Genelec 8050B Review (Studio Monitor)

[Pearljam5000]

@Ilkka Rissanen
When is the 8050C coming out?

 

[richard12511]

@Pearljam5000 asking the important questions

 

[Vince2]

ASR has really opened my eyes for Genelec. Hopefully one day I will get one too.

Any idea how it would compare to your Thiel 3.7?

 

[wwenze]

The distortion at >10kHz, technically speaking we can't hear the harmonics... right?

 

[617]

The distortion at >10kHz, technically speaking we can't hear the harmonics... right?

Can you hear 20K?

 

[YSC]

ok I have to say this looks like 90% the same as the 8030C measurements except the bass extension, kind of the most unexciting/surprised review we have here. So seems price and size needed is the decisive factor?

No, it is a rather compact package and as I noted, doesn't get extremely loud anyway.

I think pure size wise they are not really large, the bass extension makes it don't need a sub to really fill in the bass as 20-35hz are mostly felt but not heard? but will it be too large a driver in nearfield making the imaging or minimum listening distance quite a lot larger for the use case of real near field listening?

 

[amirm]

@amirm the review has "NHT C3 Measurements" in it. (just the text, not the actual measurements)

Ah, thanks. That cut and paste gets me half the time! Fixed.

 

[amirm]

I think pure size wise they are not really large, the bass extension makes it don't need a sub to really fill in the bass as 20-35hz are mostly felt but not heard? but will it be too large a driver in nearfield making the imaging or minimum listening distance quite a lot larger for the use case of real near field listening?

I was listening to it at 3 to 5 feet and it was great. The problem with bass is not just sub-bass though. It clips with higher frequencies at higher volumes.

 

[YSC]

I was listening to it at 3 to 5 feet and it was great. The problem with bass is not just sub-bass though. It clips with higher frequencies at higher volumes.

Ic, thanks Amirm, I was just thinking with the 8030C listening around 3 feet away in stereo makes me need a passive amp with -40db to use with lowest +6dBU setting in them, and with a larger woofer I was wondering would longer distance to produce proper imaging.

If both witht a sub, may I ask say with the 7040/7050 (both digs to 30hz) in a small to medium room (<100 sq ft, listening distance <2m) as a 2.1 channel what will be the benefit to opt for the 8050B which cost more than double than the 8030C or the mid priced 8040B?

 

[FeddyLost]

should point out that the KH310, a comparable option, had more distortion than the 8050B below 60hz but perhaps it did not visibly complain about playback at that level.

Can't find out exact quote, but i still remember that KH310 also not very good at high SPL in bass due to sealed design and heavy correction (= power and distortion) applied.
People mentioned that mixing EDM without sub is not a good idea.

 

[Tks]

Expected better from Genelec. Port resonance AND those odd distortions?

 

[YSC]

Expected better from Genelec. Port resonance AND those odd distortions?

port resonance looks like pretty balanced by the actual FR and low distortion at those FR ranges, but that odd tweeter distortion maybe as said above just harmonics from 27khz breakup, so if I understand correctly when normal DACs don't output signals above like 24khz with proper filtering and mastering files don't contain those details it won't appear IRL?

 

[vkvedam]

Genelec never fails to impress me, excellent!

 

[martijn86]

Thanks for the review! As a video editor, I'll always remember the first time I used an editing suite equipped with Genelec monitors. Now I'm getting really tempted to get a set of 8341A's and a MiniDSP SHD. I just have to admit that I'm a little afraid of going actives and retiring my nice Hypex amp.

 

[GWolfman]

No, it is a rather compact package and as I noted, doesn't get extremely loud anyway.

Do you think it gets loud enough for daily listening with occasional rock out session (not ear piercing in any way)?

 

[soundwave76]

^^ once you switch to active speakers, you soon forget devices like amps even existed

 

[amirm]

Do you think it gets loud enough for daily listening with occasional rock out session (not ear piercing in any way)?

Sure.

 

[respice finem]

For what it is, being a good speaker of course, it seems a bit pricey to me. The price difference to the coaxial line of Genelec is not that big (at least in Germany), so I would be probably buying one of these: https://www.thomann.de/de/genelec_8331_ap.htm
or this one, which might do without a sub in a nearfield scenario
https://www.thomann.de/de/genelec_8341_ap.htm
The worst enemy of the good is the better

 

[mitchco]

Given that reference level is 83 dB SPL C weighted, I wonder what SPL folks are actually listening to...

 

[TimVG]

Looks like the actual reference axis is lower still than the rim between tweeter and woofer. Likely at half the CTC distance which is about -10°.
At least it looks that way from @MZKM 's graphs in post #2