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Do the Genelec 8030c hiss?

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Just adjust speaker sensitivity and the hiss is gone. That is what I did to my 8050s.
It's probably true that most users should double/triple check that they haven't confused gain with sensitivity (on Genelecs it's the latter). On 8030C, +6 (the lowest setting possible) is insufficient in decreasing amp output thus hiss for my taste. Sadly, the annoyance of this high frequency hiss is something that age (or other hearing loss) will surely cure in time.
 

YSC

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It's probably true that most users should double/triple check that they haven't confused gain with sensitivity (on Genelecs it's the latter). On 8030C, +6 (the lowest setting possible) is insufficient in decreasing amp output thus hiss for my taste. Sadly, the annoyance of this high frequency hiss is something that age (or other hearing loss) will surely cure in time.
I am always using +6 as in a normal 4V out balanced dac the sensitivity is too high even on this setting. at sane listening distance (~1m) of tthe 8030C when dac output is at 100$ I need to turn my passive preamp tot 40% volume to get my bearable long term listening volume, some like highly/ reference SPL would go 75% volume but then it's still among the sensible volume range of a dac output, at the lowest sensivity setting I just tried again and I can only hear the hiss when my ears are ~5cm from the tweeter and else it will unnoticeable or drowned by the never stopping cars down 15 floor on the street, but living place and sensivity or even dac noise varies so it's as always, for hiss only one trying out could know
 

daftcombo

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At 1m, you will hear any amplifier in a quiet environment, or any active speaker.

At night, I can hear my 8030C hiss at 1m50. But I can't hear hiss in my Focal Aria 906 + Hypex-based Audiophonics S500NC at 50cm.

When I watch a quiet movie, I wish the hiss weren't here.
 
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Sokel

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At night, I can hear my 8030C hiss at 1m50. But I can't hear hiss in my Focal Aria 906 + Hypex-based Audiophonics S500NC at 50cm.

When I watch a quiest movie, I wish the hiss weren't here.
Same here,I can hear my desk's Fostex's hiss at 1.5 meter but I can't hear my active (Ice power based) setup hiss even at 50cm (we're talking late night with my rooms noise floor at 33db coming from really low freq sources)

(strange thing about the Fostex's is that hiss seems to be coming from it's tinny 4 inch mid-woofer and not the tweeter)
 
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Really wish someone had access to 8030c and KH120 (and way to measure self-noise) to do a comparison for us :( Very much not possible to just walk into your everyday Guitar Center and compare high quality monitors like these, unfortunately.
 

AudioJester

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I have Kali IN6, Kh120, 8040b. All brilliant, depends how much bass and how loud you want, depends on application. I like the grilles and auto standby of the Genelec in a high traffic bedroom setup. Hiss to about 30cm with a Denon AVR and sensitivity 0. I prefer Kali on a desktop. The Kh120 is in one of my sons rooms.

Kh120 vs 8030c? If you cant listen/compare I would suggest buying whichever is cheaper. Depending on use the Kali LP6/8 will probably be just as good.
 
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I have Kali IN6, Kh120, 8040b. All brilliant, depends how much bass and how loud you want, depends on application. I like the grilles and auto standby of the Genelec in a high traffic bedroom setup. Hiss to about 30cm with a Denon AVR and sensitivity 0. I prefer Kali on a desktop. The Kh120 is in one of my sons rooms.

Kh120 vs 8030c? If you cant listen/compare I would suggest buying whichever is cheaper. Depending on use the Kali LP6/8 will probably be just as good.
Oh, I own a 8030c pair but this thread is about self-noise and OP was asking about it before making purchase decision. Personally, I'd also love to know if it's true that KH120 is inaudible at roughly arm's length as many suggest on this thread. Might be selling 8030c pair if I find out.
 

bodhi

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It's pouring with rain here right now, a huge summer storm lashing the house, and I couldn't hear hiss if I tried.

In summer, I have my air conditioners on, and the noise floor is such that I am kidding myself to hear residual noise.

During the day, there's environmental noise which is far and away above the level of residual hiss and hum.

It's only during those late night, cool months, where everyone is asleep (and the refrigerator has gone quiet) where I can really hear (not measure) the residual noise of gear, be it preamps, power amps or sources.

It's a totally first world (audiophile nervosa) problem in real terms. :)
Noise is bothersome if one decides to make it a problem. I recently had to spend a few hundred for fans and premium heatsink because I decided my computer was too noisy. It was just fine for a couple of years and any background noise would hide it, but after you have decided there is no going back. :)

My Genelecs are just fine though.
 

Watsonian

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I've got a pair of 8030Cs and 8010s. I can hear the 8030s hiss if I put my ear within 5cm of the tweeter, then I notice it.
Outside of that range? Never noticed it.
My hearing was tested a month ago - fine for my age (in fact, somewhat better than my age which was nice).
 

teashea

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How old are you?
 

teashea

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That could mean anything. It does not mean that your hearing is good enough to hear above 10KH, which is where the hiss would be.
 

ferrellms

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I am close to buying a pair of Genelec 8030c speakers for desktop listening at an arm lengths distance. I listened to them, and a bunch of other monitors in store, and really liked them.

However I've read some posts stating that they hiss if you aren't playing anything on them, and that the hiss is audible when listening to music with very quiet portions (hear the hiss during the quiet portions). I didn't hear any hiss in the store, but it was a bit noisy.

What's the conclusion on this - does this affect all 8030c's? Some of them? Can anything be done about it? I think it'd be a deal breaker for me if they hissed.
I have the 8040a and have never noticed any hiss at all, even up close.
 
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