Genelec 8341A SAM™ Studio Monitor Review

[Puddingbuks]

Nice combo.

I'm listening at 3 meters, so I guess the 8331 is maybe not loud enough. Damn covid, if only I could listen somewhere how loud the 8331 could play.

 

[jonfitch]

What are your pros en cons of the 31 vs 41?

I would not worry about wobbly stands. Genelec offers multiple stands and wallmounts:

My pros and cons are:

8331
- better decor, doesn't stand out as much (the 41 is quite a wide speaker for its small internal volume - it has a wider front profile than Kef Reference 1, Dynaudio C1, etc, speakers that are 4x its size which makes the 8341 take up way more functional space than it should for its relatively tiny internal volume)
- only a few hz lower extension than the 41
- can fit on my medium sized desk with my gigantic LCD monitors without needing stands (its a standing desk)

8341

- few hz more extension
- slightly more uniform dispersion, doesn't have that small treble peak the 31 has
- would need a new desk or resort to stands--currently using Ultimate Support MS-90s. The 8341s would definitely overhang the top plate by quite a bit on either side which is a downside versus being able to use the table.

 

[Puddingbuks]

My pros and cons are:

8331
- better decor, doesn't stand out as much (the 41 is quite a wide speaker for its small internal volume - it has a wider front profile than Kef Reference 1, Dynaudio C1, etc, speakers that are 4x its size which makes the 8341 take up way more functional space than it should for its relatively tiny internal volume)
- only a few hz lower extension than the 41
- can fit on my medium sized desk with my gigantic LCD monitors without needing stands (its a standing desk)

8341

- few hz more extension
- slightly more uniform dispersion, doesn't have that small treble peak the 31 has
- would need a new desk or resort to stands--currently using Ultimate Support MS-90s. The 8341s would definitely overhang the top plate by quite a bit on either side which is a downside versus being able to use the table.

Thanks. Do you think the 8331 can play loud enough to listen at about 80db at 3 meters distance?

 

[soundwave76]

Nice combo.

I'm listening at 3 meters, so I guess the 8331 is maybe not loud enough. Damn covid, if only I could listen somewhere how loud the 8331 could play.

LOUD! In my normal bedroom and living room at least.

 

[Puddingbuks]

LOUD! In my normal bedroom and living room at least.

Could you make a video with a db meter app at 3 meters as loud as possible without distortion/clipping?

 

[richard12511]

Thanks. Do you think the 8331 can play loud enough to listen at about 80db at 3 meters distance?

I would say no. In your case I would definitely go for the 8341 or 8351. Note that the 8331 to 8341 max spl jump is a much bigger jump(7dB) than the 8341 to 8351 jump(3dB). 8331 may be better in a desktop setup, but definitely not at 3m. I've got the 8351 at ~3.5m and have run into output limitations when running them full range.

 

[soundwave76]

Could you make a video with a db meter app at 3 meters as loud as possible without distortion/clipping?

I can and I will. My 8331 setup is in my home office room which is not that large though.

I personally roll my eyes when reading about these ’are Genelecs loud enough’ threads. My pair of 8340s in a largish living room play so loud ears start to hurt at around -30dB from max. My normal listening level with the 8331 in near field is around -55dB. I still wonder if the 8341 Amir measured had max volume set to other than 0dB...

 

[soundwave76]

Ok, here goes. I didn't make a video but took four screenshots of the GLM while using the Genelec measurement microphone. You can see the dB level at the center of the image. Clipping happens so loud that I had to wear heavy duty Peltor ear protectors while doing the measurements.

 

[Puddingbuks]

So you almost reach 100db at 2 meters without clipping with the 8331 with subwoofer? Nice!

Thanks!

Genelec’s monitor setup guide says the same (https://downloads.ctfassets.net/4zj...Monitor_setup_guide_BBAGE125e-lightweight.pdf)

 

[Pearljam5000]

I can and I will. My 8331 setup is in my home office room which is not that large though.

I personally roll my eyes when reading about these ’are Genelecs loud enough’ threads. My pair of 8340s in a largish living room play so loud ears start to hurt at around -30dB from max. My normal listening level with the 8331 in near field is around -55dB. I still wonder if the 8341 Amir measured had max volume set to other than 0dB...

I'm going crazy with all the different opinion about Genelec being enough /not enough loud lol

 

[DJBonoBobo]

I'm going crazy with all the different opinion about Genelec being enough /not enough loud lol

Have you ever tried to measure how loud you actually listen to music normally? I bought a cheap sound level meter and found that I almost never listen louder than 75dB, maximum 85dB. Since then, I don't worry about whether any speakers can do 95 or 100dB.

 

[soundwave76]

^ exactly. Same here that my normal listening volumes around 70-80dB.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Side-note: if you have an iPhone, your built-in microphone is as good as many dedicated SPL meters. There are several studies showing that the microphone response for most if not all models is flat and calibrated. There are also several accurate free apps that allow different weighting including Decibel X and NIOSH Sound Level Meter (released by the CDC). The only limitation is that the built-in mic can only handle up to around 115 dB, which should be more than enough for monitor measurements.

 

[aarons915]

I don't know if this has been discussed yet but something that I've noticed in most coaxial speakers is the tendency for the off-axis response to show some peaking in the 2-6k range. I have the R3 at the moment and the whole R series seems to have a peak around 2.5-3k, which makes EQ'ing it a challenge since filtering that range would put a dip in the on-axis response. I've been a fan of coaxials for a few years now but I'm starting to wonder if the compromises of a typical line source speaker might be better than having this problem of a coaxial. I realize the vertical response has large dips in the line source speaker but Dr. Toole has mentioned many times that as long as the sidewall reflections are good, the dips in the vertical response aren't a huge issue. I just ordered a Neumann KH120 to compare with my R3 to test out this theory but was just wondering if anyone else has noticed this with coaxials? The Genelec One series is about as good as you can get so I was surprised to see the same issue in this speaker, it makes me think it might not be so easy to solve and most likely related to the midrange cone acting as the waveguide for the tweeter.

 

[Puddingbuks]

When using an 83x1 in a surround setup, what device is needed to split all the surround channels from hdmi to aes/ebu? Or is this aes format compatible with multi-channel sound?

 

[infinitesymphony]

When using an 83x1 in a surround setup, what device is needed to split all the surround channels from hdmi to aes/ebu? Or is this aes format compatible with multi-channel sound?

If you're expecting to play back home theater content over digital outputs, my understanding is that your options are somewhat limited and expensive. Trinnov and Datasat seem to be the leaders in that space.

The easiest and cheapest option would be to use an AVR with balanced or unbalanced outputs into the analog inputs.

 

[Pearljam5000]

I don't know if this has been discussed yet but something that I've noticed in most coaxial speakers is the tendency for the off-axis response to show some peaking in the 2-6k range. I have the R3 at the moment and the whole R series seems to have a peak around 2.5-3k, which makes EQ'ing it a challenge since filtering that range would put a dip in the on-axis response. I've been a fan of coaxials for a few years now but I'm starting to wonder if the compromises of a typical line source speaker might be better than having this problem of a coaxial. I realize the vertical response has large dips in the line source speaker but Dr. Toole has mentioned many times that as long as the sidewall reflections are good, the dips in the vertical response aren't a huge issue. I just ordered a Neumann KH120 to compare with my R3 to test out this theory but was just wondering if anyone else has noticed this with coaxials? The Genelec One series is about as good as you can get so I was surprised to see the same issue in this speaker, it makes me think it might not be so easy to solve and most likely related to the midrange cone acting as the waveguide for the tweeter.

Would you recommend the 8000 series over the Ones?
By the way i had the KH120 but preferred the 8030C sound.

 

[aarons915]

Would you recommend the 8000 series over the Ones?
By the way i had the KH120 but preferred the 8030C sound.

I haven't heard either so I can't make a recommendation, it was just something I noticed with coaxial speakers. I looked at the 8030C as well and it seems like a good speaker as well, it partly came down to looks and I like the KH 120 better.

 

[jonfitch]

I don't know if this has been discussed yet but something that I've noticed in most coaxial speakers is the tendency for the off-axis response to show some peaking in the 2-6k range. I have the R3 at the moment and the whole R series seems to have a peak around 2.5-3k, which makes EQ'ing it a challenge since filtering that range would put a dip in the on-axis response. I've been a fan of coaxials for a few years now but I'm starting to wonder if the compromises of a typical line source speaker might be better than having this problem of a coaxial. I realize the vertical response has large dips in the line source speaker but Dr. Toole has mentioned many times that as long as the sidewall reflections are good, the dips in the vertical response aren't a huge issue. I just ordered a Neumann KH120 to compare with my R3 to test out this theory but was just wondering if anyone else has noticed this with coaxials? The Genelec One series is about as good as you can get so I was surprised to see the same issue in this speaker, it makes me think it might not be so easy to solve and most likely related to the midrange cone acting as the waveguide for the tweeter.

The LS50 Meta has a BBC dip from 2-3k according to the review thread here so it seems like it can be tuned out if the designers want to. Otherwise you can look at the Reference range for a more rolled off sound in the highs (although being 6-7 years old now they may be looking to refresh it at some point).

I'm listening to a 8341 right now and will do some Dirac/REW/GLM measurements later on. I have a Kef Reference 1 as well that I will compare it to. I watched Zeos old video before and I think I'm gonna agree that the default FR doesn't seem amazing, and probably won't open up until you do full range FR correction. Out of the box it has that honky Genelec sound signature that I can also hear from my 8020 and 8010s that makes the mids sound really thick.

Ultimately I don't think any speaker is going to be perfectly flat on all axis's. There's always a trade-off that has to be made on-axis vs off-axis and the designers simply focus on what they think is more important.

 

[pierre]

The LS50 Meta has a BBC dip from 2-3k according to the review thread here so it seems like it can be tuned out if the designers want to. Otherwise you can look at the Reference range for a more rolled off sound in the highs (although being 6-7 years old now they may be looking to refresh it at some point).

I'm listening to a 8341 right now and will do some Dirac/REW/GLM measurements later on. I have a Kef Reference 1 as well that I will compare it to. I watched Zeos old video before and I think I'm gonna agree that the default FR doesn't seem amazing, and probably won't open up until you do full range FR correction. Out of the box it has that honky Genelec sound signature that I can also hear from my 8020 and 8010s that makes the mids sound really thick.

Looking at the freq graph on #1 can you explain what honky means?