Genelec 8361A Review (Powered Monitor)

[YSC]

it is obviously true that speakers reproduce recordings. Some recordings sound like real music than others. I have spent decades sorting through which recordings I think those are. I prefer recordings that sound like music played on actual instruments In real space. once One has found some of those recordings, that seems like a fair way to judge a speaker. Otherwise, we are left with no standard at all, and little pleasure, which, after all is why we listen to music.

I think the thing is when you identify those "sound like true music" recordings through inaccurate speakers, it maybe an effect from where the original mixing is tailored to the dominant speaker coloration at the time. say if they mix using a BBC dip speaker, it will sound like live music with same speaker but can be irritating in a flat speaker. No doubt for a hobby what makes your favorite music sound like to your taste is the most important, but then it can't be claimed that the 8361 sound bad on great recordings just as the fact your music selection sounded off in it

 

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I think the thing is when you identify those "sound like true music" recordings through inaccurate speakers, it maybe an effect from where the original mixing is tailored to the dominant speaker coloration at the time. say if they mix using a BBC dip speaker, it will sound like live music with same speaker but can be irritating in a flat speaker. No doubt for a hobby what makes your favorite music sound like to your taste is the most important, but then it can't be claimed that the 8361 sound bad on great recordings just as the fact your music selection sounded off in it

Good point. So he should keep the 8361's and contact the recording houses to re-record his favorite albums to match HIS accurate speakers, right?

 

[dshreter]

Good point. So he should keep the 8361's and contact the recording houses to re-record his favorite albums to match HIS accurate speakers, right?

No, he should use a speaker with impeccable power handling and directivity, and use the built in DSP to EQ it precisely to his liking. That’s the advantage of such a powerful tool like the 8361.

Or spend $10k on some Sonus Fabers that vaguely give off the vibe of being manufactured like a violin.

 

[Elkios]

Good point. So he should keep the 8361's and contact the recording houses to re-record his favorite albums to match HIS accurate speakers, right?

Valid point . Maybe when the crypto bull run ends I might buy a set of 8361 . I have a friend in the local city orchestra. The events are all recorded . He is also the local sound engineer / mixer for these recordings . So just maybe I lend them to him and see what he can do .

 

[preload]

No, he should use a speaker with impeccable power handling and directivity, and use the built in DSP to EQ it precisely to his liking. That’s the advantage of such a powerful tool like the 8361.

Or spend $10k on some Sonus Fabers that vaguely give off the vibe of being manufactured like a violin.

I had that exact same idea too! So I put money where my mouth was, forked over $8k for the 8351B's, ran GLM, and spent hours measuring with REW and EQ'ing in Roon. Guess what - the set up STILL didn't sound as good as the B&W floorstanders sitting in my living room with no EQ or tweaking required.

 

[richard12511]

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 quite a bit of classical music, and Genelec's (to my ear) sound closer to that live sound than any other speaker I've heard so far, which makes sense, given how accurate they are. As others have said, you either don't like a real/accurate sound, or the recordings you are listening to aren't real/accurate. A recording with unbalanced bass/mid/treble will sound more real on a playback system that is less accurate. Both of these options are very real possibilities. A lot of classical music is seemingly mixed on B&W speakers, and probably sounds more real with those speakers. Definitely go with what you ultimately prefer, not with what the statistics say you're most likely to prefer. Individual preference is a real thing.

Don't assume you're the only one here who knows what "live" unamplified music sounds like, though. Many of here know it quite well .

 

[Moonhead]

I have friends who are musicans and I always find Them the worse judges of Good audio reproduction,
which is kind of funny and not a single one owns a pair of active speakers.

 

[preload]

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

Mozart: String Quartets dedicated to Joseph HaydnCuarteto CasalsHMC902186

I don't have access to that album on Tidal, but I do have K421 from the same series:

I listened to track 3 (Menuetto - Trio. Allegretto) on several different set ups just now. Your observation was confirmed.

Best:
DCA Stealth

Pretty Good:
Senn HD800SDR
Denon D9200

Not bad:
B&W 802D - living room

Just okay:
Genelec 8351B (worst of the 4) - office

The violin on the Genelecs was simply lacking the detail and realism of the others. The term "slightly muffled" comes to mind.

 

[dshreter]

I had that exact same idea too! So I put money where my mouth was, forked over $8k for the 8351B's, ran GLM, and spent hours measuring with REW and EQ'ing in Roon. Guess what - the set up STILL didn't sound as good as the B&W floorstanders sitting in my living room with no EQ or tweaking required.

So that IS really interesting. I’m curious was your aim with REW to get them neutral in-room? Did you ever try to simulate B&W frequency response?

I’m not saying that’s a good reason to own the Genelecs, but it would be interesting to have that comparison.

 

[preload]

So that IS really interesting. I’m curious was your aim with REW to get them neutral in-room? Did you ever try to simulate B&W frequency response?

I’m not saying that’s a good reason to own the Genelecs, but it would be interesting to have that comparison.

Sure, I wrote about it in several places, and the final REW MMM measurements are here.
I'll acknowledge, however, that the rooms are different, and I suspect that the small room and suboptimal placement of the Genelecs may have handicapped them.

 

[Elkios]

I have friends who are musicans and I always find Them the worse judges of Good audio reproduction,
which is kind of funny and not a single one owns a pair of active speakers.

I know a few who are the same.

 

[AudioJester]

The violin on the Genelecs was simply lacking the detail and realism of the others. The term "slightly muffled" comes to mind.

But that description seems the opposite of what the other guy is complaining about Genelec??

 

[Pearljam5000]

I don't have access to that album on Tidal, but I do have K421 from the same series:
View attachment 167040
I listened to track 3 (Menuetto - Trio. Allegretto) on several different set ups just now. Your observation was confirmed.

Best:
DCA Stealth

Pretty Good:
Senn HD800SDR
Denon D9200

Not bad:
B&W 802D - living room

Just okay:
Genelec 8351B (worst of the 4) - office

The violin on the Genelecs was simply lacking the detail and realism of the others. The term "slightly muffled" comes to mind.

This if the first time I read the word "muffled" about Genelec

 

[Elkios]

I don't have access to that album on Tidal, but I do have K421 from the same series:
View attachment 167040
I listened to track 3 (Menuetto - Trio. Allegretto) on several different set ups just now. Your observation was confirmed.

Best:
DCA Stealth

Pretty Good:
Senn HD800SDR
Denon D9200

Not bad:
B&W 802D - living room

Just okay:
Genelec 8351B (worst of the 4) - office

The violin on the Genelecs was simply lacking the detail and realism of the others. The term "slightly muffled" comes to mind.

Have you used the Gennies with glm 4.1. high latency mode ?This substantially lowers group delay.

 

[Laserjock]

I can think of two people that could have significant input here. @Dennis Murphy and @Kal Rubinson

 

[preload]

But that description seems the opposite of what the other guy is complaining about Genelec??

Beats me. I never thought the 8351b's were bright. Especially compared to the HD800 and D9200.

 

[preload]

Also, I love how people are getting so upset at this guy's post. It's

This if the first time I read the word "muffled" about Genelec

If you have any of the headphones I mentioned, you (and anyone else) are more than welcome to play back that same violin track and compare for yourself and agree or disagree. I'm telling you, violins never sounded great on the Genelecs.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Also, I love how people are getting so upset at this guy's post. It's

If you have any of the headphones I mentioned, you (and anyone else) are more than welcome to play back that same violin track and compare for yourself and agree or disagree. I'm telling you, violins never sounded great on the Genelecs.

Is it the same with every type of music and every track?

 

[Sancus]

Generally, I’m not alone in thinking that most classical recordings are made from too close. Still, that’s what we mostly have. Some of those records are still great, but lean speakers are not compatible. We live in the real world with imperfect records, some more imperfect than others. For example, Isabelle Faust is a violinist I like very much , but many of her recordings are very closely miked. Now, you can say that I don’t like accurate speakers because of the inaccurate recordings. But I don’t think it’s that simple. I recognize this is a compliated issue, but, in any event, we can only listen to available recordings, and why would any consumer want speakers that doesnt make the better of those recordings sound nice?

IMO close-miked recordings with tonality problems are a mixing issue. For example, as far as I know, pretty much all film/tv soundtracks are produced via the close-mike-and-multitrack recording process rather than record-the-room Decca Tree methods or similar. But I can't say I've had complaints about overly bright strings or brass in film scores almost ever.

Fact of the matter, though, is that to get the right tonality on all recordings ever made you need to use tone controls and that applies to any speaker. It's entirely possible that you've developed preferences for recordings based on tonality that is different from a precisely anechoically flat speaker like Genelecs. So, figure out the EQ, or don't buy 'em, I guess. But that doesn't mean they're bad for classical or whatever. There's hundreds of thousands of classical albums out there with a wider variety of different recording and mixing/mastering processes than probably any other music genre.

 

[YSC]

Good point. So he should keep the 8361's and contact the recording houses to re-record his favorite albums to match HIS accurate speakers, right?

Of course not, if he just like to listen to those, buy the type of speakers which makes those sounded great, the Genelecs… how about I buy a air ticket and do all those quarantine to help him dispose for free?

Jokes aside, I think buying a neutral speaker will be least easy to go wrong, and that should suit most recordings to not sounding terrible, but if one have a specific collection of albums which sounded best on something else, just get the tools that fit

Just like a muscle car will never go around the Nurburgring as fast as a Porsche 911, but if all you do is drag race, they would be the best tool to base on. Buying a Porsche with great down force won’t help