Genelec 8050B Review (Studio Monitor)

[Robbo99999]

LOL i meant the colorful graphs not the actual measurements!

Yes, if there's no major defects, you can use EQ very effectively, so that's a given.....hence why I was harping on "incredible really?".

 

[Tangband]

Seems like Genelec goes out of their way to limit driver excursion in the bottom end. Wonder why that is...

As for the breakup mode at 27k, I'd be more worried about IMD components shifting down into the audible range but it considering these are meant as nearfield I doubt they're ever going to play loud enough that anyone would care.

Hmm... I wonder if this breakup at 27k is a real problem with CD material where there is nothing beyond 22 KHz ?
Maybe its a bit different with high resolution 96k material ?

 

[dfuller]

Hmm... I wonder if this breakup at 27k is a real problem with CD material where there is nothing beyond 22 KHz ?

Absolutely isn't.

Maybe its a bit different with high resolution 96k material ?

Could be... But there still isn't a ton of information up that high.

 

[peniku8]

The woofer makes this "brrrrrr" sound, first faintly and then strongly as you push it. I suspect it is some kind of limiting due to amplifier running out of juice as clipping indicator also comes on. Granted, I am listening to one speaker and you would use two but still, a speaker at this price range should be able to play cleaner in bass. I worry that the amplification (as usual) is holding it back.

That's unusual; my 8040 has a pretty transparent limiter, no clipping sounds. I had an issue with what sounded like bass distortion, which I got rid of by opening up the speaker and adding some extra gasket tape here and there

 

[richard12511]

That's unusual; my 8040 has a pretty transparent limiter, no clipping sounds. I had an issue with what sounded like bass distortion, which I got rid of by opening up the speaker and adding some extra gasket tape here and there

That sounds like a design flaw. Users shouldn't have to open up their speakers and add "extra gasket tape here and there".

 

[ROOSKIE]

That sounds like a design flaw. Users shouldn't have to open up their speakers and add "extra gasket tape here and there".

At least not at the 4k per pair USD price point.
I am fine with "modification/minor detailing" on a $300 a pair set where budget constraints leave some room for understandable user enhancements.

In any case sounds like these models have traded for excellent reach down low at the expense of somewhat limited bass SPL. A fair trade for many purposes.

All designs involve various give and take as we all know. In the end a 8" woofer-mid can only do so much. Same as my comment on the JBL 708p, I think I'd prefer a sealed 8 that is designed for mating with subs @80-100hz. No port issues and allows for a very small size despite an 8" driver. Would be a high SPL no brainer.
Of course if I needed a great set to travel with (granted these push the travel size envelope)or desktop usage then the Genelec's reach solo, is likely prefered.

 

[Pearljam5000]

It's very odd that Genelec themselves don't comment in these threads about their products, if we're not potential buyers I don't know who is.

 

[ROOSKIE]

It's very odd that Genelec themselves don't comment in these threads about their products, if we're not potential buyers I don't know who is.

True but it is also risky for the company. They are big enough to maybe value silence over any sort of back and forth.
Most companies who comment here are pretty small ones.
Man I'd love if Genelec, KEF, Revel & JBL(Harman) and some of the other big research based companies would join in though I do understand that they might prefer hanging back and working with channels they have more "control" over.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Is there any chance the 8050b will sound better than something like this?
I always wanted the Focal Utopia (at least before discovering Genelec and ASR lol)

 

[infinitesymphony]

It's very odd that Genelec themselves don't comment in these threads about their products, if we're not potential buyers I don't know who is.

@Ilkka Rissanen, an acoustic engineer from Genelec, has an account here and has commented before, but I don't think we've said anything unusual or unexpected so far in this thread. I've seen him post a lot more in the official Genelec forums.

Is there any chance the 8050b will sound better than something like this?
I always wanted the Focal Utopia (at least before discovering Genelec and ASR lol)
View attachment 113843

Not sure about that particular speaker, but on the day I first heard the 8050As, the alternate speakers on the bridge were a pair of Focal Twin6 Bes. They had a reputation as a punchy speaker that a lot of rock guys were using in the late 2000s. They sounded both muffled and hyped to me. I have no idea what the deal was with them--maybe a bad signal chain, maybe driven too hard, maybe that's just how they are--but whatever the case, there's no way anything mixed on them would have translated.

I wanted to like them. The grain on the woofers kind of reminded me of the original '90s texture on the Sennheiser HD600s.

 

[dfuller]

@Ilkka Rissanen, an acoustic engineer from Genelec, has an account here and has commented before, but I don't think we've said anything unusual or unexpected so far in this thread. I've seen him post a lot more in the official Genelec forums.


Not sure about that particular speaker, but on the day I first heard the 8050As, the alternate speakers on the bridge were a pair of Focal Twin6 Bes. They had a reputation as a punchy speaker that a lot of rock guys were using in the late 2000s. They sounded both muffled and hyped to me. I have no idea what the deal was with them--maybe a bad signal chain, maybe driven too hard, maybe that's just how they are--but whatever the case, there's no way anything mixed on them would have translated.

I wanted to like them. The grain on the woofers kind of reminded me of the original '90s texture on the Sennheiser HD600s.

The Focal "house sound" is rather different from that of Genelec, IME. They tend to be pretty bright vs Genelecs which I find to be if anything a little boomy and warm. Muffled is not the sound I'd use to describe them.

 

[GWolfman]

Keep in mind that the distortion is not actually at ~13kHz, it is shown in prior posts that it is a breakup at ~27kHz.

Remember that the distortion plots don’t show resulting distortion, it shows distorting frequencies. Since the breakup is at ~27kHz, the software is incorrectly thinking it is a 2nd harmonic distortion of ~13kHz.

Even if you played 96kHz audio, since ~27kHz really won’t have much energy, the excitation of this breakup mode likely won’t be audible.

This is really interesting info. I was considering getting a pair of 8330A's but was wondering if they'd have issues like this. Are you familiar with this series? Worth it?

 

[MZKM]

This is really interesting info. I was considering getting a pair of 8330A's but was wondering if they'd have issues like this. Are you familiar with this series? Worth it?

No clue.

 

[Pearljam5000]

This is really interesting info. I was considering getting a pair of 8330A's but was wondering if they'd have issues like this. Are you familiar with this series? Worth it?

Actually the Ones have different specs than the 8000 series, the tweeters go much higher but I haven't found any info about what has actually changed.

 

[Pearljam5000]

@Ilkka Rissanen, an acoustic engineer from Genelec, has an account here and has commented before, but I don't think we've said anything unusual or unexpected so far in this thread. I've seen him post a lot more in the official Genelec forums.


Not sure about that particular speaker, but on the day I first heard the 8050As, the alternate speakers on the bridge were a pair of Focal Twin6 Bes. They had a reputation as a punchy speaker that a lot of rock guys were using in the late 2000s. They sounded both muffled and hyped to me. I have no idea what the deal was with them--maybe a bad signal chain, maybe driven too hard, maybe that's just how they are--but whatever the case, there's no way anything mixed on them would have translated.

I wanted to like them. The grain on the woofers kind of reminded me of the original '90s texture on the Sennheiser HD600s.

They still make the Twin6 and Solo 6

 

[Hephaestus]

This is really interesting info. I was considering getting a pair of 8330A's but was wondering if they'd have issues like this. Are you familiar with this series? Worth it?

See Amir´s 8030C review:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ds/genelec-8030c-studio-monitor-review.14795/
8330A has DSP crossover. Acoustic design is otherwise same as far as I know.

Actually the Ones have different specs than the 8000 series, the tweeters go much higher but I haven't found any info about what has actually changed.

GWolfman asked about 8330A - they are not "Ones".

 

[Pearljam5000]

See Amir´s 8030C review:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ds/genelec-8030c-studio-monitor-review.14795/
8330A has DSP crossover. Acoustic design is otherwise same as far as I know.


GWolfman asked about 8330A - they are not "Ones".

Oops sorry I misread, it's 5 in the morning here.

 

[soundwave76]

8050 or 8030+ a sub?

8050 for music, 8030 + sub for movies.

 

[restorer-john]

That sounds like a design flaw. Users shouldn't have to open up their speakers and add "extra gasket tape here and there".

I'd say if you haven't had to open up a speaker or two to chase down a strange noise, a vibration, or simply something touching the back of the cone at some point in your audiophile journey, then you need to buy more speakers!

I've crawled around behind speakers with my ear in ports, poking at terminal plates, checking unglued capacitors/chokes, loose spade terminals, rubbing voice coils etc etc. Honestly, I don't think there's a speaker on earth that doesn't make some kind of noise it shouldn't at some stage of its life.

 

[YSC]

8050 for music, 8030 + sub for movies.

may I ask why say so ? I think if for nearfield 2.1 setting properly set up the 8030+sub should dig deeper and yet cheaper?