iLOUD Micro Monitors Make Studio Quality Portable

As musicians, being transient is part of the territory. You never know exactly where you’re going to end up for a gig, or when you have some time to check out the latest mix that you’re working on. So when IK Multimedia released the original iLoud speaker, we stood up and rejoiced. Practicing anywhere and everywhere was now extremely simple. Because of that, it should be no surprise that the latest evolution in the iLoud line is the iLoud Micro Monitors, a set of bi-amped speakers designed for small makeshift working spaces, but equally as home in larger, stationary environments.

Thanks to the onset of class D power amplifiers, the iLoud Micro Monitors push a total of 50W RMS with an amazing low-end response down to 55Hz (-3dB) – the best bass response in its category. With a 3/4″ silk dome tweeter, a 3″ high-rigidity custom composite material woofer and a large-flaring front-firing bass reflex port, the iLoud Micro Monitors deliver a sound that one would think impossible from such small devices, and yet so incredibly smooth and focused.

One of the features that I enjoyed was the mounting options. Two angles of inclination are standard, to guarantee you the purest sound possible. Also, with the integrated mic stand thread, you can easily place them in the most ideal spot of your regular home studio. Another modern inclusion is Bluetooth connectivity (as well as RCA inputs). While this may be a concern for many, I found that there were zero latency issues, as I was listening to music or hearing my bass as I was playing it with an accompanying track.

We could talk about the features, the size, etc.. for a lot longer, but please check the webpage over at IK Multimedia for more information. What we really want to know is how the Micro Monitors sound when they’re in use. In a word, wonderful.

Using my solo album (you can read that review here) as the first reference point, I was amazed at how clear and clean the low end sounded. The highs were sparkling and well defined, without being shrill or cold. If I closed my eyes, it truly felt like I was listening to a live performance (which is how the engineer and I wanted it, but I digress), with dynamics and breaths intact. Using the isolation base to angle the speakers up helped to clean up the sound even more, since they were originally stationed on a wooden desktop.

The second reference was using them as standalone speakers, playing some music that I was pretty used to (and listened to in multiple locations). Again, the iLoud Micro Monitors shined as they accurately and beautifully recreated the entire tonal spectrum. Nothing was missing, muddy, or out of place. This is how the music was heard initially, and it was fantastic.

The iLoud Micro Monitors have a street price of $299.99, which while it may seem odd for something meant to be small and compact, easily could demand twice the cost based on the quality of sound. Whether you’re setting up a small home studio or are enjoying the freedom that the modern portable workstation affords, the iLoud Micro Monitors are something that demands a listen. Or twelve.