Genelec 8341A SAM™ Studio Monitor Review

[Hifihedgehog]

Simply incredible. This has got to be the best measuring speaker that has hit the meters here by far. Now if we could just see a high SPL capable speaker with similarly insanely accurate and squeaky clean response, that will be certain to be graced by the top honor panther. Let’s just hope the high volume doesn’t rumble ol’ pinky off the top and make him headless.

 

[Dj7675]

I'm still working on refining the technique but I do plan to do a full write-up in the next couple of weeks if I can make it sound easy enough the average guy with measuring equipment should be able to follow it.

Look forward to the complete how to... in the meantime I had run across your posts at audioholics... the downloaded the document and found it immensely helpful in getting Audyssey to provide good results. Without that understanding it never sounded right to me.
https://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/audyssey-editor-app-with-screenshots.107579/page-17

 

[Jon AA]

Look forward to the complete how to... in the meantime I had run across your posts at audioholics... the downloaded the document and found it immensely helpful in getting Audyssey to provide good results. Without that understanding it never sounded right to me.
https://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/audyssey-editor-app-with-screenshots.107579/page-17

I'm glad you found that helpful. Getting the bass right is a big step in the right direction. Audyssey can do that very well with a few simple settings changes. The next one tackles the upper frequencies in a manor in which Audyssey wasn't designed to be used so it's a lot more complicated.

 

[Pio2001]

Sure, minimal phase IIR filters are causal, so without any pre-ringing. But as soon as you touch the phase..

So, the million-dollar question seems to be how do you correct phase without introducing any pre-ringing visible in step response?

I have slitted the discussion about pre-ringing here : https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ing-in-amplitude-and-phase-corrections.11696/

 

[restorer-john]

Unfortunately it is you who doesn't understand the concept of resonance.

@QMuse I suggest you go read this thread:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/when-i-worked-for-garrard.8232/

Then come back and apologize to @Frank Dernie.

 

[briskly]

Due to the translation/my bad English I cannot understand the train of thought. Can you describe this in more detail

I assumed you were modeling using a piston in infinite half-space. Its far-field pressure is:

P= 2π * f² * Vd * ρ / r

ρ is air density. SPL in SI units is then:

94 + 20 log (P)

 

[BYRTT]

Simply incredible. This has got to be the best measuring speaker that has hit the meters here by far. Now if we could just see a high SPL capable speaker with similarly insanely accurate and squeaky clean response, that will be certain to be graced by the top honor panther. Let’s just hope the high volume doesn’t rumble ol’ pinky off the top and make him headless.

Agree it looks nice, but not shure other than amirm's own C52 speaker if measurement was calibrated for NFS operating improvements as 8341A could enjoy, or C52 was rescanned then think we could see a SPL capable speaker with most fine curves too.

 

[soundwave76]

Simply incredible. This has got to be the best measuring speaker that has hit the meters here by far. Now if we could just see a high SPL capable speaker with similarly insanely accurate and squeaky clean response, that will be certain to be graced by the top honor panther.

Genelec released recently a new S360 monitor which is supposed to do just that

https://www.genelec.com/s360a

 

[Juhazi]

The S360 has compression driver in a deepish horn. It has much higher (and more rapidly increasing) directivity. Also higher spl capacity.

So designed for farfield monitoring and small scale PA installations.

https://assets.ctfassets.net/4zjnzn...f97a850d048f599e9734f49748e676/S360_opman.pdf

 

[hege]

The S360 has compression driver in a deepish horn. It has much higher (and more rapidly increasing) directivity. Also higher spl capacity.

So designed for farfield monitoring and small scale PA installations.

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/showpost.php?p=14094361

Minimum listening distance for the S360 is in fact 70...80 cm which is based on actual measurements of driver summation. Of course, it does not mean same as optimum distance. Based on our experience, their optimal listening distance is anywhere between 2 to 6 meters (or 6 to 20 feet). Frequency response summing wise you could go even closer than that, but the high SPL capability is better realised at longer distances. Their extended directivity waveguide allows better performance also at longer listening distances, but it does not mean they could not be used any closer.

 

[QMuse]

@QMuse I suggest you go read this thread:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/when-i-worked-for-garrard.8232/

Then come back and apologize to @Frank Dernie.

Let's stick to technical arguments please.

 

[tuga]

The S360 has compression driver in a deepish horn. It has much higher (and more rapidly increasing) directivity. Also higher spl capacity.

So designed for farfield monitoring and small scale PA installations.

https://assets.ctfassets.net/4zjnzn...f97a850d048f599e9734f49748e676/S360_opman.pdf

Isn't this a bit high?

Harmonic distortion at 95 dB SPL at 1 m on axis > 5 kHz < 1.5 %

 

[Purité Audio]

Perhaps we could have a ‘resonance’ sticky thread, as a non technical boomer who only gleans scraps of information from the interweb?
Keith

 

[Costas EAR]

The midrange drivers in my current setup are 12" - no small speakers in the house here

Maaaan speakers!
I wonder what kind of speakers you are using for bass and subsonic maybe?

 

[Wombat]

Let's stick to technical arguments please.

Feel free to put them forward and even expound upon them, validate them and explain them, clearly, as Frank does.

 

[Sancus]

The S360 has compression driver in a deepish horn. It has much higher (and more rapidly increasing) directivity. Also higher spl capacity.

Looking at the specs for that, it doesn't seem to get much louder than the 8361a does, and it gives up good vertical directivity too. It is somewhat cheaper than the 8361a. The larger main monitors, 1238A on up, certainly get extremely loud.

 

[andreasmaaan]

Maaaan speakers!
I wonder what kind of speakers you are using for bass and subsonic maybe?

The bass drivers are a pair of these. This actually a PA system, hence the excessive size lol.

 

[Frank Dernie]

@QMuse I suggest you go read this thread:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/when-i-worked-for-garrard.8232/

Then come back and apologize to @Frank Dernie.

Thanks for that but I have always been a grumpy bloke and now I am old too. I do not suffer fools so I ignored him the moment it was obvious he was determinedly wrong, so read nothing he has written since and would not see an apology.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Simply incredible. This has got to be the best measuring speaker that has hit the meters here by far. Now if we could just see a high SPL capable speaker with similarly insanely accurate and squeaky clean response, that will be certain to be graced by the top honor panther. Let’s just hope the high volume doesn’t rumble ol’ pinky off the top and make him headless.

This Genelec product specialist says that for larger rooms, speakers like the 8260A may be preferable to The Ones like 8351A:

"...in my opinion the 8351 is Genelec's best speaker to date, and i still stand by that... BUT that doesn't mean it is the best solution for everyone. The 8260 has more scale than the 8351, it has more extension and more output, typically in most rooms we install them into we are flat down below 20Hz... They are flexible in their mounting and horizontal placement is a viable solution due to the coax driver...

The Ones images like no other speakers i've heard, and the 8351's are by far my favourite "Ones"... but they don't do what 8260's do... A close friend of mine owns 8260's, so one day i eagerly visited him with a pair of 8351's to allow him to compare... side by side in his room which is massive, it is a factory space essentially, so L 25m x W 10m x H 6m. In this room the 51's couldn't compete with the 60's there was no contest....

Once i know more about your needs, what type of content you work on and what typical SPL you are monitoring at, i can give more specific advice. One thing to note, there has been much talk of the newer smaller ones 31's and 41's being superior to the 51's as they have more powerful processing and more filter choices, i totally discount this theory, i spend most of my life critically listening to all sorts of different installs and helping users exploit the most performance from their monitors.. The tech in the 8260's, 8351's and all the Genelec Main Monitors is well up to scratch..."

 

[Spocko]

I want to know which speakers use the Peerless BC25TG15 (measurements), it’s ~$30/pair (MSRP ~$50/pair) and the performance is outstanding for that price. For a woofer, the 5” SB Acoustics SB15NBAC30 (measurements) is also really good (~$140/pair), and so I assume their larger models are good as well.

Wouldn’t proper crossover design and baffle placement be equally important?