• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Genelec 1032c vs 8331 for home theatre

ryan_beastall

Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Messages
7
Likes
0
I am looking to upgrade my L/C/R for my home theatre to some higher-performing speakers from my 8330 speakers from Genelec. I am looking at either the 1032c or the 8331 for an upgrade. The 1032 providing a larger woofer but not using the coaxial design with the 8331 which has its advantages but is a much smaller size speaker. If anyone has any experience with using both of these monitors in a home theatre please advise looking for the highest clarity in vocals but with a punch. The room they are in is rather small at around 35m with 2 person seating would the 1032 be too powerful in this size room with too much low end or is it better going for the smaller 8331 and sacrificing the larger driver in return for better clarity. If there are any other genelec speakers that are recommended for this use let me know been debating for a few months what to invest in and hoping someone here can help. There isn't anywhere close to me I can demo them otherwise that would be best. Thanks, Ryan
 

Sancus

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Nov 30, 2018
Messages
2,923
Likes
7,616
Location
Canada
The only reason the 8331 exists is to fit in small spaces, it's very SPL restricted. I don't really recommend using anything smaller than 8341A for L/C/R in any size room. Bigger is better.

The 1032C seems OK, but the 8350A measures better and there isn't much SPL difference between the two(maybe 2dB). If your budget maxes out around $2500/channel I would consider that. You can't really have too much bass with GLM to correct it.
 
OP
R

ryan_beastall

Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Messages
7
Likes
0
The only reason the 8331 exists is to fit in small spaces, it's very SPL restricted. I don't really recommend using anything smaller than 8341A for L/C/R in any size room. Bigger is better.

The 1032C seems OK, but the 8350A measures better and there isn't much SPL difference between the two(maybe 2dB). If your budget maxes out around $2500/channel I would consider that. You can't really have too much bass with GLM to correct it.

Thank you would you say the 8350a would be better than the 1032c in this case? I have looked at the 8350 too but thought either larger driver on the 1032 or the coax design on the 83xx range would be better in a home theatre case. I will look at the 8341a too I've seen they measure very well on/off axis too. Looking for something with more "punch" than the 8330 I currently. I have glm currently which is just amazing so I'm sure it will help with too much low end even in a small room. I appreciate the help!
 
OP
R

ryan_beastall

Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Messages
7
Likes
0
Also consider the S360A if serious SPL is needed.

I have looked at the s360 but each monitor is as much as a pair of 1032/8331 monitors which I don't have the money for at the moment. Maybe in the future I can look into them especially with the compression drivers they use which would great for a lot of feel and I'm sure they sounds amazing unfortunately just a few thousand out of my price range :(
 

Sancus

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Nov 30, 2018
Messages
2,923
Likes
7,616
Location
Canada
Thank you would you say the 8350a would be better than the 1032c in this case? I have looked at the 8350 too but thought either larger driver on the 1032 or the coax design on the 83xx range would be better in a home theatre case.

Yes, I think the 8350 is better than the 1032C, the small SPL difference is not significant. I agree the 83x1 range is really good for home theatre(I use 8351Bs myself for this) but they are a lot more expensive. Being able to turn an 8351 on its side for center usage is pretty convenient. I don't know if Genelec recommends using the 83x1 line like this with 83x0 speakers, but they may. However, if you have room for a 1032C in the center then you should have room for an 8350.
 

Senior NEET Engineer

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Jan 6, 2020
Messages
538
Likes
591
Location
San Diego
I didn't think it was worth the hassle and went back to passive speakers. I used 8341A and 8030C.
 
Last edited:

dshreter

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Dec 31, 2019
Messages
794
Likes
1,226
I didn't think it was worth the hassle and went back to passive speakers. I used 8341A and 8030C.
Really? Which part. I’m trying to jump over to actives, though keep getting stuck trying to choose a front end for stereo AV.
 

richard12511

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Messages
4,335
Likes
6,700
Really? Which part. I’m trying to jump over to actives, though keep getting stuck trying to choose a front end for stereo AV.

Actives are definitely a little harder in a HT multichannel environment, as every speaker needs both a cable and power cable. That said, I do think there are sound quality benefits over similar quality passives(KEF/Revel/Elac/Focal).

I agree with @Sancus that the 8350 is probably your best bet.
 

Senior NEET Engineer

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Jan 6, 2020
Messages
538
Likes
591
Location
San Diego
Really? Which part. I’m trying to jump over to actives, though keep getting stuck trying to choose a front end for stereo AV.

Summary of my issues:

1) Lots of wires going to different places. Risk of signal interference with long, parallel RCA runs. Software bug that required GLM to fix.

2) In the US, there are no dealer discounts and they are difficult to find on used market. Revels sell 20-30% below MSRP.

3) Resale value isn't great and they are difficult to sell in local used market unless you live near music production hub.

4) I was not able to get good 100-200hz response unless I moved the speaker below ear level.
 
Last edited:

dshreter

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Dec 31, 2019
Messages
794
Likes
1,226
Summary of my issues:

1) Lots of wires going to different places. Risk of signal interference with long, parallel RCA runs. Software bug that required GLM to fix.

4) I was not able to get good 100-200hz response unless I moved the speaker below ear level.

Why not XLR? And what do you think was going on 100Hz - 200Hz?
 

Senior NEET Engineer

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Jan 6, 2020
Messages
538
Likes
591
Location
San Diego
Why not XLR? And what do you think was going on 100Hz - 200Hz?

I purchased an Emotiva XMC-1 but had tons of issues with it. Then I looked at what else was on market and was underwhelmed.

I'm not sure what is causing the 100-200hz dips. But I will test this weekend when I receive my tower speakers.
 
OP
R

ryan_beastall

Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Messages
7
Likes
0
Yes, I think the 8350 is better than the 1032C, the small SPL difference is not significant. I agree the 83x1 range is really good for home theatre(I use 8351Bs myself for this) but they are a lot more expensive. Being able to turn an 8351 on its side for center usage is pretty convenient. I don't know if Genelec recommends using the 83x1 line like this with 83x0 speakers, but they may. However, if you have room for a 1032C in the center then you should have room for an 8350.

Do you think the 8341s would be worth saving for over the 8350s? I know they're more expensive so I can hold off for a bit I might have to make a trip down to London and go to the genelec experience centre and try them out myself and see which would work best but for HT/music playback do you think the smaller 8341s would perform better than the 8350s?
 
OP
R

ryan_beastall

Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Messages
7
Likes
0
Summary of my issues:

1) Lots of wires going to different places. Risk of signal interference with long, parallel RCA runs. Software bug that required GLM to fix.

Why not use xlr or aes3 like I currently do? Running them with digital signal made a huge difference so sound performance in my case.
 
Last edited:

kuf

Member
Joined
May 22, 2021
Messages
41
Likes
31
The only reason the 8331 exists is to fit in small spaces, it's very SPL restricted. I don't really recommend using anything smaller than 8341A for L/C/R in any size room. Bigger is better.

The 1032C seems OK, but the 8350A measures better and there isn't much SPL difference between the two(maybe 2dB). If your budget maxes out around $2500/channel I would consider that. You can't really have too much bass with GLM to correct it.

8350 has a newer optimized design vs the old school design of the 1032,
but the later has a bigger cabin and a bigger woofer.

I'm looking for a 2 channel setup in a 35 sq.m living room. Listening distance can be adjusted in the range of 2-2.5 meter or even a litlle shorter or longer. Sub(s) will be used to smooth room low frequencies.
I don't need high SPL but I'm wondering if the 10 inch woofer will be a clear benefit for the third octave and the rock music I listen to.

Given that the 1032 have better a preference score (with sub and EQ) than the 8350

https://pierreaubert.github.io/spinorama/scores.html

in what cases would one be better than the other?
 

Sancus

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Nov 30, 2018
Messages
2,923
Likes
7,616
Location
Canada
8350 has a newer optimized design vs the old school design of the 1032,
but the later has a bigger cabin and a bigger woofer.

I'm looking for a 2 channel setup in a 35 sq.m living room. Listening distance can be adjusted in the range of 2-2.5 meter or even a litlle shorter or longer. Sub(s) will be used to smooth room low frequencies.
I don't need high SPL but I'm wondering if the 10 inch woofer will be a clear benefit for the third octave and the rock music I listen to.

Given that the 1032 have better a preference score (with sub and EQ) than the 8350

https://pierreaubert.github.io/spinorama/scores.html

in what cases would one be better than the other?

The 1032C hasn't been measured on the Klippel and its score on pierre's site is based on a forum user's quasi-anechoic measurements of the old 1032A. The 8350A does not have a calculated score that I can find. w/EQ scores make too many assumptions for me to like them in general.

Without NFS data it's really hard to be 100% sure which measures better, but Genelec's measurements show the 8350A as flatter on-axis and with smoother directivity than the 1032C, which is why I made the original post. The 1032 does play a little bit louder and controls low frequency directivity a bit better due to its larger woofer. But its waveguide is clearly not as good.

In short, what I'm telling you is that I think the 8350A has the edge and will sound better for most people, but it's hard to be sure.

Also, as a general aside about the score, if two speakers are within 0.5 points I would discard the score difference as irrelevant, and if a speaker doesn't have "high quality"(NFS review by Amir or Erin) measurements, I would reduce its score by 0.5 as compensation(this is just a rule of thumb, not guaranteed to be accurate).
 

tifune

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 18, 2020
Messages
1,085
Likes
767
Without NFS data it's really hard to be 100% sure which measures better, but Genelec's measurements show the 8350A as flatter on-axis and with smoother directivity than the 1032C, which is why I made the original post. The 1032 does play a little bit louder and controls low frequency directivity a bit better due to its larger woofer. But its waveguide is clearly not as good.

What do you think is going on around 1kHz on the 1032? Hard to believe they couldn't fix that fairly easily, so I wonder if there's some intent behind it.
 

kuf

Member
Joined
May 22, 2021
Messages
41
Likes
31
The 1032C hasn't been measured on the Klippel and its score on pierre's site is based on a forum user's quasi-anechoic measurements of the old 1032A. The 8350A does not have a calculated score that I can find. w/EQ scores make too many assumptions for me to like them in general.

Without NFS data it's really hard to be 100% sure which measures better, but Genelec's measurements show the 8350A as flatter on-axis and with smoother directivity than the 1032C, which is why I made the original post. The 1032 does play a little bit louder and controls low frequency directivity a bit better due to its larger woofer. But its waveguide is clearly not as good.

In short, what I'm telling you is that I think the 8350A has the edge and will sound better for most people, but it's hard to be sure.

Also, as a general aside about the score, if two speakers are within 0.5 points I would discard the score difference as irrelevant, and if a speaker doesn't have "high quality"(NFS review by Amir or Erin) measurements, I would reduce its score by 0.5 as compensation(this is just a rule of thumb, not guaranteed to be accurate).

Thanks a lot for the detailed answer!

I look at the scores as a general idea.
So I made the assumption that the 8350 would be more or less the same as the 8050 with EQ and that the 1032c would be more or less the same as the 1032A. Sure the 1032 is not measured with Klippel, but reading the relevant topic here, I thought that the measurements are probably valid.

I'm split between ordering one or the other, as and I'm trying to figure out which one will fit better in my case.

Again thanks a lot!
 

Pearljam5000

Master Contributor
Joined
Oct 12, 2020
Messages
5,125
Likes
5,354
Thanks a lot for the detailed answer!

I look at the scores as a general idea.
So I made the assumption that the 8350 would be more or less the same as the 8050 with EQ and that the 1032c would be more or less the same as the 1032A. Sure the 1032 is not measured with Klippel, but reading the relevant topic here, I thought that the measurements are probably valid.

I'm split between ordering one or the other, as and I'm trying to figure out which one will fit better in my case.

Again thanks a lot!

Save up for the S360A;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: kuf

HooStat

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
May 11, 2020
Messages
856
Likes
933
Location
Calabasas, CA
What do you think is going on around 1kHz on the 1032? Hard to believe they couldn't fix that fairly easily, so I wonder if there's some intent behind it.
Perhaps it is there in an effort to maximize SPL. With GLM, it should be trivial to smooth that out a bit.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kuf
Top Bottom