IK Multimedia iLoud Micro monitors

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NAMM 2016: IK Multimedia thinks its iLoud Micro is 'the world's smallest monitoring system'
By Ben Rogerson (Computer Music, Future Music), 8 hours agoTech

A big sound from small package?




iLoud MicroLittle but iLoud.
NAMM 2016: Whether you need to keep your music making setup portable or are just really short on space, IK Multimedia is hoping to tempt you with its iLoud Micro Monitor.

Said to be "the smallest studio reference monitoring system in the world," this comprises two bi-amplified speakers that deliver 50 watts RMS of power. Each speaker contains a 3/4-inch silk dome tweeter, a 3-inch paper cone performance woofer and a large flaring front-firing bass reflex port.

Sonically, we're told to expect "pleasing" high frequencies, an open midrange and a solid, controlled low end.

Check out the feature list below for more specifics. The iLoud Micro will be available in the second quarter of 2016 priced at €300/$300. Find out more on the IK Multimedia website.

IK Multimedia iLoud Micro features

Two bi-amped studio reference monitors for critical audio production
On-board 56-bit DSP for linear frequency response
Four high performance ultra-efficient class D power amps
50W RMS total power
Phase accurate - perfect stereo imaging
Superior bass response
45Hz bass extension
High and Low frequency level adjustment
DESKTOP switch for accurate response correction when placed on desktops
Comprehensive audio input: Bluetooth streaming, RCA, 1/8"
Thermoplastic enclosure designed to reduce internal resonance
Status/peak LED

Elantric



http://nermark.com/reports/NAMM_Winter_2016/NAMM_Winter_2016_3.htm
IK Multimedia introduced a new set of very small monitor speakers called the iLoud Micro Monitor and they are according to the manufacturer "the smallest studio reference monitors in the world". I will not argue that fact as it's impossible to judge sound quality in an acoustic environment like a big trade show like NAMM. I willl, however, say that I was impressed by what I heard and would be very interested in checking them out in a more controlled environment as they certainly are small and would be very practical in a number of situations.



As you can see, there's a number of ways to hook these up, including Blutooth.

Elantric

IK Multimedia iLoud Micro
Compact Monitors
Hardware > Monitors
Published November 2016
By Paul White
IK Multimedia iLoud Micro

In spite of their diminutive size, these monitors turn in a seriously impressive performance.

Along with claims of a linear frequency response and zero coloration, IK Multimedia tell us that their new iLoud Micro is the smallest active studio reference monitor system in the world, at just 180 x 135 x 90mm. They also claim it is the lightest, with a pair weighing only 1.7kg. These Class-D bi-amped active monitors are rated at a total power 50W RMS and are the successors to the original iLoud, which targeted desktop studio owners or those making music on the move. This model is said to work well in small, difficult rooms.

Despite their small size they have a -3dB point at 55Hz, which is impressive given that the woofer is only three inches in diameter. Their three-quarter-inch silk-dome, neodymium-magnet tweeter aims to deliver a smooth high end, while the moulded cabinet is nicely rounded to minimise diffraction and has a flared bass reflex port at the front. Internally the port is curved around in a C shape ending just behind the tweeter. Both drivers are protected by perforated steel grilles.

Getting accurate sound from a small speaker is always a challenge, and this design uses 56-bit DSP to iron out wrinkles in the frequency and phase responses, as well as generating a roll-off filter below 55Hz so that the -10dB point is at 45Hz. The same DSP also handles protection and crossover duties, plus user-adjustable EQ settings. These are available to tune the HF and LF responses to the room, with positional compensation EQ for free-field or desktop placement. Three slide switches on the rear panel select Flat/Desk (+3.5dB between 1kHz and 10kHz and -1dB below 400Hz), Flat/HF (-3dB shelf at 4kHz) and Flat/LF (-3dB shelf at 250Hz). Unusually the maximum SPL of 107dB (100Hz to 10kHz) is quoted for a listening distance of 50cm rather than the standard one metre. This means the SPL at one metre will be a few decibels less.

An integrated isolation base helps decouple vibrations that might otherwise find their way into the desktop, while a pull-out-and-pivot front section allows you to tilt the speaker upwards. There's even a mic-stand thread in the base for stand mounting, though I'd feel far more comfortable with the speakers supported on something more solid than a mic stand.

All the active electronics are built into the left-hand speakers, the right operating as a slave via the included four-way link cable. Note that the stated RMS amplifier power of 50 Watts or 70 Watts peak is the total shared between both speakers; the woofers are driven by 18 Watts each and the tweeters by seven Watts each.

Audio can be fed in via a pair of RCA phonos or a stereo mini jack, or, as is increasingly common, audio can also be streamed in wirelessly from a Bluetooth device conforming to the A2DP protocol. A Bluetooth pairing button resides above the EQ switches, close to the master volume control. Power comes from an external PSU and front-panel LEDs show that the speakers are powered up.

iListen

Having set up what look like a pair of doll's house monitors, I didn't really know what expect. I powered them up, put on some known tracks and was genuinely surprised by what these little speakers could do. As you might expect from their size, they lack a deep and visceral bass end, but kick drums and bass guitars still come across as punchy, with far more weight than seems possible from such a small speaker. Also important: the bass end never gets flabby. Realistically I'd say the low end stands comparison with most decent five-inch monitors as long as you listen at sensible levels.

However, the solidity of the low end isn't the biggest surprise as the clarity and imaging of the speakers right across the spectrum is more than impressive, offering an almost three-dimensional view into the mix, with every detail laid bare. Zero coloration might be one claim too far but it is certainly very low. I did find the sound more natural with the HF set to its -3dB setting but that could just be my room, as I often have to do the same when auditioning other speakers. So, they may look like toys but the new iLoud Micros are very mature-sounding speakers that allow you to look into a mix in almost forensic detail. They sound uber-clean up to and beyond sensible listening levels, as long as you are sitting within a couple of feet of them, and they make for a very pleasurable listen for general music playback too.

Micro Machine

While the performance is almost impossibly impressive given the size of these speakers, the price isn't equally modest. The cost comes somewhere between an entry level monitor and the "it's starting to get serious now" territory inhabited by the likes of Adam, PreSonus, Mackie, Eve and others. Nevertheless, if you need a pair of very capable monitors for checking playback when making live recordings or for taking your laptop studio on holiday, they do an unbelievably good job. They are also well suited to the smaller home studio that's maybe based on a desk stuck in the corner of a bedroom. If a super compact monitor appeals to you, then I'd urge you to try to get to listen to a pair of iLouds — because if you don't, you just won't believe how good they really are.

Alternatives
In terms of driver arrangement, the Genelec 8010A is probably the nearest equivalent.

Elantric

Re: IK Multimedia iLoud Micro monitors

I will try to post a brief impression soon

Spider

Quote from: Elantric on December 06, 2016, 11:22:29 AM
Re: IK Multimedia iLoud Micro monitors

I will try to post a brief impression soon

And?

Elantric

Been stupidly busy with new job (I'm with QSC now) and being on the road living 200 milles  away from home most weeks

whippinpost91850


Elantric

QuoteGood luck on the new job with QSC

This occurred last October 2016  - when QSC purchased the company I've worked for past 16 years  - USL

Been living out of a suitcase for a while now

whippinpost91850

sorry to hear you are having to travel so much. At our age it kind of sucks having to do that. At least for me it does

Elantric

#9
Headphones are all I can get away with in a hotel

Once had a noise complaint from only my non amplified guitar strings on my travel guitar penetrating through the thin hotel walls.


Don't have much use for amplified speakers when i'm doing FCC tests on the road at various test facilities



Elantric


Matteo Barducci

So, which is the best one of the three sets?  ;D
--

---> Matteo Barducci


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iLoud Micro Monitor: Total surprise
They look like computer speakers: Small, inconspicuous, actually you can say "not-the-most-beautiful". If they were standing on a shop shelf, you might not even pay attention to them. It is enough, however, to turn them on, to disenchant them, and the listener to surprise. And not just anyhow!


Even set close to each other, they play in detail.

Mobility is a slogan that Italian IK Multimedia has been faithful for quite a long time. Instead of entering the areas already occupied by the competition, the company invents completely new products. This is also the case with Micro Monitors, which, with the previously described in the pages of cyfogitarowo.pl iLoudem, combine only two features: name and mobility.

Small studio, small speaker
IKM when designing these little ones came from the assumption that the majority of home or amateur music studies are small rooms about 3 by 4 meters in size. The hotel rooms, in which professionals spend a lot of time, have similar dimensions.

Rooms with small cubature, until they ask for small near field monitors, which are less problematic in such interiors compared to larger constructions. First, they allow you to sit closer to the sound source and can work with less acoustic pressure. As a result, it gives a lower risk of - especially in the low frequency range - the sound of reflections and standing waves. However, it should be taken into account that medium-sized monitors with 5-6-inch speakers placed on a small desk in an unadapted room, most likely will give a silent, characterless sound with a booming bass. Remember that with their dimensions you also need to set them quite wide apart and move them away from the wall by 20-30 cm. And most often there is no space on the small countertop.

Building
All these inconveniences are to be solved by Micro Monitors, which although inconspicuous are full-fledged active studio monitors with flat FRFR characteristics. Their dimensions are only 18 × 13.5 × 9 cm, so they can easily fit even on a very small desk. Do not worry about the sound quality, you can also place it directly on the wall. Then they will take only the depth from the top, as much as they have depths: 14 cm.

Tweeter Woofer
The micro-arithmetics are due to the use of a 3-inch woofer. IKM assumed that this diameter would be sufficient for a small studio and, according to what has already been said, the least troublesome. You will say that the whole mass of computer "farts" looks exactly the same, so what's the noise?

Budget monitors, or rather products that aspire to this title, have woofers often made of fiberglass or polypropylene. These materials are visually pleasing, but relatively heavy. This results in poor reproduction of transients and often no character of the midrange. To avoid these flaws in iLouds, the speakers have been made of a special composite that is very stiff and yet light, which translates into good dynamics and clarity of sound.

The second feature of the monitors from IK Multimedia is their 56-bit heart, or DSP, thanks to which they play so-and-so. The processor introduces 1 millisecond delay in sound processing, but it takes care of the bass clarity, acts as a digital crossover splitter (at about 3.5 kHz) between the woofer and the 3/4 inch silk dome tweeter. It also controls the compatibility of phases and the level of sound dynamics reproduced through all four speakers. It is also thanks to DSP that three-inch speakers - those that are considered cheaper - can go down to 55Hz (-3dB) in which a well-tuned bass reflex system helps them.






Micro Monitors can play quietly, but their total power of 50 watts (RMS) can also roar quite well. The gain for the amplifier is due to the amps working in the D-class, which are separate for the woofer and tweeter. They are constructed so that even the untwisted ones work with 50-60% of maximum power, where the peak power is 70W. Thanks to this reserve, the overdrive of the sound is negligible in the full range of the band.

Execution
The speakers are made of black matte material that is not particularly scratch resistant. Therefore, let us remember to protect each speaker for transport. Monitors, although small, are quite heavy. The right loudspeaker, in which the amplifier and the electronics are, weighs 920, and the left 800 meters.

The base is two solid rubber feet placed in the front and back of the base, which quite effectively dampen the vibrations and prevent it from sliding. The front foot can be unfolded so that the speakers are angled and directed towards the listener's ears. This setting should be chosen when using monitors set directly on the desktop. The speakers can also be set on the microphone stands and set, just like in the studio with much larger monitors. The UNC 3/8 "-16 adapters built into the base are used for this purpose.





Podstawka złożona. Podstawka rozłożona.
The right and left column are connected with each other by a 1.5 m long cable. This, unfortunately, is thick and stiff. As a result, although the loudspeakers themselves are relatively shallow, due to this cable they need about 4 additional centimeters on the desk.

Do not be surprised by the size of the power supply included with iLouds. 60 watts of power, after all, needs proper current and / or voltage. Therefore, the power supply is similar to the constructions used for charging notebooks (24V, 2.4A).

Functions
The back of the left column is the Micro Monitor control center. There is a power switch, a volume knob - working in the INF range up to +6 dB - with a center marked for 0 dB and an EQ section. Two shelf filters allow to lower independently by -3dB high (from 4kHz up) and low (from 250Hz down) frequency.


Control panel.

There is also a correction optimizing the sound parameters when the monitors are set on the desk. After moving the switch from Flat to Desktop, the frequency will be raised by + 3.5 dB between 1kHz and 10kHz, and delicate (only -1dB) lowering the band below 400Hz will occur.

Connections
The monitors are so small that they have not been able to equip them with balanced XLR inputs or a quarter inch jack. The speakers are connected to the mixer or interface using either the minijack slot or using the RCA input.
I met with the opinions that the chinch input gives a better quality sound. According to my ear, both play the same, but ... try it yourself

There was also a Bluetooth interface on board. Remember that this connection is not suitable for live use. The delay is in the best case, which in the best case is 155 ms. Wireless transmission of music is also far from the best quality. Micro Monitors do not even support the AptX standard - but to listen to streaming music from the phone works perfectly.
And now a curiosity: all nests can be used at the same time. While connecting different sources to minijack and RCA may not be beneficial, using Bluetooth, for example, to play background while playing the guitar is a good idea.

How it plays
Small, inconspicuous and charming from the first note. I was surprised how such speakers can play. Set on a desk, against the wall at a distance of about 70 cm from each other they play clean, very detailed and draw the scene nicely. When a computer is placed between them and releases something that every member of the family knows, after a while, the search for a central speaker that is supposed to be hidden behind the screen begins ...

 


I was also surprised by the depth and precision of the bass, which I did not expect from the dimensions of Micro Monitors. Importantly, all these features are confirmed regardless of the music genre being played and the volume level. They can also play quietly, with equally precise bass. DSP deserves a lot.

I liked the iLoudy, but I will add a spoonful of tar. From an experienced musician who does not want to influence your choices, I heard the opinion that they lack bass and that they have a sharp, unpleasant midrange. "Therefore, as with any monitors except those iconic, before making a final decision, we should check them out. our studio. And once again: buy with your ears and not just look.

Summary : iLoud Micro is indeed the smallest portable near field monitors. However, they can not be classified only as mobile equipment. They work on every desk, in every room. But where there is little room, and a home studio means the angle in the room, they will show a real claw and will work better than larger constructions.

Technical data
Configuration: two-way
System type: active
Tweeter: 3/4 "; silk dome, neodymium magnet
Woofer: 3 "; composite
Frequency response (-3 dB): 55Hz - 20kHz
Frequency response (-10 dB): 45Hz - 22kHz
Max. SPL @ 50 cm: 107dB
Amplifier: 4x class D
Full control via DSP
Regulations: shelf flirting
Connection: 2x RCA; TRS 1/8 "; 4-pin right speaker socket; Bluetooth A2DP
DSP delay: 1.02 ms
Delay (Bluetooth): minimum 155 ms
Output power of the set: 70W (peak) - 50W RMS (7W tweeter, 18W woofer)
Dimensions: 180 × 135 × 90 mm
Weight: 1.72 kg; left 920 g, right 800 g
Information: IK Mutlimedia ,
Market price: approx. PLN 1,400
Thank you to Audiostacja , the distributor of IK Mutlimedia products in Poland, for providing monitors for the test.


http://cyfrowogitarowo.pl/archiwa/1994




nervoteso

hello i use these iloud monitors at home (i use amplifire and a lot of other effects), they're great but after a lot of playing i notice they're damaged, i mean, when i play loud i listen to strange noises.
should i avoid to use monitors? better live speakers? which?