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Genelec 8341A SAM™ Studio Monitor Review

infinitesymphony

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I have a question about the gennies. I've observed that I like my Genelecs 8331s very close to my ear. 50cm much better than 100cm. Of course, I decrease the volume when I get closer, because I don't like loud music.

What does it mean with respect to my sound preferences?.
I gotchu, fam.

Genelec Headphones.jpg
 

echopraxia

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Still better than the RAAL.
I'm not up-to-date on RAAL's headphones, but despite a lot of people around here making fun of RAAL -- as someone who owns Revel Salon2's and Genelec 8351B's at least, I still maintain that RAAL's upper treble is among the best I've ever heard. I cannot say that any other speaker I've ever heard clearly outdoes it (Genelec/Neumann/Salon2 are probably the only speakers I've found that match it), and a LOT of well-regarded speakers leave a lot to be desired there. And this does show in the frequency response and dispersion measurements. (The only problem I've seen is the difficulty integrating it with other drivers, and some distortion of debatable audibility.)
 
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q3cpma

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I'm not up-to-date on RAAL's headphones, but despite a lot of people around here making fun of RAAL -- as someone who owns Revel Salon2's and Genelec 8351B's at least, I still maintain that RAAL's upper treble is among the best I've ever heard. I cannot say that any other speaker I've ever heard clearly outdoes it (Genelec/Neumann/Salon2 are probably the only speakers I've found that match it), and a LOT of well-regarded speakers leave a lot to be desired there. And this does show in the frequency response and dispersion measurements. (The only problem I've seen is the difficulty integrating it with other drivers, and some distortion of debatable audibility.)
I was only talking about the joke of a headphone reviewed recently, where you basically get a speaker stuck to your head with a prison door inbetween.
 

echopraxia

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I was only talking about the joke of a headphone reviewed recently, where you basically get a speaker stuck to your head with a prison door inbetween.
I’m still waiting for the model with one 12” subwoofer per ear.
 

infinitesymphony

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People have been playing subs with headphones for a long time to fill out the sound in deficient models, but I would wager that because headphones are not designed with respect to letting outside frequencies in evenly it would be difficult to cross them over with a smooth frequency response.

So, possible, but difficult unless you tune your unique setup yourself.
 

echopraxia

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People have been playing subs with headphones for a long time to fill out the sound in deficient models, but I would wager that because headphones are not designed with respect to letting outside frequencies in evenly it would be difficult to cross them over with a smooth frequency response.

So, possible, but difficult unless you tune your unique setup yourself.
It has nothing to do with deficient headphones. No headphone is capable of creating the full-body tactile sensation of bass, unless those "headphones" cover more than just the head :)
 

infinitesymphony

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It has nothing to do with deficient headphones. No headphone is capable of creating the full-body tactile sensation of bass, unless those "headphones" cover more than just the head :)
I hear ya. In that case, why not go for a bass shaker? Introduce the tactile portion without added frequency response.
 

echopraxia

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I hear ya. In that case, why not go for a bass shaker? Introduce the tactile portion without added frequency response.
At least one company is working on a wearable “shaker” product for headphone users: https://www.woojer.com/

I have not tried it, so I have no idea how closely it mimics “the real thing”, but it certainly is an interesting product idea.
 

Gnasherrr

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i have done some experiments with the idea lol. when i just received the speakers i put them like 40cm apart and listened to them like headphones. i wanted to examine the minimal listening distance claim and to my surprise i was getting center imaging even when my ears are located at or a little behind the the speaker faces
 

onion

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For stereo music playback with listening distance around 2.5m, which would be the better option for a room of around 4m wide by 5m long by 2.5m high:

8341a pair + 7050 subwoofer pair (I assume this will work with GLM)
8341a pair + single bigger sub
8351b pair
 

pozz

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8341a pair + 7050 subwoofer pair (I assume this will work with GLM)
I would go for this. It's the most balanced and, with GLM, easiest to get good sound across the whole range. With a single sub smooth bass will be more difficult to achieve. And as good as the 8351Bs are, they don't fill much of the bottom octave.
 

EchoChamber

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For stereo music playback with listening distance around 2.5m, which would be the better option for a room of around 4m wide by 5m long by 2.5m high:

8341a pair + 7050 subwoofer pair (I assume this will work with GLM)
8341a pair + single bigger sub
8351b pair
If you are going for a 2.1 setup I’d definitely get all components GLM native. It will work effortlessly together. The room correction is quite effective IME. You can always order the 8341A first and add the sub latter.

In my case, I wanted to keep my system minimal and not to dominate my living area too much and chose a pair of 8351B without the intention to add a sub. I considered the 8361A as well, but the extra bulk is significant and the Genelec/K&M Designs stands won’t support it.

My recommendation would still be a stereo pair of 8351B.
 
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