Genelec M040 Review (Studio Monitor)

[Multicore]

Seems like a good desktop speaker, if you have a subwoofer already, hm?

If you feel the need a sub. I get by with 1029As on my desk and no sub. I tried using a sub. After a couple of months tinkering I gave up and put it back in its box. When I need to hear the low end accurately I use headphones. For casual listening I don't miss it.

 

[jasoncd]

I remember when this was released being quite interested. It was priced a bit lower than their well-known boxes and designed for use without a stand on a desk (at the back of the desk, I guess) using some kind of fancy port that opens on the bottom. Seemed to be aimed at lower budget users. And did it have a case made from recycled wood fiber?

Did you do anything in testing to simulate the desk?

I have a pair of the smaller M030. I don't know if they'd work on a desk without some large tilt to get them aligned to your ears. I guess the pro world would have a console setup with a bridge up top?

They are made from a wood fiber and plastic combination if I recall, and I went for them a long while back as a cheaper way to try out Genelec. The addition of RCA inputs helped sway me too I think.

I should get them out of storage at some point and try them out again. I never used them with the tools I have now like Dirac, subwoofers, REW, etc.

 

[amirm]

Did you do anything in testing to simulate the desk?

I put it on a flat surface under it of course. But I have it at the edge of the shelf to remove desk bounce.

 

[Multicore]

I put it on a flat surface under it of course. But I have it at the edge of the shelf to remove desk bounce.

Given the measurements you presented, do you think it possible that M040 might get a higher mean preference score with desk bounce than without?

 

[pablolie]

I'll be frank - I am a tad amused by the fact the original LS50 -which clearly perform much better in every respect- are not recommended, but these are despite their visibly inferior measurements. :-D

Admittedly there is a difference in a few hundred bucks. But I'd still just rank these as decent, and doubt they rank any higher than the Audioengine A5 (which I use and find great, just not in my main system).

 

[dfuller]

I'll be frank - I am a tad amused by the fact the original LS50 -which clearly perform much better in every respect- are not recommended, but these are despite their visibly inferior measurements. :-D

??????

Really not seeing how the LS50 is better.

 

[pablolie]

Really not seeing how the LS50 is better.

Then by all means set up your main system with them.

From room response it's clear they are very decent near-field monitors imo. Outside of that, you'd wonder why the design is discontinued.

 

[sweetchaos]

I'll see myself out...

 

[Old Listener]

I quickly found a place that was selling four of them new at the discounted price I listed. What I liked about this series was the more traditional look compared to the new series. So was good to test it.

But yes, I hear you on the larger point. Every day I am turning down older products to test. There must have been half a dozen this week alone!

Thanks for this review. When I was replacing my Waveform Mach 17s a few years ago, the M030 of the monitors that I considered. That was before you started testing speakers. I wish that I'd had your excellent reviews as a guide back then.

As far as I am concerned, you are the guy doing the work and footing the bills for these reviews. It is your decision what to review and how to review gear.

 

[Tangband]

Then by all means set up your main system with them.

From room response it's clear they are very decent near-field monitors imo. Outside of that, you'd wonder why the design is discontinued.

I might be wrong, but I guess that the ”hifi” line of Genelecs thats sold in hifistores with + 30 % additional prices, the G series, is the replacement for the 040 and 030 .

 

[amirm]

Given the measurements you presented, do you think it possible that M040 might get a higher mean preference score with desk bounce than without?

??? Measurements are anechoic with no surfaces.

 

[dshreter]

@amirm I’ve noticed in many reviews you call out narrow beam width as a detractor in speakers. Is this a personal preference or do you think that wider dispersion is inherently better?

In the Genelec monitors specifically I think they seek to keep direct vs reflect sound over 50% at the intended working distance. So the larger speakers actually beam more to achieve this over longer distances and they are intentionally designing to achieve narrow beam width.

Is this something where optimal design for enjoyment might be different from optimal for audio production?

 

[uwotm8]

Really not seeing how the LS50 is better

Try listening then

 

[timiark]

What a 'late' review of a rather anchient genelec speaker, hahaha.

I was looking at the monitor few month ago but could not find amir's review on it. Therefore, I purchased G3 instead of some rather cheap second hand M040.

Surprise to find it is actually capable.

 

[Tangband]

What a 'late' review of a rather anchient genelec speaker, hahaha.

I was looking at the monitor few month ago but could not find amir's review on it. Therefore, I purchased G3 instead of some rather cheap second hand M040.

Surprise to find it is actually capable.

Looking at the reviews, both here and at Stereophile , it seems like the G3 ( essential the same as 8030c ) and probably also G4 ( 8040b ) is slightly superior to 040 regarding lack of cabinet resonanses .

 

[timiark]

Looking at the reviews, both here and at Stereophile , it seems like the G3 and probably also G4 is slightly superior to 040 regarding lack of cabinet resonanses .

Cannot determine on this because I generally cannot find autioning pairs of M040 due to it's basically half way into its retirement on the product lines.
Nevertheless, tho, I am not sure if M040 shares the same Genelec kind of sound that is slightly warm and dense in mids. (allow me for using some subjective words because I cannot image other ways to express how Genelec sounds a bit different from other monitor speakers.)

 

[thewas]

Are they using the same drivers as the 8040?

About the woofer I don't know, but the M040 has a 25 mm tweeter while the 8040 a 19 mm one, which is probably also the reason that the 8040 has less good directivity (as it is probably crossed higher) as I had shown here.

 

[Tangband]

About the woofer I don't know, but the M040 has a 25 mm tweeter while the 8040 a 19 mm one, which is probably also the reason that the 8040 has less good directivity (as it is probably crossed higher) as I had shown here.

The smaller dome is also the reason that 8040 have better dispersion above 6 KHz than the M040.

 

[thewas]

The smaller dome is also the reason that 8040 have better dispersion above 10 KHz than the M040.

Wider, but less continuous as the directivity collapses a bit between 5-10 kHz compared to the regions before and after it:

 

[Tangband]

Yes, looking at the dispersion above 6 KHz at the angel of 30 degrees, the smaller dome in 8040 is much wider in radiation, without falling of .
The a040 falls in 30 degree angel from 6 KHz and above. This will make the sound slightly darker in a normal listening room.

The crossover is at 3 KHz for 8040b , and about 2 KHz for a040. This is why the directivity below 5 KHz is slightly better on a040. Above 5 KHz , its the opposite.