Genelec 8341A SAM™ Studio Monitor Review

[infinitesymphony]

There's no question that the 8341A is the better speaker but if we're comparing apples to apples using Genelec's charts, the 8341A is only rated 2 dB RMS higher than the 8331A at ~3.5m, at a cost of an extra $1,690/pair.

 

[q3cpma]

There's no question that the 8341A is the better speaker but if we're comparing apples to apples using Genelec's charts, the 8341A is only rated 2 dB RMS higher than the 8331A at ~3.5m, at a cost of an extra $1,690/pair.

You do gain 6 dB of peaks, though.

 

[Sprint]

Just listened to Van Halen’s Jump at loud volume, louder would be hurting my ears I guess.

With an iPhone db meter it was around 85-87 db with a peak of 90,6 at my listening position (3 meters) with my current speakers.

The War on drugs Thinking of a place playing fairly loud but acceptable averaged at 78db with peaks of 83db. Loud enough!

If the 8331 could deliver that same performance, I’m in.

I have 8340 as LCR at 3,5 meters and sounds fantastic with GLM.

 

[Sancus]

Something to consider other than headroom is that directivity control improves as you go larger, as does smoothness, at least until the 8351B. The 8361A controls directivity lower but isn't as smooth as the 8351B.

Contour maps for all of The Ones

Spoiler

 

[Puddingbuks]

This is what I love about ASR. Knowlegde, facts, measurements. People who help eachother.

I can buy a second hand pair of 8331’s, so that’s why I’m leaning towards this model. The 8341 is without a doubt better - bigger and more powerful.

 

[q3cpma]

This is what I love about ASR. Knowlegde, facts, measurements. People who help eachother.

I can buy a second hand pair of 8331’s, so that’s why I’m leaning towards this model. The 8341 is without a doubt better - bigger and more powerful.

Well, just don't be suprised when you have problems with an "ultra-nearfield" speaker at a distance greater than 3 m.

 

[Puddingbuks]

Another option on my radar: Focal trio 6.

Anyone ever heard these or even better, compared them to the genelec 8331 or 8341?

 

[q3cpma]

Another option on my radar: Focal trio 6.

Anyone ever heard these or even better, compared them to the genelec 8331 or 8341?

https://www.soundandrecording.de/equipment/focal-trio11-be-−-midfield-monitor-im-test/

tl;dr not playing on the same level as Neumann and Genelec

You could consider the KH310A, if the 8341A is too expensive for you.

 

[infinitesymphony]

You could consider the KH310A, if the 8341A is too expensive for you.

I didn't want to be the first one to say it because I often make this same value call (and probably already have earlier in this thread). KH310As are a lot more speaker for the money, especially without a sub.

The benefit of getting the 8331s second-hand is that they'll either work out okay, or they can be flipped for around the same price. If they don't work there will be a better sense of how much larger to go in terms of "do I need more average volume," "do I need more peak volume," or "wow, I need a lot more volume in every sense of the word."

 

[richard12511]

I didn't want to be the first one to say it because I often make this same value call (and probably already have earlier in this thread). KH310As are a lot more speaker for the money, especially without a sub.

The benefit of getting the 8331s second-hand is that they'll either work out okay, or they can be flipped for around the same price. If they don't work there will be a better sense of how much larger to go in terms of "do I need more average volume," "do I need more peak volume," or "wow, I need a lot more volume in every sense of the word."

I agree. I think the KH310 is probably a better value for someone who's worried about volume or is in a large space.

 

[Puddingbuks]

https://www.soundandrecording.de/equipment/focal-trio11-be-−-midfield-monitor-im-test/
tl;dr not playing on the same level as Neumann and Genelec

You could consider the KH310A, if the 8341A is too expensive for you.

Do the focals also use dsp to straighten the frequency response like genelec does?

 

[q3cpma]

Do the focals also use dsp to straighten the frequency response like genelec does?

No, they don't. But the directivity itself isn't great at all, and can't be solved with EQ.

 

[Pearljam5000]

How is possible that the 8030C scores higher with a sub than the 8341A with a sub?

 

[thewas]

Probably because ON is a bit smoother:

Above graph is made by the great Loudspeaker Explorer from @edechamps

 

[tomtrp]

https://www.soundandrecording.de/equipment/focal-trio11-be-−-midfield-monitor-im-test/

tl;dr not playing on the same level as Neumann and Genelec

You could consider the KH310A, if the 8341A is too expensive for you.

Note that the on axis frequency response of Trio 11 BE from soundandrecording is measured at 4m, not 1m.

 

[Puddingbuks]

I can get the 8341a for about the same price as the (older) 8351a. Both new.

Which model would you prefer?

Or should I sell one nut and go for the 8351b?

Three generations of the coax driver, 8351a (1), 8341a (2) and 8351b (3). And the 51s got the 1 inch tweeter I believe.

What I found about the coax driver:

Here is a short list of changes between the 1st and 3rd generation coax drivers.

• neodymium magnet vs. ferrite which reduces the mass of the driver
• 1 inch tweeter vs. 3/4" which leads to higher SPL capability but also larger bandwidth (up to 43 kHz)
• larger voice coil to provide more power handling as well as help to drive the cone from an optimum position
• lower woofer to mid crossover (470 Hz to 320 Hz)
• higher mid to tweeter crossover (2600 Hz to 2800 Hz)
• better overall performance, lower distortion
• better manufacturability and tighter tolerances

 

[Pearljam5000]

I can get the 8341a for about the same price as the (older) 8351a. Both new.

Which model would you prefer?

Or should I sell one nut and go for the 8351b?

Three generations of the coax driver, 8351a (1), 8341a (2) and 8351b (3). And the 51s got the 1 inch tweeter I believe.

What I found about the coax driver:

Sell the nut and go for 8351B

 

[jonfitch]

I can get the 8341a for about the same price as the (older) 8351a. Both new.

Which model would you prefer?

Or should I sell one nut and go for the 8351b?

Three generations of the coax driver, 8351a (1), 8341a (2) and 8351b (3). And the 51s got the 1 inch tweeter I believe.

What I found about the coax driver:

Have you looked at the dimensions of these speakers? "The Ones" aren't that tall, but boy are they thick. If you plan to use these on stands I would recommend you look at the measurements. The 8351s especially are wider than probably most of the floorstanders on the market these days.

I would prefer the 51s but I'm debating 31 vs 41 at this point. The 41s are wider than my Kef Reference 1s which are like 3-4x the volume of the 8341s. It's amazing just how fat these speakers are, and that makes me worried about how wobbly they will be on standard speaker stands.

 

[Puddingbuks]

I would prefer the 51s but I'm debating 31 vs 41 at this point. The 41s are wider than my Kef Reference 1s which are like 3-4x the volume of the 8341s. It's amazing just how fat these speakers are, and that makes me worried about how wobbly they will be on standard speaker stands.

What are your pros en cons of the 31 vs 41?

I would not worry about wobbly stands. Genelec offers multiple stands and wallmounts:

 

[soundwave76]

Think also about 8331 + 7350. Much nicer on a desktop setup. I went with this, since 8341 are just too huge imo for nearfield desktop setup.