Genelec 8040 vs 8030 vs Neumann KH 120

[SaladDressing]

Hey everyone,

Since I want a new pair of speakers I went to a music store today to hear some nearfield monitors. I need them just to enjoy Music, Gaming, watching movies and general entertainment stuff on my PC setup. I won't produce my own music for now, though I'd like to get into modular synthesizers in the future. My budget initially was about 1000€ which I kinda upped to about 1500€. Here is a picture of my setup:

The Monitors will be placed about where my current bose speakers are right now. The Screen on the left will be mounted on top of the middle screen. Space shouldn't be a problem.
In the store I played through many monitors. The monitors I listened to are the Neumann KH80, KH120, Adam A7X, A5X, T5V, Yamaha HS7, Genelec 8040 and 8020. I immediately noticed how the genelec 8040 and neumann KH 20 are a clear cut above the rest. The Adam no matter how I listened to them lacked quite a bit of depth, I don't know how to describe it. The Genelec 8020 and the Neumann KH80 were great to listen to but lacked bass in my opinion. The bass in the KH 120 and 8040 were excellent, whereas I thought the bas of the 8040 was a tiny notch better than the KH 120. It also came clear that the KH 120 have a better soundstage than the 8040. Overall I prefer the 8040 though. They suit my taste more and are a little more crisp than the KH 120.
So after my visit I looked up prices and opinions of people. What I then cam across is the 8030 which I havent listened to. It's cheaper but I wonder what the differences are. How does it compare to the KH 120 and the 8040?
Which one of those 3 speakers should I get for my setup in your opinion?
I'd appreciate your advice.

Thanks.

 

[q3cpma]

Other models I'd consider if I were you:
* Kali IN-5: a lot cheaper but very good, can be used to save a bit of money if you want to upgrade years later.
* Genelec 8330A + GLM kit: if you don't plan on doing room correction by yourself, as the location is far from perfect (left corner, right slanted ceiling, computer reflecting HF).

The 8040B is now a quite old design (class AB amps with a lot more hiss than their current class D) with a "major" issue being its suboptimal frequency response on and off-axis due to the 3/4" tweeter coupled to a 6.5" woofer.

 

[SaladDressing]

Other models I'd consider if I were you:
* Kali IN-5: a lot cheaper but very good, can be used to save a bit of money if you want to upgrade years later.
* Genelec 8330A + GLM kit: if you don't plan on doing room correction by yourself, as the location is far from perfect (left corner, right slanted ceiling, computer reflecting HF).

The 8040B is now a quite old design (class AB amps with a lot more hiss than their current class D) with a "major" issue being its suboptimal frequency response on and off-axis due to the 3/4" tweeter coupled to a 6.5" woofer.

the kali look good, but I'd preferably hear them myself before buying them.
Unfortunately the 8330A + GLM kit would really break the bank at 1850€.
Yeah they are pretty old, but I don't really care about that as long as they are good and fit my taste. I also didn't really notice hiss but that can of course vary from unit to unit. Thanks for the info on the 8040 though.
I don't produce or monitor music so I don't know if a suboptimal frequency response should bother me.

 

[q3cpma]

Unfortunately the 8330A + GLM kit would really break the bank at 1850€.

If you're not doing room correction at all (other than the dip switches), believe me that the gains are incredible.

Yeah they are pretty old, but I don't really care about that as long as they are good and fit my taste. I also didn't really notice hiss but that can of course vary from unit to unit. Thanks for the info on the 8040 though.

I doubt you listened to it in a situation as quiet as your room at night. I can hear my 8030C a little bit, and it's 5 dB(A) at 1 m instead of 10 for the 8040B, so it's probably audible.

I don't produce or monitor music so I don't know if a suboptimal frequency response should bother me.

The whole website is about the concept that high fidelity is highly correlated with preference.

Genelec's measurement for the 8030C and 8040A:

 

[Pearljam5000]

On a tight budget I would get the 8030C and add a sub later

 

[SaladDressing]

If you're not doing room correction at all (other than the dip switches), believe me that the gains are incredible.

Hmmm I'd have to save 2 months more with my current job but if that's worth it... I guess I could also purchase the 8330 first and the next month the glm. Is the bass as good or similar to the kh 120 and 8040 or would I need a sub?

I doubt you listened to it in a situation as quiet as your room at night. I can hear my 8030C a little bit, and it's 5 dB(A) at 1 m instead of 10 for the 8040B, so it's probably audible.

Yeah that's true it was fairly noisy in the store.

On a tight budget I would get the 8030C and add a sub later

what makes the 8030 a better choice than the KH120 and 8040?

 

[matt3421]

i would definitely settle with a pair of Kali's. best price to perfomance ratio you can get for active speakers

 

[mkawa]

8030 and REW

 

[Trell]

Hmmm I'd have to save 2 months more with my current job but if that's worth it... I guess I could also purchase the 8330 first and the next month the glm. Is the bass as good or similar to the kh 120 and 8040 or would I need a sub?

Using GLM AutoCal makes a big difference in my small office where I've two pairs of 8330A: One pair for my wife and one pair for me with a Genelec 7360A subwoofer. My wife is perfectly happy with her pair of 8330A with what she listens to.

Since GLM stores the calibration in the speakers/subwoofer you don't need to have GLM Kit connected after calibration, so perhaps you could ask the seller to loan you a kit?

Yeah that's true it was fairly noisy in the store.

For me hiss is most noticeable in the evenings when it has been quiet for some time.

what makes the 8030 a better choice than the KH120 and 8040?

The 8030 is much smaller, can't play as loud nor go quite as deep. I considered the 8340A but found them too big for me.

A link to a picture of my small office for two: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...view-powered-monitor.23831/page-2#post-800929

 

[Pearljam5000]

Hmmm I'd have to save 2 months more with my current job but if that's worth it... I guess I could also purchase the 8330 first and the next month the glm. Is the bass as good or similar to the kh 120 and 8040 or would I need a sub?

Yeah that's true it was fairly noisy in the store.

what makes the 8030 a better choice than the KH120 and 8040?

Cheaper than both and 8040B is old, 8030C is newer and specs are really close

 

[dfuller]

I'd be inclined towards the KH120s.

 

[q3cpma]

By the way, here's a thread I made when I had a very similar dilemna, it may help you.

 

[_Dekker]

Despite the 8040b being older I bought them yesterday over the 8330's. They were quite a bit cheaper actually. Also I do room correction with REW so the stock FR does not bother me. I gave the bass a slight boost (3dB) and now in my room it extends to 30(!) Hz, brown line in graph. Doubt you can do that with the 8330 which I suspect already has been boosted internally due to the digital amp.
The sound of the 8040b is just fantastic, very open. Coming from the M-Audio Studiophile Cx5.
Edit: For analytics and instrument separation I find them at least as good as my Sennheiser HD800s headphones.
For me its also just listening, I do not produce music but I also might go for a synth in the future.

 

[Marc v E]

Since I've been working from home for a year now, I bought the Genelec 8030B for a similar setup as yours.
The 8030B are the previous design and the 8030C are apparently even better.

Long story short: they are great. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. In fact the 8030C with sub is the highest rated speaker on ASR. I don't miss the bass , although I thought I might before I had them as I'm used to full range towers. My interpretation is that you need a sub anyway if you want full range deep bass without distortion. I suspect even the 8040 would need a sub if you found the 8030 lacking. Anyway, you can add them at a later stage in the comfort of knowing you have one of the best.

 

[mkawa]

Went with 8040 for home office because it has less need for a sub than 8030s. That said, if you want full range sound, you need a sub, and if you have a sub, the upper mid and upper fr of the 8030 and 8040 are indistinguishable

 

[SaladDressing]

Using GLM AutoCal makes a big difference in my small office where I've two pairs of 8330A: One pair for my wife and one pair for me with a Genelec 7360A subwoofer. My wife is perfectly happy with her pair of 8330A with what she listens to.

Since GLM stores the calibration in the speakers/subwoofer you don't need to have GLM Kit connected after calibration, so perhaps you could ask the seller to loan you a kit?

I looked out for rental service but there is none available sadly. I think I'm going with th 8030C and then will purchase a minidsp umik-1 and try to REW it myself. I study media technology with focus on audio so maybe I'll even be able to write my bachelor degree on that topic.
With that setup I'll be at around 1150€ which is 700€ cheaper than the 8330 + glm kit. That's a pretty hefty premium for some room correction tbh.
Bass is my only concern though. I really liked the bass of the 8040. It's just right for the music I listen to. I assume the 8030 will have less bass and I am concerned that I will have to purchase a sub in the future.

 

[q3cpma]

I looked out for rental service but there is none available sadly. I think I'm going with th 8030C and then will purchase a minidsp umik-1 and try to REW it myself. I study media technology with focus on audio so maybe I'll even be able to write my bachelor degree on that topic.
With that setup I'll be at around 1150€ which is 700€ cheaper than the 8330 + glm kit. That's a pretty hefty premium for some room correction tbh.
Bass is my only concern though. I really liked the bass of the 8040. It's just right for the music I listen to. I assume the 8030 will have less bass and I am concerned that I will have to purchase a sub in the future.

Would probably work well, but I think he meant asking the store directly, instead of expecting a service advertised on their website (probably not tolerated by Genelec). If they can sell you more expensive speakers just by lending you the kit, I don't see why they'd say no.

 

[Trell]

I looked out for rental service but there is none available sadly. I think I'm going with th 8030C and then will purchase a minidsp umik-1 and try to REW it myself. I study media technology with focus on audio so maybe I'll even be able to write my bachelor degree on that topic.
With that setup I'll be at around 1150€ which is 700€ cheaper than the 8330 + glm kit. That's a pretty hefty premium for some room correction tbh.
Bass is my only concern though. I really liked the bass of the 8040. It's just right for the music I listen to. I assume the 8030 will have less bass and I am concerned that I will have to purchase a sub in the future.

If you live in EU you can try buying from thomann.de that has a 30-day trial period. I've bought from them several times and are pleased with both the prices and their service, including after-sales support.

It's hard to know how speakers will sound in your own room without actually trying them out there, including various positioning. An UMIK-1 measurement microphone along with REW will help with getting the best out of them, though you'll need something in addition if you want to do some EQ as well (like knocking down bass peaks in small rooms). I've not tried it but there are freeware solutions for Windows.

 

[Trell]

Would probably work well, but I think he meant asking the store directly, instead of expecting a service advertised on their website (probably not tolerated by Genelec). If they can sell you more expensive speakers just by lending you the kit, I don't see why they'd say no.

Yeah, this is what I was thinking of.

 

[SaladDressing]

Would probably work well, but I think he meant asking the store directly, instead of expecting a service advertised on their website (probably not tolerated by Genelec). If they can sell you more expensive speakers just by lending you the kit, I don't see why they'd say no.

yeah that makes sense. Thing is I'll purchase the monitors online from thomann because I don't own a car and getting to the next store which sells genelecs which actually is the thomann store is basically impossible without a car.

If you live in EU you can try buying from thomann.de that has a 30-day trial period. I've bought from them several times and are pleased with both the prices and their service, including after-sales support.

It's hard to know how speakers will sound in your own room without actually trying them out there, including various positioning. An UMIK-1 measurement microphone along with REW will help with getting the best out of them, though you'll need something in addition if you want to do some EQ as well (like knocking down bass peaks in small rooms). I've not tried it but there are freeware solutions for Windows.

ohh thanks for the tip on the 30 day trial! It would be perfect if I were able to purchase both pairs at the same time and switch around and keep the ones I like more but I don't have the money for that sadly.