Is bigger always better? Not always. Longer musical albums become stuffed with filler, and films verging on three hours become self-indulgent efforts only the director enjoys, like Heaven’s Gate or Kevin Costner’s The Postman. So where does bigger equipment, like the KRK RoKit Power 10-3 Studio Monitor Speakers, fall? Is it a product that only applies to a certain type of professional, or can it be used by the rest of us?
RoKit 10-3 are the latest and largest from the brand, building upon their well-known G2 designs. Visually, it has their well-known yellow and black juxtaposition. A three-way design, however, sets it apart: a one-inch silk soft-dome tweeter with a 30-watt amp, a four-inch aramid glass fiber mid-frequency driver, and a 10-inch aramid glass fiber driver. In addition, the speakers are equipped with XLR, TRS, and RCA inputs.
As an additional aspect to the design, RoKit 10-3 speakers are essentially multi-situational. A rotatable design makes them equally adept at creating sounds when placed to the side or wall mounted. Their ideal operational distance is one to four meters. Keep in mind that, should the speaker be placed on the side, the tweeter and mid-range driver should be rotated, and you’ll need a set of screws to set it.
Much like the RoKit 8, the 10-3 speakers feature an innovative design that’s not only aesthetically pleasing but significantly improves the sound. Although rectangular speakers, we all know, have been de rigueur for years, but sometimes traditions have to be broken. RoKit is definitely doing this with its latest speakers, which feature a curved surface that guards against diffraction and phase diffusion. The result is a wider, more natural range of good sounds. Added to this are front-firing slotted ports shaped in such a way to reduce port turbulence and ultimately further improve the sound.
So, with all of these additions, what do the RoKit 10-3 speakers sound like? Compared to competitors’ products, RoKit 10-3 speakers consistently deliver a clean performance and are a significant step up from other models in its price range. But, clarity is just the overall picture. More specifically, RoKit 10-3 speakers deliver even performance without midrange coloring. All sounds you hear through them are, honestly, one of the more accurate representations you can get out there.
And, rather than a limited sweet spot of good sounds, that range for the RoKit 10-3 speakers is larger than average. As you go from low to high frequencies, the details are not obscured.
That being said, the RoKit 10-3 speakers aren’t perfect. Although they deliver, across a greater range, a bigger, clearer sound, the bass might not be what some EDM performers (looking at you, dubstep DJs who turn up the bass) desire, and adding a subwoofer may be the only way to get the clarity you need with the bass you want. Similarly, noise isn’t fully eliminated. Unless sounds are being played at midrange or higher, the speakers always tend to have a very slight hiss.
So, is bigger better? When price is taken into consideration, RoKit 10-3 speakers deliver overall better quality, save for a few areas, and a greater range of clarity.
