Genelec 8030C Studio Monitor Review

[richard12511]

I currently have a pair of Dynaudio Xeo 2 in my living room. They are connected to tv, streamer (USB) and CCA, and TT through Dynaudio Connect. I have a pair of the tiny 8010 at my desk which I just love, within its limits of course. It has attracted me to go with Genelec for my living room/TV setup as well.

I like the Xeos as it is, but sometimes I would like some more bottom. The 8030's alone wouldn't get me this but i'm consider 8030C + 7040 or 7050, or perhaps another sub from a different brand, perhaps with a Minidsp DDRC-24.

How would this combo work if anyone have experience?

Where do you live? If you live in the US or Canada, there are much better subs out there for the same price from HSU, Rythmik and Monoprice. Monoprice has balanced in/outs. Not sure about HSU. If you're overseas there are likely still better subs, though someone else would have to comment on that. As an owner of Genelec subs, I think they make sense as part of a GLM setup(say 8330 + 7350), but not outside of that.

 

[YSC]

Where do you live? If you live in the US or Canada, there are much better subs out there for the same price from HSU, Rythmik and Monoprice. Monoprice has balanced in/outs. Not sure about HSU. If you're overseas there are likely still better subs, though someone else would have to comment on that. As an owner of Genelec subs, I think they make sense as part of a GLM setup(say 8330 + 7350), but not outside of that.

For someone eyeing for a 7040A to use with 8030C, beside it's size I think the easy gain matching of the Genelecs are a huge plus for somone who don't want to spend huge time optimizing that part, as well as the recommended default dip switches should work pretty well without using DSP or mess with other settings, otherwise yea, more options are available.

 

[GAP]

For someone eyeing for a 7040A to use with 8030C, beside it's size I think the easy gain matching of the Genelecs are a huge plus for somone who don't want to spend huge time optimizing that part, as well as the recommended default dip switches should work pretty well without using DSP or mess with other settings, otherwise yea, more options are available.

Thanks for some input. I haven’t been quite content with subwoofer before without dsp, so I think that if I’m going with subwoofer I will have dsp and perhaps Dirac.
If so no problem using integrating a 8030 with for example a Xtz subwoofer?

 

[YSC]

Thanks for some input. I haven’t been quite content with subwoofer before without dsp, so I think that if I’m going with subwoofer I will have dsp and perhaps Dirac.
If so no problem using integrating a 8030 with for example a Xtz subwoofer?

yea, I think definitely if you wanted to do that way, the DIRAC will just do the high pass for you

 

[richard12511]

Thanks for some input. I haven’t been quite content with subwoofer before without dsp, so I think that if I’m going with subwoofer I will have dsp and perhaps Dirac.
If so no problem using integrating a 8030 with for example a Xtz subwoofer?

One thing I like about Dirac(assuming your box has enough inputs/outputs) is that it will automatically time align multiple subwoofers to your main speakers.

 

[lizhuoyin]

Thanks for some input. I haven’t been quite content with subwoofer before without dsp, so I think that if I’m going with subwoofer I will have dsp and perhaps Dirac.
If so no problem using integrating a 8030 with for example a Xtz subwoofer?

I have a pair of 8030C on my desktop near two corners. A little bit over a meter from listen position. I don't feel the need for extra bass. There's plenty even after I set the corner dips for both.

 

[lizhuoyin]

I think partially true, but since the amp will cut off before the speaker ran into any damge I think it should not be dangerous to the speaker, for ears I kind of feel the hotkeys to mute the speaker immediately should also be safe to protect your ears before any permanent damage though. the inconvenience is a bit annoying that's why when I use my headphone amp as preamp making the volume pot having almost no headroom and decided to spend some USD 400 on the Khozmo passive. But everyone's budget is different, would be nice if you would use some good passive preamps, but no harm also with a simple adapter, you will use the same adapter with a preamp anyway if you found out you need one, so no harm to use it directly with the dac only at first I think

For desktop listening, tried a pair of 20dB in-line XLR attenuators with 8030C input sensitivity set to 0dBu. DAC volume range 0 to -10 dB with or without another 10 dB adjustment in software player pretty covers all volume controls for me. I am going to build u-pads with 30 dB attenuation. Should work better.

 

[galanakop]

I have ordered the speakers and I am waiting for them to come. I'm looking for a dac to drive them and I'm looking at this
TOPPING D70S MQA Balanced
What is your opinion on this?

 

[lizhuoyin]

I have ordered the speakers and I am waiting for them to come. I'm looking for a dac to drive them and I'm looking at this
TOPPING D70S MQA Balanced
What is your opinion on this?

Checkout asr DAC review chart. Anything in the green zone and up is transparent. With XLR or pro balanced output is a must. Medium and low price range, you may consider gustard X16 or topping d30 pro(to be released) are talked about recently.

 

[daftcombo]

For desktop listening, tried a pair of 20dB in-line XLR attenuators with 8030C input sensitivity set to 0dBu. DAC volume range 0 to -10 dB with or without another 10 dB adjustment in software player pretty covers all volume controls for me. I am going to build u-pads with 30 dB attenuation. Should work better.

I have a Little Bear MC2 as attenuator in the chain. 35$

 

[Takanaka]

Not bad, not bad at all, they barely take up any space. Still waiting for stands to come in but so far the mid-bass is great any has nice punch to it but the low end is a tad lacking IMO but that is to be expected from this size, might have to think about adding a 705.

They are pretty picky about placement, distance and tweeter height compared to my previous monitors but once in the sweet spot they sound detailed and precise without sounding forced anywhere at all. Anything out of place in the production and these little speakers will immediately let you know.

 

[daftcombo]

Not bad, not bad at all, they barely take up any space. Still waiting for stands to come in but so far the mid-bass is great any has nice punch to it but the low end is a tad lacking IMO but that is to be expected from this size, might have to think about adding a 705.

They are pretty picky about placement, distance and tweeter height compared to my previous monitors but once in the sweet spot they sound detailed and precise without sounding forced anywhere at all. Anything out of place in the production and these little speakers will immediately let you know.

View attachment 114756

Nice keyboard you got.

 

[SalR406]

One of the great things about this series of Genelecs is the downward facing XLR inputs. Depending on the stiffness of your interconnects, it saves around 3 to 6 inches behind each speaker. That makes it much easier to fit and position on shallower desktops. I wish other manufacturers designed their backplates in this way.

 

[Matias]

I plan to buy one of these later this year, but coming from NCore and passives which I really like, I wonder how loud their hiss is. Is it noticeable say at an arm's distance, in a very silent room late at night?

 

[jhaider]

One of the great things about this series of Genelecs is the downward facing XLR inputs. Depending on the stiffness of your interconnects, it saves around 3 to 6 inches behind each speaker. That makes it much easier to fit and position on shallower desktops. I wish other manufacturers designed their backplates in this way.

They do. Neumann KH 80 DSP and KH 120 have the same elegant space-saving placement (not for ethernet on KH 80, but that has a relatively short body)

So do JBL 705P, though oddly only for signal (why not power, too, like KH120; move the "HiQ-net" network connector)?

 

[adg]

TL;DR: Here is a picture comparing the size of an 8030C and 8020D on a 30" desk. I am posting this in case anyone else is concerned about the physical dimensions of the two models. I found it hard to find images of the monitors on desks when I was doing research.

Two weeks ago I ordered a pair of 8020D with the matching Genelec (K&M) stands. I was intrigued by the 8010A but wanted something a bit larger with deeper bass extension. I had considered the 8030Cs but was afraid they would be too large looking on my desk. Over the last seven or so years, I've had pairs of PSB Imagine XB, KEF Q100, Audyssey Lower East Side Media, and Dynaudio BM Compact MKIII on my desk. For the last three years, I've been running a pair of Peachtree Audio DS4.5 with a Parasound Zamp v.3. After recently running into some issues with the Zamp, I decided to try a pair of active monitors.

The reason I'm writing out some of my speaker history is that I've had small and relatively large speakers on my desk. At this point in time, I'm looking to avoid having 12" or 13" tall/deep speakers taking up lots of space on my desk. Also, I don't love the look of large speakers flanking my monitor. In a future desk set up, I could see getting larger monitors and putting them on stands behind a desk.

Anyway, after a day of testing the one 8020D that was shipped to me (the other hadn't shipped), I decided I could handle a slightly larger monitor. I also had some buyer's remorse as the 8030C is supposed to be the most popular model, and the 8020D seemed a bit forgotten between the 8010 and 8030. I canceled the 8020D that hadn't shipped and placed an order for a pair of 8030C–also with the matching/corresponding stands.

As I already had the 8020D on my desk, I figured I'd compare the two sizes. Here's a picture of both on my desk. Because Genelec monitors seem to have relatively shallow physical depth compared to many other active monitors, and have rounded edges, I think the 8030Cs are a great size on a desk. Not too big, not too small.

Once I get my stands in a week or two, and have some time to really test the speakers, I'll post a review of the speakers.

 

[lizhuoyin]

I plan to buy one of these later this year, but coming from NCore and passives which I really like, I wonder how loud their hiss is. Is it noticeable say at an arm's distance, in a very silent room late at night?

Mines have no hiss at all.

 

[Pearljam5000]

TL;DR: Here is a picture comparing the size of an 8030C and 8020D on a 30" desk. I am posting this in case anyone else is concerned about the physical dimensions of the two models. I found it hard to find images of the monitors on desks when I was doing research.

Two weeks ago I ordered a pair of 8020D with the matching Genelec (K&M) stands. I was intrigued by the 8010A but wanted something a bit larger with deeper bass extension. I had considered the 8030Cs but was afraid they would be too large looking on my desk. Over the last seven or so years, I've had pairs of PSB Imagine XB, KEF Q100, Audyssey Lower East Side Media, and Dynaudio BM Compact MKIII on my desk. For the last three years, I've been running a pair of Peachtree Audio DS4.5 with a Parasound Zamp v.3. After recently running into some issues with the Zamp, I decided to try a pair of active monitors.

The reason I'm writing out some of my speaker history is that I've had small and relatively large speakers on my desk. At this point in time, I'm looking to avoid having 12" or 13" tall/deep speakers taking up lots of space on my desk. Also, I don't love the look of large speakers flanking my monitor. In a future desk set up, I could see getting larger monitors and putting them on stands behind a desk.

Anyway, after a day of testing the one 8020D that was shipped to me (the other hadn't shipped), I decided I could handle a slightly larger monitor. I also had some buyer's remorse as the 8030C is supposed to be the most popular model, and the 8020D seemed a bit forgotten between the 8010 and 8030. I canceled the 8020D that hadn't shipped and placed an order for a pair of 8030C–also with the matching/corresponding stands.

As I already had the 8020D on my desk, I figured I'd compare the two sizes. Here's a picture of both on my desk. Because Genelec monitors seem to have relatively shallow physical depth compared to many other active monitors, and have rounded edges, I think the 8030Cs are a great size on a desk. Not too big, not too small.

Once I get my stands in a week or two, and have some time to really test the speakers, I'll post a review of the speakers.

View attachment 117110

How are you liking the 8030C so far?

 

[Pawelekdabek]

I plan to buy one of these later this year, but coming from NCore and passives which I really like, I wonder how loud their hiss is. Is it noticeable say at an arm's distance, in a very silent room late at night?

I was hearing it at around 70cm distance very well, but I'm sensitive to it. Now I have KH120 and they are noticeably more quiet.

 

[daftcombo]

I plan to buy one of these later this year, but coming from NCore and passives which I really like, I wonder how loud their hiss is. Is it noticeable say at an arm's distance, in a very silent room late at night?

Absolutely.
I can hear it two meters away at night in a building with heating system background noise when my ear is orientated towards the speaker.
Mind you, I can't hear it anymore when music is playing even at low volume.