“Pro-quality results at semi-pro cash”: IK Multimedia Precision 6 MkII review

What is it?

IK Multimedia has led the way in studio speaker technology, especially with its iLoud Micro monitors, which have proven that bigger does not always mean best, and redefining what you can expect from small monitors. They were some of the first true micro studio monitor releases, and are still going strong in Pro form.

The company’s bigger iLoud Precision range was released in late 2022 and was an attempt to enter the higher-end studio monitor market, with three in the range: the 5 and 6 two-way active speakers and the MTM three-way. This range has now been updated to MKII, and we have the new middle Precision 6 on test here.

All the models feature an updated version of IK’s ARC room calibration system, so the speakers can be tailored to your studio (see below), and you get an ARC microphone included to set this up. With specs right up there with pro monitors, and this additional technology updated, the new MKIIs look set to pick up from where their predecessors left off, but, incredibly, for quite a bit less outlay.

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Performance

The Precision 6 MkIIs have a very similar feel to the originals, with a very solid design and quality construction. They feature lots of connections, including a combi line input and an input for the ARC mic. There’s USB (for the software) plus manual frequency tweaking by way of three frequency switches, one of which extends the bass down to 39Hz.

Plenty of options, then, and when you tie these in with the ARC system, you have speakers that should slot in any studio, from a casual setup to a pro suite. Four isolation pods are included with each speaker to help cut down vibration when in place.

Without the room calibration system engaged, we found the speakers to be pretty good right out of the box. Close monitoring revealed a tight and punchy response which initially lacked some low end, but we tweaked the LF extension to 50Hz and then Full to experiment, and setting up is always going to be a personal process.

Trusted mixes are the way to go, and auditioning some of our latest with the MkIIs was a revealing process. Again, before calibration, we noted a forward low mid – something we often experience in our room – a flat mid-range and quite a vibrant high end, possibly thanks to the newly designed tweeter (which reduces distortion), or again down to our room.

The imaging was fantastic, with a wide response making it super easy to pick out mix elements that were getting lost on our reference speakers. After calibration – a process that takes around 20 minutes – some of the high-end forwardness was removed, but not to the detriment of the mix, as it certainly felt flatter and more accurate. At the low-mid end, that perceived forwardness was also reduced, and the bass felt much tighter and was the most noticeable result of the process – and very much needed!

Differences can be subtle, though, so, depending on your room, calibration might not at first deliver obvious results, but it should translate to your mixes. In our case, mixes sounded fuller at the higher end and tighter in the bass region as we weren’t overcompensating, so a very good result all round.

Overall, the ARC system has improved notably since the last iteration – although it is a little lengthier to carry out. The speakers themselves seem more polished in their sound and more refined – detail in the mix was evident, and the soundstage was wide. They sounded excellent before, if we’re honest, and after ARC, just tighter and controlled. We’re not claiming too much extra drama, but certainly more polish.

Interestingly, ARC X also allows you to set your speakers up to emulate the response of 20 sets of famous studio speakers, including obvious yellow coned KRKs and white Yamahas, plus many more obvious and not-so-obvious brands. This will be a useful tool if you have your own favourites, as you can then set the IKs up to emulate all of their foibles, but its main use will be to allow you to test your working mix on emulations of other speaker systems, so it’s a very useful feature indeed.

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Verdict

The original Mk 1 Precision 6s were more expensive (at around £999 each) but still made all the right noises to our ears, so to get a tighter response, updated room correction software, and other new specs for less outlay, is obviously a no-brainer.

However, the studio monitor market has never been hotter, with so many models vying for your cash and that cash being relatively low compared to even five years ago – technology is moving at such a pace in this market that you are now getting the quality of £5k-10k speakers for less than two.

So you’d be wise to check out our roundup of the best studio monitors before you take the plunge, but you can rest easy that these Precisions will feature prominently in future ‘best of’ features. They offer superb technology for the money, and even though they might seem expensive for IK products – a company that has always boasted value in both hardware and software – these are exceptionally well priced for what they deliver.

It is the case that with studio monitors, the more expensive ones do deliver more, but nowadays it’s only a fraction of what it might have been a decade ago. These Precision 6s, for example, are snapping at the heels of speakers that cost much more (see our alternatives), and while they might not hit 100%, you’re getting mid-90s for 20% of the cost! Or at least that is one way of looking at it (especially if you have the kind of gear FOMO that we have, where constant upgrading can get in the way of actual music making).

Whatever your perspective, though, these are a great, if not overly dramatic, update to IK’s Precision range and are yet another nail in the coffin of expensive studio monitors. When it comes to arguably the most important items in your recording studio, the iLoud Precision range proves that you really can get pro-quality results at semi-pro cash.

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The ARC X software

Room correction software is the latest and greatest 21st-century innovation for studio monitors. It essentially allows your speakers to self-adjust according to the acoustic character of your room, so if your studio is particularly boomy, for example, they will counter this by removing frequencies in that range. You then hear a flatter response, so you don’t over-compensate (in this case by removing the frequencies pre correction) to result in a lifeless mix.

To set the analysis up, you use the supplied microphone in different positions and then record the speakers spitting out a test tone that covers the complete frequency range. Depending on what the mic picks up, the speakers then compensate for peaks and troughs.

You set up your room/speaker layout, adjust levels and the mic input (you can use other measuring mics), and then perform the test. In practice, the process is very easy – we had it set up and testing in 20 minutes – especially with the latest ARC X update to the software (free to download via the IK app and also available as a plugin) that ‘monitors’ in three dimensions, as you now set the microphone up at different heights.

The results appear as two main lines – blue for how the speakers were and orange for the calibrated response (which should be flatter). You’ll hear more of a difference if your room is perhaps not set up so well acoustically in the first place. Ours, for example, had severe troughs at the lower mids that we are aware of, and the system picked them up.

ARC X is a big improvement over the original software, with lots of extras we haven’t covered, and is well worth checking out if you are an IK owner or not.

Hands-on demos

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iLoud Precision MKII studio monitors - YouTube

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Alternatives

Genelec The Ones: £3,800 at genelec.com

Both in terms of design and correction technology, The Ones are ‘the ones’ to beat in studio circles, with an exceptional sound and detailed room correction, but with a price to match.

Read more about Genelec The Ones

KRK GoAux 3&4: £299 at krkmusic.com

At the other end of the price scale, these KRKs offer a portable monitoring solution, yet still feature the ARC room compensation system, so they make a cost-effective speaker solution if you are out and about.  

Read the full KRK GoAux 3&4 review

Sonarworks SoundID Reference: £99 at sonarworks.com

You can calibrate your existing speakers and headphones (over 500 models) with this award-winning software, which is priced from headphone calibration right up to a more expensive multichannel option.

Read more about Sonarworks SoundID Reference

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