Genelec 8361A Review (Powered Monitor)

[dominikz]

[EDIT] If the listening experience of such performant speakers can't be improved with a DAC SINAD over 100, then what system does

I'd say no HiFi loudspeaker system
Even with headphone listening I'm very skeptical there would be any benefit.
(Both assuming optimal gain staging, of course. The benefit of integrated solutions like 8361 is that gain-staging is already optimized if you use the digital input.)

IME >100dB SINAD can become relevant in specialized use-cases, e.g. if you use the device for audio measurements, or for specific uses in sound production - accurate sound REproduction is IMHO much less demanding.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Is there anything better than the 8361 @$10K?

 

[nerdoldnerdith]

Is there anything better than the 8361 @$10K?

A lightly used pair of Dutch&Dutch 8C's.

 

[MBI]

Is there anything better than the 8361 @$10K?

8361A + W371A sounds bigger (had a chance at listening to that combo), but the price is a big jump.

 

[nerdoldnerdith]

[EDIT] If the listening experience of such performant speakers can't be improved with a DAC SINAD over 100, then what system does?

Some may be interested to know that RopieeeXL (Roon compatible) has an included HifiBerry Digi+ driver which here successfully runs the Raspberry pi DIGIPI+AES HAT to feed a digital signal to 2 daisy chained Genelecs 8361A. Haven't blind tested it, but can't spot any difference from Topping D90SE through the analog connectors (and that 900€ DAC now is happily used somewhere else in the house). If anyone knows which Rpi 4B case fits that 45€ DIGIPI+AES HAT, I'd please very much like to know! Many thanks for kind members' help.

You would have to be listening to a perfect pair of open-back headphones in an anechoic chamber to get any discernible benefit of SINAD that high. We're talking about the quietest things the human auditory system can theoretically pick up under perfect conditions. And even then it's debatable whether you would hear differences in distortion that minute.

 

[CMB]

A lightly used pair of Dutch&Dutch 8C's.

Well, « better » would need to be defined then.

I rather not agree anyway, alone because I saw several different pics of DD 8c with (even fine) fissures in wood cabinets.

 

[nerdoldnerdith]

Well, « better » would need to be defined then.

I rather not agree anyway, alone because I saw several different pics of DD 8c with (even fine) fissures in wood cabinets.

I own 8351B's and 8C's. The 8C's sound better.

 

[Sparky]

I own 8351B's and 8C's. The 8C's sound better.

There should be a "jealous" tab to click instead of "like"

 

[nerdoldnerdith]

There should be a "jealous" tab to click instead of "like"

I should add on caveat to that though. The 8C's sound better in an untreated room, which is how they were designed to perform. It takes about 15 minutes of unboxing, placing them against the wall, and doing a few calibrations to be in audio nirvana.

However, once you go through the painstaking process to treat your room as I have finally done with my Genelecs, I think the odds are in Genelec's favor. A great speaker in a great room is difficult to beat.

 

[Sparky]

I should add on caveat to that though. The 8C's sound better in an untreated room, which is how they were designed to perform. It takes about 15 minutes of unboxing, placing them against the wall, and doing a few calibrations to be in audio nirvana.

However, once you go through the painstaking process to treat your room as I have finally done with my Genelecs, I think the odds are in Genelec's favor. A great speaker in a great room is difficult to beat.

Very true indeed. When choosing my speakers, I had to take budget into consideration and the 8341's came out on top.
I think pound for pound they are the best speaker within my price range that I have ever heard.
I am in an untreated lounge though so I suppose I could get better sonic benefits with some room treatment but I have the wife to contend with!

The thing is now though, even if I came into a bit of money, I like the Genelecs that much that I doubt I would replace them. If I was to do anything I would probably go for the 8351's you have but would stick with Genelec in the end.

 

[nerdoldnerdith]

Very true indeed. When choosing my speakers, I had to take budget into consideration and the 8341's came out on top.
I think pound for pound they are the best speaker within my price range that I have ever heard.
I am in an untreated lounge though so I suppose I could get better sonic benefits with some room treatment but I have the wife to contend with!

The thing is now though, even if I came into a bit of money, I like the Genelecs that much that I doubt I would replace them. If I was to do anything I would probably go for the 8351's you have but would stick with Genelec in the end.

If you can get away with some bass traps behind the speakers and maybe some diffusers on the front and back walls you will already have made some significant improvements.

 

[Pearljam5000]

I own 8351B's and 8C's. The 8C's sound better.

In what way do they sound better when compared to 8351? Thanks

 

[Sparky]

If you can get away with some bass traps behind the speakers and maybe some diffusers on the front and back walls you will already have made some significant improvements.

The thing with bass traps is in order for them to be effective, they have to be HUGE! All good info though pal. Thanks.

 

[nerdoldnerdith]

In what way do they sound better when compared to 8351? Thanks

Imaging, realism. They present music with such clarity that you hear things that you think are coming from your house or outside. They have a depth of soundstage that I've not heard in any other speaker - and it's real spatial information in the recording, not some fake sense of depth that you get with dipoles and the like. Tonally they sound pretty much perfect, with no attenuation of high frequencies needed.

It's difficult to compare speakers like this and find faults with one or the other. I can only say that going from Genelec to Dutch&Dutch in an untreated room makes things just that much better. You don't know how it gets better than what you just heard, but it does somehow.

 

[nerdoldnerdith]

The thing with bass traps is in order for them to be effective, they have to be HUGE! All good info though pal. Thanks.

Not necessarily. You are just trying to absorb the backwave from the speaker to improve imaging, not fix all the bass issues in your room.

 

[Sparky]

Imaging, realism. They present music with such clarity that you hear things that you think are coming from your house or outside. They have a depth of soundstage that I've not heard in any other speaker - and it's real spatial information in the recording, not some fake sense of depth that you get with dipoles and the like. Tonally they sound pretty much perfect, with no attenuation of high frequencies needed.

It's difficult to compare speakers like this and find faults with one or the other. I can only say that going from Genelec to Dutch&Dutch in an untreated room makes things just that much better. You don't know how it gets better than what you just heard, but it does somehow.

No subs required?? Sounds like a dream that!

 

[CMB]

I own 8351B's and 8C's. The 8C's sound better.

Can’t judge, if you don’t invite me to listen
But the question was about the 8361 anyway and not 8351b.

Don’t take it bad, but the argument « sounds better » always sounds very subjective to me.
Now that I know ASR, I don’t really rely on those types of subjective opinions/arguments anymore.

Also the question was « Is there anything better », which involves plenty of aspects.

DD8c might be an alternative.
I decided against the DD8c and for the 8361; for plenty of reasons that seemed important to me. And I really don’t regret it.

 

[Securitiesfraud]

Can’t judge, if you don’t invite me to listen
But the question was about the 8361 anyway and not 8351b.

Don’t take it bad, but the argument « sounds better » always sounds very subjective to me.
Now that I know ASR, I don’t really rely on those types of subjective opinions/arguments anymore.

Also the question was « Is there anything better », which involves plenty of aspects.

DD8c might be an alternative.
I decided against the DD8c and for the 8361; for plenty of reasons that seemed important to me. And I really don’t regret it.

Can u state some of the reasons u went for the 8361 over the DD8c?

 

[jhenderson0107]

Can u state some of the reasons u went for the 8361 over the DD8c?

The nearly-identical horizontal vs vertical dispersion is a significant advantage in home theater applications. For example, it is practical to orient a 8361 horizontally for use as a center channel. This was a key consideration for my application.

 

[CMB]

Can u state some of the reasons u went for the 8361 over the DD8c?

Yes - I must have indicated it already somewhere, so excuse if I repeat myself.
This was quite an investment, so I gave it a serious thought and analysis.

First I was worried about the highs being maybe fatiguing with Genelec and very keen to buy the DD8C for its lower bass down to 20Hz and the Cardiod thing, which I found very appealing.

I never managed to hear them, how hard I tried. I even drove to the Netherlands to the Dutch distributor. Seriously, I tried for several months (not to say a full year) without success despite several attempts.

Then I relied on Amirs test. If Amir says 8361 is such good, then it canot be flawed. I acknowledged that I could tweet the frequency response with GLM and that 25 Hz might be low enough.

I was worried about GLM, because Neumanns app seems to be « difficult ». But I can reassure you, GLM is a blast, so pro, so accomplished, so easy. You take the speakers out of the box, install them and run GLM. In 15 min. you are set as well. But of course you can tweek them if you wish. That is the fun, or not?

Moreover, I felt much more comfortable with a recognized company servicing the professionals with praise for long years.

At that time, I started to hear here and there problems with DD8c, related to streamer, installation, cracks in wood etc. I got concerned about this things, servicing and residual value.
How are they going to repear those things, if they were not able to demonstrate them for so long?

So I went for the safe investment.

Now, nothing is needed to say about the objective measures anymore.

Haven’t heard or compared th DD8c, I don’t regret 1 sec.
Soundwise, I am still amazed every single time and I am a Audioholic since 40 years.

So for me, the are clearly the best, but anybody needs to assess for itself which one they ultimately prefer.