The Lowdown
The KRK Rokit 5 G4 speakers are budget monitors with 5″ woofers for DJ/producers that have a digital room correction feature built-in. They continue to hit that hard-to-reach point of intersection between great sound and good value. If you are a DJ or music producer looking for a new pair or your first pair of studio monitors and are on a budget, the latest Rokits are a solid choice.
Video Review
First Impressions / Setting up
KRK’s Rokit line of studio monitors, whose black and yellow colour scheme has become iconic, is synonymous with good sound quality at a low price. Pairs of various KRK Rokit models can be found in thousands of home studios today. Recently, KRK refreshed the Rokit G4 series with an updated look and some cool new features.
At first glance the exterior of the new Rokit G4 looks very similar to the previous Rokit models, but upon closer inspection you start to notice the differences. The overall look has been modernised, giving a sleeker and more professional appearance.
Moving on to the actual tweeter and woofer of the monitor, we see the biggest physical difference with the updated Rokits. KRK has decided to update the material of both tweeter and woofer to a kevlar material. KRK says this new material provides better sound reproduction while being more durable at the same time.
However, the most exciting update to these Rokit studio monitors is found around the back. KRK has included an LCD screen for visual room correction EQ and changing settings. In previous generations of the Rokits, KRK used separate physical knobs to handle room EQing for room correction. This has now been replaced with one single rotary encoder and LCD screen. This is handy because now you are able to see a visual representation of the changes you are making to the sound.
In Use
The most important part of any studio monitor is how they sound, and the KRK Rokit G4 does not disappoint. This latest update continues the Rokit’s tradition being a monitor that might not be the most accurate but sound great and are just plain fun to listen to. They sound full and warm in the low end especially for the size, have a clean sounding midrange, and clear sounding high end.
However, the highs are where you may notice the Rokit’s lack of accuracy: While they are clear they just do not provide the same kind of details you may find in other studio monitors. At the same time, this contributes to the Rokit G4 never sounding too shrill, making them easy to listen to for hours on end without your ears becoming too fatigued.
This is actually a benefit for most DJs because this makes long practice sessions easier on the ears while providing a clear and fairly accurate representation of your sound. While not being the most accurate, they are still great studio monitors to create music with.
Conclusion
KRK has continued the iconic lineage of its Rokit studio monitors by updating its look and adding useful features. The Rokits continue to hit that hard to reach a point of intersection between great sound and good value. If you are a DJ or producer looking for a new pair or your first pair of studio monitors and are on a budget, the latest Rokits are a solid choice.
