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Kali Audio has earned a reputation for producing studio monitors that punch far above their price point, going toe-to-toe with high-end competitors in terms of accuracy and detail. Now, they’ve moved into the headphone market with the HP-1, a “multi-reference” headphone that uses onboard DSP to offer three selectable tunings, Bluetooth and wired connectivity, Active Noise Cancellation, and impressive battery life, all for under $200.
It’s a unique approach to the problem of mixing accurately on headphones, which various companies have tried to address with sophisticated software calibration systems, special modeling headphones, and virtual studio emulation. It’s also rare to see studio-quality headphones incorporating “consumer” features like this, so we asked Kali Audio co-founder Nate Baglyos to break down the thinking behind the Kali HP-1, the R&D that went into achieving reference-grade sound, and how it can help you make better mixes in the studio and on the go.
“What we didn't want to do was just an OEM pair of headphones with a Kali logo on it,” says Baglyos. “We really wanted to make it our own, so we thought about what we offer that's valuable to people. A lot of brands are doing room emulation in headphones, which I think is a fine and worthy thing to do, but I wasn't seeing a lot of headphone emulation. Why don't we make a pair of headphones that lets the person at the end of the mix chain hear what it sounds like on the headphones everyone's using?”
With three tunings accessible at the press of a button, you can switch between studio-grade accuracy, consumer earbud emulation, and a bass-boosted curve that’s great for revealing hidden problems in your mix. To get even more value out of the onboard DSP chip, Kali then threw in a few quality-of-life features that let you take the HP-1s out of the studio and into the real world. Optional Bluetooth enables wireless listening and calls, noise cancellation helps tune out distractions, and robust battery life means you can mix, talk, listen, and game for long periods between charges.
Rather than packing the HP-1 with endless headphone models, virtual room emulations, or fully tweakable calibration, Kali decided to focus on three curves that offer the most utility: Studio, Consumer, and Bass-Heavy. Between these options, you can mix with Kali’s signature studio-grade accuracy, reference your work on consumer earbuds, and identify hidden mix issues that only reveal themselves on the most hyped-up headphones. And when it comes to casual listening, you can simply choose the flavor you like best.
Studio is the default setting you’ll be using for most of your mixing and production work. While you might expect this curve to look flat on a graph, it’s not, but it sounds flat, and that’s what’s important. Based on extensive research, scientific measurements, and subjective listener testing, the Studio curve delivers a neutral response you can trust when you mix. Simply put, mixing in Studio mode is like mixing with Kali speakers: you hear exactly what’s there, with no surprises.
“You always need to confirm your measurements with subjective data, which is based on people's listening experience,” Baglyos explains. “The measurements have gotten very, very reliable, but that human factor remains incredibly important. You can't just say, ‘It measures well, so it must be good.’ Even if your data checks out, at the end of the day, if the listener is not having a positive experience, nothing else matters.”
Once you’ve gotten your mix dialed in, switch to Consumer mode to make the HP-1 sound like typical modern earbuds: namely, the ubiquitous Apple AirPods that many listeners will end up hearing your work through. This curve offers slightly increased bass (+3 dB above Studio at 75 Hz), similar midrange response, and a noticeable high-end roll-off above 14 kHz. This will probably be your second-most-used setting, as it offers the most common reference point for how your mixes sound in the real world (think of it like the Yamaha NS-10s of headphone mixing).
Finally, switch over to Bass-Heavy mode to stress-test your mix and expose any potential issues that aren’t apparent in Studio or Consumer modes. This curve mimics the “hyped” sound of popular consumer headphones like Beats; another essential reference for predicting what a large slice of listeners will hear. Bass-Heavy mode cranks the bass response to +6 dB above Studio at 75 Hz with a significant midrange scoop at 600 Hz and a bit more high-mid presence than Consumer. When you need to check if your mix is too muddy, thin, or harsh, this curve will definitely let you know.
The disconnect that happens when you step away from your boutique studio headphones and throw on your everyday cans can easily make you second-guess a mix that sounded great in the studio. But when you use the same headphones for mixing and casual listening, you actually “train” your ears to hear how things really sound. That was the idea behind adding on-the-go features like Bluetooth and noise cancellation to the HP-1: if you can do all your listening and mixing on the same headphones, translation becomes a non-issue.
“Now, your studio headphones become go-anywhere headphones, and that means you’re constantly listening to reference material on your reference system,” says Baglyos. “So, when you put those headphones on to actually do work on them, you know exactly how they sound. You know exactly how the hits sound on those headphones, and you're ready to use that sound to get your records to that level.”
Most pro audio brands shy away from making “studio” headphones wireless because of Bluetooth’s inherent latency and the stigma of its association with consumer products, but who says you have to choose between wired and wireless? Because the HP-1 already relies on a DSP chip, it wasn’t a stretch to add this handy feature while still including a standard TRS headphone jack for good old analog input. Plus, it has a built-in mic for taking calls and buttons for quick volume adjustments.
While nobody wants to do any serious mixing with noise-cancelling headphones, it’s still good to have the option when you’re trying to focus in a crowded space, tune out the noise of an airplane cabin, or just enjoy a podcast while walking through a noisy city. Nothing crazy here; just press a button to engage ANC when you need it and turn it off when you’re working. At this price, it’s a no-brainer.
The HP-1’s built-in DSP, ANC, and Bluetooth all use power, but a sizeable battery allows you to get through multiple mixing sessions, back-to-back meetings, and long travel days without worrying about recharging. Officially, Kali advertises a 40-hour battery life, but that’s a conservative estimate; in tests using a special test signal that mimics the dynamics of real-world listening, the HP-1 was still playing after a full 48 hours. Even if you’re playing highly compressed music at maximum volume with ANC on, you can still count on nearly two days of continuous uptime. A USB-C port and included cable lets you charge pretty much anywhere.
Even the best headphones can be rendered useless if they’re too heavy, fit awkwardly, or press too hard on your ears. The Kali HP-1 is built for comfort and convenience, with an adjustable vegan leather headband and replaceable vegan leather earcups that form a cushy seal around the ears without too much pressure. Weighing in at less than half a pound (150 grams), they also feature a folding design for packing away in the included travel case.
“I think these are some of the lightest studio headphones you can buy, which means these are really comfortable to have on your head for hours at a time,” says Baglyos. “I've worn them for eight-plus-hour plane rides, and I can think of about a dozen different headphones that I would've ripped off my head after hour two. These are extremely comfortable for long sessions.”
There’s nothing like hearing your mix on a well-tuned, full-range system in an acoustically treated studio, but let’s face it: nobody else is going to hear it with that kind of fidelity. In the real world, your mixes will be heard through all kinds of systems, from AirPods to Beats headphones to booming car stereos and anemic phone speakers. So why not mix on the same headphones you listen with? With the Kali Audio HP-1, you can finally have studio-quality sound, real-world referencing, and handy features all in one device.
