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Genelec 8361A Review (Powered Monitor)

Rate this speaker:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 6 0.9%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 4 0.6%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 28 4.1%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 638 94.4%

  • Total voters
    676

Pearljam5000

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What makes these alternatives besides being 3 way monitors?

Rant:
The Neumann has waveguides at least, but the Focal seems to be based on maximally archaic design: Purposeful placement of parallel walls to cause internal reflections, slapping drivers on a box (do they even use DSP to correct the response) that is mildly rounded but nothing like a Genelec, choosing to create lobes with the non-coaxial/non-acoustically-triaxial design, unflared port design to aid in chuffing, wood to minimize internal volume to get less bass extension than aluminum. I think they also aimed for a more ragged frequency response by excluding DSP unless this is a newer model they've changed.

Relatively speaking, that Focal looks like a busted, zero engineering DIY project intended for the aestheticyst market who values form and form over form over a word they are forbidden to say (because it doesn't matter) that ends with -unction.

Reason:
To be fair I've enjoyed Focal speakers and used some in college for basic mixing of mostly acoustic performances... They just seem like ancient relics seeing what goes into the design of modern loudspeakers like Genelecs. (Or the Sync Cell Alpha, or the Devialet Phantom, etc.) The sound isn't as terrible as the legacy design would suggest, (it's actually great from what I've listened to). It's just that from an engineering standpoint the Genelec's seem to be in a different league. In the sweet spot in a studio, I've had excellent experiences with Focal and enjoy their speakers. Just miffed they focus on exotic driver materials and don't seem to be pushing the state of the art forward.
Like you said their tech is not as cutting edge as Genelecs but I like their sound
But they also cost a lot less (also the KH420)
If they were priced the same then yeah it would be annoying
By the way their berillyum tweeter is one of the best I've heard.
 

stevenswall

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If they were that close Genelec would have gone out of business

They are close enough I think if I had to do it again I'd have gone with a handful of IN-8 v2 monitors over the 8260+7271... Spend the savings on room treatment panels.

Money no object though, Genelec definitely, with the additional benefit of having mounting options and being able to daisy chain things.

Maybe I should do a blind test with both. Use the MiniDSP to adjust the levels so they match, and put a high pass filter so it's not based on bass response which is the biggest thing I notice with the IN-8 v2... Makes me want a sub, especially when I've just come upstairs from the Genelec system, with or without the sub.
 
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Pearljam5000

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They are close enough I think if I had to do it again I'd have gone with a handful of IN-8 v2 monitors over the 8261+7271... Spend the savings on room treatment panels.

Money no object though, Genelec definitely, with the additional benefit of having mounting options and being able to daisy chain things.

Maybe I should do a blind test with both. Use the MiniDSP to adjust the levels so they match, and put a high pass filter so it's not based on bass response which is the biggest thing I notice with the IN-8 v2... Makes me want a sub, especially when I've just come upstairs from the Genelec system, with or without the sub.
If you do that please post it here because it would be very interesting especially considering the price gap
 

stevenswall

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Apologies if this has already been covered, but I've been focusing on the best way to stream to these speakers. You don't need a DAC, but you do need a balanced digital output and those are rare in consumer level streamers.


That and a Chromecast Audio (Another $100 since they were discontinued.)

You can get a 3.5mm optical cable to feed the Hosa converter with the CCA.

Or just take the optical output from a smart TV which may have apps for streaming.

Personally a streaming box for me would be horrible in the long run since you can't update the software and it won't be supported as long as a smartphone and a remote is inferior to a touch screen, and a Chromecast solves the remote problem, the update issues, having an additional larger box, and the horrid experience that is Smart TVs. (I'd take an app on my smartphone and Chromecast any day over the relatively horrid experience that is WebOS or Android TV on my LG C9.)

For streaming Dolby Atmos, not sure what a good recommendation is under tens of thousands of dollars with digital outputs.
 

Sancus

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I'm not the one claiming this as fact , like I said I read it and tried based on that info to estimate as to why there is a difference between 8351B and 8361A with that issue

Amir was hitting the woofer limits with the 8351B but not with the 8361A, that's all. The 8361A is larger and may produce different noises but this isn't going to happen unless you are pushing the speaker to its limits. I don't hear any bass slot noises from my 8351Bs even when I make them play louder than I can stand without ear protection.

A reminder that he is testing only 1 speaker at a time(-6dB!) and is used to the output of a pair of Salon 2s.

I really think people spend too much time worrying about woofer limits. If you're going for a stereo pair with no subs, obviously just buy the 8361A, the difference in output <100hz is 6dB according to Genelec's own specs, which is a lot.

If you want home theatre levels of low-bass and thus plan to use subs, I think the 8351B or even 8341A are going to be fine! And that goes double in a multi-channel system, where the addition of the center and surrounds adds more than 6dB in output even with just upmixing, on top of the 6dB from a pair.

Don't overthink it.
 

daftcombo

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You're paying extra for amazing vertical directivity in the 8361A whereas the 708P vertical directivity is average to sub-par and the recommendation from @amirm in his review of the 708P: "Vertical response is not as good so stay a few degrees above or below the tweeter axis". Good for studios where your head is is in a fairly fixed position, but maybe not so good if you require some vertical leeway.
I thought it was the other way around: in studios, you have to touch the knobs everywhere, so go right and left, up and down, until your mix is done. While at home you sit in your sofa and that's it.

Ceiling and floor reflections would be a better argument I think.
 

stevenswall

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Of course for audio science purists like us, digital is the only “correct” way to go. I’d love to be using digital just for the sake of digital purism, and not waste those fancy digital inputs my speakers have :) But sadly, I haven’t found any AVR that supports multichannel digital outputs that costs less than a new car. I can maybe be convinced to pay the cost of an economy car on speakers like my Genelec 5.1 setup (because the value is both measurable objectively and significant subjectively) — but not for a ridiculously exotic-priced AVR just to get digital outputs, which I know isn’t likely gonna have an audible difference anyway.

The Dolby DP564 can do what you want. Pretty old, but I use a used one it for a surround sound system with Genelec 8260 monitors for my main channels, and a pair of Kali IN-5 speakers for the surrounds. It simultaneously does analogue and digital output.
 

Spocko

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I thought it was the other way around: in studios, you have to touch the knobs everywhere, so go right and left, up and down, until your mix is done. While at home you sit in your sofa and that's it.

Ceiling and floor reflections would be a better argument I think.
Can't disagree - this is ironic since the 708P was designed for studio/pro use and not home applications.
 

pozz

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I thought it was the other way around: in studios, you have to touch the knobs everywhere, so go right and left, up and down, until your mix is done. While at home you sit in your sofa and that's it.

Ceiling and floor reflections would be a better argument I think.
Part of the design was for immersive sound, where you'd need even more even radiation than before with speakers all around you.
 

Ron Texas

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You're paying extra for amazing vertical directivity in the 8361A whereas the 708P vertical directivity is average to sub-par and the recommendation from @amirm in his review of the 708P: "Vertical response is not as good so stay a few degrees above or below the tweeter axis". Good for studios where your head is is in a fairly fixed position, but maybe not so good if you require some vertical leeway.
That's a good observation, especially as it is based on the measurements.
 

Sancus

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Part of the design was for immersive sound, where you'd need even more even radiation than before with speakers all around you.

Ironically I think the Ones are the best height speakers out there bar none. But they are so expensive that few people want to use them this way :p I've only seen it in the obviously cost-no-object studio projects like that Morten Lindberg one with 7xW371A.
 

sweetchaos

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@amirm first off I appreciate your comprehensive reviews. There is a lot to measure and interpret in speakers. Above you made the comment $10k and be done with your audiophile journey. I guess that means this is top tier performance. You made a similar (but different in crucial ways) comment about the JBL 708p "if you have $3,600, you can buy a pair of these and be done with it as far as superbly sounding system."

There is obviously a big difference in price. Most around here can afford what is now $3778 for a pair of powered speakers, far fewer $10k. I'm just fishing for your comments on why both of these get the similar be done with it praise. I imagine not needing a sub and the ability to play loud have a large part in it. However, is there some other factor?
Comparison between JBL 708P and Genelec 8361A:
JBL 708p:
Preference Score is 4.9 and would be 6.7 with a perfect subwoofer.
Bass extension: 38Hz at -6dB

Genelec 8361A:
Preference Score is 6.8 and would be 8.0 with a perfect subwoofer.
Bass extension: 27Hz at -6dB

spinorama.gif

horizontal.gif


vertical.gif

distortion.gif

The first graph = Genelec 8361A
The second, overlaid graph = JBL 708P
 

Ron Texas

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@sweetchaos The Genelec's definitely outscore the 708p's but Genelec sets up their DSP to get the flattest frequency response while JBL leaves that to the user. EQ gets the 708p to 5.9/7.7. That doesn't top the Genelec's, but it doesn't leave JBL in the dust either. I'm still impressed by what the 8361's can do. I would be less afraid to put $10k in these than somewhat more in a pair of D&D 8c's because Genelec is a lot more likely to be around in 10 years with parts in stock.
 

Sancus

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It's possible if the sweet spot ends up approaching the size of the soundstage.

Yeah I can't find it now but somebody posted an image once of a studio monitor comparison where they displayed the soundstage/sweet spot as overlapping circles. The Ones sweet spot was almost as big as the whole soundstage whereas other speakers(Neumann? I forget) had a smaller one.

Ones sound pretty much identical no matter where you are relative to them, so it makes sense. People have described this sweet spot size and stability as headphone-like which it sort of is, but only in that one specific way and in stereo(not mch).
 
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