Genelec 8550A headphones

[Pearljam5000]

Now they need to make
an open back headphone with a 60mm driver like HD800S

 

[thewas]

Now they need to make
an open back headphone with a 60mm driver like HD800S

You forgot driver membrane from beryllium

 

[FrantzM]

You forgot driver membrane from beryllium

With an aluminum body

Peace.

 

[kemmler3D]

Genelec seems to be unusually focussed on non traditional recording spaces. First they pioneer speakers with room independent response so that you can get accurate sound in a bedroom or office. Next, they offer the same level of room independence with the output levels of a soffit mounted monitor. Now this.

ATC would never.

That's where the market is going ... dedicated recording studios are closing down in large numbers (if you believe the anecdotes) but more people are mixing / recording in homes and ad-hoc spaces.

Personalized HRTF and webcam head tracking are good - I think this can probably get pretty close to the usefulness of real monitors for mixing work. Would probably be a pretty satisfying listening setup for home too, but for that kind of money maybe traditional headphones are good enough.

 

[Mesh]

Knowing how far my Sennheiser 600-variants may be tweaked, it would be interesting to see some comparisons with the Genelec headphones and whatever reference curve these may have. Saying this, I do not mean that in subjective terms as some actual metrics would help when it comes to filtering what to check out between 'hyped as great', and 'nowhere close'.

 

[holdingpants01]

8550A target different demographic than typical music consumer, here's the video that shows how the individual HRTF is created. I'll get them once they're available, accurate monitoring outside my usual environment was always extremely hard and this is way less to carry than a pair of speakers

 

[Pearljam5000]

 

[Danks]

curious if anyone has measured / tested these yet? cans and controller?
spatial headphone correction... sounds a bit sketchy.. the app for measuring your head via camera how precise / realistic can that calibration, be GLM Data will have effect too?
I use (eq'd) arya organic for mixing, especially for Soundstage and it just translates (due to hifiman egg shell design no crossfeed is actually needed)
the design of the headphone looks cool but I am highly sceptical that they could replace my setup, also in combination with the controller waaaaay to expensive.

 

[lewdish]

2025 and theres still not a ton of info out there on these

 

[Danks]

yee. desperately waiting for someone to shine some light on this. Headphones and Controller.

 

[srrxr71]

Lets face it - this set is for studios and serious production work. Not for many of us here

I see this a much cheaper way to enjoy Atmos content than buying and installing a full on 9.4.2 system.

Many of us use this Genelec stuff just to consume audio.

 

[srrxr71]

Looked and looked. The only place selling is Thomann at $2222.

 

[lewdish]

I see this a much cheaper way to enjoy Atmos content than buying and installing a full on 9.4.2 system.

Many of us use this Genelec stuff just to consume audio.

Isnt it still just a stereo headphone?

 

[srrxr71]

Isnt it still just a stereo headphone?

Good question. It does seem like the secret sauce is the UNIQ software not the headphone.

 

[Francis Vaughan]

Popped in to point to this video. Fabulous video, and worth watching from the start as a really nice insight into the world and history of Genelec. Here there is a reasonably deep discussion of the headphones and the rationale for them. The executive summary is simply that Genelec are not in the headphone business, but want to expand the capability of their UNIQ production capabilities - adding headphones to the existing system as a way of making it portable. They neither care about, nor want to sell to users of headphones for domestic listening. What they want to do is sell more UNIQ production systems. Which is their core DNA.

Video at start of discussion of the headphones and UNIQ

 

[Human Bass]

They talk more about what it actually is, they don't even want to call them headphones, it's a whole software and hardware system for monitoring not really meant for media consuption. There's a support for head tracking via external webcam

This is silly. A well tuned low distortion headphone works for both monitoring and media consumption.

 

[Francis Vaughan]

A well tuned low distortion headphone works for both monitoring and media consumption.

But this isn’t the point. Your well tuning provides a particular sound. You may be used to it and happy to use it for purpose. It may sound better, and be objectively better, than these headphones. But it won’t sound the same as a physical set of Genelec monitors in a known configuration. And you will have no mechanism (or desire) to make them sound so.

Genelec provide a software system that incorporates your HRTF and the measured response of the exact headphones you buy to create the same sound as heard with a physical system using their monitors.
The entire point is to enable work across different locations, even when no monitors are available. And to do so for production of immersive audio as well as simple stereo.

Consistency is just as important, if not more, than the absolute sound quality. Genelec try to get their quality as good as it gets, which is good, but if your mix sounds different in each production location you have bigger problems. They are very keen about consistency.

Unless you are involved in such a production environment and workflow you are not part of the target market. Clearly the market is big enough for Genelec to build a business around it. And do so to significant acclaim.

 

[lewdish]

But this isn’t the point. Your well tuning provides a particular sound. You may be used to it and happy to use it for purpose. It may sound better, and be objectively better, than these headphones. But it won’t sound the same as a physical set of Genelec monitors in a known configuration. And you will have no mechanism (or desire) to make them sound so.

Genelec provide a software system that incorporates your HRTF and the measured response of the exact headphones you buy to create the same sound as heard with a physical system using their monitors.
The entire point is to enable work across different locations, even when no monitors are available. And to do so for production of immersive audio as well as simple stereo.

Consistency is just as important, if not more, than the absolute sound quality. Genelec try to get their quality as good as it gets, which is good, but if your mix sounds different in each production location you have bigger problems. They are very keen about consistency.

Unless you are involved in such a production environment and workflow you are not part of the target market. Clearly the market is big enough for Genelec to build a business around it. And do so to significant acclaim.

How does genelec measure you HRTF? I know Sony does it as a service for their MDR Open backs monitoring headphones at certain locations.

 

[Francis Vaughan]

How does genelec measure you HRTF? I know Sony does it as a service for their MDR Open backs monitoring headphones at certain locations.

They use a video of you. They then reconstruct the surface and compute the HRTF.
Not sure of the specifics. Working out the exact size versus proportions must need something to provide absolute size. The implication is you might be able to just use your phone to make the needed video.
It is discussed in the video I linked earlier.

 

[srrxr71]

In the video it says each ear cup has a calibration file attached to the serial number. So there is a use for using those particular headphones.

What’s funny is that this product could cannabilze monitor sales although I think it might actually drive sales.