I've used iLoud Micros before, and I was blown away by the sound quality. Sure, they're not super bass-heavy, but they extend low enough that you can still work on your mixes. The focus is more on the mids, and as one of the producers I follow once said, "If you get your mid-range nailed down, the rest of your mix will fall into place." I still highly recommend those monitors, especially if you have a smaller workspace and don't have the room for a bigger set. So when I got these, I had high expectations for the sound I would get from them. And I was not disappointed! Small, but impressive, in both cases!
One thing I should mention is that I haven't set them up with the Automatic Room Correction feature yet. So this is just the sound straight out of the box. One thing I will say right off the bat is that these are not meant to be blasted at full volume. If you do, the sound will start to distort. These are nearfields after all; if you like it loud, get bigger monitors. Not that these don't have a respectable volume level; you just can't push them as hard as you can with other monitors. If you need deeper sound, invest in a sub; these do have an 80Hz crossover setting, so you can do just that. Speaking of frequencies... These have a range of 50Hz to 24kHz (±2.5dB). They are also 100 watts each, 70 to the midwoofers, and 30 to the tweeters, powered by 2 class D amplifiers. You can extend down to 40Hz, at that point though, you're just enhancing the lows of the bass. The crossover type for these monitors is a linear phase variable, while the crossover frequency is at 3.1kHz. Maximum sound pressure level is 103dB.
I like how the drivers are arranged where the 1-inch silk-dome tweeter is in the middle, and the polypropylene 3.5-inch midwoofers flank it above and below. It really does help the highs not sound like they're hitting your ears at a strange angle. The sound is detailed and accurate, and the soundstage is clear and not exaggerated. You can hear your mixes with good precision. You do have the option to flip these into a horizontal orientation in the rare cases that you would need to. They also do come with TPU bases you can set them on when you need them in the horizontal orientation. It's not recommended it in normal use, as it does change the overall sound characteristic. These monitors come with detachable desktop tilting stands that let you adjust the angle up to 20 degrees. You can also mount them on threaded stands. Just a heads up, these are the standard European size, which is 3/8 inch with 16 threads per inch (TPI). So, you might need to get mic stand thread converters to convert them to the American standard of 5/8 inch with 27 TPI.
With the monitor facing you, on the front, you'll feel three metal grills. The two mid-woofers and the tweeter in the middle. There's a row of five buttons below the reflex port at the top of the monitor on the back. From left to right, they're Sens (Sensitivity), Cal (Calibration), HF (High Frequency), LF (Low Frequency), and LFE (Low Frequency Extension). Below that, there's a volume knob for adjusting your input source from -12 to 0 DB, then a combi jack that accepts either a male XLR cable or a balanced quarter-inch male TRS cable. They say you can use unbalanced TS cables too, but TRS will give your signal more shielding and the volume will be louder. In short, TRS works more like an XLR cable. Below that is an eighth-inch female input for connecting the included iLoud MTM calibration microphone to use the built-in Automatic room correction feature. To the left of that is a female standard USB B connection for maintenance and firmware updates. Finally, below that is the three-prong female EIC (AC power) socket, and to its left is the power button (in means on, out means off). Underneath the monitor are two female thread screws for mounting. The front one is for mounting to mic or speaker stands, and the back one is for the included desktop tilting stands. Like I said before, you can adjust the monitor with these stands up to 20 degrees, and you do that by screwing on the stand and pushing the monitor forward so it's at an angle. A quick heads up about the Cal, HF, LF, and LFE buttons on your new speakers. When you press them, they'll step through each setting. For example, if you use the LFE button to adjust the extension, it'll start at 50HZ by default and then go to 40, back to 50, then 60, then 80, back to 60, then 50, and finally back to 40. The LF button will adjust the 100HZ low shelf from its default of 0 to plus 2, then back to 0, then minus 2, and finally back to 0. The HF button will adjust the 8KHZ high shelf from its default of 0 to plus 2, then back to 0, then minus 2, and finally back to 0. The Cal button switches between flat, desktop (minus 4DB at 160HZ, plus 1DB at 1.8KHZ), and calibration (applied room correction) modes. Finally, the Sens button switches between +4 DBU for interfaces, consoles, and whatnot, and -10 DBV for highfi setups, phones, MP3 players, that sort of thing. The monitors will remember these settings, so when you power them off or unplug them for a while, they'll be ready to go with your last configuration. Also, remember that these adjustments are for each individual monitor, so if you make a change on one, you'll need to make the same change on the other.
By the way, this info was written in 2023, when I first got them. Now, almost two years later, I've used the ARC feature. I've seen online reviews that say the soundstage gets much better when you set it up and let it calibrate. When you're done listening to them in their default state, turn on ARC to make your listening experience even better. It makes the sound more focused and detailed. ARC has been my default ever since I started using it.
They do come with optional software that you can buy, but unfortunately, it's not accessible. This software is supposed to emulate different types of speakers, so you can reference your mixes on different types of monitors, phone speakers, car speakers, TV speakers, things of that nature. It also allows you to save multiple measurements for the room correction feature.
On a final note, and for full transparency, they also have MK II versions of these speakers, which came out earlier this year. (2025, for those who are just waking up from cryostasis.)
I hope this helps! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Thanks for reading!