Genelec 8341A SAM™ Studio Monitor Review

[Sparky]

I use a mindspSHD for my sources.

I use a coax to AES/EBU converter (75ohm to 110ohm) to feed my Genelecs.
Works extremely well and completely blows away my £15k+ passive set up I used to have.

 

[stevenswall]

adaptors... does that not induce impedance issues/ reflections or such?

The adaptors are for that reason. They convert the connector and the impedance.

 

[Sparky]

I use the following with no issues whatsoever.

https://www.pennelcomonline.com/Mob...gle&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=UnitedKingdom

 

[testp]

Just had another setting get stuck on one of my 8341s, and this time a more insidious one -- the Stored switch. Was wondering why I was still seeing correction and a rolloff on one of my speakers after repositioning and turning that off, and it turns out it was just ignoring the switch position. GLM also showed the switch as being stuck on, whereas the other speaker would update properly when I flipped the switch. Fixed, again, by unplugging power to the speaker and holding down the power button for 10+ seconds.

Weird thing is that last time the other speaker was acting up, so they both seem to be affected equally. Pretty janky stuff for what is release software and hardware...

(I do still love the sound, but this was a particularly nasty issue -- I would not have known had I not manually checked with REW, and this imbalance would've messed up any external room correction solutions)

would these kind of accidents ever reset the speaker or KLM kit into full volume? i mean, my plan would be to use the remote to control GLM kit volume (not computer connected when listening), but have the settings saved in the speakers... it would be a hell-of-a-blast, if one of them would start to play at full volume or something...

 

[Sparky]

I was going to buy the SHD Studio but needed analogue input/output for my non Genelec subwoofers.

 

[Sparky]

would these kind of accidents ever reset the speaker or KLM kit into full volume? i mean, my plan would be to use the remote to control GLM kit volume (not computer connected when listening), but have the settings saved in the speakers... it would be a hell-of-a-blast, if one of them would start to play at full volume or something...

When setting up the GLM software, I set a maximum volume via the slider. I set mine to 90 decibels (after calibrating the SPL level). I have no fear of them playing above that.

Also, they have a protection feature which prevents such a thing. I trust it implicitly.

 

[testp]

thank you all!

i'll look into these.. i remember Allo hat had a bnc coax, was that not 110 ohm? so some simple converter there would work as well i guess,

but yeah if all solutions work perfectly anyway, then all will do the job

 

[Sparky]

thank you all!

i'll look into these.. i remember Allo hat had a bnc coax, was that not 110 ohm? so some simple converter there would work as well i guess,

but yeah if all solutions work perfectly anyway, then all will do the job

Ah yes, sorry. It is a BNC actually. Well spotted. . I basically used a BNC to COAX converter and installed it at the converter itself.

It works like a dream. These amazing monitors are designed for such purposes.

Think about it, in a studio, they use connectors and converters endlessly and they don't suffer any loss in audio quality.

The only concern to you when considering purchasing these monitors is your ROOM.

The room you place them in will be the deciding factor in the quality of the sound you ultimately hear.

My room (typical English lounge) is not perfect and my 8341's are not placed in a perfect symmetrical (one is in a corner for god's sake) but do they sound amazing? Yes they do!

 

[XpanD]

would these kind of accidents ever reset the speaker or KLM kit into full volume? i mean, my plan would be to use the remote to control GLM kit volume (not computer connected when listening), but have the settings saved in the speakers... it would be a hell-of-a-blast, if one of them would start to play at full volume or something...

I'm not entirely sure what caused my issues, but from their timing I'm guessing they were both related to making changes to the speakers' stored settings in GLM. For what it's worth, my speakers have been running without the GLM kit for about two months now, using stored settings (just to manage LEDs and standby time) without any issues.

I am keeping an eye on it, and will likely be hooking everything up again soon to play around with the new GLM 4.1 changes. If anything new happens, I'll be sure to post it here. I use an external volume control though (Marantz receiver, for the time being), so I'm not sure if any of my issues (or lack thereof) would apply to your intended setup.

 

[testp]

that's what i like about genelecs, they seem expensive at first, but given GLM kit is only ~360 & includes mic etc, it sums up as ok-budget.

i'm calculating sum of separates with room correction Dirac or Lingdorf even ( as separates are not bad as well) but still i seem to get to the same budget.

so im thinking why not keep it simple then, some genelecs and stream music into them...

only annoying little thing is the remote ( i know that type of a remote and it craps out in every way, you need to really push those buttons to work and etc) im hoping i can later try some other remote when programming it with the glm kit, if not...oh well it will do

 

[testp]

Ah yes, sorry. It is a BNC actually. Well spotted. . I basically used a BNC to COAX converter and installed it at the converter itself.

It works like a dream. These amazing monitors are designed for such purposes.

Think about it, in a studio, they use connectors and converters endlessly and they don't suffer any loss in audio quality.

The only concern to you when considering purchasing these monitors is your ROOM.

The room you place them in will be the deciding factor in the quality of the sound you ultimately hear.

My room (typical English lounge) is not perfect and my 8341's are not placed in a perfect symmetrical (one is in a corner for god's sake) but do they sound amazing? Yes they do!

no, you were right... BNC's are 75 Ohms, it was the RCA connector that was 50 Ohms...

ok, i have this problem solved now, either for perfection or longer runs i would need the converter

 

[Sparky]

no, you were right... BNC's are 75 Ohms, it was the RCA connector that was 50 Ohms...

ok, i have this problem solved now, either for perfection or longer runs i would need the converter

I wouldn't sell an Anthem STR pre-amp aswel as a multitude of other expensive bits of gear if I didn't think the 8341's were worth it.

The 8341's are totally worth it and you will definitely NOT regret the purchase.

Go active.....buy a good pre amp (there's a ton of reviews on here) as a source switcher/volume control and just sit back and enjoy.

 

[Mikk]

i have a question,

what do people use up-stream with genelecs to stream digital aes/ebu into the speakers?

all i found was raspberry hat from audiophonics that has aes/ebu output... i would not want to hook up a computer all the time, if i would get pair of genelecs

thanks!

A Lumin U1 mini works well, which is what I use. Dont get hung up on using digital input vs analog though, they’re both great. If you have a favourite DAC or pre-amp, you may prefer to use the analog input.

 

[richard12511]

Anyone tried GLM 4.1 yet. Supposedly features perfect phase/time alignment down to 100Hz for the Ones. If so, did you notice any difference?

 

[EchoChamber]

Anyone tried GLM 4.1 yet. Supposedly features perfect phase/time alignment down to 100Hz for the Ones. If so, did you notice any difference?

Nice! I haven’t tried yet… Is it released or still in beta?

 

[testp]

A Lumin U1 mini works well, which is what I use. Dont get hung up on using digital input vs analog though, they’re both great. If you have a favourite DAC or pre-amp, you may prefer to use the analog input.

agree, but i sold my dac a year ago, will start from scratch

 

[EchoChamber]

i have a question,

what do people use up-stream with genelecs to stream digital aes/ebu into the speakers?

all i found was raspberry hat from audiophonics that has aes/ebu output... i would not want to hook up a computer all the time, if i would get pair of genelecs

thanks!

I have 2 SAM pairs and on both I feed them USB converted to AES via a Matrix Audio X-SPDIF 2. Never had an issue and sound is super transparent. In my office space, I have a Pi running RoPieeeXL and on my main living room a MacOS system (PC build) feeding the X-PDIF through an element-H.

For those who care, all AES signals run on Supra DAC cable with Neutrik XLR connectors.

 

[EchoChamber]

agree, but i sold my dac a year ago, will start from scratch

I’ve subjectively compared between my Okto DAC8 feeding analog and digital straight from the computer and felt the presentation more transparent all digital. Unless you’re looking for a specific coloration to “enhance” the listening experience, I think you are better off staying all digital. Makes it for a much simpler system.

 

[mkt]

Anyone tried GLM 4.1 yet. Supposedly features perfect phase/time alignment down to 100Hz for the Ones. If so, did you notice any difference?

Also positive gain
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/glm-4.14955/post-847278

 

[richard12511]

Nice! I haven’t tried yet… Is it released or still in beta?

I think it's released. I just found this. Watching it now!

I really want to try it, but I don't want to mess up the near perfect subwoofer integration I have atm(time aligned with no nulls). I'll probably try eventually, but I'm guessing it will mess with the sub time/phase alignment, and I'll have to redo that with REW.

Edit: Wohoo they added the ability to add positive gain! That fixes my main gripe with GLM, so I'm a happy camper. While I agree with not boosting nulls, I like to add a general positive slope in the bass to maintain neutral timbre.