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Genelec 8050B Speaker Review (and how to read speaker measurements)

amirm

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Here is a rather long (45 minutes or so) video on the Genelec 8050 that I reviewed recently. In the process, I do a 90% deep dive into what the measurements mean and how I read and use them. So it will be a decent tutorial as well on how to read proper speaker measurements and listening tests.


I have written a text article on speaker measurements that got published by Widescreen Review. I need to format it for web and then post for those of you who want to just read and not watch videos.
 
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amirm

amirm

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BTW, the focus is a bit off because I tried to make the Genelec look more in focus than it would be otherwise. At the end neither is really in focus so I have to come up with a better setup. :)
 

sigbergaudio

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Do you mean the review of the speaker or a text version of the video tutorial?
The review is linked in the first sentence.

Yes, I was thinking about the text version of the article Amir referenced in the first thread. :)
 

Pearljam5000

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What's the maximum listening distance that is still usable without distortion in the bass?
 

roog

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Nice tutorial Amir, thank you.

I was amused when you got to the waterfall diagram as I was hoping for an excellent explanation of this diagram as I haven’t got my head around this. Instead it seems that perhaps I shouldn’t fret and not trust them. :0)
 
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vlad335

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Nice tutorial Amir, thank you.

I was a amused when you got to the waterfall diagram as I was hoping for an excellent explanation of this diagram as I haven’t got my head around this. Instead it Seems that perhaps I shouldn’t fret and not trust them. :0)

Exactly, same here.
 
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monkeyboy

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Fantastic video, very informative, thank you very much....I've shared it with a few friends who have interests in audio....
 

xarkkon

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Thanks Amir, this video is very helpful! What about the impedance and phase charts? That's one chart that I haven't really understood for speaker reviews so far (at least related to how it impacts the sound).
 

Hephaestus

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Thanks Amir, this video is very helpful! What about the impedance and phase charts? That's one chart that I haven't really understood for speaker reviews so far (at least related to how it impacts the sound).

This is active speaker - analog active crossover splits the signal to two amplifiers that are directly connected into drive units.

Impedance curve cannot be measured like with passive speakers.

edit: clarification
 
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xarkkon

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This is active speaker - analog active crossover splits the signal to two amplifiers that are directly connected into drive units.

Impedance curve cannot be measured like with passive speakers.

edit: clarification
ah, of course! hadn't thought of that. maybe a discussion for another video then.
 

MZKM

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@39:55 Hey, that’s me!

When you recorded it I forgot to put the caveat about this being a near-field monitor (so good that you mentioned that), it’s up there now.

Also, the highest score (if rounding to 1 decimal place) is a 6.8 by the Genelec 8341A and for the w/ sub score it is the Genelec 8030C at 8.5 (8341A is in 2nd).
 
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MZKM

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ah, of course! hadn't thought of that. maybe a discussion for another video then.
I just wrote a comment discussing EPDR:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...review-3-way-speaker.20287/page-5#post-680576

To add a bit more about impedance an amp power: An ideal amp will 2x the wattage when the impedance goes down by 1/2, meaning 100W into 8ohm should translate to 200W into 4ohm. We aren’t in an ideal world though, I haven't crunched any numbers, but on average it’s probably around 1.8x, it depends a lot on distortion and frequency parameters though.

Most speakers are rated at 2.83Vrms, which is 1W 8ohm and 2W 4ohm (~1.33W 6ohm). If a theoretical amplifier had the exact same power into 8ohm and 4ohm, than an 85dB speaker that’s 4ohm would be equivalent in sensitivity to an 88dB speaker that’s 8ohm.

Now, maybe someone could chime in, but I don’t know if the ratio for 8ohm vs 4ohm wattage for an amp (like that 1.8x) is only at max power or at all power. Like, if Amir measured an amp that maxes out at 100W 8ohm and 180W 4ohm, does that mean at 50W 8ohm a 4ohm speaker would just get 90W, or is it the ideal 2x wattage up until it maxes out?
 

ctrl

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Nice tutorial Amir, thank you.
I was amused when you got to the waterfall diagram as I was hoping for an excellent explanation of this diagram as I haven’t got my head around this. Instead it seems that perhaps I shouldn’t fret and not trust them. :0)
Exactly, same here.

CSD diagrams are not easy to interpret and are actually only really comparable if always created under the same conditions. In order to estimate the extent of delayed decay (e.g. resonance), it is usually better to choose a period-based display (y-axis shows the number of oscillation periods) instead of a time-based display - which not all measurement programs can do, or only at extra cost.

More details about CSD can be found here:
How To interpret CSD
Speaker Resonances - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Possible pitfalls regarding CSD

Hope this helps you.
 
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