$499 Subwoofer Shootout: Kali Audio WS-6.2 vs Yamaha HS8S. The Kali is a BEAST!

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Buy the Kali WS-6.2: amzn.to/3RKze01 Buy the Yamaha HS8: amzn.to/3ZJtIwU ^ Affiliate links which earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you. P.S.: The Kali is my recommendation.

[@Gamez4eveR]

you have HS8 in the video title and description which is the 8in studio monitor by yamaha, the sub is HS8S

[@dlloyd6300]

Hey erin, why does the included link to the sub spreadsheet not show the newer measurements and only old content?

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

@@dlloyd6300 try it again. I had some rose hidden when I was trying to do a direct comparison last night and maybe you just clicked on it before I had a chance to set it back to normal. But it should be good now.

[@dlloyd6300]

@@ErinsAudioCorner I tried it again but all I have visibility of is row 47,48,55. I'd love to see all of your newer small form factor content on there that you have done like the Monolith, Yamaha, JL, KF92 etc.

[@Ctripp2448]

How this channel does not have 100k subscribers yet baffles me. Best audio review channel by far period. Thanks for all you do Erin.

[@brandonhall4429]

Everybody watching needs to like the video. That will help.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

I appreciate that!

[@tugbars4690]

Because he is not selling lies.

[@audio_facts]

The problem is probably that Erin's providing facts, not bribed anecdotes and buzzwords. People don't always like facts, especially not audiophiles. Ironically, they don't always like performance either 😂 No, Erin's a real gem, with a bright mind and a pleasant personality. He'll get his well deserved fame eventually. Let's just hope he doesn't get worn out on his way to the top (or the Russians get to him after his past US/NASA government disclosure) 😅

[@NosEL34]

Because the speakers he reviews don't have caramelly mids 😮

[@audfrknaveen2256]

Look at the graphs and the explanation it gives so much clarity than hundreds of other reviewers just telling lengthy stories without a single data 😂😂❤

[@morespinach9832]

Data helps. But it’s important to listen too.

[@LongshanMusic]

FINALLY!!!! I am loving my WS-6.2!

[@Clobercow1]

Man these subwoofer shootouts are the thing we really need for these price brackets. This is a huge value and I never would have suspected a dual 6.5" would have done so well. Not it's at the top of my short list.

[@andydinger7339]

If you got a problem, Erin'll solve it, check out the hook while the Klippel revolves it

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Nice! I even liked the KLIPPEL/revolve part. That was clever. 😂

[@morespinach9832]

@@ErinsAudioCornerice ice baby

[@hionhifi2]

I see what you did there. Nice!

[@ColocasiaCorm]

The klippel doesn’t actually revolve the speaker. It just moves the microphone around

[@onuponedown]

This channel is really GOLD! Thanks man. I bought a kali ws-6.2 nearly on this video alone for music & home cinema use in a small highly damped room of 5x5 m. Works really well for me, Still doing the subwoofer crawl, and have a second sub to use with the kali and my 2 Yamaha towers in my 5.2.6 setup, but everything looks good so far. I had a KC62 a few month ago, and this kali is not too far away from it imho. A SVS SB-1000 I also tested but this worked not so well with music, so the KC62 was it, but way too expensive so I gave it back and go now with the KALI.

[@uveralan]

does kc62 has auto sleep? is kc62 smaller than kali ws6.2? thanks!

[@zacharyybarra7676]

I get off on data. I appreciate what you do, sir!

[@Darkcruzer23]

once again the comparison side by side is invaluable. you help us buy the best product for our hard earned money! doesnt get any better than that!

[@onortosu]

Awesome review thank you! I have the LP-6 so this seems like a pretty good fit. Bonus that it has the HPF output to the speakers.

[@FonsieClaw]

Thank you for the great work as always! This was a massacre! Impressive performance from the kali. Excellent review.

[@anaxa4883]

Superb review as always. Easily the best speaker reviewer

[@Xander1125_]

This is a fantastic video, and I appreciate the work you've put into it. I do have some comments about it for clarification on some things: I may be misunderstanding something here, but all the extra frequency bumps and extended range of the Kali is actually NOT ideal for a studio mixing representation. The hs8 rolling off around 100hz is ideal for where it would meet up with your other full range speakers to avoid mud and have a flat frequency response across the spectrum. The flatter response between 30-100hz without any significant bumps is also ideal, because it better replicates the actual audio signal it's receiving, rather than putting its own flare on it. If you're looking to buy for simply enjoying music, you can grab whatever you like the sound of more and these charts don't matter. Also nobody should be listening to 100+ decibel sub frequencies for long periods of time, or they risk hearing damage. Ideal listening volume is between 60-80db which is PLENTY for small rooms. The charts showing the difference in sub frequency up at 100db or more is not relevant for PROPER studio usage, because you shouldn't mix that loud anyways. So with all that said, is the Kali really the best choice for studio usage, or is it better for just listening to music and feeling the extended bass?

[@dranek]

Stellar comparison 👏

[@thepathnotfound]

Love the review! I’ve been looking at Kali monitors and the larger sub to take the place of my JBL 305s. Be great to see a review of the WS-12. Thx

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

If you guys bug Kali enough maybe they’ll loan me one to review.

[@kaliaudio]

@@ErinsAudioCorner we will just give us a minute. People keep buying them so I don't have any to send.

[@bbfoto7248]

​@@kaliaudio Terrible problem to have, gents! 😜 I'm still enjoying my IN-8 Second Wave monitors. 👍

[@mynet1982]

@@kaliaudioSo, where are they? 😊

[@mynet1982]

@@ErinsAudioCornerSuper curious about the WS-12’s!

[@dlloyd6300]

DAAAAAAAAMN KALI! Comes out swinging! Why bother with any other sub in this bracket? Winning on the charts and CRUSHING in price!

[@krutipedali629]

Subscribed 🚀 Excellent review!

[@orvelipeikko3527]

Do you have plans on reviewing the bigger Kali WS12?

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Not currently but maybe in the future.

[@07wrxtr1]

I think you just solved my desktop subwoofer search! It gets OLD moving around large subs if you move often and the room placement game... hoping to put the Kali in a space on top of my solid oak computer desk that weighs a TON... I had a pair of the svs pb 1000's a while back... but I sold them... now looking for desktop audio/nearfield pairing with Adam Audio T5v's..... Erin - maybe I'll end up 100% Kali audio... they sound like a bunch of engineers that got sick of the corporate bs and formed their own company ;-) gotta love stories like that!

[@Risandi_Pradipto]

Awesome review based on data as usual. Keep up the good work, Sir.

[@IrenESorius]

Thank you Erin,, 👍‍‍😎👍‍‍

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

👍

[@IrenESorius]

@@ErinsAudioCorner ❤

[@ernieg]

kali also has a FOOT SWITCH a Must For Me

[@TheSpeedyr6]

Can you elaborate on this

[@ernieg]

@@TheSpeedyr6 to turn on the woofer or to turn it off.

[@avnut5517]

Not bad for a compact sub. Really surprised.

[@JaihindhReddy]

Damn, it's very surprising how much better the Kali is! I would love to see a review of the JBL LSR310S. This one seems to be super good, esp in India where it's priced at ~240USD.

[@onortosu]

That's my question too. I wonder how close to the Kali that one is. the LSR310S is larger though.

[@kumchavalcha]

its ok, i have one for years, but it lacks controls - it has silly lfe mode that sounds horrible and 80hz cut off i use it in this mode

[@tonymolina7744]

Nice review Erin, thank you once again. 🙃

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

My pleasure!

[@Darkcruzer23]

i wonder if the 12" kali would be just as dominant vs the competition?

[@Godlyblurrs]

Kali products always seem to be on top of everything. Definitely a great brand. I’d be interested to see the Kali, vs the svs micro.

[@GreySectoid]

Excellent review, just what I looked for.

[@themastroiannis]

great review, interesting (revealing) measurements...but what about the Sound? note distinction?? tone? for example in an upright bass, lowest notes of a piano, an organ, a tuba? which subwoofer gives a more natural, realistic sound? would love to know that... thanks!

[@JurajHatina]

Great review and comparison!

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Thanks!

[@greenbeginner9221]

Can the Kali be used in a home stereo or is it only for studio monitor use?

[@matiaserp]

The Kali was very impressive, not only against the Yamaha but specially compared to the SVS and JL! 😳

[@07wrxtr1]

I had two svs pb-1000’s… I think they perform great for movies, but I listen to music at the computer so I got rid of them after a few moves. Just ordered the Kali - should be amazing for desktop audio and bedroom movies… I’ll eventually migrate to SVS or a physically larger dual sub setup for a living room movie watching situation

[@chinmeysway]

@@07wrxtr1heyya how ya liking the kali sub?

[@MrAlexandreazevedo]

Thank you for this nice review. I would like to suggest reviewing the Yamaha NS-SW300 which can be found cheaper and certainly, it has superior performance because it has 250 W output power and it can go down to 20Hz and this 10-inch home subwoofer has the lowest low-frequency rating in a test group, which helps it compete with larger, more powerful 12-inch woofers.

[@FateSoulzZ]

would like to see this reviewed as well, though we have no idea how it measures in terms its f3 and f10

[@MattZildjian]

would love to see some data from you for the SVS SB1000 Pro. Similar-ish price range to these, also compact.

[@ad_fletch]

No balanced connections, but yes would still be interesting.

[@BL-yj2wp]

Audioholics reviewed it.. If you want an overview of subwoofer reviews and performance google "Subwoofer Comparison sweetchaos", there is a thread on ASR.

[@staticv3570]

Thank you for doing CEA-2010A measurements!

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

You bet!

[@RMW1982]

Glad I didn’t pull the trigger on the SVS or KEF…they don’t seem worth 2-3x price of the Kali. Thanks for saving me money Erin!

[@07wrxtr1]

Same - I owned a pair of the older PB 1000's from SVS... sure they were awesome - but - the biggest issue is you get to move them around and that part is not fun! Sold them! This Kali looks to be the ticket as you have a TON of placement options and you won't feel like you're forced to sell come moving time

[@rf95-n9s]

How do these compared to the Monolith THX 8 inch in EQ 2 mode? I tried looking back through your videos since you haven’t done a direct comparison video yet for the Monolith 8 compared to these others, but unless I’m missing something, you weren’t doing the compression graphs the same on those earlier videos, so I wasn’t quite sure.

[@JC-fj7oo]

I think something that was left out which is extremely important is the actual crossover. Most people using these subs (for studio monitoring) are going to follow the instructions and plug into the sub and then run out to the speakers from there. The crossover itself can introduce all sorts of problems if it isn't done right. It can add noise, it can create dips or peaks... And adding another mastering-quality crossover to the mix can be easily another hundred bucks. And of course it requires more cables and more fiddling.

[@chinmeysway]

seems like running say kali monitors out of a kali sub is the forethought on this here sub, so the given 80hz crossover selection is sufficient.

[@JC-fj7oo]

@@chinmeysway there's more than one Kali monitor... There's also a different size and shaped rooms. In fact I have the Kali and I'm actually dealing with a null around 100hz that would probably be fixed by changing the crossover. An option that's only available with the Yamaha. But that also doesn't say anything about the quality of the crossover itself.

[@johannjohann6523]

So thank you for the video offering good informatoin so the rest of us can make good decisions when buying either stereo or studio equipment. Yamaha is a well known solid brand, but Kali though new make some amazing items that compete with products 2 and 3 times their cost. Especially when packaged together in different configurations of speakers/monitors and subwoofers. Very innovative yet simple company with U.S. made products.

[@spareplanet]

The variable high pass filter on the Yamaha is a really nice feature. By eliminating the low frequencies, you can drive your monitors harder, giving you MUCH clearer sound. And avoid doubling output.

[@homeboi808]

The Kali has an 80Hz high-pass on its outputs too. But yes, the frequency isn’t variable.

[@DJSoulbrother]

@@homeboi808 I don't know about this newer sub but the original 12 inch Kali when paired with the Kali studio monitors has dipswitches that seamlessly roll both off together depending on model frequency responses

[@Void_Ctrl]

I know the comparison wasn't in this video, but would you take the Kali WS-6.2 or an SVS SB-1000 Pro if prices were equal?

[@tylerrynberg]

Amazing how much more value the Kali provides than the others...and realistically the size difference isn't going to matter the vast majority of the time.

[@johannjohann6523]

Very Good video. As one who believes it is possible (though not ideal) to puchase stereo equipment, even speakers without hearing them given the Thiele numbers and amazing spectrum analyzer software for computers. But there can be "too much information" and I like the "meat and potatoes No's." you gave us about each subwoofer.

[@Hirnlego999]

Excellent test, Kali clearly is a better design

[@user-lo5gq]

Unfortunately, the Kali WS6.2 costs AUD $1299 in Australia vs AUD $569 for the HS8, it looks like a special amazon deal for US customers.

[@JasonMoon111]

Same in Europe

[@bc8Sooners]

Wow what a performance from two 6.5" subs.

[@justinbeamon6624]

Wow crazy how much better the Kali is. The new Presonus pro sub 10 inch would be cool to test i think.

[@socksgratecheese]

wild how much better the kali performs than others in the size class. this reminds me of what car sql guys have been doing recently of using smaller driver woofers with powerful motors to drive a powerful port

[@WWeiss-nv5vz]

How does a $499 studio sub compare to similar priced home audio sub? Performance wise, I know studio subs have xlr.

[@BL-yj2wp]

Not great. Erin reviewed the Monolith 10" THX that cost around 500$ and is representative of other modern 10" DSP subs around that price point as well. You get LFX 20Hz and quite a bit more output. They are bigger though.

[@anthonyanello1244]

Man Erin you are so good at these reviews but they leave me wanting more information that is important to help understand if they will work in a given system. Are they good for floorstanding speakers down to 40Hz? Are they good for larger monitors that go as low as 50Hz or for smaller monitors that need to be crossed over at 80 Hz? There are no measurements of how well the crossovers work at various settings including the lowest frequency. We also have no idea about enclosure resonance, does the speaker buzz at higher frequencies even if we set a low crossover? What about in-room response and best positioning? Output, group delay and distortion are very important but so much important data is still missing. There is no way I can conclude if these subwoofers would be a good fit for me.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Because those factors are invariably tied to your mains and your room. There’s no way for me to know and cover everyone’s setup. I’d need to know the rolloff of the mains. I would need to know the position of the speakers in the room. See measurements of the response in the room to know if crossing over at one point makes more than another. Just way too many variables to be generic about it, unfortunately.

[@TheBassallyear100]

Kali would also probably be a fun little sub to use nearfield

[@mwahlert]

Would be interesting to see how they all compare to something with a larger driver/cabinet but a similar price. Like the RSL 10S MK2 or BIC PL-300.

[@rodrigogarciamz]

Hello Erin, How good will be to have 2 kali subs?

[@we8463]

Thank you for the review and advice. How does the Kali compared with the mini KEF KC62? The JL cost $999

[@danielezzet8870]

This subwoofer is able to produce more spl than the kef kc62 from 25 to 80 hz but the kef is able to complete the CEA-2010-A test at 20 hz

[@ericmoss6110]

Holy cow... pick up 2 of the Kali subs, set it up with your receiver, and you could have very respectable bass for a small to medium home theater for $1k. I mean not earth shattering of course but man, how do you beat that?

[@paultravisano9403]

With two RSL 10s MKII instead 😅

[@ericmoss6110]

@@paultravisano9403 fair enough

[@DJSoulbrother]

They're audio subs bud, as producers we don't want infrasonics as they not musical anyway, Most producers tend to roll off under 30 and use musical notes above that in the first place that use can actually differentiate between :D

[@MrJurgis14]

would you suggest using SVS or JL for a mixing/recording studio setup? What adapters or equipment would I have to get for these sub to work with lets say Yamaha hs8?

[@ravikashsaini2801]

The most crucial thing missed here via the graphs is how flat the eq curve is between 40-100hz. That's a gigantic factor that never gets discussed.

[@jabbejokker]

My name is Erin. I’m from Alabama. I can use fancy buzzwords like… tight and punchy😂 Love your channel dude!

[@Gamez4eveR]

Finally! The HS8S was the first sub I ever bought and boy was it a disappointment! I upgraded to two Monolith 12 THX so you can picture quite well what sort of upgrade that was ;)

[@doca9357]

2x6 vs 1x8, more air pushed, more efficiently, would like to hear both side by side, though I got my hs8 for 300 open box, worked for my budget. We'll see what the future holds, nice video, thanks

[@lionelh152]

Both sub use balanced trs mono signal ( not stereo). On HC AVR sub output is RCA ( asymmetric unbalanced). Does a box ( DI) should be buy to connect those sub to an HC AVR ?

[@dranek]

Would love to see a review of the Kali WS-12 V2

[@skylarstradling7122]

The Kalis flat frequency response makes the sub crawl a lot quicker.

[@arthurlee5220]

Blown away by how it come against the SVS!

[@mrlinde6518]

JL is 2 x price? So imagine 2 Kali's...pretty unbeatable

[@454Casull]

Great vid! Have you done any testing of distortion with the built-in crossover in the Kali? I'm thinking of using the Kali as the first component in a 2.1 system, using the balanced in & out, but I'm not sure if there would be any audible degradation by using the built-in crossover vs an external crossover of some sort.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

I haven’t. But honestly I can’t imagine this would even remotely be an issue.

[@454Casull]

@@ErinsAudioCorner Thanks!

[@Byronthetrucker]

Thank you for posting this video, I'm getting back into better sound gear and I was set on Presonus until I heard the Kali LP6 V.2 man great sounding monitor IMO

[@paultravisano9403]

A good comparison would be to thr RSL 10s mkii. A little cheaper and wider but the CEA 2010 crushes all of these.

[@jacobharley7117]

I would love to see you measure a bunch of JTR speakers and subwoofers.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

My back hurts just thinking about it. I did review one of their speakers about 1.5 years ago, though.

[@dragonstone6594]

The Kali has higher output vs the JL Audio and SVS but at what distortion?

[@headphones741]

Could you do a shootout between the KRK S10.4 10 inch Powered Studio Subwoofer and the ADAM Audio T10S 10 inch Powered Studio Subwoofer? KRKs are getting really good reviews and Adam Audio I know is a very trusted brand.

[@TheSpeedyr6]

Does kali have the bypass option like krk subs

[@sergeysidorkin5014]

Take measurements with the crossover on at 80Hz.

[@ramisklk]

I have a question! In the Yamaha HS8S it is impossible to turn off the high cut filter (just the low cut which applied to the output signal that should go to the main speakers), so how did you do to get the frequency response? Because if this wasn't addressed it would mean that the hf extension comparison would be just pointless.

[@Hexspa]

Looking forward to the LP-UNF review!

[@trogdor21997]

Have you tested or just heard any Emotiva subs in the $500-$1000 range?

[@gabrielmease1169]

Another great video!

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ubacow7109]

You never uploaded the measurement for the kali sub to your site

[@JoseMaria28]

eu tenho esse Hs8s e tem notas no subgrave que ele fica batendo, o seu faz isso? ou sera que meu alto falante estragou?

[@rikukona3632]

I want to get HS8s, but my current setup consists of Edifier 1700BTs and a Topping D10 with RCA connections. Can I use a cable like AUX to TRS from my 1700BTs to the HS8s

[@marktrainer118]

Are these SPL measurements referenced to a ground plane (2pi) or actual full space (4pi)

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

FR is full space. CEA-2010 is groundplane 2m, peak.

[@seanb3303]

Is that a Vanilla Ice shirt? Good to see you so comfortable with yourself 🌈 😉

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

It is. 😉

[@Ceedubbya]

Would love to see the jbl ls310s compared as well

[@harukodsp]

my thoughts exactly... this Yamaha sub has already been proven to be inferior to competitors like the JBL LSR310s or the Adam Audio T10s. Both cheaper than the Yamaha sub. Although this comparison has lot's of information about WS 6.2, it is actually kind of useless to compare these two subs

[@rafagincas]

Would it be possible to use the Kali in a hifi setup?

[@borey123xx9]

Yes. The kali Sub is a studio subwoofer so it would give you cleaner and tighter bass than a regular hifi sub

[@spdcrzy]

My WS 6.2 is NUTS lol. I'm getting the IN-8 v2s soon as well...all in a 15x13 room. :D

[@herrtrigger7220]

Any issues with the Kali voltage input? The Kali WS-12 only makes 116db given a 4 V signal, it needs about 8 V (or more) to get the spec'd SPL of 123db. No way it's getting used in a home listening environment. I mean you can but it's just not going to get near it's potential.

[@SheepDude-qp7ux]

Can we see a review of the jbl lsr-310s?

[@JeffHeon]

I like using sub to have a bit of meat around the bone when listening to music or TV. I actually dislike feeling bass in my chest or super low bass though, so I suppose the SVS would be the appropriate choice for me out of the four conpared. I’ll just stick to my little sub that goes down to 40 hertz for now.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

The chest pounding bass is lower midbass: 40-80 Hz.

[@JeffHeon]

@@ErinsAudioCorner Thank you so much for the response. It put things in perspective for me!

[@eojizzz]

Hi, can I use audio interface to play music from my iphone?

[@reiness]

The Yamaha is available in my country for around $270, is it a good buy at that price?

[@07wrxtr1]

Erin - Question - Can I buy two and use them as my speaker "stands" for my new Adam Audio T5V's? They would hide behind my 43" monitor and the ports would be exposed on the bottom... Could be wild for gaming!

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Hmmm. Possibly it. Just make sure it’s high enough to put the tweeters on axis.

[@07wrxtr1]

@@ErinsAudioCorner Just ordered a single... going to see if I can squeeze it in behind the monitor... should be more than enough for the bedroom. Pray for me that it lasts > 5 years... I have 2 pairs of 2016 M-Audio (M3-6's and M3-8's - all the made in China amps have crapped out) that have had various issues... Sometimes I want to go back to external amps > plate amps... but that's a whole different debate

[@birhankar]

@@07wrxtr1How was it? I have t5v’s and looking to replace my sub (temblor t8) either with an Adam T10S sub or Kali…

[@mitsuracer87]

Kali 6.2 for $500 or monolith thx 10 for $370? Connected to PC with Kali IN-5

[@emanuelwhitehead6039]

Who bass is tighter

[@DamnnnDarius]

can you do a video on the PreSonus Eris Pro Sub 10

[@nobody1841]

I am interested in he MartinLogan subs because of what I owned in the early 2024. ML seems to be doing something different w their estats, which makes me wonder about the new releases. Hoping to spend 5-700$$. Found your channel and subbed.

[@editorjuno]

I'd love to hear you interview Kali's main guy, Chas. Sprinkle.

[@pinusmasterful]

While its certainly a nice sub, I dont get why you shouldnt just buy a Polk HTS10 for 50% cheaper with more output? Am i missing something?

[@pkd.81]

You are missing the obvious fact that the Polk HTS10 is a big box consumer-grade home theatre sub and the two subwoofers reviewed here are professional studio monitor subwoofers.

[@MansaMarMusic]

that thing is a beast

[@Clobercow1]

Kali trounces the Yahama. It's not even close. The distortion was surprising.

[@BriBCG]

Wow, I wonder how the Kali manages to output so much volume at those low frequencies with such small drivers.

[@mwahlert]

Excursion and power.

[@kaliaudio]

@@mwahlert YUP!

[@BL-yj2wp]

Two 6.5" woofers equal about one 9" woofer. Ported 10" subs with comparibly powerful amps have a fair bit more SPL capability (and extension, this rolls of steeply from 32Hz), so this checks out. The Yamaha is just terrible.