Recording - December 2013 - 36

B Y PA U L V N U K J R .

Wow, time really does fly. It was all the way back in our August 2008 issue that I
introduced our readers to KRK Systems' then new and upgraded ROKIT G2 monitors. Now I have the privilege to introduce the newest Generation 3 model.
The previous ROKIT G2 models have been the speakers in my office editing suite
for the past five years. So, as you can imagine, I was very interested in seeing what
has been changed in Generation 3. KRK sent me the 5" version; I received one of
the first pairs in the country a few months prior to launch and was sworn to secrecy!
Third time around
Out of the box at a casual glance the new model appears similar to its predecessor. The 1" soft-dome tweeter, 5" yellow glass-aramid composite woofer, and the
glowing backlit KRK logo (which indicates power) are all in the same place and
appear unaltered.
Putting the G2 and G3 models side by side, however, one can see quite a bit
has changed. The contours of the body are tighter and sharper, and the bass port
has been completely redesigned, as has the waveguide around the tweeter. There
are no longer any screws on the faceplate and even the ROKIT logo has been
updated. The G3 is made of MDF with a black vinyl wrap, measuring 9.7" x 7.4"
x 11.2" and weighing 13 lbs. The G2 weighed 14 lbs.

KRK ROKIT Powered RP5 G3 Monitors

A popular line of affordable monitors is updated with enhanced performance
Around back the ROKIT 5 still offers a trio of input choices-balanced XLR, balanced 1/4" TRS, and unbalanced RCA. The power switch and 3-prong power socket is still there, near the controls to adjust the high-frequency range by -2 dB / -1
dB / 0 / +1 dB, and volume which can be adjusted from -30 dB up to +6 dB. A
new feature on the back is a third stepped knob for adjusting the low frequency:
-2 dB / -1 dB / 0 / +2 dB.
Specs
Looking at the technical specs reveals further enhancements:
* Frequency Response: 45 Hz-35 kHz
* Max Peak SPL: 106 dB
* Amplifier Class: Class AB
* Power Output: 50 W (20 W High/30 W Low)
* Input Impedance (Ohms): 10 K Ohm balanced
The big changes here are that the G2 only had a frequency response of 52
Hz-20 kHz and only 45 W of output, so the G3 has extended highs and lows
and better power distribution.
First tests: in the workplace
After about a week of bass-thumping burn-in, I put the ROKIT G3s straight to
work. One of my jobs is as the Audio and Technical Director of Grace Church
in Racine, WI, and my tasks there include recording and editing podcasts, mixing sound for video, and mastering the music from Sunday morning services. As
I mentioned before, this is where the ROKIT 5 G2 monitors have lived for the
past half a decade, so I know them well.
The new ROKIT 5 G3 is very powerful for its size, sounding overall very clear
and tight. The bass is full and punchy for a speaker this size, and I found the
ability to boost the low end up a few dB very practical for moderate volume listening. As with the ROKIT G2, I found I preferred to boost the high frequency up
a dB, which, while not drastic, helped open up the top end nicely.
After a few weeks of daily use, as well as just listening to music on them, I felt
it was time to take them to my studio and see how they fared in side-by-side tests
with the ROKIT G2.
36

RECORDING December 2013

A big difference
I spent an afternoon with the ROKITs, old and
new, at my studio The Moss Garden. I hooked
them up with Drawmer's MC2.1 monitor controller (reviewed September 2013) alongside
their big, big brother, KRK's flagship Exposé E8b
(reviewed February 2008). The E8b is a multithousand-dollar monitor that serves as my main
system for mixing, mastering and sound design.
After listening to everything ranging from
Sade to Ray La Montagne to the Beatles, Led
Zeppelin, Porcupine Tree, Radiohead, Miles
Davis, Bill Evans and more, I was quite surprised to learn that not only are these new
ROKITs a complete sonic upgrade from the
ROKIT G2, but they sound like a completely different level of monitor altogether. This became
most apparent with four recordings:
I find The Oscar Peterson Trio's "Things Ain't
What They Used to Be" off of 1962's Night Train
to be some of the best recorded trio jazz ever laid
to tape, from the clarity of the piano, the intimate
close-up drums and especially upright bass. I was
immediately impressed by how the G3 translated
the low end. Not so much in a shake-the-room rumble, but in tightness and clarity. The finger noise
and string slaps retained their detail without getting
lost in low-end boom. On the high end the tape
noise shone through nicely and the ride cymbal
was present and clear, but not too bright or cutting.
Moving on to a modern piano trio, on Arild
Andersen's ECM recording The Triangle I was
again impressed by the improved clarity and
Recording - December 2013

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