Genelec vs Customary Hi-Fi Passive Speakers

[EddieAudio06]

I have been fortunate enough to recently come into ownership of a pair of beautiful Dynaudio Contour S5.4 floorstanding speakers. I think their sound is beautiful and neutral, but I often remember back to the sound from a pair of Genelec 8030C I owned about 2 years ago. Wish I never sold them. I do have an interest in advanced coaxial designs and waveguide philosophy, and for around the same price, I could have a pair of 8331A's, or potentially 8341's. They're cool, versatile (I want to get back into music production again), and a testimate to loudspeaker design. But, will they be on par with the Dynaudio? I don't expect the same bass output, that's what subwoofers are for. But I wonder if there is any objective way to approach the idea of comparison, without having both pairs in front of me. Possibly anyone else with experience with similar models?

 

[Marc v E]

I have been fortunate enough to recently come into ownership of a pair of beautiful Dynaudio Contour S5.4 floorstanding speakers. I think their sound is beautiful and neutral, but I often remember back to the sound from a pair of Genelec 8030C I owned about 2 years ago. Wish I never sold them. I do have an interest in advanced coaxial designs and waveguide philosophy, and for around the same price, I could have a pair of 8331A's, or potentially 8341's. They're cool, versatile (I want to get back into music production again), and a testimate to loudspeaker design. But, will they be on par with the Dynaudio? I don't expect the same bass output, that's what subwoofers are for. But I wonder if there is any objective way to approach the idea of comparison, without having both pairs in front of me. Possibly anyone else with experience with similar models?

I might give you an idea as I have the 8030, auditioned the 8351 and some years ago a standmount Dynaudio speaker.

The 8351, and I imagine the 8341 is about pinpoint precision imaging. In my experience the 8351 had ample bass, but some disagree. It mostly comes down to your distance from the speakers and your room size.

I listened at 2,5 meters in a room measuring 5 by 6 or thereabouts iirc.
It got louder than I could handle and had amazing imaging, clarity and bass.

The 8331 I audioned shortly and imo is not really worth it as it is so small, it misses bass information and weight to the music. I found the 8030 more pleasing and a more complete speaker in this regard. If you only care about small distance (desktop) and imaging is key, it might be an option, although as I said, I wouldn't choose it.

The Dynaudios being floorstanders will probably sound big too in bass and imaging, as floorstanders usually do. From what I remember from the Dynaudio 52 SE, the imaging will be wide, but far less precise, and where the presentation of the Genelecs is one where you hear everything that's on the recording and natural instruments, voices and bass will shine, I expect the Dynaudio to sound more "hifi" where certain quality differences in recordings are masked.

Some find this pleasing and relaxing. Others prefer to hear everything on the recording. I'm in the latter camp, but find the Genelecs have a pleasing, natural presentation that I could listen to for hours. I do think, however, that such precision of the 8351 has a price of getting my attention all the time, where the 8030 is less precise, but pleasing as a background music while I work.

For objective comparison, you could compare the frequency range between speakers. In the Genelec website it's stated how low they reach in the bass region. Also the recommended distance is also there.
The preference score can be an indication too. https://www.spinorama.org/index.html

Btw you could ask Genelec for advice too, given a listening distance, room size and required bass output comparable to the Dynaudio Contours.
My guess is that the 80xx series (like the 8050) or G series, the home hifi version of it (the G5) will be more like the 8030 in sound qualities, while having a bass that is comparable in depth to the Dynaudio. I do expect it will sound very different compared to the Dynaudios, though.

 

[DVDdoug]

It's really difficult to A/B with a couple of years between "A" and "B".

And I don't know if you can find comparable independent measurements.

Possibly anyone else with experience with similar models?

'Similar" speakers can sound very different. And I'm sure there's a big difference between the full-size Genelecs and the smaller ones.

 

[Behrelec 37]

Marc v E.

Some find this pleasing and relaxing. Others prefer to hear everything on the recording. I'm in the latter camp, but find the Genelecs have a pleasing, natural presentation that I could listen to for hours. I do think, however, that such precision of the 8351 has a price of getting my attention all the time, where the 8030 is less precise, but pleasing as a background music while I work.


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- Your argument is invalidated by the fact that it depends entirely on the type of DAC device you connect to the Genelec SAM 8351 model. Newer 2025 DAC devices can produce a sharp and clear stereo image of events, and that is how it should be.I have an old Hegel DAC 10, one of the first 2013 series DAC devices that came on the market at the time, and when combined with the Genelec 8260a models, the sound is soft and honeyed, but when listening in general, the sound is still very precise and exciting to follow, but at the edges of the sound rhythm there is a noticeable smoke screen that surrounds the stereo.

In other words, the DAC affects the emotional perception of the stereo image and rhythm and determines how pleasant or enjoyable the overall experience is. Newer DACs certainly offer clarity, as if strobe lights were turned on in the listening room, revealing the image of the music and distinguishing details. The choice is always yours on how you want to proceed.

 

[Marc v E]

Marc v E.

Some find this pleasing and relaxing. Others prefer to hear everything on the recording. I'm in the latter camp, but find the Genelecs have a pleasing, natural presentation that I could listen to for hours. I do think, however, that such precision of the 8351 has a price of getting my attention all the time, where the 8030 is less precise, but pleasing as a background music while I work.


--------------------------------------------------------------

- Your argument is invalidated by the fact that it depends entirely on the type of DAC device you connect to the Genelec SAM 8351 model. Newer 2025 DAC devices can produce a sharp and clear stereo image of events, and that is how it should be.I have an old Hegel DAC 10, one of the first 2013 series DAC devices that came on the market at the time, and when combined with the Genelec 8260a models, the sound is soft and honeyed, but when listening in general, the sound is still very precise and exciting to follow, but at the edges of the sound rhythm there is a noticeable smoke screen that surrounds the stereo.

In other words, the DAC affects the emotional perception of the stereo image and rhythm and determines how pleasant or enjoyable the overall experience is. Newer DACs certainly offer clarity, as if strobe lights were turned on in the listening room, revealing the image of the music and distinguishing details. The choice is always yours on how you want to proceed.

Hm. I was refering to my experience of a dynaudio speaker versus the Genelec 8351.

When we talk about dacs, then my experience was that listening via the dac inside the Genelec the sound was slightly clearer, very minimally so than via a dac/preamp. That can be explained by the fact that in my demo situation the dac/preamp was connected via analogue.

 

[Behrelec 37]

Genelec works best with its own DAC clock with Aes/Ebu connectors digitally, yes. With the GLM software, the interaction of every frequency and Q/Gain value can be used to create an invisible predator camouflage with different colors, textures, and depths, meaning that the sound image/rhythm structure can be bent into millions of different, even strange shapes. The main reason for all the uncertainty is the infinite laziness that many enthusiasts on this page have, which is unfortunately very clearly evident from this manufacturer's experience with sound reproduction.

You have the key to audioheaven in your hands, but many throw it away because few understand how to properly balance the sound structure they hear with their own ears in their own room using glm software. Even if the application's measurement microphone leaves the result at one setting, you can still deepen and sharpen/soften the sound image and/or rhythm or explosive attacks from countless points at different frequencies. The first balance measurement result is just the beginning of what you understand about the nature of the recording. When the sound rhythm is melodic and rolls naturally with the right settings, even at high volumes without any distortion or irritation, then no consumer product's dynaudio loudspeaker is anything more than a memory of that bad dream you had when you tried them.They cannot compete with Genelec's GLM in terms of quality at all.

 

[Martini]

Genelec works best with its own DAC clock with Aes/Ebu connectors digitally, yes. With the GLM software, the interaction of every frequency and Q/Gain value can be used to create an invisible predator camouflage with different colors, textures, and depths, meaning that the sound image/rhythm structure can be bent into millions of different, even strange shapes. The main reason for all the uncertainty is the infinite laziness that many enthusiasts on this page have, which is unfortunately very clearly evident from this manufacturer's experience with sound reproduction.

Sheesh Behrelec, why must you so frequently use such over-the-top and often elitist phraseology in so many of your post? Your credibility and amiability take a hit every time you do so, so that members begin to skip reading your post.

 

[EasyC]

Sheesh Behrelec, why must you so frequently use such over-the-top and often elitist phraseology in so many of your post? Your credibility and amiability take a hit every time you do so, so that members begin to skip reading your post.

He's on my ignore list since quite a while.

 

[Behrelec 37]

I don't mean to lie, but my language is a rich description of the possibilities available to all of us who own them. I myself have modified glm software for years into at least several hundred different variants, so I know its devious ability to bite into the details of sound particularly effectively with various hz/q/gain modifications, and I enjoy what it is truly capable of.

I hope others will enjoy it too, as it saves a lot of grief and money when you no longer need to buy hi-fi cables, amplifiers, or unnecessary equipment just to gather information for audio experiments on how the sound image or rhythm changes in the room. This is a good path to take.

 

[kma100]

While I enjoy post about Genelec, most by @Behrelec 37 tend to be condescending and along the lines of "perfection is handed over to you by Genelec, do with you what you will". And needless to say, way over the top!

 

[Behrelec 37]

They are superior when the measured value is in the same size class as another speaker in speaker competitions. Because you have a million sound pattern variations and tone adjustments to choose from in these models without really knowing it, and many competitors are more limited in terms of sound structure when it comes to achieving balance. Especially passive competitors. They all distort when the volume levels are raised even slightly, and the sound often does not remain stable. Passive speakers are all antiques now.

The active speaker market stands out when volume levels are raised and different music genres are compared to Genelec's larger models, where the changes observed in the listener's ears that model the sound structure are clearer in determining the even tighter structure of the sound, accuracy, and emotional feelings.And yes, I am bold, even a little arrogant in my praise of Genelec, and your best friend when you realize it at the right moment.

 

[kma100]

Sheesh. :facepalm:

 

[MattHooper]

They are superior when the measured value is in the same size class as another speaker in speaker competitions. Because you have a million sound pattern variations and tone adjustments to choose from in these models without really knowing it, and many competitors are more limited in terms of sound structure when it comes to achieving balance. Especially passive competitors. They all distort when the volume levels are raised even slightly, and the sound often does not remain stable. Passive speakers are all antiques now.

The active speaker market stands out when volume levels are raised and different music genres are compared to Genelec's larger models, where the changes observed in the listener's ears that model the sound structure are clearer in determining the even tighter structure of the sound, accuracy, and emotional feelings.And yes, I am bold, even a little arrogant in my praise of Genelec, and your best friend when you realize it at the right moment.

Eh. I’d take THIS SPEAKER over the Genelec any day.

 

[Behrelec 37]

It often happens that older men are happy to live in their old quota dreams. Meanwhile, the new generation of young people are exploring opportunities to break the bank. And they want to live life to the fullest right now, not when they're old men who have burned through their life savings on their Hifi hobby. The style is free, but many people are weighing their options like a combine harvester in these times of skyrocketing prices.

 

[MattHooper]

?

 

[LTig]

Your argument is invalidated by the fact that it depends entirely on the type of DAC device you connect to the Genelec SAM 8351 model. Newer 2025 DAC devices can produce a sharp and clear stereo image of events, and that is how it should be.I have an old Hegel DAC 10, one of the first 2013 series DAC devices that came on the market at the time, and when combined with the Genelec 8260a models, the sound is soft and honeyed, but when listening in general, the sound is still very precise and exciting to follow, but at the edges of the sound rhythm there is a noticeable smoke screen that surrounds the stereo.

In other words, the DAC affects the emotional perception of the stereo image and rhythm and determines how pleasant or enjoyable the overall experience is. Newer DACs certainly offer clarity, as if strobe lights were turned on in the listening room, revealing the image of the music and distinguishing details. [..].

Uh huh.

 

[EJ3]

I don't mean to lie, but my language is a rich description of the possibilities available to all of us who own them. I myself have modified glm software for years into at least several hundred different variants, so I know its devious ability to bite into the details of sound particularly effectively with various hz/q/gain modifications, and I enjoy what it is truly capable of.

I hope others will enjoy it too, as it saves a lot of grief and money when you no longer need to buy hi-fi cables, amplifiers, or unnecessary equipment just to gather information for audio experiments on how the sound image or rhythm changes in the room. This is a good path to take.

Better verbage & positivity on this one, too bad you missed on the next one again.

 

[EJ3]

Uh huh.

Any modern, proficient DAC, I agree with you!
(not sure that a 2013 Hegel DAC 10 makes that cut, though [so, at least about that one, he may have a point]).

 

[Behrelec 37]

The main source for my streamer is the Eversolo DMP 6 Master Edition. It also has a very good DAC. There is a significant difference in sound resolution compared to the old Hegel 10 DAC, but the best sound resolution is achieved completely digitally, directly from the speakers' own DAC. The Hegel 10 DAC is only a point of comparison for me in terms of how things have developed over time. It is not the main source at all, if anyone genuinely thought so.

 

[dagfinn]

And I'm sure there's a big difference between the full-size Genelecs and the smaller ones.

Tonality of Genelec monitors has been consistent over decades, and the tonality is similar from small to big to a very great extent.