• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Genelec 8351B W371A review

ferrellms

Active Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2019
Messages
296
Likes
254

Probably paywalled

A quote -
Following my time with the 8351B at home, I decamped to Metropolis Studios to hear the combination of the 8351B and W371A in the Studio B control room. The system had been previously set up by Genelec, with GLM 4.1 configured to provide a few system response and dispersion options. Of course, being dropped into a less familiar environment to listen to an unusual monitoring system makes any definitive conclusion difficult to draw. Having said that, however, the experience left me with little doubt that the 8351B/W371A system is extraordinary. Bass bandwidth and level available from the W371A seemed subjectively unlimited, perfectly integrated with the midrange, and flawless in terms of pitch and dynamics. I listened to a wide variety of old favourites via Tidal, a couple of which I’d both mixed and played bass on, and heard countless elements that I’d simply never previously noticed: everything from new perspectives on how, say, reverbs integrate with the stereo image, to hearing significant instrumental or vocal performance details that I’d simply never been aware of before. It was seriously addictive.
 

Pearljam5000

Master Contributor
Joined
Oct 12, 2020
Messages
5,125
Likes
5,355

Probably paywalled

A quote -
Following my time with the 8351B at home, I decamped to Metropolis Studios to hear the combination of the 8351B and W371A in the Studio B control room. The system had been previously set up by Genelec, with GLM 4.1 configured to provide a few system response and dispersion options. Of course, being dropped into a less familiar environment to listen to an unusual monitoring system makes any definitive conclusion difficult to draw. Having said that, however, the experience left me with little doubt that the 8351B/W371A system is extraordinary. Bass bandwidth and level available from the W371A seemed subjectively unlimited, perfectly integrated with the midrange, and flawless in terms of pitch and dynamics. I listened to a wide variety of old favourites via Tidal, a couple of which I’d both mixed and played bass on, and heard countless elements that I’d simply never previously noticed: everything from new perspectives on how, say, reverbs integrate with the stereo image, to hearing significant instrumental or vocal performance details that I’d simply never been aware of before. It was seriously addictive.
It's open for me
 

echopraxia

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 25, 2019
Messages
1,109
Likes
2,696
Location
California
They could at least send the 8361A
Amir has been in possession of one of my 8361A’s (my future center channel) for a few weeks now, so it’s coming! I assume he is working his way through the queue of other speakers he’s received, but I don’t know where exactly the 8361A is in that queue (so if you’re curious, you’ll have to ask him :) ).
 

Pearljam5000

Master Contributor
Joined
Oct 12, 2020
Messages
5,125
Likes
5,355
Amir has been in possession of one of my 8361A’s (my future center channel) for a few weeks now, so it’s coming! I assume he is working his way through the queue of other speakers he’s received, but I don’t know where exactly the 8361A is in that queue (so if you’re curious, you’ll have to ask him :) ).
Thanks for the great news, and obviously for sending it to him:)
 

Sancus

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Nov 30, 2018
Messages
2,923
Likes
7,616
Location
Canada
Amir has been in possession of one of my 8361A’s (my future center channel) for a few weeks now, so it’s coming! I assume he is working his way through the queue of other speakers he’s received, but I don’t know where exactly the 8361A is in that queue (so if you’re curious, you’ll have to ask him :) ).

@amirm move this one to the front of the line ;)
 

richard12511

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Messages
4,335
Likes
6,700
Amir has been in possession of one of my 8361A’s (my future center channel) for a few weeks now, so it’s coming! I assume he is working his way through the queue of other speakers he’s received, but I don’t know where exactly the 8361A is in that queue (so if you’re curious, you’ll have to ask him :) ).

Fantastic! Thanks for sending it in! I really look forward to the results. I'm guessing Amir will enjoy the 118dB output :). Also interested to see how much lower it can maintain directivity control than the 8351.
 

Pearljam5000

Master Contributor
Joined
Oct 12, 2020
Messages
5,125
Likes
5,355
And then he needs to measure 1236& 1238 :)
FB_IMG_1634866280117.jpg
rsldgzm11piotys8yihk.jpg
FB_IMG_1634866262599.jpg
 

echopraxia

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 25, 2019
Messages
1,109
Likes
2,696
Location
California
What's taking him so long? ;)
He probably has a room full of speakers sent to him that he has yet to test, and so perhaps he is testing them in order of arrival, to be respectful of all the others who are also waiting after having sent their speakers in?

I’m excited to see the results too, but I knew before I sent it that there was a line and it would be a while. @amirm has been posting >1 review per week lately, so I hardly think we can ask for much more :)
 
Last edited:

Cadguy

Active Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2021
Messages
101
Likes
128
Echo, may I ask you your opinion if the 8361s were set up 8 feet apart with a listening distance of 12 feet in a 18' x 30" room how do you think they would soundstage? (Both, in terms of individual image focus and in terms of the width and height of the recorded ambient space?) Or do they require an equilateral nearfield setup to perform their best?
 

echopraxia

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 25, 2019
Messages
1,109
Likes
2,696
Location
California
Echo, may I ask you your opinion if the 8361s were set up 8 feet apart with a listening distance of 12 feet in a 18' x 30" room how do you think they would soundstage? (Both, in terms of individual image focus and in terms of the width and height of the recorded ambient space?) Or do they require an equilateral nearfield setup to perform their best?
Unfortunately, I don’t think you’re ever going to get ideal soundstage with that configuration, no matter which speakers you have. With medium beam speakers like these, you will find progressively narrower soundstage as your distance to the speakers grows greater than the distance between the two speakers. With wide beam speakers like my Salon2’s, rather than narrowing as much, you just get a more blurred soundstage with worse imaging.

Preferences may vary, however. I personally prefer a very large speaker-width-to-listening-distance ratio, but unfortunately that’s not always possible in many rooms. It‘s not in my current one either, unless I sit very close to the speakers (which I sometimes do, and sounds great thanks to the coaxial nature of these speakers — another reason why the Genelec coaxials are fantastic as some of the most versatile speakers ever).

I think the only viable solution for long and narrow rooms is actually multi-channel setups, where you can configure your surrounds flexibly (custom tailored to the limitations of your room), both in positioning and DSP time delay and attenuation, until the soundstage is just right. The only downside here is your soundstage quality will be very sensitive to listening position variations, but there’s really no better alternate as far as I know (except for increasing the number of channels).
 

Cadguy

Active Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2021
Messages
101
Likes
128
Unfortunately, I don’t think you’re ever going to get ideal soundstage with that configuration, no matter which speakers you have. With medium beam speakers like these, you will find progressively narrower soundstage as your distance to the speakers grows greater than the distance between the two speakers. With wide beam speakers like my Salon2’s, rather than narrowing as much, you just get a more blurred soundstage with worse imaging.

Preferences may vary, however. I personally prefer a very large speaker-width-to-listening-distance ratio, but unfortunately that’s not always possible in many rooms. It‘s not in my current one either, unless I sit very close to the speakers (which I sometimes do, and sounds great thanks to the coaxial nature of these speakers — another reason why the Genelec coaxials are fantastic as some of the most versatile speakers ever).

I think the only viable solution for long and narrow rooms is actually multi-channel setups, where you can configure your surrounds flexibly (custom tailored to the limitations of your room), both in positioning and DSP time delay and attenuation, until the soundstage is just right. The only downside here is your soundstage quality will be very sensitive to listening position variations, but there’s really no better alternate as far as I know (except for increasing the number of channels).
Thankyou, I really appreciate your advice. My present Athena Technologies S3P3 have a very wide beam width. and the owners manual recommends that the listening distance be 1.5 times the distance between the speakers. I enjoy the very wide soundstage this gives although voices and instruments are somewhat vague in definition. Revel Salons seldom come up for sale here in Canada, do any other speakers have a wide beam width?
 
Top Bottom