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Genelec S360 Review (Studio Monitor)

Rate this speaker:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 6 1.9%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 9 2.8%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 112 34.7%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 196 60.7%

  • Total voters
    323
A compression drive is too large to fit in a coaxial. The voice coil is twice the size as the opening.
There are many manufacturers that make coaxial cone drivers combined with compression drivers, BMS, Sica, Faital, B&C, Lavoce. PHL, SB Audience, Katesian etc.
The mid/woofer speaker needs to be designed to accommodate it and Genelec's most likely is not but it could be done if they wanted to. For it to make sense the mid and woofers need to be high enough in sensitivity to match.

BMS_5CN160_(Photo).jpg
 
There are many manufacturers that make coaxial cone drivers combined with compression drivers, BMS, Sica, Faital, B&C, Lavoce. PHL, SB Audience, Katesian etc.
The mid/woofer speaker needs to be designed to accommodate it and Genelec's most likely is not but it could be done if they wanted to. For it to make sense the mid and woofers need to be high enough in sensitivity to match.

View attachment 223189
Are there any that you personally like?
 
Are there any that you personally like?
I have never heard any of them but the BMS ones get praise and their build quality is second to none, Danley uses them in the SM60 and new Hyperion.
 
The JBL Control 30’s in my shop have a coaxial 25mm compression driver with a 5” midrange. They sound very good and get hella loud!
 
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I seriously considered these s360 speakers when choosing my end game gear. I tested these with 7380 sub and that was a TON of fun !
 
I don't want stuff though, stuff doesn't help me. I want a perfect speaker where every single unit is assembled to strict tolerances, measured off the line and perfectly matched to every other speaker of that model they make, with a ton of R&D backing some of the best designs in the industry(certainly the best coaxial design).

High parts values don't produce good sound. Not unless they are backed with proper engineering, measurement, and reliable manufacturing and assembly processes. Also while I am sure that Genelec could make similar speakers in China.... I think it would be enormously difficult for them to maintain their reputation for quality and reliability while doing so. And honestly I'm happy to pay an extra thousand bucks or two for them to make them in a country where the workers are well-compensated and where they have built a sustainable business that will still be able to service my speakers 20 or 30 years from now.

You don't get any of that from parts value.
I can share my experience. I am Chinese and bought a pair of Genelec 8361 and enjoyed it very much. I took a video of my speakers and uploaded it to bilibili (known as China's Youtube), and then I was targeted by a few audiophile "gurus". They commented under my video "Genelec is a leek speaker". I clicked into the home page of one of them and found that it was a speaker DIY circle, they claim that making speakers is just like assembling a computer, just buy good parts and put them on the line, just like the graphics card, CPU, and Genelec use components are not so "audiophile", so Genelec is a leek speaker. They are harassed under many Genelec videos.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
 
I can share my experience. I am Chinese and bought a pair of Genelec 8361 and enjoyed it very much. I took a video of my speakers and uploaded it to bilibili (known as China's Youtube), and then I was targeted by a few audiophile "gurus". They commented under my video "Genelec is a leek speaker". I clicked into the home page of one of them and found that it was a speaker DIY circle, they claim that making speakers is just like assembling a computer, just buy good parts and put them on the line, just like the graphics card, CPU, and Genelec use components are not so "audiophile", so Genelec is a leek speaker. They are harassed under many Genelec videos.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Links to the videos?
 
What made you choose the 8361A instead ?
I had already bought a pair of 8341A before Amir´s extensive review and though that better to have all of them from same speaker family if I ever consider multichannel setup. I do have a soft spot for coaxial design as well...
 
I had already bought a pair of 8341A before Amir´s extensive review and though that better to have all of them from same speaker family if I ever consider multichannel setup. I do have a soft spot for coaxial design as well...
Do the 8361 sound "bigger" than the 8341?
 
8361 will do easily flat 30hz with room(*) gain (as does my 1237). S360 has much higher highpass filter, that's the only one of those that "requires" a sub (well some people are satisfied even without).

(*) sure, a wooden mansion won't do it. but most small/concrete will.

"Much higher highpass filter"?

The differences are pretty negligible from my experience. Flat in room response of S360s down to around 33Hz. There is really only about a quarter of an octave in it between the 8361 and S360 in terms of low end extension, which in the grand scheme of things, is nothing really.

While I certainly wouldn't call either 'light' on low end, they aren't full range. I have S360s for LCR here, along with a pair of 7270As. Flat to 15Hz, -6dB @ 13Hz. Particular for film and LFE, there is a whole extra octave down there, including the rumble and gut punch that neither the 8361A or S360 will really do alone.
 
Do these hiss ?
They do have a slight hiss to them, depending on your listening distance. I never notice my surround 8351Bs turn on and off. Sometimes I do notice* a sudden absence of subtle hiss when I turn off the S360s. My listening position is about 2meters away, which is around the recommended listening distance based on design according to Genelec. You can use them closer, but you may notice the hiss more.

*I spend much of my days editing, cleaning and mixing dialogue, which may or may not mean I've become a little sensitive to noise.
 
I am interested if anyone has some information about the port design. The port resonance is so well surpressed that I assume it does not come that well behaved without some engineering. KEF laid open what they did with LS50/Meta: flexible port walls in the middle. How was it done with this speaker?
 
I am interested if anyone has some information about the port design. The port resonance is so well surpressed that I assume it does not come that well behaved without some engineering. KEF laid open what they did with LS50/Meta: flexible port walls in the middle. How was it done with this speaker?

I can't really add anything substantial, other than they are ported out through the base which makes for a great pair of handles when lifting them!

All of the mounting options take it into consideration. Unlike the 'One' series which uses those rubber isopods, the S360s have threaded rubber decouplers installed into the base of the speaker which the various mounting options can screw straight into.

S360AM10.jpg
 
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