHz at ±3 dB. In its review, Sound On Sound highlights the level of detail, the stereo focus, very low distortion and bass that is accurate and informative rather than spectacular. The recommended listening distance is up to 4 metres.

DSP and room calibration

Each monitor has adjustable onboard DSP: 8-band parametric EQ, delay up to 10 ms and trim from -12 to +6 dB in 0.5 dB steps, with latency under 3 ms. Settings are made in the free Kali Control Panel software (macOS and Windows), over the network through the RJ45 Ethernet port, or offline with a profile loaded from a USB stick in the front USB-A port. To calibrate, you measure your room following Kali's published procedure (measurement microphone not included, Kali recommends the Earthworks M23R), and Kali can then supply, as a paid service, tuning files based on your measurements. The software also handles immersive layouts up to 9.1.6. On the rear panel, a rotary control sets input level and DIP switches provide presets for low-frequency boundary compensation and high-frequency adjustment.

Place in the Kali range

The Santa Monica series sits at the top of the Kali Audio range, above the Independence (IN) and Lone Pine (LP) series. The SM-5 is its 5-inch model, alongside the SM-8 with an 8-inch woofer. It shares a similar cabinet size and driver layout with the IN-5, with far more advanced acoustic and electronic engineering. Its AES/EBU digital input with thru, in addition to the balanced analogue input, suits mixing and mastering studios as well as immersive control rooms.

Specifications

• Type: active 3-way studio monitor, coaxial midrange and tweeter
• Woofer: 5-inch, paper cone
• Midrange: 4-inch, paper cone, acting as the tweeter waveguide
• Tweeter: 1-inch, aluminium dome
• Amplification: 3-channel Class D (discrete LF, MF and HF), 225 W total
• Crossover frequencies: 280 Hz and 2,800 Hz
• Frequency range (±3 dB): 47 Hz to 21 kHz
• Frequency response (-10 dB): 39 Hz to 35 kHz
• Max SPL (peak at 1 m): 117 dB
• THD (90 dB SPL at 1 m): below 0.75%
• Recommended listening distance: up to 4 m
• DSP: 8-band parametric EQ, delay up to 10 ms, trim from -12 to +6 dB in 0.5 dB steps, latency under 3 ms
• Control: Kali Control Panel software (macOS, Windows) via RJ45 Ethernet, or profiles loaded via USB-A
• Inputs: balanced XLR/TRS combo, AES/EBU on BNC
• Output: AES/EBU thru on BNC
• Enclosure: bass reflex, front port
• Mounting: threaded inserts top and bottom (4.25 x 2 inch pattern)
• Dimensions (H x D x W): 39.6 x 24.8 x 20 cm
• Weight: 9.5 kg
• Sold individually