Genelec 8030C Studio Monitor Review

[Marc v E]

I am awaiting delivery of an F Two sub to go with 8040B monitors. I have a couple of questions about the remote control. Does it work flawlessly for volume control? Can you select input with it? I will be using three inputs - Toslink from television, SPDIF from streamer, and analog from Signalyst DSC3 DAC. It is unclear from Genelec's info if remote control will select input.

The remote volume control works flawlessly. There is intelligent signal sensing (auto on or off); this works very well ime.

You can select input iirc but I haven't used it. The manual seems to say you can switch between digital inputs with the select buttons on the remote, but not between the different analogue inputs.

https://assets.ctfassets.net/4zjnzn055a4v/2V19WxI7aBuX8Q5jVrMChl/147db31f8dabab2ed94fe9801a554d68/F_Two_2019_opman.pdf

 

[goofytwoshoes]

The remote volume control works flawlessly. There is intelligent signal sensing (auto on or off); this works very well ime.

You can select input iirc but I haven't used it. The manual seems to say you can switch between digital inputs with the select buttons on the remote, but not between the different analogue inputs.

https://assets.ctfassets.net/4zjnzn055a4v/2V19WxI7aBuX8Q5jVrMChl/147db31f8dabab2ed94fe9801a554d68/F_Two_2019_opman.pdf

Thanks, I can rest comfortably until the F Two arrives (two more months of backorder), then the fun begins.

 

[Miguelón]

Thanks, I can rest comfortably until the F Two arrives (two more months of backorder), then the fun begins.

Two months? They do not have direct dealer in North America?

 

[kyuu]

Two months? They do not have direct dealer in North America?

Can't really break it down as simply "North America", particularly nowadays with certain lunacies occurring regularly in the U.S.'s trade policies. While many U.S. outlets, like Sweetwater, certainly can ship to Canada, that is likely highly a suboptimal way to go about acquiring many items.

Tried searching some Canadian dealers, but I found precisely one selling Genelec and they still don't sell the F Two. It seems to be harder to find a dealer selling Genelec's home-oriented offerings than their professional stuff.

 

[Miguelón]

Can't really break it down as simply "North America", particularly nowadays with certain lunacies occurring regularly in the U.S.'s trade policies. While many U.S. outlets, like Sweetwater, certainly can ship to Canada, that is likely highly a suboptimal way to go about acquiring many items.

Tried searching some Canadian dealers, but I found precisely one selling Genelec and they still don't sell the F Two. It seems to be harder to find a dealer selling Genelec's home-oriented offerings than their professional stuff.

My G Threes should be sent from Finland to Spain, also many sellers for the professional line but not a single one that offers the home versions.

In my country Genelec has a strong reputation among pros, not well known in audiophile community.

Enjoy your sub when will arrive!

 

[goofytwoshoes]

There are plenty of Genelec dealers in Canada, but apparently none of them stock the home audio oriented line. I ordered and paid for the F Two on July 6, and at that time the retailer said three months for delivery. Last week I asked Genelec directly, and they said they cannot put their finger on that info and supplied contact info for S F Marketing, the Canadian distributor. SFM says my sub is slated to arrive in Canada mid-October, with the possibilty of delay caused by trans-Atlantic weather conditions interrupting shipping schedule. Both Genelec support and SFM were incredibly helpfull and responded quickly - SFM in two hours.

So, I wait.

In the meantime, due to a previously unknown (to me) requirement for my DAC to be left powered up always for the clocks to stay at working temperature, I am enjoying music much more now. The Crystek clocks take 5 to 7 hours to warm up and stabilize. My son has the same DAC (Signalyst DSC3) upgraded to SC-PURE clocks, which take 5 to 7 days to stabilize, and he says that the first five minutes of power up yields absolutely horrible sound quality, like the DAC is broken. Thankfully, the DACs do not draw much power, not like tube amps idling and pushing up your electrical bill.

 

[williamr]

There are plenty of Genelec dealers in Canada, but apparently none of them stock the home audio oriented line. I ordered and paid for the F Two on July 6, and at that time the retailer said three months for delivery. Last week I asked Genelec directly, and they said they cannot put their finger on that info and supplied contact info for S F Marketing, the Canadian distributor. SFM says my sub is slated to arrive in Canada mid-October, with the possibilty of delay caused by trans-Atlantic weather conditions interrupting shipping schedule. Both Genelec support and SFM were incredibly helpfull and responded quickly - SFM in two hours.

So, I wait.

In the meantime, due to a previously unknown (to me) requirement for my DAC to be left powered up always for the clocks to stay at working temperature, I am enjoying music much more now. The Crystek clocks take 5 to 7 hours to warm up and stabilize. My son has the same DAC (Signalyst DSC3) upgraded to SC-PURE clocks, which take 5 to 7 days to stabilize, and he says that the first five minutes of power up yields absolutely horrible sound quality, like the DAC is broken. Thankfully, the DACs do not draw much power, not like tube amps idling and pushing up your electrical bill.

Try www.economik.com

Buy GENELEC F Two Active Subwoofer Black - F2BMM - Subwoofers | Canada Authorized dealer

Single 8" active subwoofer, black color

www.economik.com

 

[goofytwoshoes]

Try www.economik.com

Buy GENELEC F Two Active Subwoofer Black - F2BMM - Subwoofers | Canada Authorized dealer

Single 8" active subwoofer, black color

www.economik.com

I did contact them. No quicker delivery, and price is higher by $150.

 

[LiveTek]

Hi everyone,

As i told you before, I’m using Genelec 8030C monitors, in a small treated room, mainly for mixing. I’m very happy with their clarity/imaging, but I’ve been missing some body and scale.

After listening to some larger 6.5" monitors, especially Focal Shape 65 and Kali LP-6, I noticed that they felt fuller and more “physical,” not just deeper in the sub-bass.

So I’m wondering what would make more sense:

• keep the 8030C and add a sub, probably 7050C or similar
• move to larger monitors, like Focal Shape 65, Genelec 8040B, etc.

My main question is about the 100–300 Hz region. Would 8030C + sub give a similar sense of fullness and scale, or does a larger woofer still have an advantage there?

Would be great to hear from anyone who has compared 8030C with a sub vs larger 6.5" monitors.

Thanks!

I had the same feeling with 8030c even with subs. Things tend to start to sound right to me when you get to 6.5" woofers.

 

[jdg78]

There are plenty of Genelec dealers in Canada, but apparently none of them stock the home audio oriented line. I ordered and paid for the F Two on July 6, and at that time the retailer said three months for delivery. Last week I asked Genelec directly, and they said they cannot put their finger on that info and supplied contact info for S F Marketing, the Canadian distributor. SFM says my sub is slated to arrive in Canada mid-October, with the possibilty of delay caused by trans-Atlantic weather conditions interrupting shipping schedule. Both Genelec support and SFM were incredibly helpfull and responded quickly - SFM in two hours.

So, I wait.

In the meantime, due to a previously unknown (to me) requirement for my DAC to be left powered up always for the clocks to stay at working temperature, I am enjoying music much more now. The Crystek clocks take 5 to 7 hours to warm up and stabilize. My son has the same DAC (Signalyst DSC3) upgraded to SC-PURE clocks, which take 5 to 7 days to stabilize, and he says that the first five minutes of power up yields absolutely horrible sound quality, like the DAC is broken. Thankfully, the DACs do not draw much power, not like tube amps idling and pushing up your electrical bill.

The below retailer carries most of the Genelec home audio line and ships internationally direct from Finland. I bought a pair of G-threes from them a few years ago, and even after shipping it cost about the same as purchasing directly from North America-based retailers (who were out of stock at the time). Of course prices have gone up quite a bit since then and can vary from country to country, so I don't know if it's still as competitive, but might be worth checking out:

https://www.finnishdesignshop.com/en-us/manufacturer/genelec

 

[Marc v E]

The below retailer carries most of the Genelec home audio line and ships internationally direct from Finland. I bought a pair of G-threes from them a few years ago, and even after shipping it cost about the same as purchasing directly from North America-based retailers (who were out of stock at the time). Of course prices have gone up quite a bit since then and can vary from country to country, so I don't know if it's still as competitive, but might be worth checking out:

https://www.finnishdesignshop.com/en-us/manufacturer/genelec

This is the same retailer I got my F two from. When I looked at the price for the US, boy, I didn't know import etc costs that much these days. The price amounted to 1900 dollars. In Euros 1350 or thereabouts. In exhange rates that should be 1562 dollars.

 

[Thelo80]

I recently got a pair of Genelec 8020D monitors, but I haven't been able to get the ISS (Intelligent Signal Sensing) auto-standby feature to engage. The front green LED remains permanently lit. Here is what I have tested so far (leaving them idle well past the 60-minute mark):

1. Connected to an Edirol UA-101 (audio interface powered on, no playback).
2. Connected to the Edirol UA-101 while powered off.
3. Completely disconnected with no XLR cable attached at all.

Cables used are brand new Hosa balanced 1/4" TRS to male XLR (5 ft, from B&H). Gain at +6 db

Regarding the DIP switch: the ISS switch is set to the default DOWN position (factory setting, ISS enabled). Despite this, neither monitor goes to sleep under any of these conditions, even with open inputs where no line noise, EMI, or ground loops could trick the sensing circuit.
Has anyone experienced this behavior with the 8000 series? Am I missing something subtle about how the circuit operates, or is it possible that this batch has an issue with the auto-standby threshold?

 

[Buckster]

If it's anything like the 8030c "up" is on for the DIP switches same applies for ISS

 

[tmtomh]

I recently got a pair of Genelec 8020D monitors, but I haven't been able to get the ISS (Intelligent Signal Sensing) auto-standby feature to engage. The front green LED remains permanently lit. Here is what I have tested so far (leaving them idle well past the 60-minute mark):

1. Connected to an Edirol UA-101 (audio interface powered on, no playback).
2. Connected to the Edirol UA-101 while powered off.
3. Completely disconnected with no XLR cable attached at all.

Cables used are brand new Hosa balanced 1/4" TRS to male XLR (5 ft, from B&H).

Regarding the DIP switch: the ISS switch is set to the default DOWN position (factory setting, ISS enabled). Despite this, neither monitor goes to sleep under any of these conditions, even with open inputs where no line noise, EMI, or ground loops could trick the sensing circuit.
Has anyone experienced this behavior with the 8000 series? Am I missing something subtle about how the circuit operates, or is it possible that this batch has an issue with the auto-standby threshold?

Internet searches - at least the images I’ve found - show that the rear of the 8020D has ON and OFF markings for the ISS dip switch, and ON is up. So if you have it set to the down position, I’d suggest switching it to the up position and seeing if that fixes it.

I can see how this would be confusing because I believe at least some other Genelec monitors (including my own 8351b’s if memory serves) implement that dip switch as an ISS-disable switch rather than an ISS-enable switch, meaning the on and off positions can be reversed depending on on which particular model you own.

 

[Thelo80]

If it's anything like the 8030c "up" is on for the DIP switches same applies for ISS

Got it. Thanks. Will check it later.
Second question is about the gain: is +6db the minimum amplification? I want to avoid/minimize the hiss

 

[staticV3]

is +6db the minimum amplification?

+6 on the volume knob, which translates to: '+6dBu required for 100dB SPL' , is the lowest volume/sensitivity setting available on the 8020D.

 

[iNetRunner]

I recently got a pair of Genelec 8020D monitors, but I haven't been able to get the ISS (Intelligent Signal Sensing) auto-standby feature to engage. The front green LED remains permanently lit. Here is what I have tested so far (leaving them idle well past the 60-minute mark):

1. Connected to an Edirol UA-101 (audio interface powered on, no playback).
2. Connected to the Edirol UA-101 while powered off.
3. Completely disconnected with no XLR cable attached at all.

Cables used are brand new Hosa balanced 1/4" TRS to male XLR (5 ft, from B&H). Gain at +6 db

Regarding the DIP switch: the ISS switch is set to the default DOWN position (factory setting, ISS enabled). Despite this, neither monitor goes to sleep under any of these conditions, even with open inputs where no line noise, EMI, or ground loops could trick the sensing circuit.
Has anyone experienced this behavior with the 8000 series? Am I missing something subtle about how the circuit operates, or is it possible that this batch has an issue with the auto-standby threshold?

If you actually read the manual, it states that the ISS is active if the switch is in the “ON” position. (I.e. up.)

You might get the wrong impression from the label in back panel of 8020C that says: “ISS DISABLE”. But in 8020D the label is just “ISS”. (Or maybe they flipped the direction of that functionality between those versions.)

…As others have suggested.

 

[Thelo80]

fixed. Thank you
Installed to these stands without any VESA adaptor. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NH0HTM5?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
Nigh and day with iloud micro monitors. at the right side of the table I have a Edifier T5s subwoofer

 

[Thelo80]

I know, I know. Still have to work on how to organize the cables. But Right now I am using 8 Edirol UA-1010 outputs:

2 to iloud micro (I am doing A/B comparison)
2 to 8020d
2 to Edifier T5s sub
2 to JDS Atom Amp 2 headphone amplifier.

Plus all the cables to mini computer with the room correction, spotify and audio routing, monitor, laptop for work, genelec power, Edirol UA-101 power.....

Any advice?