Genelec 8341A SAM™ Studio Monitor Review

[samysound]

Here's how the 8351 performs (measured by Sound&Recording). The blue line is the RMS SPL at which the speaker produces 10% THD, and the red line is the RMS SPL at which it produces 3% THD.

You can infer from its smaller woofer radiating area that the 8341 will be somewhat more limited in the bass. It should be more or less identical above 500Hz.

View attachment 87880

should note that this data is for the 8351A. I believe the more recent 8351B and 8341A models have higher power amps and redesigned drivers

 

[Pearljam5000]

Can you compare 8361A to 1237A? Which one sounds bigger? Which one is better in general?

 

[onion]

I have just received a pair of 8341s with a single 7350a sub. This seems to put out more than 10db more than a pair of 8341s alone (108db vs 95/96db). The latter combination would turn red above 96dB). With the sub, I haven't hit the red zone yet. So the big benefit is for SPL and headroom.

In terms of freq response, the room seems to have a nasty mode at around 28Hz. This ends up causing a dip that GLM can't fully correct at around 85-90Hz. This is there with and without the sub. I think I'll need some bass trap management to tame this a bit.

Subjectively, the system sounds amazing. V happy with the purchase

 

[o7_brother]

In terms of freq response, the room seems to have a nasty mode at around 28Hz. This ends up causing a dip that GLM can't fully correct at around 85-90Hz. This is there with and without the sub. I think I'll need some bass trap management to tame this a bit.

Have you tried moving the sub around?

Also, what are the room's dimensions?

 

[onion]

Yes - I tried 6 different places including an open area away from walls/ corners. The modal peak is there with all of them - currently in a place where the magnitude, though significant, is least. The room is around 4m by 5m by 2.6m with an acoustically absorbent ceiling (BASWA). The rear wall is a bay window, behind heavy velvet drapes.

 

[samysound]

I have just received a pair of 8341s with a single 7350a sub. This seems to put out more than 10db more than a pair of 8341s alone (108db vs 95/96db). The latter combination would turn red above 96dB). With the sub, I haven't hit the red zone yet. So the big benefit is for SPL and headroom.

In terms of freq response, the room seems to have a nasty mode at around 28Hz. This ends up causing a dip that GLM can't fully correct at around 85-90Hz. This is there with and without the sub. I think I'll need some bass trap management to tame this a bit.

Subjectively, the system sounds amazing. V happy with the purchase

What freq and slope have you used to high pass the 8341 and at what distance did you measure the spl? I have a pair of 8341 along with a pair of svs subs on order and plan to set them up in a room of similar size. Glad to hear about the added headroom with the subwoofer

 

[Pearljam5000]

I have a general question
You can get the 8341 and a sub, or the 8351 without a sub for about the same budget I guess.
Obviously 8341 will perform great because the sub takes care of the lowest end... And the system will probably have more bass than the 8351 without sub, but it's still a smaller monitor than the 8351.
So.. Basically what I'm asking is, will the 8341 with a sub will sound smaller than the 8351 without a sub?

 

[onion]

What freq and slope have you used to high pass the 8341 and at what distance did you measure the spl? I have a pair of 8341 along with a pair of svs subs on order and plan to set them up in a room of similar size. Glad to hear about the added headroom with the subwoofer

It's on the default setting which I think is 85Hz. I don't know the slope. The listening distance is 3m. I'm very pleased with the stereo imaging at this distance which I thought might have got compromised (based on Genelec's chart of direct: reverberant sound).

So.. Basically what I'm asking is, will the 8341 with a sub will sound smaller than the 8351 without a sub?

I never got to audition the 8351b so can't answer this.
I was pretty happy to go with the 8341 based on my subjective impressions and Amir's measurements here. I never encountered his problem with low volume before going red.

 

[q3cpma]

I have a general question
You can get the 8341 and a sub, or the 8351 without a sub for about the same budget I guess.
Obviously 8341 will perform great because the sub takes care of the lowest end... And the system will probably have more bass than the 8351 without sub, but it's still a smaller monitor than the 8351.
So.. Basically what I'm asking is, will the 8341 with a sub will sound smaller than the 8351 without a sub?

I was going to say that directivity control is lower for the 8351, but it's isn't! Strangely, the 8351B is a downgrade compared to the 8351A too; it's especially visible in the vertical directivity plot:

 

[andreasmaaan]

I was going to say that directivity control is lower for the 8351, but it's isn't! Strangely, the 8351B is a downgrade compared to the 8351A too; it's especially visible in the vertical directivity plot:

Doesn't look like a downgrade to me. The horizontal is significantly smoother, with reduced waistbanding and the widening of directivity beginning higher in frequency. And the vertical just looks different, not worse.

 

[richard12511]

I was going to say that directivity control is lower for the 8351, but it's isn't! Strangely, the 8351B is a downgrade compared to the 8351A too; it's especially visible in the vertical directivity plot:

That is strange. What do you think is causing that? The 8351b does seem to have the most consistent horizontal beam inside the circled regions, which is an important part of the spectrum. Same with the vertical, but it's closer there. It is strange that the directivity control is lower on the older - and smaller - models, but the 8351b does look to have the most controlled and even beam.

 

[ElNino]

I was going to say that directivity control is lower for the 8351, but it's isn't! Strangely, the 8351B is a downgrade compared to the 8351A too; it's especially visible in the vertical directivity plot:

These plots may not have been taken using the same measurement rig. It looks like they may have updated their measurement rig after the 8351A plot was produced.

 

[andreasmaaan]

That is strange. What do you think is causing that?

Are you talking about the slight narrowing of direcitivity that tends to occur around the bottom of the tweeter's passband?

 

[q3cpma]

Doesn't look like a downgrade to me. The horizontal is significantly smoother, with reduced waistbanding and the widening of directivity beginning higher in frequency. And the vertical just looks different, not worse.

Even if ignoring the 8351A, the difference with the 8341A is baffling by itself.

 

[andreasmaaan]

Even if ignoring the 8351A, the difference with the 8341A is baffling by itself.

The difference between the 8341A and the 8351A?

Keep in mind they use different coaxial units (a 90mm model on the 8341 and a 120mm model on the 8351). And the baffle dimensions and distances to the woofer ports are different too.

 

[q3cpma]

The difference between the 8341A and the 8351A?

Keep in mind they use different coaxial units (a 90mm model on the 8341 and a 120mm model on the 8351). And the baffle dimensions and distances to the woofer ports are different too.

Yes, but was I really mistaken in expecting better from the 8351B?

 

[richard12511]

Are you talking about the slight narrowing of direcitivity that tends to occur around the bottom of the tweeter's passband?

I was asking about the 300-500Hz range. The newer model seems to go omni at a slightly higher frequency, and given they're the same exact size, with very similar design, I was just curious what's causing that.

I agree with you that the 8351b does seem to have the smoothest dispersion of the three, especially so in the horizontal.

 

[richard12511]

Yes, but was I really mistaken in expecting better from the 8351B?

The 8351b does look smoother, though, which is the most important difference(imo). I don't think it's reasonable to expect huge improvements at this level of performance.

 

[q3cpma]

The 8351b does look smoother, though, which is the most important difference(imo). I don't think it's reasonable to expect huge improvements at this level of performance.

I don't really know if it's an important difference when the 8341A is already quite smooth, except for its vertical "sideburns". On the other hand, I've always seen people rave about the clean bass of cardioid designs like Kii, D&D or MEG.

 

[Pearljam5000]

What's more important to me (and confusing) is:
8260A :
23 Hz - 40 kHz ("-6 db")
8361A:
Response
30 Hz - 43 kHz (-6dB)

You would expect the newer model to go lower, or at least as low as the older model.