The KRK Kreate 8 are individually available, powerful two-way studio monitors equipped with Bluetooth connectivity and an integrated bass reflex port, featuring an 8" driver with a yellow composite cone made of glass fibre-reinforced aramid for low and midrange duties, paired with a 1" fabric dome tweeter that is safely housed behind a perforated metal grille. The familiar KRK blend of low mass, high rigidity, and internal damping enables precise cone movement, resulting in a clear and well-controlled reproduction in the low and mid frequencies, which is reflected in aspects such as the favourable group delay times across the bass range. The textile dome tweeter adds finely detailed high-frequency performance and helps create a wide, steady sweet spot at the listening position, making the monitors reliable and consistent tools for focused work.
The KRK Kreate 8 reaches high frequencies up to 40kHz, a range far beyond human hearing that nonetheless contributes to an exceptionally clean, precisely defined reproduction in the audible band up to roughly 21kHz. Its bass response extends down to 48Hz (±3dB), with the lowest usable frequency at a deep 40Hz, and the tuning remains notably linear below 100Hz, which is especially valuable in the challenging low-frequency region. The monitor relies on a bi-amping design that combines an 80W Class D amplifier for the woofer with a 20W Class A/B amplifier for the tweeter, delivering a maximum sound pressure level (SPL) of up to 111dB at full volume. A rear-mounted volume control completes the setup and allows quick adjustment within different working environments.
The KRK Kreate 8 suits users seeking a monitoring system with a strong low-frequency foundation, offering enough precision for music production or web content while still serving comfortably for casual music listening or film watching. Its sound calibration supports analytical work without causing fatigue over longer sessions, and as a near-field monitor, it performs best at a listening distance of roughly one and a half metres. Two shelving filters provide gentle room adaptation, allowing bass and treble to be reduced by -1dB or -2dB, or lifted by +1dB when a touch of added presence is desired. Connection options include balanced XLR and 6.5mm TRS inputs alongside an unbalanced RCA input for HiFi components, while wireless audio streaming via Bluetooth offers a convenient and modern way to integrate smartphones or other Bluetooth-enabled devices.
The KRK Systems brand, today a subsidiary of US guitar manufacturer Gibson, has existed since 1986, and has acquired as many years of experience in the construction and design of studio monitors. Today, KRK's product range has extended to include subwoofers and headphones, in addition to their near- and midfield monitors. KRK adepts include such illustrious names as Mark "Spike" Stent (Ed Sheeran’s sound engineer), Grammy winner Ed Cherney, rock producer Jacquire King, rock and metal producer Ulrich Wild as well as trance DJ Armin van Buuren.
The KRK Kreate 8 offers versatile connectivity and can be integrated smoothly into a wide range of production environments, whether serving as an honest monitor in a home studio, as a primary reference speaker in a control room, or as a reliable tool at a video editing station. Its powerful low-frequency performance is more than sufficient for most applications, providing a solid, confident foundation. For users who produce electronic music or regularly work with bass-intensive material, adding a subwoofer remains a worthwhile enhancement, as it delivers even more precise low-bass reproduction while allowing the Kreate 8 driver to focus on the fundamental and midrange frequencies without the strain of reproducing the deepest lows. For a classic stereo setup, it is, of course, advisable to use two of these monitors.
Group delay
In acoustics, "group delay" refers to the time offset with which specific frequency components pass through a system such as a studio monitor, describing in milliseconds how much a given range lags behind and serves as an indicator of the system's temporal precision. In the low-frequency region, a high group delay of more than about 20ms below 100Hz can cause reproduction to feel blurred or slightly muddy, as bass elements no longer align cleanly with the rest of the signal. Ideally, group delay should remain low and as even as possible across the spectrum so that all parts of a signal reach the listener at virtually the same moment, preserving a clear and well-defined overall sound.