Genelec 8330A Review (Studio Monitor)

[Neadych]

@Neadych because music is transients

However, there are models where these values are almost the same, and the output power is greater than the sum of the amplifiers.

 

[Kyle_PL]

I think it's better to look at measurements of THD@SPL@frequency (than Watts of aplifiers).

I used to have 8330+7350, upgraded to 8340 and later the sub to 7360. Been thinking that I should've upgraded to dual 7350 instead for stereo bass.

There is no "STEREO" under ~80Hz. Genelec 7360A is cheaper than 2x7350A, and Gen. 7360A are louder (109dB), and deeper (lower freq. reproduction) than pair of 7350A (107dB).

 

[HiMu]

I think it's better to look at measurements of THD@SPL@frequency (than Watts of aplifiers).

There is no "STEREO" under ~80Hz. Genelec 7360A is cheaper than 2x7350A, and Gen. 7360A are louder (109dB), and deeper (lower freq. reproduction) than pair of 7350A (107dB).

Ok...

 

[dagfinn]

There is no "STEREO" under ~80Hz.

 

[AnalogSteph]

There is no "STEREO" under ~80Hz.

Place a sub in nearfield right next to you, and you may be surprised at how localizable bass can be after all. So the underlying assumptions behind your statement do not necessarily apply to every setup, and in the context of nearfield Genelecs it is worth checking whether they do.

 

[Kyle_PL]

Place a sub in nearfield right next to you, and you may be surprised at how localizable bass can be after all.

I have tested this on speakers. Play 65Hz sinus (quiet, on high quality speakers, in nearfield for very low distortion {THD under 1% at 65Hz}), and you may be suprised how non localizable bass can be after all, when you will turning off one channel.

 

[HiMu]

I have tested this on speakers. Play 65Hz sinus (quiet, on high quality speakers, in nearfield for very low distortion {THD under 1% at 65Hz}), and you may be suprised how non localizable bass can be after all, when you will turning off one channel.

You don't mention a significant part of that test: Is your listening space able to reproduce low frequency spatial information. There's a graph in GRADE report called Early vs. late sound ratio, at what frequency the early and late lines have more than 3dB difference? It is not just about the speakers capabilities, but speakers + room as a system.

 

[KoDo]

There is no "STEREO" under ~80Hz. Genelec 7360A is cheaper than 2x7350A, and Gen. 7360A are louder (109dB), and deeper (lower freq. reproduction) than pair of 7350A (107dB).

Pair of 7350 is 110 dB not 107 dB.
According to Neumann manual Setting up Studio Monitors:
Increased low-frequency output capacity compared to one subwoofer:

• 2 subs → +6.0 dB SPL
• 3 subs → +9.5 dB SPL
• 4 subs → +12.0 dB SPL

My recommendation is to put biggest subwoofers and mains that can feet in your space and are within your budget.

 

[Kyle_PL]

Pair of 7350 is 110 dB not 107 dB.

But why? Doubling speakers, always give +3dB (it's like doubling power, eg. 100W -> 200W = +3dB). Why doubling subwoofers, give +6dB?

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[KoDo]

But why? Doubling speakers, always give +3dB (it's like doubling power, eg. 100W -> 200W = +3dB). Why doubling subwoofers, give +6dB?

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Because the dB scale is logarithmic, doubling the power results in a 3 dB increase. When two sources are combined, the sound pressure (amplitude) also doubles, adding another 3 dB—for a total of 6 dB.

In real rooms, however, the SPL increase is usually between +3 dB and +6 dB, depending on:

• how close the subwoofers are placed to each other,
• whether they are in phase, and
• the acoustics of the room (reflections, resonances, standing waves).

That said, you generally need about +10 dB SPL for the sound to be perceived as twice as loud.

In my case, I have two 7350s with about 1.2 m spacing between them and a driver‑to‑driver distance of roughly 1.55 m.

With a 70 Hz crossover, I achieve near‑ideal summation (more than +5 dB) at the main listening position—the arrivals are time‑aligned by GLM, and the path lengths to the seat are nearly equal. In GLM, I’ve applied –5.5 dB of Level Compensation to each subwoofer.

The system now sounds much bigger compared to when I used a 100 Hz crossover.

 

[Kyle_PL]

The system now sounds much bigger compared to when I used a 100 Hz crossover.

I don't remember differences between 65Hz vs 100Hz crossover in term of "size of the sound", when I was testing it. Only subwoofer giving little more heat on higher cutoff if I good remember I have one Genelec 7350A+2x8330A, so I leave 65Hz (Im affraid of "monofonization" of bass at ~95Hz, when crossover is at 100Hz, when I have one subwoofer)

In Your case, You can do that (100Hz crossover, and one subwoofer only channel A, and second subwoofer only channel B, and putting sub A under speaker A, and sub B under speaker B. Balance of load (subwoofers - speakers) should be more optimal, and You will have stereo at ~95Hz.

 

[KoDo]

I don't remember differences between 65Hz vs 100Hz crossover in term of "size of the sound", when I was testing it.

That’s interesting — in my case the difference between crossovers was quite noticeable. With most of the music I listen to, the two 7350s actually turn out to be the weaker link in the system. On bass‑heavy tracks (e.g., Alex Serra – Outter Space), I can still trigger the red clipping indicator on the pair of 7350s at 85 Hz.

When I drop the crossover to 70 Hz, though, the system retains some extra headroom at the same SPL (around 90 dB+ at 1.6 m). My guess is that the 8331s are then carrying more of the stereo‑encoded upper‑bass (80–200 Hz), while the subs are relieved of that load. The result is both the impression of greater headroom and a sound that feels “bigger.”

Another factor could be array behavior: the two 7350s are spaced at close to one‑quarter wavelength at 70 Hz, so they may be reinforcing each other at the crossover point, which would also contribute to the sense of scale.

In Your case, You can do that (100Hz crossover, and one subwoofer only channel A, and second subwoofer only channel B, and putting sub A under speaker A, and sub B under speaker B. Balance of load (subwoofers - speakers) should be more optimal, and You will have stereo at ~95Hz.

I’ve also tried your suggestion of running a 100 Hz crossover with one sub per channel (A under speaker A, B under speaker B). In my room, though, the lower crossover still integrates better overall, so I’ve stuck with 70 Hz.

 

[Kyle_PL]

I listen to, the two 7350s actually turn out to be the weaker link in the system. On bass‑heavy tracks (e.g., Alex Serra – Outter Space), I can still trigger the red clipping indicator on the pair of 7350s at 85 Hz.

When I drop the crossover to 70 Hz, though, the system retains some extra headroom at the same SPL (around 90 dB+ at 1.6 m)

In term "big sound" i dont have on my mind max headroom/SPL without clipping. I was thinking about sound perception at levels where theres no overload.

If We are talking about max SPL for whole system, and "balance of load" between speakers and sub(s) in this system, of course We should select always adequate subwoofer(s) (in term of headroom) to adequate speakers (... in term of headroom) ... and select optimal crossover (lower freq. when we have weaker subwoofer, and higher freq. when we have weaker speakers).