Genelec Ones- Overpriced ?

[srrxr71]

I owned and used KH310 and 8351 for audio work and prefer Genelecs by far, low end is fine on both but kind of irrelevant as I use multisubs anyway, and integrating them is straightforward with GLM, not so with Neumann apps and their DSP solution. There are a lot of aspects of monitors that are important if you use them for work, location of a bass reflex port is quite low on that list

Absolutely. It’s the whole package. Especially when you get into multichannel production.

May I ask how you accomplish multi sub with GLM? I’m looking for ideas.

 

[holdingpants01]

Absolutely. It’s the whole package. Especially when you get into multichannel production.

May I ask how you accomplish multi sub with GLM? I’m looking for ideas.

right now I just linked them with XLR cable and EQed manually in GLM software, just two notches and it's enough

 

[srrxr71]

right now I just linked them with XLR cable and EQed manually in GLM software, just two notches and it's enough

I see. So where did you put the notches?

 

[Vacceo]

Like a gift that they even exist.

It’s funny on my side too I was an audiofool too.

I was student and I could afford only the NHT M-00. My first “active” (rather powered as it has a passive crossover) speaker.

I bought it as theoretically it makes sense to have the manufacturer mate the amp to the drivers. It was great.

So we were about to graduate and my buddy was about to marry this PhD in engineering. She definitely looked down on my audiofool ways. I was now hooked on the concept of active speakers but I was looking only at audiofool type manufacturers.

She convinced my buddy to buy Genelec. So he went and bought 1031s and subs.

I heard them at his house but I was not even slightly impressed. I went pro audio and bought a pair of Focal Solo 6be. I really liked those a lot. But the 1031 did my impress me.

Still I had Genelec on my radar. At some point I got the 8010. Loved them. They are limited but they were still amazing. But they had the issue that you can’t turn your head without the sonic character changing.

Then years later after having a pair of LSX and then LS50w finally I wanted a proper 3-way coaxial design.

So I ordered the 8341s. In 2020 they could not make enough of them. I had a 3 month wait for delivery.

In the meantime, however, I had to fly to a city with a Genelec experience center (at least that time it was branded so).

The first evening I made sure to go and listen. They had both 8341 and 8351 but the 8351 was set up.

They played some slower, older music.

My lord. OMG.

You can’t unhear it. You can’t ever forget that moment.

Like an IV direct into your amygdala. Straight into uncontrollable emotion. I tear up just remembering that moment.

I came back and after a few weeks the 8341 came.

Within 1 year I ended up with my current setup. There was nothing more important to me than to just go the all way with Genelec.

I guess it’s not “all the way” anymore but it’s enough.

I’ve burned so much money over the years buying all kinds of stuff. But this is worth every penny - the best value in audio. Performance I was not even capable of dreaming of.

So if I asked about setting up a 7.2.4 HT, you'd probably tell me to bypass all BS, save, and get an all Genelec set?

 

[Deleted member 60987]

I generally find "overpriced" a difficult term without a clear definition. To me, it suggests that a company is making more profit with something than it should. To be able to evaluate this, you would have to analyse their R&D costs, personnel costs, production costs, profit margins, etc. That said, if something sells well, can we even say it is "overpriced"?

I guess what is usally meant and you did make it quite clear that you mean this, mind - is "do I get the same or nearly the same product elsewhere while spending considerably less". In my opinion, you need to compare specific products, and take into account lots of factors, including liability, warranty, the law of diminishing returns, etc. The Ones cover a whole range, don't they, as does Neumann. I personally never perceived Neumann as being per se cheaper than Genelec.

I think it's a simple term. Is this equipment worth the price? No? It is overpriced.

 

[robwpdx]

Genelec is a very small company. Neumann is part of Sennheiser.

We have ASR for objective comparisons between products.

The manufacturing is going to be different between companies. Neumann has a healthy mature microphone business which it can subsidize building its speaker business. As part of Sennheiser they have many ways to drive down microphone (and speaker) manufacturing costs that Genelec does not.

 

[srrxr71]

So if I asked about setting up a 7.2.4 HT, you'd probably tell me to bypass all BS, save, and get an all Genelec set?

Yeah as far as I know nobody else offers a complete solution for that. No outboard processing or electronics needed.

Also when you have that many speakers in a relatively small space they are the only ones with the narrow directivity to do it without interference.

See blackbird studios to get an idea of how it has to be done if you use ATC for example. They needed that size of space and probably also they needed for that space only what ATC like could offer. Like huge mains. I know Genelec has huge mains too but I don’t what advantage or disadvantage they have.

I don’t think Genelec would have worked in that size of space. Also see how much room treatment they needed to make it all work. Also they discuss all the electronics they needed to pull it together.

Also think about how much acoustic consulting and testing and tweaking that needed.

With Genelec you can go on Sweetwater and buy one of many pre assembled packages and hire someone to mount everything. Calibrate in GLM and be up and running within 2 days of receipt. Only thing you need to add are cables which your rep will throw in for you i’m sure.

Right here: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...ec-7.14-immersive-audio-studio-monitor-system

Genelec 7.1.4 Immersive Audio Studio Monitor System

7.1.4 Dolby Atmos Speaker System with 3 Genelec 8361A, 8 Genelec 8341 SAM, 2 Genelec 7380A SAM, and Mounting Hardware

www.sweetwater.com

Also they have a focal package but you will need some outboard DSP for sure.

See how easy that is? Who else offers you that?

 

[srrxr71]

I think it's a simple term. Is this equipment worth the price? No? It is overpriced.

It certainly is if you don’t have the space for something like this to work properly or you don’t have the need for those SPLs.

But a pair of 834/51 do you feel those also are overpriced?

 

[subframe]

Price != value/worth. Overpriced simply means that the product does not sell at the set price.

Anything else is your subjective take on it. You might say that you can't afford them. You might say you don't want to pay that much. You might say you think Genelec's engineering is shit and that your $100 speaker from 1989 sounds better. None of that has any bearing on whether they're overpriced, they're just your opinions and feelings.

I don't think Genelec has any problems selling The Ones, so no they are clearly not overpriced.

 

[Deleted member 60987]

Price != value/worth. Overpriced simply means that the product does not sell at the set price.

Anything else is your subjective take on it. You might say that you can't afford them. You might say you don't want to pay that much. You might say you think Genelec's engineering is shit and that your $100 speaker from 1989 sounds better. None of that has any bearing on whether they're overpriced, they're just your opinions and feelings.

I don't think Genelec has any problems selling The Ones, so no they are clearly not overpriced.

A product could sell and have a lot of ticked off customers feeling ripped off. Overpriced is a subjective opinion as to whether something is worth what they paid or someone is asking.

 

[JustCoolin‘]

I think it's a simple term. Is this equipment worth the price? No? It is overpriced.

That’s not really a definition, though, just another way of saying „overpriced“, no?

Subjective or objective criteria?

 

[Deleted member 60987]

That’s not really a definition, though, just another way of saying „overpriced“, no?

Subjective or objective criteria?

He is literally asking for opinions. So it is subjective.

 

[srrxr71]

He is literally asking for opinions. So it is subjective.

Rather I feel he offered his. We read it. I guess we can thank him for offering it and move on.

 

[Deleted member 60987]

How much do Genelect Ones cost because, damn. You could save some money with a speaker that comes close to this: https://www.amazon.com/Neumann-KH-150-US-Nearfield/dp/B0BHF5MD45/

 

[Frank Dernie]

Obviously I'm a Genelec fan
But from feedback on this forum It seems there isn't a huge difference between the 8000 series and also Neumann monitors(especially KH150 ,KH310)
So the question is are they worth the extra $$$?

They are only over priced if they don’t sell.

If dealers have lots of stock and are offering discounts the original price is too high - regardless of margin.

If there are none in stock and a waiting list the product certainly isn’t over priced, again whatever the margin.

 

[Deleted member 60987]

They are only over priced if they don’t sell.

If dealers have lots of stock and are offering discounts the original price is too high - regardless of margin.

If there are none in stock and a waiting list the product certainly isn’t over priced, again whatever the margin.

I think he's asking if people think it's worth it for him to spend extra money, not how popular they are. By the definition people here keep using, $300 for Beats headphones is not overpriced because they are selling. He is asking if something is worth the price in their opinion.

Here is an example of headphones measured to come close to the Harmon curve after measuring 2,086 different models. I think people would be more likely to call the $4,000 Warwick overpriced than the Shure or Superlux.

 

[bodhi]

You can get pair of Kali or JBL monitors that measure pretty close to aforementioned Genelecs and Neumanns. If one only looks at price to performance ratio then almost any speaker discussed in whole forum is overpriced.

But then vast majority of all products produced today is overpriced. It's just that western economies basically rely on people buying stuff that has questionable value compared to best value offerings in each category.

Then there is the case of disposable income. If you make enough so that 10k is no big deal and you are passionate about sound then it's probably reasonable to get the best product instead of a peasant speaker for few hundred. If you make the example less extreme then think how many products normal people by new when you could get equally performing stuff used for a lot less. Somehow the discussion of overpriced products doesn't come up when the products in question are affordable enough.

 

[Deleted member 60987]

You can get pair of Kali or JBL monitors that measure pretty close to aforementioned Genelecs and Neumanns. If one only looks at price to performance ratio then almost any speaker discussed in whole forum is overpriced.

But then vast majority of all products produced today is overpriced. It's just that western economies basically rely on people buying stuff that has questionable value compared to best value offerings in each category.

Then there is the case of disposable income. If you make enough so that 10k is no big deal and you are passionate about sound then it's probably reasonable to get the best product instead of a peasant speaker for few hundred. If you make the example less extreme then think how many products normal people by new when you could get equally performing stuff used for a lot less. Somehow the discussion of overpriced products doesn't come up when the products in question are affordable enough.

I would imagine Adam Audio can also compete with almost anything at a fraction of the price.

 

[srrxr71]

Better be ready to add your room correction to those options. Also if you like nearfield better think about comb filtering. Those factors do not measure in any chart.

So for those who find those aspects a deal breaker then you kind of are left with one choice.

I’ll tell you yeah $8k is a lot of money I couldn’t have imagined it before. But also before money was worth a lot more. If i’m thinking about it from a baseline of year 2000 dollars it’s more like $4000.

But that includes the amps and room correction DSP. Even back then you had to spend about $1k on on amp and that leaves about $3k for the speakers which is not bad considering this is state of the art even in 2023.


As we enter an era which a McDonalds lunch costs $12 it’s something to think about. These bigger numbers are not that shocking anymore.

 

[kevinh]

The ease and of integrating the speaker with the room and the quality as a result is the compelling argument for me. Better result/$$ than trying to roll my own dac/amp/room control.