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Neumann KH420 vs Genelec 8361A

HooStat

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I think @echopraxia has a "small" Genelec sub to go with his 8351b's, all tied together with GLM. He might want to comment on it. It is probably the same cost as the 8361a and no sub.
 

Linus

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ALSO Genelecs are prettier, end of story.

9PMsIf3.jpg
Didn’t know JW live in Vienna was a thing. Getting a copy of that!! Thanks for the tip!
 

detlev24

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Or do what I did and go for 8351b + subs. Is this for professional use, or fun?
I agree, this might be an even better choice than 8361A without subwoofer(s).

Furthermore, you might want to be aware of possible issues with the 'KH 420' [EN translation]. It also seems nobody asked for your listening distance - I guess you would sit far enough away, so that the different design choices would be equally good?
 

thewas

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LTig

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From what I heard at a Neumann workshop last year those are solved both for later and currently sold ones as well as the ones that were returned, so they could appear only at some used examples that weren't returned.
I can confirm this with respect to the beeping ps. A colleague got his KH420 fixed and new models are fine.
 

Purité Audio

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‘Just Jones’ is selling his 8Cs on this very forum $8k.
Keith
 

hege

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I'd strongly consider Genelec S360. Aren't they sexy?

Of course they have been on the table, in some of the dozens threads Pearljam started or participated in his little speaker hunt.. I wonder if he'll ever get anything. :p
 

hyperplanar

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I own Neumann speakers and would still absolutely prefer the 8361 over the KH420. The dispersion in every direction is incredible (albeit not cardioid bass) and without the funky diffraction artifacts that other coaxial speakers have. The KH420 is a very good speaker with excellent horizontal directivity, and has the edge distortion-wise with non-bass-heavy content, but it's reaching near the limits of conventional box designs. You can always add subs later if you feel the need.
 

EAXAE

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@hege, by the way, how would you describe difference between 1032/S360/1234/1237? The question is just of academic interest.
 

hege

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@hege, by the way, how would you describe difference between 1032/S360/1234/1237? The question is just of academic interest.

Bigger is better? Sorry it's hard to give any meaningful comparisons. :D In a good room, the differences mostly boil down to bass/SPL/slam requirements. S360 is the outlier here with early and steep highpass, wouldn't do without a sub for me. The compression driver was surprisingly sweet/relaxed/nonfatiguing (but as always, comparisons should be done with measured frequency response which was not the case here).
 
OP
Pearljam5000

Pearljam5000

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Bigger is better? Sorry it's hard to give any meaningful comparisons. :D In a good room, the differences mostly boil down to bass/SPL/slam requirements. S360 is the outlier here with early and steep highpass, wouldn't do without a sub for me. The compression driver was surprisingly sweet/relaxed/nonfatiguing (but as always, comparisons should be done with measured frequency response which was not the case here).
If you had to choose between S360 and 8361A? :)
 

Sprint

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They're currently Neumann KH80s. I just ordered a pair of 8341As for surrounds, and then the Neumanns will be moved to height(front and surround) duty for now. I may eventually get Genelec 8330A or 8331As($$$) for heights, but upgrading to 2-3 subwoofers and a better surround processor(HTP-1 or SDP-55, maybe, we'll see) are going to come first I think.

If you're wondering why I didn't go all-Genelec from the start, well, I've been putting this together slowly since last year, and the black KH80s were on sale for ~20% off here :) After the 8341A review, I decided to focus on Genelec going forward.

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What stands are they? Where did you get them?
 

Frank Dernie

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I'd go for the Neumanns personally.
I am not a fan of the styling of the Genelec ones and, as an engineer, actually prefer the potential longevity of a design that has been in production for a while and had its teething troubles ironed out.
I also sit too far away from my speakers for the one dispersion to be ideal, if I went Genelec I would choose the 1237 or 1238 as more suitable for my listening distance but I find them less attractive than the Neumanns and I like the engineering that went into their dome midrange driver.
 

Hephaestus

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G- Brand all the way!

8361A.jpg


Personally I think Genelec has been making these aluminium eggs for a long time and their track record of servicing legacy models is excellent. (This was for Frank...)

P.s. That fancy lounge chair is for reading - not for listening ;)
 

AnalogSteph

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I considered them also.
And also the 1237A
It's very confusing because they have 3"top" monitors at the same price point
View attachment 94287
Their relative differences should become more apparent when studying https://www.genelec.com/correct-monitors.

SPL output is about the same for all of them - 110-111 dB SPL peak @ 3 m.

8361 has somewhat wider dispersion than the other two, but in return can be used down to <1 m if need be, being a coax and all. Its self-noise spec is 5 dB lower as well. So its preferred distance would be somewhat lower on average. Good dispersion H and V (though not as superb as some of the smaller models). Woofer Sd is about equivalent to one 10", I guess, but the amplifier is very powerful.

1237 is a true midfield design that isn't even properly coincidental much under 1.5 m, but is more directional so useful further out. At 12", it features the largest woofer of the bunch. If you need lots of deep bass without a sub, this is the one I would trust the most. Horizontal dispersion is good, vertical is a bit lumpy.

S360 is as loud and directional as the 1237 (and presumably can take quite a beating) and already coincidental at ~1 m but being a 2-way, is never going to have IMD levels as low as the other, 3-way models (should sound "shouty" when taxed), and with its 10" PA woofer is never going to pump out quite as much deep bass. Good dispersion H and V, save for a narrow crossover dip in vertical.

Actually, their pricing is not the same - S360A is the least expensive at 4 grand, 8361A is 5 grand and 1237A is 6 grand. This order seems sensible enough to me.

KH420 is somewhere in the middle between S360A and 1237... lower distortion than the former with absolute tons of midrange output (giving very low midrange distortion), but between its 10" woofer and weaker amplifier, not as much deep bass handling as the latter. Very good dispersion H and V. Driver spacing seems similar to 1237, so minimum distance likely similar as well. All analog, so no DSP built-in... they have that handled by their subs.
 
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soundwave76

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Genelecs of course because GLM/DSP. I would personally opt for smaller monitors 8341 or 8351 and then add subs as well with the money saved. I have also seen 8361 and let me tell you... THEY ARE MASSIVE. Too big imo for that design.
 
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