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Does the Genelec S360A really sound better than the Genelec 8361A?

Kain

Kain

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There was a brief discussion on how some users thought the S360A sounds better than the 8361A despite what the measurements might say or show. The discussion is in the last few pages of the S360A review thread here on ASR. I wanted to see if I could get some more thoughts on this. The discussion also stated that the speakers in the Main Monitors line sound better than The Ones.
 
I haven’t heard the S360, though I briefly considered selling my 8361’s and side-grading to a pair for purely aesthetic reasons (waf). I did have a pair of 1032A’s before my 8361’s though, so while they’re not exactly the same, they were 2-ways with 10” woofers in MDF boxes. The 1032’s were very good but they’re not on the 8361’s level. The 8361’s just sound more polished and satisfying, full stop.
 
Also interested in this. I presumed the S360 would trade off some sound quality for more output. I'm preparing for a move and a new room and wrestling with whether to keep my room smaller or go big, and speakers are a big part of why I'm on the fence (past about 4m listening distance seems to really narrow down the options if I want to hit reference levels). Keeping a smaller room I could stick with the S360 for my mains.
 
What do you mean by "better"? Almost all objective measurements show that 8361 are better: lower extension, flatter response on and off axis, no bass bump, more controlled directivity in all axis, lower cabinet and port resonances, more powerful amps by far (1000W combined vs 350W). On the other hand there's nothing wrong in preferring dip in the midrange, less extension in the low end - which may sound like a "tighter" bass, the looks, more tilt towards the high end, or the price. Only one of them can be paired with W371A though
 
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I would have the 8361 too, but the only way is to hear both ideally in your room, which I realise is problematic.
Keith
 
BTW for music consumption at home I would go with S360, because they're less expensive, smaller (visually, they're still big just not as imposing as 8361) and look more civilian especially in white (and I use 8351B+W371A at work)
 
holdingpants01 said:
What do you mean by "better"? Almost all objective measurements show that 8361 are better: lower extension, flatter response on and off axis, no bass bump, more controlled directivity in all axis, lower cabinet and port resonances, more powerful amps by far (1000W combined vs 350W). On the other hand there's nothing wrong in preferring dip in the midrange, less extension in the low end - which may sound like a "tighter" bass, the looks, more tilt towards the high end, or the price. Only one of them can be paired with W371A though
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Like I said, read the last several pages of the S360A review thread here on ASR.

Start from this post: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...iew-studio-monitor.36187/page-23#post-1933875
 
Some people, but not all, have a preference for point source speakers. That is the other point of difference to consider.
 
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holdingpants01 said:
I'm aware that subjectively people feel all kind of ways, but I know the sound of big Genelecs, yet bought 8351B and clocked thousands of hours on them, so when some random person writes they sound "meh" or "metallic" I can't take them seriously
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Let me get it right: Because a random person like yourself invokes appeal to authority--i.e., clocking thousands of hours on the 8351B--I'm supposed to take YOU seriously. Please, some humility.

To the OP, I'm a proponent of the mains. I jotted my opinions in the thread you mentioned above so I won't belabor anyone again. I'm aware you seek out any s360 tidbit to help you make that decision, but ultimately you owe to yourself to be the judge. It's indisputable there's a diverse group of people who don't care much for the "Ones," but admire the Genelec mains for their sound, regardless of their somewhat inferior measurements. There's a reason for that opinion. Audition the s360 and the "Ones" and find out.

P.S.: Doing it in the same room is the best, but you'll still learn a lot if do it in different rooms.
 
The S360A is actually one of the models I auditioned a few years ago along side the Ones and some much larger more traditional models. I ended up liking the Ones a bit better for just about everything(wider soundstage, more stable image, better tonality, better female vocals, sound doesn't change when you stand or sit), but the S360A sounded great too, and I could see it being better in certain situations. Being a two way with a 10" woofer, the S360A has some directivity error that Ones don't, but if you've got a really long skinny room where you're sitting far back(far away from the speakers), the narrower beamwidth of the S360A will be almost certainly preferable. In a scenario like that, the wider beamwidth from the Ones will likely overwhelm you with early reflections.

My setup was a more traditional equilateral triangle setup(with very little side wall reflections), so the wider beamwidth and improved directivity sounded preferable in my setup, but my office is long and skinny like mentioned above. Had I been buying for my office, I probably would have considered the S360A more than I did. Right now I've got a pair of constant directivity horns in there with a very narrow beamwidth(30°).
 
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Not sure if anyone cares or not but there are some more responses:
I heard both side by side (no subs) at the Genelec London experience center, the 8361 was no match to the S360. We tested with acoustic music, mostly Jazz formations, the sound of the S360 is just phenomenal, the 83xx range seemed sort of veiled and restraint, the S360 has amazing pressure capacity, directness and speed, close to live music, but I would not use them for nearfield, better use is mid to far field.
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I ended up with 1238A x 2 + 7380A x 2—and I couldn’t be happier.
They’re far more enjoyable than the “Ones,” regardless of the latter’s superior measurements.

Since my original inquiry with this site, I moved to a new house where I set up a dedicated media room. As many good people have voiced here, room treatment makes the biggest difference. If you can’t treat your room, don’t get anything expensive—it’s pure waste.
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If anything, I find the S360s some of the least fatiguing speakers to work on. I think a large part of that is due to the high frequency representation created by the compression driver. It is very natural, and very dynamic in a way that makes them incredible tools for treating esses and other high frequency content in mixes.

If I end up with tired ears, it is usually because I haven't treated the higher frequencies in the mix properly. The 8351/61s are a bit more lenient in that sense. They are a bit veiled/constrained in the top end.
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Do you own S360’s or 8361A’s? I had 8361A’s until recently and enjoyed them immensely. I would like to hear some S60’s as I’m in “the market” again. ;)
I did find it interesting that Prof. Goertz seemed much more enthusiatic about the S360’s than the 8361A’s in the listening sessions of their respective reviews in Sound and Recording.
 
I'm dying to hear S360, 8361 and 1238 side by side but it's almost impossible
 
RobL said:
Do you own S360’s or 8361A’s? I had 8361A’s until recently and enjoyed them immensely. I would like to hear some S60’s as I’m in “the market” again. ;)
I did find it interesting that Prof. Goertz seemed much more enthusiatic about the S360’s than the 8361A’s in the listening sessions of their respective reviews in Sound and Recording.
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No, I don't own any of them. You stated you had the 8361As until recently. Why did you get rid of them?
 
Kain said:
No, I don't own any of them. You stated you had the 8361As until recently. Why did you get rid of them?
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Haha, now wondering that myself, it wasn’t because I was unhappy with them though. I just haven’t had much time for critical listening lately so I thought it a bit of a waste to have them sitting idle. I probably should have just held on to them, but se la vie. I’ll probably buy something a little less expensive to assuage my guilt of them getting less use lol.
The 8361’s were wonderful in my space though.
 
If you don't mind taking a trip to the Boston area and visiting Genelec. Usually they can arrange for a demo of the models one is interested in. We've had many customers visit them and some even brought their own speakers to compare. They've been very accommodating.
 
I wonder why doesn't someone from Genelec just comments in this thread and can describe the difference in sound between the models
 
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