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Genelec 8050B vs. 8351B

Pearljam5000

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So yeah, obviously the Ones are better- but by how much? Do they justify the(big) price difference?
When I read comparisons of the Ones to the 8000 series i always get the sense that they're pretty close to each other, so I'm still not totally convinced
 

daftcombo

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8350A are also worth considering.


Here are the objective data we dispose of:

8050B : 150W (AB) + 120W (AB)
Genelec website
ASR
Sound & Recording

8350A : 200W (D) + 150W (D)
Genelec website
Sound & Recording

8351B : 250W (D) + 150W (D) + 150W (D)
Genelec website
ASR




1629460289630.png


1629460260621.png
 
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Music1969

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So yeah, obviously the Ones are better- but by how much? Do they justify the(big) price difference?
When I read comparisons of the Ones to the 8000 series i always get the sense that they're pretty close to each other, so I'm still not totally convinced

If you sit really close, The Ones have best vertical and horizontal directivity. Giant sweet spot, both up and down, when close.
 

Trell

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So yeah, obviously the Ones are better- but by how much? Do they justify the(big) price difference?
When I read comparisons of the Ones to the 8000 series i always get the sense that they're pretty close to each other, so I'm still not totally convinced

I've been toying with the idea of using Genelec monitors for my home theatre and it quickly becomes quite expensive with the Ones: For me in EU the 8350A is 45% of the price of 8351. One advantage for me with using 8351B as a center channel is that I can place it horizontally beneath my TV without having to move the TV further up (too high then, I think). Perhaps I'll write Genelec an email and ask if a 8351B as a center would work well with 8351A.
 

Grotti

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So yeah, obviously the Ones are better- but by how much? Do they justify the(big) price difference?
When I read comparisons of the Ones to the 8000 series i always get the sense that they're pretty close to each other, so I'm still not totally convinced
IIRC you are involved in this topic (Genelec) for quite a while now. If not, I apologize =). What about listening to the 8350 (better comparison because GLM is not available for the 8050) beneath a 8351 at your local dealer. Should answer a few questions and after having made the decision, that one of them will do for you, the dealer of your choice would almost certainly make it possible to listen to both speakers at home.

So this is not meant to offend you, but i don't see the point of this thread since all the subjective opinions of listening experiences in unknown surroundings don't release you from making your own experience.

BTW. : i will audition the 8350 in a few weeks, will report on it....
 
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Pearljam5000

Pearljam5000

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IIRC you are involved in this topic (Genelec) for quite a while now. If not, I apologize =). What about listening to the 8350 (better comparison because GLM is not available for the 8050) beneath a 8351 at your local dealer. Should answer a few questions and after having made the decision, that one of them will do for you, the dealer of your choice would almost certainly make it possible to listen to both speakers at home.

So this is not meant to offend you, but i don't see the point of this thread since all the subjective opinions of listening experiences in unknown surroundings don't release you from making your own experience.

BTW. : i will audition the 8350 in a few weeks, will report on it....
I live in a small country so they're not so accessible to audition, ao i basically have to rely mostly on online information
 

daftcombo

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Oh, I see. As I said, I will report on the 8350. Will take a few weeks though...
Of course, a comparison with others monitor like Neumann KH 310 or JBL 708p would be even better.

I've searched the web for subjective opinions about 8350A but couldn't find a lot. Not to talk about objective...
 

lherrm

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Just so your choice doesn't get easier : don't forget the 1032C.
 

HooStat

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I agree with @daftcombo that the 8350A is a pretty good measuring speaker. Plays loud, flat frequency response, works with GLM. For the money, it might be one of their best speakers. I have not heard it though.
 

kuf

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I was wondering if the best vertical and horizontal directivity and the bigger sweet spot of the Ones are relevant for different kinds of music,

e.g. do they have the same importance if someone listens to acoustic music or electric music like classic/hard rock etc.

Would in the later case a 1032c would be a better option in comparison with the similarly priced 8351 ?
 

daftcombo

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e.g. do they have the same importance if someone listens to acoustic music or electric music like classic/hard rock etc.
As for electronic music, it would depend if the producer used the same speakers in the same configuration, or not. But generally it could sound good in any configuration I guess, except if too harsh or muddy.
 
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Pearljam5000

Pearljam5000

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If you sit really close, The Ones have best vertical and horizontal directivity. Giant sweet spot, both up and down, when close.
Great but is that it?
I mean maybe i expected too much given the fact that that they cost so much more and are 3-way vs 2-way, and have much more powerful amps and are a coaxial design .
 

Grotti

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Great but is that it?
I mean maybe i expected too much given the fact that that they cost so much more and are 3-way vs 2-way, and have much more powerful amps and are a coaxial design .
Not much more powerful when it comes to acoustical output. The limiting factor is the bass and there you have 250 Watts for the 8351 and 150 for the 8050b. You theoretically would need to double the power to gain 3 dB. Even though the power is not exactly doubled, Genelec advertises 3 dB more max Spl for the 8351 (113 to 110 dB). I don't think this will be a big deal in daily use. At least not if you buy decent subwoofers for the price difference and use the speakers with a high pass :)
 

Sancus

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Genelec advertises 3 dB more max Spl for the 8351 (113 to 110 dB).

This spec is an average of 100hz to 3khz and the 8351B actually has 400W (250+150) and two drivers covering that range unlike the single one on the 8050B.

For bass, the "long term max SPL" spec is the one to look at. The IEC weighted noise is pink noise which is downsloping, so it's primarily testing the woofer, and it's 103dB for the 8351B vs 101dB for the 8050. Not that much difference.

However, the 8351B uses the same midrange/tweeter as the 8361A and it plays a LOT louder, 8-10dB. Depending on how bass heavy your music is, or if you're using a sub, there are cases where the 8351B will play a lot louder. It just depends.

8361-MAX-580x435.png


So yeah, obviously the Ones are better- but by how much? Do they justify the(big) price difference?

I mean we've talked about this in a zillion threads before. The differences are:
  • Coaxial
  • Incrementally smoother dispersion and flatter FR with no crossover dip/narrowing.
  • 3-way design, reduces overall distortion(imd), but unknown audibility
  • GLM/etc (you can get this from the 8350A too ofc)
"how much and is it worth it" is a personal choice, that's all it can ever be. Some people like me absolutely can't stand vertical changes in FR so the only bullet point that matters is the first one. Some people care most about price/performance, and have their own room correction/EQ, therefore the 83xx monitors don't make sense for them.

If price/performance is very important to you, which it sounds like it is, I would stick to the 8000-series and its close competitors.
 

Grotti

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This spec is an average of 100hz to 3khz and the 8351B actually has 400W (250+150) and two drivers covering that range unlike the single one on the 8050B.

For bass, the "long term max SPL" spec is the one to look at. The IEC weighted noise is pink noise which is downsloping, so it's primarily testing the woofer, and it's 103dB for the 8351B vs 101dB for the 8050. Not that much difference.

However, the 8351B uses the same midrange/tweeter as the 8361A and it plays a LOT louder, 8-10dB. Depending on how bass heavy your music is, or if you're using a sub, there are cases where the 8351B will play a lot louder. It just depends.

8361-MAX-580x435.png




I mean we've talked about this in a zillion threads before. The differences are:
  • Coaxial
  • Incrementally smoother dispersion and flatter FR with no crossover dip/narrowing.
  • 3-way design, reduces overall distortion(imd), but unknown audibility
  • GLM/etc (you can get this from the 8350A too ofc)
"how much and is it worth it" is a personal choice, that's all it can ever be. Some people like me absolutely can't stand vertical changes in FR so the only bullet point that matters is the first one. Some people care most about price/performance, and have their own room correction/EQ, therefore the 83xx monitors don't make sense for them.

If price/performance is very important to you, which it sounds like it is, I would stick to the 8000-series and its close competitors.
Under normal use without a subwoofer there should be no difference in real life use between the two. For a quick comparison the overview at Genelecs homepage is quite helpful.

For a use with subwoofer(s) I would definitely look for the smaller models for there would be no need for the higher bass output of the bigger speakers.

It all comes down to the compromise of wanting to listen (close to) fullrange and having to integrate the devices in your apartment without turning your living room into a studio. And an apartment/flat is where most of the people in a bigger city in Western and central Europe live.

Of course a pair of 8351 highpass filtered to at least a pair of decent subwoofers would be endgame though (also regarding the price). But there are other threads here dealing with this....
 
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