The iLoud MTM MKII are the new NS10 (the secret to making your mixes translate anywhere)
If you enter the control room of the VDSS Studio, the first thing you notice on the desk are my ATC SCM25A Pro. We're talking about very high-end monitors, surgical machines costing several thousand euros.
Yet, right there next to it, positioned as internal monitors and closer to the listening point, there is a pair of speakers the size of a water bottle: the IK Multimedia iLoud MTM MKI I.
I bought them for an alternative listening experience. The result?
I haven't taken them off my desk for at least two years, and in a very short time, they've become my main monitor. I do practically everything on them.
Why? Because to me, the iLoud MTM MKIIs are the new Yamaha NS10s . They've become my secret weapon for making sure my mix translates perfectly to any device out there.
Today I'll explain to you why, without too many mincing words, they offer the best quality/price ratio on the entire current market.
The Myth of Translation and the Acoustic Miracle (ARC X)
For decades, the world’s greatest mix engineers relied on the iconic Yamaha NS10 for one reason: they were merciless.
If you could get a mix to sound good on those white speakers, it would sound good everywhere (the famous mix translation ). But today the main problem with home studios (and many control rooms as well) is something else entirely: acoustics. You can buy the most expensive monitors on the planet, but if your room is a liar, you'll make poor mixing decisions, and your track won't sound right outside the studio.
IK Multimedia has taken the concept of “reliable listening” from the NS10 and brought it into the present, solving the room problem at its root.
How? By integrating an amazing DSP derived from their ARC system into the MTM MKII.
The cool thing is that you can do everything directly via hardware. Take the measurement microphone (which they give you included in the price ), plug it into the back of the speaker, place it at your listening position and hold down the CAL button on the back .
The measurement sweeps begin, the internal DSP calculates your room's flaws, corrects the frequency response, and saves the profile directly inside the speaker. Done. You have linear and reliable listening in 30 seconds flat.
But if you're someone who likes to tinker, there's more.
If you want, you can connect the speakers to your computer via USB and use the ARC X software.
From there you can calibrate your listening experience even more precisely and customizably, and even emulate the response of several other speakers (essential for mix checks).
The real magic? In both cases (CAL button or ARC X software) the correction profile is always physically saved on the monitors . This means you'll never have annoying plugins to place on the Master Bus of your DAW.
And once you've finished and saved the correction with the software, you can safely unplug the USB cable: the speakers will retain the perfect calibration in memory.
Surgery on the back panel
In addition to self-calibration, the rear panel offers a series of controls to further sculpt the response.
And unlike many budget monitors where the buttons on the back don’t seem to do anything, the MTM MKII’s EQ tweaks are super effective and responsive.
You can manage the low-end roll-off, cut or boost the highs, and use the “Desk” filter to compensate for boominess if you place them directly on the desk.
Once calibrated and trimmed, they give you a rock-solid stereo image and detail on transients and mid-frequencies that much larger speakers can only dream of.
Technical Specifications in brief
For the nerds out there, here are the numbers that give you an idea of what they're made of:
MTM Design: Symmetrical (Midwoofer-Tweeter-Midwoofer) for ultra-precise stereo imaging and hyper-controlled acoustic dispersion.
Drivers: Two 3.5" high-performance woofers and a 1" tweeter with rear chamber.
Power: 100W RMS bi-amplified in Class D (70W woofer + 30W tweeter) for each speaker.
Frequency Response: 48 Hz - 28 kHz ±2dB (they go down impressively considering their small size, reaching 36 Hz at -10dB).
Conversion: Internal DSP and ultra-high quality 96 kHz AD/DA converters.
The Verdict
Whether you're setting up your first home studio or you have a million-dollar control room and are looking for a pair of surgical nearfield monitors for fine balance, there's no match.
They are the spiritual heirs of the NS10: they throw the naked truth about your balances in your face, but with an acoustic precision and bass extension that the old Yamahas could only dream of.
They are the best value studio monitors available today for your listening.
👇 Do you want to bring them to the studio?
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The final step: The true analog weight
You've solved your listening problems, calibrated the room, and sealed a flawless mix. You've done your best in the box. But when it comes to giving that mix undeniable weight, density, and three-dimensionality, digital still struggles to replicate the explosive behavior of physical transformers.
When you entrust your completed songs to VDSS Studio 's Online Mastering or Stem Mastering services, your music finally leaves your computer.
Your stems are physically summed in our Neve 8816 summing amp, passing through real transformers for massive low-end sculpting.
We glue it all together and give it a unique three-dimensionality with our custom Vari-Mu compressor and, if you're looking for a dense, organic color, we print the master on our MCI JH24 24-track tape recorder .
Finally, we surgically recapture everything through the analog stage of the Burl B2 converters.
The result? The surgical detail of your digital mix fused with the overwhelming weight of top-of-the-line hardware.
Stop playing fake. Get your music out of the box.
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