Genelec 8330A Review (Studio Monitor)

[sajgre]

Just a photo of my 8330 on a desk with 32' screen.

 

[bodhi]

I had been using 8330 + 7360 desktop setup for a while, but recently I got an good offer to upgrade to 8350. I took it, mostly because resale value as I didn't think it would be that big of an upgrade. I am amazed how much better the 8350 is in every conceivable way. Bass of course is on another level but also clarity, imaging and effortlessness at any volume. It's not just a "larger 8330". I also tried with the sub, but I don't feel it improves the sound much, if at all (for music at least).

As both setups are close in price I suggest trying the 8350 before making the decision. I'm pretty sure most would be disappointed if they happen to compare later on.

 

[sajgre]

I had been using 8330 + 7360 desktop setup for a while, but recently I got an good offer to upgrade to 8350. I took it, mostly because resale value as I didn't think it would be that big of an upgrade. I am amazed how much better the 8350 is in every conceivable way. Bass of course is on another level but also clarity, imaging and effortlessness at any volume. It's not just a "larger 8330". I also tried with the sub, but I don't feel it improves the sound much, if at all (for music at least).

As both setups are close in price I suggest trying the 8350 before making the decision. I'm pretty sure most would be disappointed if they happen to compare later on.

At what distance do you use them? In nearfield I don't see much reason why bass would be on another level if you compare 8350 with 8330+7360, clarity should be the same unless 8330 were struggling with spl, imaging shouldn't be better, effortlessness makes sense but even that only at higher volume.

 

[bodhi]

At what distance do you use them? In nearfield I don't see much reason why bass would be on another level if you compare 8350 with 8330+7360, clarity should be the same unless 8330 were struggling with spl, imaging shouldn't be better, effortlessness makes sense but even that only at higher volume.

Distance of 80-90cm with moderate volume, 75-85dB.

As I said, I had no reason to believe it would be that much better. I think it's plausible that I would imagine the clarity and more detailed image, but the bass having more physical, tight slam even at moderate volume? I don't think so.

Anyways, I think both options are still excellent and if one is using the system also for movies or gaming then I think the subwoofer setup is better. Also, opinions can vary and of course setup with 8330 and non-Genelec sub like SVS SB-1000 is quite a bit cheaper than 8350s.

 

[Trell]

Distance of 80-90cm with moderate volume, 75-85dB.

As I said, I had no reason to believe it would be that much better. I think it's plausible that I would imagine the clarity and more detailed image, but the bass having more physical, tight slam even at moderate volume? I don't think so.

Anyways, I think both options are still excellent and if one is using the system also for movies or gaming then I think the subwoofer setup is better. Also, opinions can vary and of course setup with 8330 and non-Genelec sub like SVS SB-1000 is quite a bit cheaper than 8350s.

One big advantage of a subwoofer is that you can place it to have a better combined bass response, and of course, deeper and more powerful bass. In my case the monitors have essentially one placement while the subwoofer has more leeway. Below is from the GLM report of calibration of my 2.1 setup at my home office, and I decided on a crossover at 95 Hz. Do note that the crossover slope that Genelec uses is a steep 48dB/octave.

With GLM I can quickly turn bass management on/off and to me it sounds much better with bass management on.

 

[rmsanger]

Just got back from my local pro audio store and they had this exact setup for sale:

8330l se triple sam

two 8330A monitors
7350A subwoofer
GLM 2.0 user kit
9310A volume controller

Genelec 8330.LSE Triple SAM Active Studio Monitor Bundle

Monitoring bundle featuring two 8330A monitors, one 7350A subwoofer, and GLM V2.0 user kit with volume control

vintageking.com

Essentially it was their demo model for the past 18 months and they were asking 2000.

Is this a decent price for demo/used ? Anybody have experience with this exact setup? Just wondering your thoughts or feedback on it's performance in near field (2.5 feet) in a 8x11 foot untreated bedroom.

 

[Sancus]

Essentially it was their demo model for the past 18 months and they were asking 2000.

Is this a decent price for demo/used ? Anybody have experience with this exact setup? Just wondering your thoughts or feedback on it's performance in near field (2.5 feet) in a 8x11 foot untreated bedroom.

Yeah that's a decent price. Used but good condition & current gen Genelecs often sell for 60-70% of new.

 

[Walter]

I'd say that is a VERY good price!

 

[bodhi]

Just got back from my local pro audio store and they had this exact setup for sale:

8330l se triple sam

two 8330A monitors
7350A subwoofer
GLM 2.0 user kit
9310A volume controller

Genelec 8330.LSE Triple SAM Active Studio Monitor Bundle

Monitoring bundle featuring two 8330A monitors, one 7350A subwoofer, and GLM V2.0 user kit with volume control

vintageking.com

Essentially it was their demo model for the past 18 months and they were asking 2000.

Is this a decent price for demo/used ? Anybody have experience with this exact setup? Just wondering your thoughts or feedback on it's performance in near field (2.5 feet) in a 8x11 foot untreated bedroom.

I think the price is about normal. Not like a huge deal you have to rush into, but I would take it if I needed those items.

About performance: having experience with also that setup I know it is subwoofer limited. I don't remember actual measurements but I remember looking at the GLM ui the sub was hitting it's limit long before the speakers at high(ish) volume. Probably not a problem for most people, but if you already know you like to rock hard sometimes then you might not be 100% satisfied.

 

[sajgre]

I think the price is about normal. Not like a huge deal you have to rush into, but I would take it if I needed those items.

About performance: having experience with also that setup I know it is subwoofer limited. I don't remember actual measurements but I remember looking at the GLM ui the sub was hitting it's limit long before the speakers at high(ish) volume. Probably not a problem for most people, but if you already know you like to rock hard sometimes then you might not be 100% satisfied.

That is true, sub is the limit but it gets very loud in nearfield. I can imagine someone wanting more but not very often.

 

[Trell]

That is true, sub is the limit but it gets very loud in nearfield. I can imagine someone wanting more but not very often.

I exchanged the 7350 with the 7360 for my desktop setup. The 7350 is tiny, after all, with its 8 inch woofer.

 

[Scielienta]

I exchanged the 7350 with the 7360 for my desktop setup. The 7350 is tiny, after all, with its 8 inch woofer.

How is the 7360, do you liking so far? And is it big jump after 7350?

 

[Trell]

How is the 7360, do you liking so far? And is it big jump after 7350?

The 7360 is great for my desktop usage. As I recall the biggest difference was when playing loudly with bass heavy content. If you’re not playing so loudly there shouldn’t be so much difference near field for most content.

Both subwoofers extends the bass in a nice way, and with a subwoofer you have more options for placement to have a better overall bass.

A big jump in sound quality is to use GLM for room EQ

 

[Roolieman]

I've decided to get 8330a + glm, and add 7350a later eventually. For room of 10m2 it should be ok.
Idea is to use digital path from laptop, sometimes optical from TV.
Can someone recommend D/D usb > aes/ebu converter, preferably with optical input also. Budget is ~600EUR.

 

[juliangst]

I've decided to get 8330a + glm, and add 7350a later eventually. For room of 10m2 it should be ok.
Idea is to use digital path from laptop, sometimes optical from TV.
Can someone recommend D/D usb > aes/ebu converter, preferably with optical input also. Budget is ~600EUR.

I don’t know of any aes converters that also have spdif inputs.

I would probably get the Bluesound node which has a HDMI input for a TV and an optical input for a PC.

You can use any digital source that has a coaxial output and use a coax to XLR cable. Genelecs should work without an impedance adapter as far as I know.

 

[KaLam1ty]

You can use any digital source that has a coaxial output and use a coax to XLR cable. Genelecs should work without an impedance adapter as far as I know.

Yep, I can confirm it works just fine for domestic setting. I currently do this with my MiniDSP SHD Coax Out to the 8361A's and have had zero issues.

I remember discussing this concern directly with Paul from Genelec and he mentioned it's a common solution that is totally fine. There should be zero issues, as long as your first run from the digi source isn't going like.... room-to-room, i.e. in-wall solutions, profession environment, etc...

 

[juliangst]

I forgot about the MiniDSP stuff. The Flex digital should also be a good alternative if one doesn't need the streaming capabilities of the bluesound node

 

[Roolieman]

Bit on the expensive side, but it has everything I need, plus get a streamer in the box.

Cambridge Audio CXN V2 Network Player Review

James Michael Hughes samples this neat and affordable network streamer and DAC…

www.stereonet.com

Has anyone tried CXN v2 with Genelecs?

 

[dave999z]

Given that the 8330A converts the sample rate of incoming AES digital audio to 48kHz before performing DSP (e.g., crossover, high-pass filter, room correction, etc.) on it, is there any point in feeding it a 96kHz or 192kHz AES signal?

E.g., if I have a hi-res source that's 24bit/192kHz and have the choice of sending it out of my Mac (via my audio interface, which has AES outputs) to the 8330A at 48kHz or at 192kHz, is there any difference between doing the sample rate conversion in my Mac versus doing it in the 8330A? Is the sample rate conversion in the 8330A somehow different or better?

Thanks in advance for any info, and forgive my somewhat limited present understanding of this. Trying to learn.

 

[unpluggged]

is there any point in feeding it a 96kHz or 192kHz AES signal?

No. The SRC is there for convenience and compatibility.