Genelec 8361A Review (Powered Monitor)

[ahofer]

Here’s part of my guess about what’s going on big picture. Almost nobody listens to classical or other acoustic music any more.

Again, you are jumping to poor assumptions about ASR posters, who include lifelong recording engineers and orchestra musicians. I believe there is a professional low brass specialist here who uses Revels.

Andrew “I won’t name him if he doesn’t want to join the fray” Hofer.

 

[waldo2]

I was contemplating offering to buy your 8361s, but I’m slightly worried there’s something wrong with them.

 

[dshreter]

Here’s part of my guess about what’s going on big picture. Almost nobody listens to classical or other acoustic music any more. Electronic, highly processed music has no real sound to compare the sound coming from speakers to. So, in designing new speakers, designers focus on the virtues of electronic rather than acoustic music. That’s what they listen to as well. There is no one paying attention to making speakers sound like acoustic instruments. That’s why the some of the older speaker designs, flawed as they are, sound better for classical music than newer ones; they were designed for listeners who mostly no longer exist.

This is actually a common misconception. Speakers aren’t designed to sound like anything because they are transducers and not instruments. When they are designed with fine materials and beautiful veneers it is not to impart a certain sound like is the case in an instrument.

A speaker is just meant to reproduce the signal being fed to it, nothing more nothing less. If it does so accurately it will sound like the recording. If the recording is realistic then the speaker’s performance will be too.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Here’s part of my guess about what’s going on big picture. Almost nobody listens to classical or other acoustic music any more. Electronic, highly processed music has no real sound to compare the sound coming from speakers to. So, in designing new speakers, designers focus on the virtues of electronic rather than acoustic music. That’s what they listen to as well. There is no one paying attention to making speakers sound like acoustic instruments. That’s why the some of the older speaker designs, flawed as they are, sound better for classical music than newer ones; they were designed for listeners who mostly no longer exist.

You should try some ATCs
Genelec is not for everyone
Their sound is super polarizing
You either love it or hate it
Not much in between

 

[waldo2]

I was contemplating offering to buy your 8361s, but I’m slightly worried there’s something wrong with them.

luckily, I have a 30,day trial period and can return them and only lose shipping charge. There is nothing wrong with the speakers. They are loud, deep in bass, crystalline clarify, glm fixed up the bass in room. They are hugely impressive. They just don’t sound like music to me.

 

[waldo2]

Also, I have yet to see a classical music lover step up and disagree with my take on the speakers.

 

[Elkios]

ners who mostly no longer

You should try some ATCs
Genelec is not for everyone
Their sound is super polarizing
You either love it or hate it
Not much in between

Give the 8260 a hit .Different tone to current crop and so is the 8351a in my opinion

 

[GDK]

luckily, I have a 30,day trial period and can return them and only lose shipping charge. There is nothing wrong with the speakers. They are loud, deep in bass, crystalline clarify, glm fixed up the bass in room. They are hugely impressive. They just don’t sound like music to me.

Out of curiosity, could you possibly point to a recording or two that you feel shows the Genelecs in their worst light?

 

[Sancus]

Ah, is it already time for the thread to devolve into uncontrolled-sighted-listening-fight? Oh well. It was useful while it lasted. Unfortunate.

 

[dfuller]

Here’s part of my guess about what’s going on big picture. Almost nobody listens to classical or other acoustic music any more. Electronic, highly processed music has no real sound to compare the sound coming from speakers to. So, in designing new speakers, designers focus on the virtues of electronic rather than acoustic music. That’s what they listen to as well. There is no one paying attention to making speakers sound like acoustic instruments. That’s why the some of the older speaker designs, flawed as they are, sound better for classical music than newer ones; they were designed for listeners who mostly no longer exist.

I listen to plenty of jazz, I work as an audio engineer, I know what these instruments sound like IRL. The Genelecs are reproducing the recorded signal accurately. I have other issues with Genelecs, but their accuracy of frequency response is not one of them.

 

[waldo2]

Click image to open expanded view
Out of curiosity, could you possibly point to a recording or two that you feel shows the Genelecs in their worst light?

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[waldo2]

Story for minuscule reproduction earlier. This is excellent playing, just difficult to listen to on 8361

Mozart: String Quartets dedicated to Joseph HaydnCuarteto CasalsHMC902186

 

[sarumbear]

Publish the measurements, by all means. They are valuable information. But maybe at least find someone with mucosal knowledge to see if the speakers are musical.

How do you define a musical speaker?

 

[RobL]

Some people like their pancakes plain…some like a big dollop of syrup on ‘em!

 

[waldo2]

I’m not blaming speakers though for the Mozart quartets recording. It’s a close miked recording that would be difficult on any speaker. It’s just worse on 8361 in my opinion.

 

[ahofer]

Also, I have yet to see a classical music lover step up and disagree with my take on the speakers.

Earlier you talked about musicians, specifically. I know hundreds of classical musicians and dozens of jazz musicians. Only one seemed (he’s dead, sadly) give a damn about his audio equipment. He had four Acoustat speakers in his LR. Older orchestral and jazz musicians also tend to have significant hearing loss. The musicians fared pretty poorly in the controlled listening/ranking tests run by Olive and Toole.

Anyway, I’m a classical music lover, but I haven’t heard the Genelecs. Many seem to like Harbeths. I use the SHL5+ (AE). But Harbeth has been cranking up the prices over the last few years.

 

[sarumbear]

I’m not blaming speakers though for the Mozart quartets recording. It’s a close miked recording that would be difficult on any speaker. It’s just worse on 8361 in my opinion.

What you said can be translated as Genelecs show the bad recordings faults more than other speakers. That to me means Genelecs are transparent.

 

[waldo2]

A musical speaker is, for me, one that sounds like actual acoustic instruments, particularly timbre and tonality. Those instruments played well are beautiful. Violinists Are particularly senitive to intonation I think.

 

[ahofer]

Story for minuscule reproduction earlier. This is excellent playing, just difficult to listen to on 8361

Mozart: String Quartets dedicated to Joseph HaydnCuarteto CasalsHMC902186

Just pulled this up on Roon and am listening on my system. Sounds good, but yes, up close with reverberant high frequencies. So a lot of HF info relative to the Martinu piano quartet I had on prior (Domus Quartet on Erato, 2001)

 

[q3cpma]

Also, I have yet to see a classical music lover step up and disagree with my take on the speakers.

I'm probably not a "classical music lover", but I do like it. When listening to modern BIS recordings, that is considered by many as amongst the best and most consistent productions, I use Genelec 8030C speakers in nearfield without any problem.
Do you have some of their stuff and did it "fail" on these speakers?

Story for minuscule reproduction earlier. This is excellent playing, just difficult to listen to on 8361

Mozart: String Quartets dedicated to Joseph HaydnCuarteto CasalsHMC902186

According to the booklet, made at Teldex Studio. Said studio's website list these speakers as being used in their "finest working space":
* PMC BB5 (front)
* PMC MB2 (rear)
* Genelec 1094A (sub)
* B&W 801 midfield

Not exactly paragons of neutrality, I'd say. Not that it proves anything, but I've found Harmonia Mundi to be a bit variable as far as sound goes; mostly good, though.