Genelec 8361A Review (Powered Monitor)

[Dgob]

I don't think he has tested them, as they are too big. Could be wrong.

But @amirm can you give your thoughts on this kindly

Would it be fair to say that you have an understandable loyalty to the Revels and that this underpins your annoyance with Amir and those who suggest a cheaper (but different) alternative? If this interpretation is correct, I doubt that Amir would see any point to providing a response.

No one questions the existence of differences. However, your approach seems obsessively critical (and purblind to the advances and notable advantages) of the 8361A's.

 

[Impossible]

No absolutely not. I've never owned the revels. I have heard them many times. No loyalty at all and it's not just the revels. Add in focal sopra no3, paradigm persona 9h, kef blade or kef ref 5 etc...

But I have owned the genelec 8361a and used them for 8 months everyday. Still own genelec 8050b which I really like, still think the 8341a is the best of the ones apart from not being able to go as loud. And I have owned various other towers.

From my ownership experience I never felt for a second the bass was as good as a high end tower, it's not a fair comparison, same as what Amir said in the 8351b review.

I'm not sure why it's so hard to believe. I mean high end towers generally have much more internal volume for bass and often 4 drivers doing bass, comparable to only 2 slim 12" on the 8361a. The mids tend to be handled by a 6.5 to 8" driver compared to the 5" of the genelics and the tweeter might be beryllium which is not only stronger but has less moving mass then the genelec's and measurably better decay times as well as often 1.5 to 2db more dynamic range.

I do think the 8361a has excellent dispersion and all the benefits of a concentric design. And a tower will not beat it there. E. G. Time coherence and a much wider sweet spot for imaging.

 

[Dgob]

"I do think the 8361a has excellent dispersion and all the benefits of a concentric design. And a tower will not beat it there. E. G. Time coherence and a much wider sweet spot for imaging."

Here we find agreement!

So is it just a question around bass performance for you? If so, did you have the opportunity to listen to the 8361A's with their matching Genelec W371A's?

This will obviously still also have the cost advantages of the Genelec's when compared to the speakers that you reference.

 

[Impossible]

No not just bass the highs also, same as what Amir said.

Try something with dynamic range and also complex transients at the same time and it becomes apparent.

Yes I tried with a sub, paradigm person sub 2, doesn't go to 500hz, but out performs the genelec sub everywhere else. I tried a crossover as high as 175hz down to 40hz fully phase aligned, time aligned and level matched.

I have heard the 8361a with the w371a at a friend's but not in my own house.

 

[Dgob]

No not just bass the highs also, same as what Amir said.

Try something with dynamic range and also complex transients at the same time and it becomes apparent.

Yes I tried with a sub, paradigm person sub 2, doesn't go to 500hz, but out performs the genelec sub everywhere else. I tried a crossover as high as 175hz down to 40hz fully phase aligned, time aligned and level matched.

I have heard the 8361a with the w371a at a friend's but not in my own house.

It has to be apples with apples (Genelec with Genelec). I would suggest that you revisit your friend and spend some time reviewing the 8361A's + W371A's autocal'd. All of your noted concerns will simply not stand - as they are simply inaccurate.

I would just add that the key thrust of this website is to surpass the forms of subjective anecdote that do little to advance hifi apart from voicing questionable prejudices. Supporting objective data is just one of the contributions that Amir's review of said monitors provides.

And I'm done!

 

[holdingpants01]

From music consumption standpoint there's nothing wrong with preferring a speaker that makes more material sound good and hides some flaws, enhances the dynamics and blurs sharp edges. There's A LOT of bad sounding material up there, I use Genelecs in my studio but wouldn't necessarily want them at my home. There's just different mindset when looking at utilitarian studio tool while trying to passively enjoy music

 

[Dgob]

From music consumption standpoint there's nothing wrong with preferring a speaker that makes more material sound good and hides some flaws, enhances the dynamics and blurs sharp edges. There's A LOT of bad sounding material up there, I use Genelecs in my studio but wouldn't necessarily want them at my home. There's just different mindset when looking at utilitarian studio tool while trying to passively enjoy music

Fully understand this view. However, some of us really do find that the highest possible fidelity improves our enjoyment and engagement with music. But, yes, we should all remember that there are different tastes and circumstances with equal value for others. On my perspective of the values of the Genelec combination, I'd share a quote that marries my experience:

Commenting on their launch, Genelec Managing Director Siamak Naghian said:

“No other family of studio monitors can offer this level of coherency, control, neutrality and sheer ability to adapt to any acoustic environment. From the ultra-nearfield precision of the 8331A to a full-range system comprising the 8361A and W371A, our point source technology is now fully scalable, broadening its appeal still further and maintaining The Ones’ position as the industry’s benchmark for truthful reference monitoring.”

Having said that, I should acknowledge that their appearance might be another reason why they might not be first choice for home listening!

 

[CMB]

No not just bass the highs also, same as what Amir said.

Try something with dynamic range and also complex transients at the same time and it becomes apparent.

Yes I tried with a sub, paradigm person sub 2, doesn't go to 500hz, but out performs the genelec sub everywhere else. I tried a crossover as high as 175hz down to 40hz fully phase aligned, time aligned and level matched.

I have heard the 8361a with the w371a at a friend's but not in my own house.

I own these 8361 now since 3 years for hifi, after chasing the best setup over 40 years.
Never gonna go back.
First time in my life that I still don’t feel the urge to upgrade on anything. 0. = happy life
For me they are just perfect, including bass and treble.
And, I had critically compared them also to Sopras and Blades etc. I undoubtedly prefer the 8361 presentation.
So it might just be due to personal preferences.
But, enjoy what ever you prefer.

 

[AudioJester]

From music consumption standpoint there's nothing wrong with preferring a speaker that makes more material sound good and hides some flaws, enhances the dynamics and blurs sharp edges. There's A LOT of bad sounding material up there, I use Genelecs in my studio but wouldn't necessarily want them at my home. There's just different mindset when looking at utilitarian studio tool while trying to passively enjoy music

I guess we are all different. I mean i have what seems like limitless access to music, and it never occurs to me that I need to compromise my speakers performance. Iam very much into the "high fidelity" part of the hobby.

You can neuter accurate speakers, make the sound warm/fuzzy with dsp/vst plugins etc. But you cant necessarily do the reverse

 

[CMB]

Reading further, I would like to add that in white against an orange wall, they look gorgeous.
Though, some might not like orange walls in their leaving room either

 

[Impossible]

I think you may have got off at the wrong bus stop.

The debate was in regards to the 8361a being better without a sub, then it moved to, if it's better then a large high end tower like the revel salon 2.

In regards to measuments,
Can you tell me what the standard measument is for transient response so we can compare them?

 

[Dgob]

Reading further, I would like to add that in white against an orange wall, they look gorgeous.
Though, some might not like orange walls in their leaving room either

Point taken

 

[Impossible]

So I think from the last few responses we can say it's not just about measuments.

 

[pierre]

I just saw the following on their website:

"The largest of our coaxial point source monitors, the 8361A offers extremely high dynamic range, unrivalled directivity and imaging and a short term SPL of 118 dB, enabling it to deliver an exquisite monitoring experience at any listening distance up to 5 metres – and therefore making it perfect for small to medium sized rooms."

Of course, others might not agree!

True but at high SPL the woofer cannot keep up. This is obvious when you add the w371. It changes the directivity but it also fill the bass in a different way. You still need a subwoofer below 30hz. It is just a small speaker at the end, excellent for what it is but clearly cannot do PA level output by itself.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Not sure it's fair to compare a small monitor with a tower with multiple woofers
8361+ subs seems more reasonable

 

[Frank Dernie]

The 8361 has about double the cabinet volume of a 8351, more than double the power to the bass drivers which are around a 10" conventional driver equivalent, compared to 8".

For the music I like I would be surprised if a sub is necessary with the 8361 but probably would be with 8351.

I have considered and looked into changing for some years now, but am probably too old to get the benefit from the investment since I am still enjoying music daily on my existing speakers.

My alternatives have been 8351 with W371 or, for less money 8361 alone.

I did buy a single 8341 to hear what "the ones" fuss was about.

 

[Dgob]

True but at high SPL the woofer cannot keep up. This is obvious when you add the w371. It changes the directivity but it also fill the bass in a different way. You still need a subwoofer below 30hz. It is just a small speaker at the end, excellent for what it is but clearly cannot do PA level output by itself.

I accept that the 8361A is not designed to function as a PA system. Yet, for the concerns of those on this thread, 100+ dB SPL is still more than sufficient. The bass extension with the W371A combination also has both the seamlessness and ability of in-room performance down to 19Hz. This transforms the 8361A to much more than a "small speaker" (if such a claim could even be accommodated!).

 

[Esprit]

32 kilos (each...) are a "little speaker"?
Have a nice day everyone

 

[feitaishi]

32 kilos (each...) are a "little speaker"?
Have a nice day everyone

little for its size and kilos for its weight. different aspects

 

[Pearljam5000]

32 kilos (each...) are a "little speaker"?
Have a nice day everyone

If it was made out of plastic or MDF it would have weighed probably half that