IK Multimedia iLoud Micro Monitor

Thanks to Thomann and the pretty fast delivery, considering I was in back order for a while.

I have read so many good reviews that I bought these monitors knowing already that I would be happy with them. My expectations have been exceeded. I replaced a pair of Behringer M16s that have been my alternative for a few years, knowing their limits but appreciating their qualities. The difference between the two products is huge, as I expected.

Pros:
I am a pianist and composer, I do my productions in a small space of about 15 sqm, often working at night with my trusty KRK 8400 headphones, then during the day I listen to and correct my mixes if necessary listening to them in a good pair of Audiophile hi -fi monitors, which I love, or in my car. Since I have the iLoud Micro, I have regenerated enthusiasm and the pleasure of hearing often hidden details, producing more balanced mixes with clear highs and deep but controlled bass.
The speakers are set flat with only the bass at -3db due to their positioning close to the walls

I have tested these little gems with all the musical genres I listen to, from classical to jazz, from rock to folk, R & B and Latin, opera and electronic, only instrumental and only vocals. All music that I know very well and it was all a pleasure to listen to. IK Multimedia has made an excellent product and I hope it will last me a long time.

Cons:
It was not easy to position them well, as the cable between the two speakers is very rigid and heavy, so much so that it moves the angle of the speakers with its weight. The speakers are placed on top of my hi-fi speakers and I had to find a solution to keep them angled and stable. Once I was successful, I enjoyed their sound and went back to making music.
It would be great if there was a cable that was at least 2 meters long and a bit more flexible.

Overall:
I am delighted with this investment and recommend it to anyone like me who has little space for their creative setup, and wants to spend their money wisely. They do an excellent job, and don't make you feel the need to buy speakers of more famous and much more expensive brands. Also great as a second pair of monitors or portable systems with Bluetooth connectivity. These are smart little gems!

These speakers are over hyped, both by all the reviews as well as their sound. They sound and feel like generic computer speakers, NOT studio reference monitors. That said, nice fat bass fun, but still that tecky, plasticy, computery feel in the general sound. Worst issue for me is that this is not really compact, not good for travelling which was the reason I bought them: They come with a massive power adapter, and a horrible fat clunky heavy non cable to connect the speakers to eachother. This cable alone is the reason I would return this product. It is so heavy and stupid sitting there, cluttering up your desk. Nah. I compared the sound with the Genelecs 6010 (now 8010) and the Genelecs are lightyears ahead. No comparison. Why some audiophiles put those in the same ballpark, i have no idea. If you want some good gaming speakers, these are good. NOT for music production and NOT for traveling/recording on the road, with all that clunky cable stuff. And what if you ever loose that stupid cable? It's not generic, you'll be screwed. Thanks Thomann that you are so cool i can send them back.

Extremely compact, but still sounding as full size monitors.
Looks like IK Multimedia has found some way to defy laws of physics, there is no other explanation for such and deep bass from such a small speaker.

Sound is crisp and balanced not overly bassy or bright, just balanced over the full spectrum they provide.
Vocals and midrange are clear and clean too, quite unusual for an affordable 2-way speaker system.
DSP settings are tweakable to perfectly match your listening environment and provide best possible result.

Having an Bluetooth onboard is an huge plus, so you can connect your iPad or phone without messing around with cables, for occasional playback. Sound carried over it is decent too, not as clean as from wired connection but does not lack any details either.

Looks like IK multimedia as thought about different use cases a lot, becuase having an possibility to mount these on an Microphone stand is a real nice feature. It makes adjusting their hight real easy, just buy and regular microphone stands and mount them on these.
I myself, for example, used K&M 23250 offered by Thomann as they are perfect match for these monitors from design wise and have just enough height to lift these from desk level to my ear level. (Small hint to Thoman, maybe you should offer these together as bundle?)

Only downside in my personal opinion is lack of balanced inputs as usually Sound interfaces have balanced outputs via TRS so you you would need adapter cable to connect these into professional audio interface. Also depending on quality of your cable, noise may be introduced due to nature how unbalanced audio works.
That is actually the only reason, why I'm kicking off one star from features rating.

Overall, I would recommend these for everyone who have an limited desk space, but still require quality monitoring solution or just for audiophiles as general purpose PC speakers.
They are well worth this price and you won't get anyhting which could match these on design and features in this price point.

As someone who is used to headphones sound with EQ, I can tell you that these were my best investment. To get these kind of sound and imaging for this amout of price? Simply amazing I don't regret it one bit.

I usually listen to dubstep, drum and bass, house etc.. and I was looking for an all rounder speaker with bass emphasis and these delivered the job perfectly. I was first worried about their size but man they sound HUGE and have lot of bass and i'm talking about good bass and combine that with crispy highs and lovely mids and I didn't even had to use an EQ. The whole sound frequency spectrum of these speakers were just perfect for me.

HOWEVER before you buy, you should know that these have hiss and I read that it is perfectly normal for a powered monitor speakers.

They were a little bit noticable around 50 - 70cm/19 inch - 27 inch distance.

BUT once I connected these to my usb dac, the hiss lowered. I'm not sure if the better the dac the lower the hiss? But eitherway for this price honestly no dealbreaker at all.

Lastly the speaker placement, I had no issues at all, i could put these easely next to my monior, I use a 1.5m/4.92 ft. length - 80cm/2.62ft. width table.

So I hope this review could help you with your decision.

I'm listening to them right now as I write.
For the size they have, it's quite impressive that they sound so big.
I'm reviewing them from a "professional monitors" point of view though, so a lot is expected from them.

They sound great, but maybe a little V shaped in the EQ, so not really that "flat" as they claim to be.
At this size and price and being so portable friendly, I think there is nothing like them in the market.

HOWEVER, don't expect them to sound as good as big speakers in the bass department.
And I mean "good", not "loud", because while these can get very very loud and the bass can go very deep, from 60hz down the front bass port starts to resonate hard and makes a weird sound (on both sides) which is not ideal if you want to use them as monitoring devices.
I would have preferred that they had an integrated high pass filter from 60hz to avoid those nasty resonances, but maybe that's why there is a "pro" version of this same speakers. (although the pro ones are actually larger and way more expensive)
The middle and high frequencies are fine, but compared to big speakers, they sometimes sound a little "boxy" in the mids. I think it's because of resonances, again.
The sound is heavily directional though: it changes a lot by simply moving your head side to side, which is a little weird. They definitively can fill a room with sound, but frequencies will not be evenly distributed.

That being said, for music listening in general they're great, and as general desktop computer speakers, they sound great.
So, as small portable speakers go or for small desktop setups, I think that's the best there is in the market at this price (I haven't tried the Genelecs but they are way more expensive), just don't expect them to sound as good as larger heavier speakers, as some youtube videos would make you believe, because size and weight does really matter in speaker sound quality and for the same price, you can have big speakers that sound better without any of the drawbacks up there.
But at this size and weight, they're impressive!

As home studio monitors go, these are small. But don't let that but you off, they're very powerful. With a fantastic balanced sound.

There are so many rival products that for me were too big. I needed something that could get LOUD but mostly be small enough to sit on my desk without shaking the neighbour's wall apart. They do that.

Sound quality: Really great. The bass is super clear, allowing you to mix your bass with confidence. If it's muddy, it's probably your mix. Honestly probably the best bass sound from monitors I've ever had. I

Features: Best of all IMO is the bluetooth. It means I can use them for casual music listening from my phone at any time - saving me money on speakers for any other purpose. I've also hooked them up to my record player.

There is also buttons on the rear for bass reduction, treble boost and desk/flat surfaces.

The only critisicm I have is that they look unimpressive. I've had guests think they're boring PC speakers. But, who cares they serve my needs: Small but great sound.

Not much to say at this point, these speakers have proven themselves along the years... Not the best studio speakers by far, but the best compact speakers for semi-pro home use and as an additional pair to any other more serious setup.

I use them at home to do some basic editing and mixing, along with headphones. They can even be enough to complete a mix, although for radio-ready quality, I would always go for full size pair in a treated room. These are ideal for non-ideal rooms and for people on a tight budget. The Easter discount was a perfect moment to pull the trigger, so if you happen to catch another price drop, go for it!