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Kali Audio’s SM-5 is the best studio monitor they’ve built so far. With unparralled accuracy, imaging, and translation, it presents every detail of your mix with pinpoint precision and fidelity.
The SM-5 features user-editable DSP to process room calibration profiles on board, for a perfect fit in your room.
Kali’s founding principle is to deliver the best possible product for the price. Our speakers have always been praised for their accuracy, translation, and ease of use. The SM-Series builds on these ideals, and incorporates the best available materials, components, and manufacturing.
The result is a high performance studio monitor that is ready for the most demanding mixing and mastering applications.
With onboard processing for room calibration, each speaker can be programmed with delays, trims, and EQs to deliver accurate response in your room.
The SM-5 gives users full control of 8 parametric EQs, delay up to 12ms, and loudspeaker trim. These parameters can be accessed and edited using our Kali Control Panel* application, available for both Mac and Windows.
Importantly, since these parameters are processed by the same DSP hardware already in line, using user-defined DSP adds no additional latency to the system. Total digital latency is acceptably low to allow tracking using the SM-5s.
Onboard calibration removes the need for a dedicated room calibration processor. It also prevents some of the confusion and mishap that is possible with a plug-in based processor. Calibration is available for any source you could plug into the speaker, without needing to route it through software, and it will never be active on a mix you print.
Kali has fully documented our recommended room calibration procedures. When you perform the measurement yourself, we can provide room tuning files for a small fee per speaker. More information can be found at Kaliaudio.com/santa-monica-how-to

The SM-5 gives users full control of 8 parametric EQs, delay up to 12ms, and loudspeaker trim. These parameters can be accessed and edited using our Kali Control Panel* application, available for both Mac and Windows.
Importantly, since these parameters are processed by the same DSP hardware already in line, using user-defined DSP adds no additional latency to the system. Total digital latency is acceptably low to allow tracking using the SM-5s.
Onboard calibration removes the need for a dedicated room calibration processor. It also prevents some of the confusion and mishap that is possible with a plug-in based processor. Calibration is available for any source you could plug into the speaker, without needing to route it through software, and it will never be active on a mix you print.
Kali has fully documented our recommended room calibration procedures. When you perform the measurement yourself, we can provide room tuning files for a small fee per speaker. More information can be found at Kaliaudio.com/santa-monica-how-to
User-editable DSP is available using Kali Control Panel software, available for both Mac and Windows. You may find links to download the latest version below.
Kali Control Panel works in both Online Mode, meaning that each speaker is connected to a network with an ethernet cable, or Offline Mode, meaning that you can use a USB thumb drive to load files onto the speaker.
Kali Control Panel is currently in beta, and not all features may work as intended at this time.
1-Inch Aluminum-Dome TweeterThe SM-Series’ aluminum-dome tweeter delivers excellent dynamics, resulting in clear high frequency response without distortion. The tweeter uses a unique geometry to reduce high-Q ultrasonic resonances, eliminating harshness that can make metal tweeters fatiguing over time.
4-Inch Profile-Optimized MidrangeThe SM-5’s midrange is optimized not only for its own frequency band, but also for its role as the tweeter’s waveguide. The shape is precision engineered for ideal directivity, and peak-to-peak excursion is limited to under 1mm to prevent intermodulation distortion.
Flux Stabilized Woofer
The SM-5s woofer incorporates features that reduce magnetic flux modulation, bringing distortion down dramatically.
Paper is used for both the woofer and midrange cone material. Kali’s testing has shown that, despite its humble nature, paper is ideal in terms of stiffness, weight, and natural damping characteristics.
The SM–5 features mounting holes on both the top and bottom of the loudspeaker. Kali recommends using a speaker specific U-bracket from Triad-Orbit, but any speaker mount with a 4.25 x 2-Inch bolt pattern that is capable of holding the SM-5’s 21 lbs weight will also work.
| Self-Powered: | Yes |
| Amplifer: | Class D |
| Amplifier Power: | 225 W |
| HF Driver: | 1-Inch Metal Alloy Dome Tweeter |
| Midrange Driver: | 4-Inch Optimized Profile Paper Cone |
| LF Driver: | 5-Inch Optimized Profile Paper Woofer |
| LF-to-Midrange Crossover: | 280 Hz |
| Midrange-to-HF Crossover: | 2800 Hz |
| Frequency Response: (-10 dB): | 39 Hz- 25 kHz |
| Frequency Range: (+/-3 dB): | 47 Hz - 21 kHz |
| Recommended Listening Distance: | Up to 4 Meters |
| Max SPL with peak limiter engaged: | 117 dB @ 1m |
| Loudspeaker THD: (85dB SPL at 1M) | <0.75% from 100-450 Hz, <0.5% above 450 Hz |
| Inputs: | Balanced Analog over XLR AES/EBU over BNC RJ45 for Control |
| Ouputs: | AES/EBU over BNC thru |
| Enclosure: | Front Ported |
| Mounting Holes: | Top and bottom, spaced 4.25 x 2 Inches (108 x 50.8 mm) |
| Product Height: | 15.6 Inches (39.6 cm) |
| Product Depth: | 9.8 Inches (24.8 cm) |
| Product Width: | 7.9 Inches (20 cm) |
| Product Weight: | 21 lbs (9.5 kg) |
Our Review
