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Genelec 8030C Studio Monitor Review

dimedrol

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just got my pair of 8030c. The build quality is great. They don't get near as hot as my Adam A5x. I decided to replace the Adams because they developed a very audible channel imbalance over years (which I compensated for using the volume knob on the monitors) and (most importantly) a windpipe-like hum that is very noticeable in a silent room when no music is playing. I immediately felt like the Genelecs were lacking bass, looks like the 100Hz hump in the Adams played a part in that. I used the desktop adjustment switch on the Genelecs and it resulted in an audible improvement in the sound. I could actually measure a clear rise @150Hz using my phone, so using the switch was a no-brainer. After a few hours of listening to the Genelecs I ran a few meaty death metal tracks I know very well and I think the bass on the Genelecs is well-balanced (I am using a subwoofer too).

All in all, nothing bad to say about the Genelecs so far SQ-wise except that they do produce noise with no music playing (even disconnected from the source). It sounds like white noise, so it is less annoying than the windpipe howl of my old Adams, but it is there for sure and I'd rather it wasn't. It is not disastrous, with the gain level at the very mininum it is ok. Just not audiophile great. I am sure the new Adams were a tad more silent.
 

AnalogSteph

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All in all, nothing bad to say about the Genelecs so far SQ-wise except that they do produce noise with no music playing (even disconnected from the source). It sounds like white noise, so it is less annoying than the windpipe howl of my old Adams, but it is there for sure and I'd rather it wasn't. It is not disastrous, with the gain level at the very mininum it is ok. Just not audiophile great.
Yeah, the inputs being a bit too hot is probably the #1 gripe on the smaller Genelecs in nearfield use. 8030s are OK-ish and it's downhill from there. The little 8010As can't go below 96 dB SPL @ 0 dBu, that's really silly.
 

Xyrium

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I don't have a hiss problem on my 8030s. I sit about 3ft/1m from the speakers and have the gain on the speakers set in concert with the my adi2 dac output level which works well.

What is your source device?

However, like "sound quality", I would suggest that hiss is also subjective. :cool:
 

xaviescacs

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I do hear hiss on my 8030C nearfield, in mid field only in complete silence. When playing music this has zero importance IMO, but I agree it can be annoying in near field if you hear it when not playing music.

My wife doesn't hear that hiss the same as she doesn't hear usb power supplies fuzz whereas I do, so every time someone says "I don't have this hiss problem" I doubt if they actually have another problem. ;) It's a bit odd that some units produce hiss and others don't.
 

fabius

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I don't hear any hiss from mine, my ears about 3ft/1m away from them, in a quiet house surrounded by fields.

Edit: Just noticed that if I put my ear right up to them I can hear a hiss, but by the time my ear's 1ft away, it's inaudible to my aging ears.

Edit 2: If I put my Apple Watch right up to the speaker it measures 35dB. One foot away it measures 33dB, which is what it measures in the rest of the room.
 
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dimedrol

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I had a crown amp that emitted a coil whine I could hear across the room while the guy I brought the amp to to fix could only hear it with his ear next to the unit. Both my Genelecs emit noise and at max gain level - I imagine it will be apparent to all but deaf people. At min gain (what I use) - it is quite a bit more acceptable, but not dead quiet still. It is just what it is guys. I can live with it, there are things more important than self-generated noise.
 

pehu63

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I use these Genelecs to listen to music and radio ;-) In my living room, no issues with the noise. Really close, there is some noise, but in my case, I was much more irritated with the hum. I used asymmetrical input without earthing on the speaker mains. These speakers do need proper earthing, took me some effort to get that in my living room. After earthing, the hum is still a bit louder than the noise. To get rid of that, I need to upgrade to symmetrical signalling. Would be interesting to know if the complainers have a proper symmetrical set up with proper earthing. And background traffic noise, how to get rid of that.....

I have never heard anyone about power consumption. I measured the power consumption of these genelec 8030s, when playing some background radio. Just 2--3 watt each, and a few watt for my streamer. With a few thousand hours yearly usage, this saves substantial energy costs, compared to a "real hifi" set up.

Yes, build quality! Never seen anything like this before.
 

Xyrium

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Man...I've had my share of whining and buzzing Crown amps as well!
 

YSC

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funny that I still can't hear hiss with my ears >10cm in front of tweeter, but I can hear the mosquito repelling buzzer 10m away clearly...
 

Xyrium

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Nothing that can be measured is subjective and hiss not only can be measured but also predicted to a point.
To an extent, sure. If I have JBLs that hiss from 3m away, then obtain Genelecs that only hiss from 0.25m away, I may conclude that they don't have a problem with hiss:).
 

dimedrol

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To an extent, sure. If I have JBLs that hiss from 3m away, then obtain Genelecs that only hiss from 0.25m away, I may conclude that they don't have a problem with hiss:).
or rather down to how sensitive you are to it. If you don't like your current monitors because of their self-noise maybe 8030c is not the best fit for you. But then there's 8330 which is reportedly more quiet. I am probably just spoiled by Topping that makes products emitting no audible noise whatsoever. And those studio people whom 8030c are made for have no idea what the hell I am on about with my noise rant.
 
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Trell

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or rather down to how sensitive you are to it. If you don't like your current monitors because of their self-noise maybe 8030c is not the best fit for you. But then there's 8330 which is reportedly more quiet. I am probably just spoiled by Topping that makes products emitting no audible noise whatsoever. And those studio people whom 8030c are made for have no idea what the hell I am on about with my noise rant.

The listening environment is very important in evaluating if monitor noise is perceived as a problem or not for you. I've the 8330A and I can hear noise from them sitting about 70-80 cm from them when listening for it, especially late at night when it's very quiet and I'm acclimated to the low noise floor of the room. At late night the SNR is not that good as I listen at very low levels, so when I'm not playing anything it's much more noticeable than during the day.

On common trick to reduce the noise a little in monitors is to reduce the input sensitivity, and with Genelecs that are so very sensitive in the first place that might be needed as well to match the gain level with the DAC.

In the end: Noise is only a problem if you hear it and it bothers you.
 

dimedrol

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Just a little bit of subjective impressions from an Adam A5x vs Genelec 8030c comparison for the current A5x owners that are looking for replacement monitors and are considering the Genelecs. I realize that all this is only valid for my own audio system, room and ears and others may have a completely different experience.

1. The Adams' bass seems more inward and hard hitting whereas the Genelecs' bass seems more outward and fluent/rounded. Bass-wise I find electronic music to somewhat favor the Adams while "analog" music to somewhat favor the Genelecs.
2. The Adams' mids are not as transparent as the Genelecs', I caught myself noticing new details in old tracks specifically in the mids on the Genelecs. The Genelecs' mids definitely feel more proper. And that is why if I were to choose between the two, I'd go for the Genelecs.
3. The Adams' highs seem more detailed, structured than the Genelecs' and it can be both good and bad. I don't believe the extra detail is always intended, sometimes it is just some distortion that only makes the track more harsh/sibilant. On Metallica's Master Of Puppets I definitely don't want the Adams' high frequency exuberance, it is out of place and does the tracks no good. I prefer the sound of a trumpet of the Adams though.
4. I find the Adams really good for low volume listening, you don't feel a lack of detail or scale regardless of the volume. The downside is - to me they become a bit too harsh as I crank them up, a bit too bass-heavy and shrill. The Genelecs on the other hand encourage me to raise the volume and they don't get as tiring as the Adams that way. Could be totally room-dependent, but that is what I hear in my room.
5. I would describe both speakers as very capable overall and choose the Genelecs for their better mids. I find some tracks to sound preferable on the Adams still, especially on low volumes.
 
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dimedrol

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Sounds as if the Adams have a builtin loudness curve.
Could be that or looking at their frequency response I think it may be the 100Hz hump and the general rise >10kHz. Plus the ribbon tweeter always seemed more detailed (for better or for worse) to me than the dome tweeters I was used to.
 
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Pancreas

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Do you get a pop or thump sound when windows starts or restarts? It always happens, even if the speakers are on and not sleeping. If I decide to restart windows, then when the computer logo appear, it makes a low thump, then another one before entering the screen where you put your password

I'm on windows 10

I think is related to windows rather than the speakers as they're new basically

I read it could be "sound scheme engaging and disengaging" but dont know how to disable that or change the sound

I wonder if is caused by the fact that I have the Genelec sleep mode on. Unlikely cause I never let them go to sleep. I turn off my surge protector before I go to sleep, then turn it on when I'm going to use the computer in the day. When I turn it on, the speaker do make a thump noise as well, probably from the current waking them up?

That doesn't explain why it still happens when they are already on, but only on windows startup or restart.
 
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