The original iLouds, and the the subsequent MTM version have been something of a phenomenon  in near field monitoring, the praise with which they have been met by people who know what monitors should sound like has been has been difficult to ignore. It must be said that it was usually tinged with surprise that something which looks like a multimedia speaker could possibly perform as well as it does. With the Precision line IK have planted their flag in the world of ‘proper’ monitors. So how do these, more upmarket monitors perform?

Cabinets And Drivers

My first impression was overwhelmingly positive when I unboxed the Precision 5s, the smallest of this range. It’s a pretty conventional 2 way design which initially surprised me with how big it was. Possibly because of the association with the little iLouds but more probably it’s because, although I knew the Precision 5 had a 5” bass/mid driver, I’d visualised it to be rather smaller based on the size of the soft dome tweeter, which is a 1.5” unit. This unusually large driver makes it easy to underestimate the size of the monitor, which is approximately 12”x7”9”, from photographs.

The next thing which struck me was the weight, at a touch over 6 kilos (13.4lb) the cabinets clearly aren’t the flimsy boxes you find on budget monitors. This made me very happy indeed as while you can achieve amazing things with DSP, you can’t hide cost cutting woodwork and you can really hear the influence of a quality cabinet. Great start!

The bass/mid driver is a 5” coated paper affair and that oversize 1.5” soft dome tweeter crosses over at 2.1KHz. The crossover is realised in DSP and is a steep, 8th order design of the kind which seem more common now that so many crossovers are digital. Amplification is class D, so that weight isn’t because of a heavy class A/B amplifier, it’s the cabinet, with 110W for the LF and 25W for the HF. However the DSP isn’t just there to make designing a consistent crossover easier, that DSP allows on-speaker calibration of the Precision 5s courtesy of IK’s Acoustic Correction System. We’ll return to that later.

The rear panel houses the large reflex port at the top. The control set is very similar to the iLoud MTM, with blue LEDs and small push switches indicating the status of the switchable LF extension (Full, 50 and 80Hz), LF and HF EQ, Auto standby (compulsory in 2022) and a three position control for voicing, offering flat, a desk filter or calibrated. As for connections, besides the IEC for power there is an analogue XLR input, no digital options which is a pity on a DSP speaker, USB for the X-Monitor software, control in and out on mini jack for the optional remote control and an XLR input for the supplied measurement mic for calibration.

If you want to set up and go without using the calibration you can of course do that. The voicing controls offer very basic options and there is a trim pot on the back for gain tweaks, but it is as a calibrated monitor that this speaker is best used and the setup process is both quick and simple.

I’m familiar with both Sonarworks and Genelec’s GLM systems so I dug out a couple of USB leads, connected the speakers to my computer and fired up X-Monitor. X-Monitor is a very intuitive place to get set up. After playing with the Contour options, which go from descriptive settings like Large Desk Corner or Midrange Focus to the Voice options which include semi-cryptically named studio monitor emulations like ‘White 80s’ or ‘Yellow 5’, which while fun are something I don’t think I’d ever actually use, I progressed on to calibrating the Precision 5s.

Calibration

The setup process is simple and is guided in the software. The supplied mic, which is a MEMS (Microelectromechanical) type is extremely lightweight, being similar to a phone mic rather than a conventional condenser, apparently these mics are very consistent in manufacture so no typing in of serial numbers is required. This mic plugs directly into the back of each speaker and just four measurements are taken. No measurement of time of flight between the two monitors is taken and so the system doesn’t know precisely where the mic is but as long as you follow the instructions the results are a significant improvement post-calibration. And it’s mercifully quick compared to other systems which can take 20 minutes.

I hadn’t realised at the time, though the clues were all there, that it isn’t necessary to connect to a computer to do the calibration. Just by holding the Cal button on the back of a speaker for 3 seconds and then pressing it again for each test measurement, makes it is possible to calibrate on a per-speaker basis. This alleviated one of my main concerns which was the practicality of calibrating a surround or immersive system using USB. You don’t have to. It also might explain why there isn’t a system of location measurements taken, as that requires more than one speaker to do.

Remote Control

There is an optional hardware remote control. A simple metal box with 4 illuminated buttons which can be set up in X-Monitor to do anything from switch calibration on and off, change Voice, for example to an emulation of a smartphone speaker, to Dim or Mute. It connects via the mini jack connections on the speaker and a mini jack link lead controls the other speakers. A virtual version of this remote is available in X-Monitor and can even be displayed as a floating version on screen. 

Having used it I’d probably stick with the virtual version as you probably already have Mute and Dim on your interface or monitor controller. The voicing options aren’t something which is of interest to me. Fun, but not something I’d use and once set up I wouldn’t ever switch calibration off. On a practical level I’ll say that the remote is made of quite heavy steel, so thankfully it doesn’t get moved around by button pushes but the illuminated buttons are so bright they illuminate the whole studio in low light conditions!

Sound

So how do they sound? Quoted bass response is -1dB @ 46Hz. There’s plenty of level too with maxSPL quoted at 114dB@1m, though this is peak and for a pair. Uncalibrated I found the bass response heavy when used on the supplied iso pucks (nice touch) on my desk, was still evident when raised up on stands. I suspect that this might be associated with the rear porting of these monitors. I haven’t used rear ported speakers in my current studio before. However, when calibrated the response was transformed and the low end performance was infinitely better. Low end is so linked to the listening environment and the improvement illustrates this.

The high end is as soft (in a good way) as I’d associate with a good soft dome tweeter and in spite of my reservations about small ported cabinets and the effect the porting can have on the response in the time domain, these monitors sound bigger and better than such a small speaker might. The overall character is ‘nice’ in a way which often hints at a midrange which isn’t as forward as it might be. The recently tested ADAM A4Vs which I still have here sounded positively shouty by comparison. I wondered whether this was due to the calibration I’d performed but when I recalibrated for a standing position, I use a sit-stand desk and calibrate for both positions on my regular monitors, I found a similar sound. Make no mistake, these monitors sound good but anyone who has ever done an AB will know that no matter how flat two different monitors claim to be, they still sound completely different!

Conclusion

So with the iLoud Precision 5 IK have made a proper, grown up monitor which is every bit as good as the competition. As well as a well designed and built speaker they have also ticked most of the boxes we want from an active monitor in 2022. Built in DSP calibration, user-definable standby timer, per speaker delay adjustable from 10ms to 0.01ms for time of flight correction. It’s a pity that there isn’t a digital in option and USB seems an odd choice for a pro product. It works perfectly for stereo but network control would be more attractive for immersive use.

Lastly I’m unclear about mounting options. The iLoud MTM, being as small and light as it is can be mounted on a mic stand, opening up lots of mounting possibilities. But the iLoud Precision 5 doesn’t have any mounting points. The MTM is marketed as an immersive solution but without an elegant way to install the PrecisionsI think they are best suited to stereo use.

If you had the idea that iLouds were high spec computer speakers you’ve always been wrong, the original iLouds were proper monitors in spite of their appearance. The Precision range are, without qualification, proper monitors. It has to be said that they are also priced like proper monitors, the Precision 5s are the smallest of the range and are priced at €899 each, the larger Precision 6 with its 6” driver is €999 and the dual 5” Precision MTM is €1199. The competition at this price point is stiff but consider the Precisions, they deserve it.