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Over the past two decades, KRK monitor speakers have found their place in creative studios all over the world. In precisely the same fashion as they found their place in various commercial recording facilities, the world over, so to have they become a mainstay in home recording, streaming and content creation setups also.

With the great sound and big bottom end they offer, KRK have been an obvious choice, not only for video production teams, but also gamers looking to take full advantage of their extended frequency response and demure physical footprint. But this doesn’t just extend to the professional world either, KRK’s highly touted Rockit range have emerged as a first choice listening speaker for kicking back and immersing oneself in the game at hand. After all, everyone is entitled to their downtime.

With such a wide range of options in their line-up, KRK have now gone one step further, and smaller, developing a studio monitoring system that you can take anywhere. Thanks to the KRK GoAux3 and GoAux4, the mobile editing studio or gaming system just became more efficient, and better sounding, wherever you may be listening.

There are two models available, the GoAux3 and GoAux4. You don’t need to read through the spec sheets to realise that these refer to woofer size, GoAux offering 3” and 4” options. So, they are already going to be smaller than their most popular Rokit series monitors, but KRK have pushed it further, as these speakers have been designed to be a portable solution. With that in mind, KRK have built a single power amp into just one of the speaker cabinets, the other runs as passive, powered by the first with the included speaker cable. This means your monitoring system requires only one power outlet, reduces the weight of the second speaker, and the overall weight of the system for ease of travelling. Once your GoAux speakers are placed, the rear panel of the main speaker has inputs for ¼” balanced TRS connectors, RCA, 1/8” stereo jack and a Bluetooth connection. There’s also a headphone output on the front panel that mutes the speakers for silent monitoring when needed.

Designed to be used as a compact nearfield monitor, KRK understood that the perfect position for these speakers was going to be different in every environment. They have included a pair of compact speaker stands that allow you to angle the position of the speakers for best results. Let’s face it, when you’re taking your video, gaming or live streaming on the road with you, you never really know what space you’ll have to set up in.

Often, unstable platforms for the speakers leave them too close and firing away from your ears. This is far from ideal listening conditions, and will only serve to diffuse the sound of the monitors and deliver an unclear signal. So, the stands allow you to adjust the angle of the speakers to get a more directional sound that is targeted to your listening position. When not in use, they fold up neatly and slide away into the included carry bag.

That is to say, yes, this speaker system comes with its own padded carry bag, so you will be all set to take them wherever you need to go. It has space for both speakers, the stands, and all the cables. Furthermore, the GoAux4 bag has space to accommodate the included ARC microphone. For those of you who haven’t heard of KRK’s ARC microphone, let me fill you in.

The ARC microphone is software for Auto Room Correction and is now integrated into the hardware and DSP of the GoAux4, so you get a compact room correction device within the GoAux speaker system itself. The process doesn’t just analyse the high and low frequencies in the room to balance the EQ of the speakers, there’s a lot more to it than that. It takes into account the reflections caused by hard surfaces and low frequency resonance created by the shape of the space you’re gaming in. This results in more clarity in your audio signal that vastly improves the stereo imaging, especially when playing in a room that isn’t perfectly symmetrical in design and décor, as just about every room is. This allows you to hear foley, music and sound design as it was intended, as well as being able to keep a closer ear on the developing game.

If you’re serious about your gaming sound, and you want it to get consistent sound wherever you are, the GoAux4 is the obvious choice as you can adjust the speakers’ response with the ARC microphone upon setup. What both models offer is that great KRK studio monitor sound in a compact format. It is incredible to hear just how solid of a low frequency response these compact speakers are able to deliver. With the soundtracks of today’s games being just as awe inspiring as the graphics and gameplay alike, it would be amiss to leave that out of the experience just because space was an issue.

The result of all this is a great sounding, compact audio monitoring system that can be set up in just about any space. Whether you go for a tuned audio workspace with the GoAux4 monitor system, or if you are looking to save even more space with the GoAux3 monitors, there is a big sound to be found in both of these compact studio monitors. Best of all, both options pack up into the included carry bag, so you can take them anywhere. Now you don’t have to be locked to your headphones when you’re out and about. Great quality monitor speakers are available anywhere you want to go.

BY LEWIS NOKE EDWARDS AND ROB GEE