8361A’s - First Impressions

[Tangband]

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So I have room modes at 20Hz and 35Hz. I feel (from just listening) that taking out the 20Hz mode by dropping it with high Q filter makes the bass sound more tight. Can those long term decay interfere with future audible bass notes?

If the sound gets better then leave it as it is .
Every room is different .

 

[srrxr71]

"There is one important thing to be aware of: In GLM 4.1 we introduced positive gain for some models. But our subwoofers DO NOT support this feature."

Yes it put a gentle positive gain around 90-120Hz. Probably I need to move some acoustic panels. I might have too much around it.

Figure out another strategy to block the kitchen reverberations.

 

[srrxr71]

s

If the sound gets better then leave it as it is .
Every room is different .

Yep I have 1s and 0.73s. So that frequency is hanging around for a while. I just try to notch it out.


I think also this is why powerful bass in my room is so expensive. I can’t use 20hz and I can’t use 35hz. I can only boost between those 2 points to get that free power.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Any guesses why this plate is in front of the wooofers? Resonance damper? Do the ‘51s have this as well?

View attachment 242586

Anyone else checked their 8361 to see if they have this plate?

 

[squarewave]

Yes it put a gentle positive gain around 90-120Hz. Probably I need to move some acoustic panels. I might have too much around it.

Figure out another strategy to block the kitchen reverberations.

I see.
If you would like to try your house curve as entered you could do:
High Shelf 200 -3 in Sound Character Profiler
and
Edit High Shelf 2 in left and right speaker to 1500 -2.5
but maybe this will give you too much boost below the subwoofer crossover frequency in your room?

 

[srrxr71]

Anyone else checked their 8361 to see if they have this plate?View attachment 242777

Yes I have it. 8341 does not. As far as I can see.

 

[MrSoul4470]

8331 doesn't have that plate either.

 

[MrSoul4470]

I'm experiencing something strange with my 8331s since yesterday after doing a fresh GLM (4.2.2) measurement and calibration. They NEVER made a click sound before when they turned on from standby. Now you can hear relays clicking. In both speakers, so it obviously not some kind of defect. How come they suddenly do that? Do 8331/8341/8351/8361 usually make a click sound when waking up from standby?

 

[srrxr71]

I'm experiencing something strange with my 8331s since yesterday after doing a fresh GLM (4.2.2) measurement and calibration. They NEVER made a click sound before when they turned on from standby. Now you can hear relays clicking. In both speakers, so it obviously not some kind of defect. How come they suddenly do that? Do 8331/8341/8351/8361 usually make a click sound when waking up from standby?

Clicks are normal on 8341 and 8361.

 

[MrSoul4470]

It's just strange, because I've never heard a single click from my 8331 before and I have them since last year. When they woke up before just the green power LED lit up. Now you can clearly hear relays switching. Well, okay, I guess they are okay.

Edit: Now I know why it does that! If the input selection is set to "automatic" then you can hear relays clicking during wake up. If it's set to "analog" then there's no clicking.

 

[Sparky]

I don’t know. I never heard the 1032 nor have I ever considered it.

If i’m not mistaken an engineer friend of mine used the science to buy 1032 or possibly 1031. Not sure. I heard them but was not impressed. He did not set them up properly.

I wasn’t a Genelec buyer back them and bought Focal Solo 6be instead.

It’s just when I found ASR and considered the point source nature of them and saw the measurements that I had the Ones on my radar. I finally ordered them late last year.

I haven’t looked back. I had the pleasure of finding a demo of them after I ordered and before they showed up. So what was a sight unseen - by the numbers purchase became validated when I had the audition.

So the numbers, graphs and auditions correlated.

Personally I would not stray from point source. Whether the signals sum or whatever I suffered while listening to the Solo 6be up close. Maybe if I sat far enough it wouldn’t have mattered.

Maybe it’s irrational but i’m a point source fanboy more than a Genelec fanboy. That’s why I have KEF LS50w2 and had LS50 w before the 8341 also. But the IMD issue bothered me and I went with 8341.

Btw my 8361 has not arrived yet.

I would also try LS60w. However GLM is the game changer for me and that’s why I don’t bat an eyelid on the cost of those damn subs. If I had the wherewithal to play with accourate or miniDSP etc I would consider KEF LS60 more seriously.

If KEF could compete with GLM I might even switch for cost reason. Like if it could DSP rhythmik subs for me.

So many ways to skin the cat. It’s just GLM is worry free and easy. I got lured in by the $6k cost of the 8341 and got addicted to GLM.

So now i’m kind of stuck specifying my system upwards for the SPL I want. If I had know that in the beginning I might have gone another way. Because now the subs cost is going to be about $11k. I did not know. If I did i might have been more inclined to figure out accourate and/miniDSP and go with KEF. Maybe even R3 and open it up and biamp it with a digital crossover.

I’m not unhappy about the path i’m on. Because at the end of the day external validation matters. I hate to say it.

I would never know if I got my crossover programming right. I could test with REW and look at the numbers but not know how to interpret them.

Also as I get older my love to DIY is gone. I loved building computers. Loved it. Now I buy parts and they sit tor months. I used to buy them and nearly wreck on the way home to build them. So excited. Not anymore.

I could do that work myself but being on this path is easier and the GRADE report changed the game now.

Your reasoning for purchasing "The One's" almost mirrors my experience.
I've been into audio massively over the last decade or so and have spent 10's of thousands of pounds on chasing that elusive "perfect sound".
All of my purchases were on passive speakers and the many many boxes that go with them.....then I found ASR around 3 years ago.
Genelec was not on my radar at all until I read the 8341/51 review and that was it.
I sold all of my passive gear and bought a pair of 8341AWM's sight unseen with a GLM kit and have never looked back.

These monitors are something special and I'll never buy anything other than a Genelec again.

I no longer feel the need to keep on wasting days and sometimes whole weekends measuring my speakers (much to the dismay of my wife and children).

I'm extremely happy with what these 8341's and GLM has done to my listening experience.

Amazing bit of kit....

 

[Pearljam5000]

Your reasoning for purchasing "The One's" almost mirrors my experience.
I've been into audio massively over the last decade or so and have spent 10's of thousands of pounds on chasing that elusive "perfect sound".
All of my purchases were on passive speakers and the many many boxes that go with them.....then I found ASR around 3 years ago.
Genelec was not on my radar at all until I read the 8341/51 review and that was it.
I sold all of my passive gear and bought a pair of 8341AWM's sight unseen with a GLM kit and have never looked back.

These monitors are something special and I'll never buy anything other than a Genelec again.

I no longer feel the need to keep on wasting days and sometimes whole weekends measuring my speakers (much to the dismay of my wife and children).

I'm extremely happy with what these 8341's and GLM has done to my listening experience.

Amazing bit of kit....

Now you need to upgrade to 8361..

 

[Sparky]

Now you need to upgrade to 8361..

Those are true "end game" for me......dream speakers!

 

[MrSoul4470]

I think not every Genelec 83x1 owner is necessarily aiming for the 8361 as their end game speakers. I have the 8331 and I never think I should have gotten one of the bigger models. NEVER. I use mine in nearfield, just the length of an arm away and I don't need the extra power of the bigger ones. My 8331 can get damn loud. Too loud actually and I never even push them close to their limit. When I read about other Genelec 83x1 owners and how they sometimes sit like 10 feet or so away from their speakers, I feel no envy but pity for them. They miss the ultra intimate listening experience you only get in the nearfield. I don't need that extra bass and power. It's just not important to me and therefore I think I got the perfect speakers for my needs. And if I had to choose between the 8331 at 3 feet distance or the 8361 at 10 feet, then I would choose the 8331 anytime. "Bigger" doesn't mean "better".

 

[Pearljam5000]

I think not every Genelec 83x1 owner is necessarily aiming for the 8361 as their end game speakers. I have the 8331 and I never think I should have gotten one of the bigger models. NEVER. I use mine in nearfield, just the length of an arm away and I don't need the extra power of the bigger ones. My 8331 can get damn loud. Too loud actually and I never even push them close to their limit. When I read about other Genelec 83x1 owners and how they sometimes sit like 10 feet or so away from their speakers, I feel no envy but pity for them. They miss the ultra intimate listening experience you only get in the nearfield. I don't need that extra bass and power. It's just not important to me and therefore I think I got the perfect speakers for my needs. And if I had to choose between the 8331 at 3 feet distance or the 8361 at 10 feet, then I would choose the 8331 anytime. "Bigger" doesn't mean "better".

But you could use the 8361 as nearfield also and I assume they'd be better than 8331 even when sitting @60cm from them

 

[Pearljam5000]

Your reasoning for purchasing "The One's" almost mirrors my experience.
I've been into audio massively over the last decade or so and have spent 10's of thousands of pounds on chasing that elusive "perfect sound".
All of my purchases were on passive speakers and the many many boxes that go with them.....then I found ASR around 3 years ago.
Genelec was not on my radar at all until I read the 8341/51 review and that was it.
I sold all of my passive gear and bought a pair of 8341AWM's sight unseen with a GLM kit and have never looked back.

These monitors are something special and I'll never buy anything other than a Genelec again.

I no longer feel the need to keep on wasting days and sometimes whole weekends measuring my speakers (much to the dismay of my wife and children).

I'm extremely happy with what these 8341's and GLM has done to my listening experience.

Amazing bit of kit....

By the way what other speakers did you have the past?

 

[Frank Dernie]

I think not every Genelec 83x1 owner is necessarily aiming for the 8361 as their end game speakers. I have the 8331 and I never think I should have gotten one of the bigger models. NEVER. I use mine in nearfield, just the length of an arm away and I don't need the extra power of the bigger ones. My 8331 can get damn loud. Too loud actually and I never even push them close to their limit. When I read about other Genelec 83x1 owners and how they sometimes sit like 10 feet or so away from their speakers, I feel no envy but pity for them. They miss the ultra intimate listening experience you only get in the nearfield. I don't need that extra bass and power. It's just not important to me and therefore I think I got the perfect speakers for my needs. And if I had to choose between the 8331 at 3 feet distance or the 8361 at 10 feet, then I would choose the 8331 anytime. "Bigger" doesn't mean "better".

I take it you listen on your own.

I certainly do sometimes but not always, so for me something which works well over a reasonable area of the room is the most important, which means speakers big and powerful enough not to clip orchestral peaks is super important and adjusting the speaker position in the room too.

 

[MrSoul4470]

But you could use the 8361 as nearfield also and I assume they'd be better than 8331 even when sitting @60cm from them

Or it could cause more problems due to its extended bass response. In a professionally treated studio I would absolutely agree, but I use mine in my living room.

 

[MrSoul4470]

I take it you listen on your own.

I certainly do sometimes but not always, so for me something which works well over a reasonable area of the room is the most important, which means speakers big and powerful enough not to clip orchestral peaks is super important and adjusting the speaker position in the room too.

Right. I always listen on my own. But I consider that one of the advantages of nearfield listening. I don't have to fill the whole room with sound and I don't need a lot of power and it's still loud in my listening spot. I don't disturb my wife and kids and I don't get in trouble with my neighbors. I think the extended bass of the 8361 would do more harm than good and I doubt that besides the bass there is anything the 8361 can do better in a nearfield listening situation.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Well they showed up a day early and it’s raining here so I’ve had some time to set them up. Out of the box I set them on the stands my 1032A’s were on in the same location. Connected to my Rme Adi2 fed digital from an Airport Express streaming Apple music high res over airplay.
First listen - they have astonishing clarity and detail. Bass is a little over-the-top, but they are placed very close to the front wall. I turn up Dua Lipa and I can shake my wife’s baubles right off the fireplace mantle. The power these are capable of is very impressive.
I ordered a GLM kit with them so I connected everything up to my laptop and ran the calibration. One sweep each side and…that’s it! Done. GLM reduced several modes below 180 hz. Now things sound a little lean to me, I like a little bit of bass boost. Sound Profiler allows you to shelve it, but only 3dB. I’ll listen like that for now, I guess I can give it a bit more through the RME if I want to?
Comparing them to my 1032’s gives me a new appreciation of how good the 1032’s were. They’re not on the level of these but these 61’s don’t embarrass them either. The 61’s sound more “refined” (?) maybe? The biggest difference I notice is the soundstage. The 1032’s had no trouble producing soundstage outside the speaker’s spread, the 8361’s seem to contain the soundstage to between the speakers. Imaging is very precise though, definitely more pin point than the 1032’s were capable of.
I need to play with glm and learn more about it. I’m going to fire up REW and get my Umik 1 out and take some measurements with it as well. As it stands I’m pretty impressed with these, probably will be my last purchase for a while. I took a pic beside a 705p to give some scale to them.
View attachment 238512

Are you still satisfied with them?