Genelec S360 Review (Studio Monitor)

[abdo123]

Those numbers mean nothing, the most accurate way to evaluate max SPL of speakers is to check their max SPL vs frequency measurements. And as I mentioned before, 8361's limiter kicks in even before 106db at upper treble. I explained the reasons in one of my previous posts.

This is max SPL vs freq graph of 8361:

View attachment 222064

If you're going to use THD as some sort of metric for maximum SPL then the S630A has the same output because of the distortion at the last octave.

 

[thewas]

Genelecs advertises the 8361A as 118dB capable (same as 630A) and the limiter seem to be engaged not at individual bursts but rather at average levels.

Yes, as said protection is a different issue than distortion.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Yes, as said protection is a different issue than distortion.

So which is one would you choose 1237 or S360 or 8361?

 

[thewas]

Yup, Genelec most certainly knows what they're doing. I missed this with listening distance and SPL. What type of conditions is the S360 supposed to operate under.

So small, medium sized listening room/ living room including listening at normal/low listening volume. Let's say 65-75 dB at 3 meters / 10 ft so then the S360
isn't the most optimal choice? Then (given said listening conditions) considering Genelec have other models. Or other speaker manufacturers can offer more suitable in that price range, or?

In that case it is still one of the best choices, as while you may not need its SPL reserves, you need quite some directivity at 3 meters for high quality listening/monitoring where the direct sound percentage is sufficient in relation to the reflected sound, as it can be seen also in the critical distance in the chart:

 

[Blockader]

So which is one would you choose 1237 or S360 or 8361?

do you really need high SPL speakers?

 

[thewas]

So which is one would you choose 1237 or S360 or 8361?

Like always depends on multiple factors and priorities, like listening distance, desired SPL, budget and main usage (monitoring, hifi, movies etc).

 

[Tangband]

Like always depends on multiple factors and priorities, like listening distance, desired SPL, budget and main usage (monitoring, hifi, movies etc).

One must also remember that measurements of loudspeakers only counts for about 70-80 % of how they sound.
The rest is pure listening to judge what suits you best. So - impossible to know which suits the ear best without listening in your own listening room and do comparisons.

Master Thread: Are measurements Everything or Nothing?

Seems like so many review threads get challenged with: 1. Measurements are not everything. 2. You all never listen. 3. I trust my ears, not graphs. 4. I don't listen to graphs. I listen to music. 5. You all must not listen to music at all. 6. Why don't you all buy the best SINAD gear? 7...

www.audiosciencereview.com

I like wide beaming, good directivity speakers like 8361 or ls50 for two channel sound, because one really needs the extra, late reflections from the sidewalls for best sound with the flawed stereo system. Thats my opinion.

Im convinced though, that I would probably prefer the s360A for home cinema sound in 5.1 because there is advantages in multichannel playback to have narrower beaming , good directivity speakers, because you dont need any help from the sidewalls in this case.

 

[dasdoing]

why they used a compression driver?
why not?
DSP corrected they are simply superior

 

[abdo123]

One must also remember that measurements of loudspeakers only counts for about 70-80 % of how they sound.
The rest is pure listening to judge what suits you best. So - impossible to know which suits the ear best without listening in your own listening room and do comparisons.

Master Thread: Are measurements Everything or Nothing?

Seems like so many review threads get challenged with: 1. Measurements are not everything. 2. You all never listen. 3. I trust my ears, not graphs. 4. I don't listen to graphs. I listen to music. 5. You all must not listen to music at all. 6. Why don't you all buy the best SINAD gear? 7...

www.audiosciencereview.com

I like wide beaming, good directivity speakers like 8361 or ls50 for two channel sound, because one really needs the extra, late reflections from the sidewalls for best sound with the flawed stereo system. Thats my opinion.

Im convinced though, that I would probably prefer the s360A for home cinema sound in 5.1 because there is advantages in multichannel playback to have narrower beaming , good directivity speakers, because you dont need any help from the sidewalls in this case.

All these three speakers have the same beamwidth. They just experience the baffle step at different frequencies because of their different baffles.

 

[Pearljam5000]

do you really need high SPL speakers?

SQ wise only

 

[Pearljam5000]

Like always depends on multiple factors and priorities, like listening distance, desired SPL, budget and main usage (monitoring, hifi, movies etc).

SQ wise only for Music playback
Problem is the 1237 remains a mystery and probably will never be reviewed here
So choosing between it and is 8361 is hard especially when they cost about the same.

 

[thewas]

SQ wise only for Music playback
Problem is the 1237 remains a mystery and probably will never be reviewed here
So choosing between it and is 8361 is hard especially when they cost about the same.

What will be the planned listening distance and room size?

 

[Digby]

What will be the planned listening distance?

For Pearljam5000? 0.01m, he only listens to Genelecs while lovingly cuddling them.

 

[Pearljam5000]

What will be the planned listening distance and room size?

Room size is about 15sqm
Im guessing distance is 1.5m-3m(not sure)

 

[Jaimo]

After objective proofs and reminders of , almost customary excellence of Genelec offerings, we are down nitpicking ...

Damn! Another superb speaker from Genelec.

A bit off-topic. For a USA purchaser, wouldn't JBL 708P a better ROI? One pair of 708P, for the price of one of these things... Aren't the objective performances similar?


Peace.

Even as a Genelec fan, these were my exact thoughts…

 

[sharock]

Room size is about 15sqm
Im guessing distance is 1.5m-3m(not sure)

Based on this chart you'd be good with a pair of 8010s and some subs.

 

[nagster]

The efficiency of a dome tweeter with 90db~ sensitivity is about %1. That means whatever power is fed into that tweeter, it can only utilize %1 of it and the rest is converted to heat. Heat buildup is a serious problem in dome tweeters hence ''1 tweeters can't go beyond 95-99db~ max SPL. Compression drivers can have up to %35 efficiency(pro audio models especially) and naturally +100db upper treble is a compression driver territory.

Advantages of compression drivers,

High SPL
High Efficiency
Flat Wavefront(arguably better for waveguide designing)
They can be crossed lower if the waveguide/horn allows for it.

Disadvantages,

Expensive
Usually higher second order distortion compared to a driver which has same max SPL output as the comp. driver.

The driver inside Genelec 1236a is a TAD 4001. It is one of the most expensive drivers in the market and costs 5000$ each.

I was surprised that Genelec adopted TAD. The TD-4001 is certainly a powerful driver.
However, the combination of a 125mm cone in Mid and a 100mm diaphragm driver in Hi is strange.

 

[Blockader]

Room size is about 15sqm
Im guessing distance is 1.5m-3m(not sure)

Then you are doing it completely wrong. Larger/expensiver doesn't translate to *better*. Large speakers do not have better sound quality relative to smaller speakers, in fact larger speakers have more reasons to have directivity problems than relatively smaller speakers.

Both Genelec 8361 and S360 are not full range speakers. 8361 extends flat down to 36hz, its port tuning is 40hz. 18-36hz is equal to one octave. Ultimately you'll need a subwoofer with both. And they are designed to be used with a subwoofer as well. Genelec S360 is designed to be paired with 7382 subwoofer which is a gigantic subwoofer and it is a complete overkill for a 15 sqm2 room. Genelec 8361 is designed to be used with W371.

Considering all these, the best speakers you can have in your room are: D&D 8C, Kii Three or Genelec 8341 + W371 combo. I think Genelec 8341 + W371 is better than both of other speakers I mentioned.

 

[Blockader]

I was surprised that Genelec adopted TAD. The TD-4001 is certainly a powerful driver.
However, the combination of a 125mm cone in Mid and a 100mm diaphragm driver in Hi is strange.
View attachment 222086View attachment 222087

that cone midrange driver has been developed by Genelec in the late 80's. there wasn't such off the shelf solution available in the market(IIRC still there isn't) they developed it from ground up.

They shared most of the design decisions they took during the development of the driver in AES article called as ''DESIGN OF A HIGH POWER ACTIVE CONTROL ROOM MONITOR''.

It is publicly available online: https://assets.ctfassets.net/4zjnzn055a4v/5GGcYUioBavga6RvkSrbNu/a876192f8a222ac8c0639689924a6b8a/Design_of_High_Power_Active_Control_Room_Monitor.pdf

TAD 4001
(apparently it's a TAD 2001)

 

[hege]

Both Genelec 8361 and S360 are not full range speakers. 8361 extends flat down to 36hz, its port tuning is 40hz.

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.