New mysterious Genelec monitors

[Pearljam5000]

Did not expect to see those reviewed in What Hifi.

Lol yeah me too
But it's interesting reading the audiophile angle and not the regular pro review

 

[Newman]

Lol yeah me too
But it's interesting reading the audiophile angle and not the regular pro review

You mean like this? "...with six woofers, each 38cm in diameter, it is no surprise that the 8381A digs to subterranean levels with ease. However, we were not expecting this level of bass quality...Lows are astonishingly fast and articulate, stopping and starting with the agility we usually only hear at higher frequencies."

Yep, good old 'audiophile angle'...

 

[Pearljam5000]

You mean like this? "...with six woofers, each 38cm in diameter, it is no surprise that the 8381A digs to subterranean levels with ease. However, we were not expecting this level of bass quality...Lows are astonishingly fast and articulate, stopping and starting with the agility we usually only hear at higher frequencies."

Yep, good old 'audiophile angle'...

Lol
I said interesting because it's pretty rare for mainstream audiophile media to review pro gear let alone Genelec 8381
I didn't say it's accurate or something similar .

 

[YSC]

Lol
I said interesting because it's pretty rare for mainstream audiophile media to review pro gear let alone Genelec 8381
I didn't say it's accurate or something similar .

I do think the market is completely differnet, as a hobby even as geeky as I do and admire what genelec does, I could accept the 8361A+ sub or W371A in my living room, but these just looks odd.... in that price range I would rather get some Revel Be line or the KEF blade meta just to make the living room more... living room

 

[holdingpants01]

As a 8351B + W371A user I just can't imagine anyone seriously considering any big Genelecs for music consumption in the living room, especially 8381 with it's size, price, useless headroom for this purpose, power consumption and potential noise and heat coming from the amps. It's like trying to incorporate mastering screen as a TV for watching sport or series, it's perfectly doable, the image will be perfect, but come on, it's 31" for 30k€ and looks like CCTV screen

 

[Pearljam5000]

As a 8351B + W371A user I just can't imagine anyone seriously considering any big Genelecs for music consumption in the living room, especially 8381 with it's size, price, useless headroom for this purpose, power consumption and potential noise and heat coming from the amps. It's like trying to incorporate mastering screen as a TV for watching sport or series, it's perfectly doable, the image will be perfect, but come on, it's 31" for 30k€ and looks like CCTV screen

View attachment 382343

Yeah but SQ wise the 8381 is a 200 inch OLED

 

[holdingpants01]

Yeah but SQ wise the 8381 is a 200 inch OLED

Sure, but listening to yet another Beatles remaster doesn't require such equipment which will be turned off for like 90% of the day and it's cost will never return. These are tools made for specific purpose, bought as a investment, not made for cosplaying as a mastering engineer. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm trying to stop anyone from doing it, one can buy and ride 10km on BMC Teammachine SLR 01 Disc during the weekends, but it's just weird to me

 

[Blockader]

Yeah but SQ wise the 8381 is a 200 inch OLED

Look at the picture of that small Sony monitor again. These are called "Reference Monitors." They offer the best image quality but have relatively small screen sizes and tend to run very hot compared to regular monitors.

For example:

To use the same analogy, they have the precision and accuracy of the Genelec 8381. However, they are not very convenient for home use or basic video editing.

look how bulky they are.

 

[Pearljam5000]

I don't mind the looks and size
Honestly I'm surprised it's that important to some audiophiles as we're supposed to care only about SQ
Obviously the price is a whole different story

 

[Blockader]

I don't mind the looks and size
Honestly I'm surprised it's that important to some audiophiles as we're supposed to care only about SQ
Obviously the price is a whole different story

There is no indicator that 8381 sounds better than 8341, in fact 8341 measures better than 8381. In your imagination, 8381 may sound better. That's fine. I don't think anybody wants to challenge that.

8381 just has the potential to sound incredibly louder.

The audiophiles who care about SQ, just get 8341 as long as their room isn't 200sqm2.

 

[Pearljam5000]

There is no indicator that 8381 sounds better than 8341, in fact 8341 measures better than 8381. In your imagination, 8381 may sound better. That's fine. I don't think anybody wants to challenge that.

8381 just has the potential to sound incredibly louder.

The audiophiles who care about SQ, just get 8341 as long as their room isn't 200sqm2.

It's not just about SPL
There's more bass output
8381 should sound much bigger and have a bigger soundstage etc

 

[juliangst]

It's not just about SPL
There's more bass output
8381 should sound much bigger and have a bigger soundstage etc

Bigger speakers don’t produce a bigger soundstage. And the missing bass can be fixed with one or two subs.

Will the 8381 sound great in a normal living room? Sure, but so will 8341, KEF R3 or Revel speakers with a sub

 

[Blockader]

It's not just about SPL
There's more bass output
8381 should sound much bigger and have a bigger soundstage etc

Bass extensionof 8341s can easily be enhanced with a subwoofer. The 8381 has relatively narrow dispersion, so at the same SPL, its perceived soundstage width should be about the same as the 8341. Of course, since they are bigger and cost more, the listener may be more inclined to believe or imagine that they should sound larger, and might perceive their soundstage as larger too—until a curtain is placed in front of them.

We all share the same childish notion that bigger means better and more means better, but that's not always the case.

For high SPL applications 8381's are the best speakers out there. For someone who is living in an apartment, there is no point in buying 8381's.

 

[Sokel]

Bass extensionof 8341s can easily be enhanced with a subwoofer. The 8381 has relatively narrow dispersion, so at the same SPL, its perceived soundstage width should be about the same as the 8341. Of course, since they are bigger and cost more, the listener may be more inclined to believe or imagine that they should sound larger, and might perceive their soundstage as larger too—until a curtain is placed in front of them.

We all share the same childish notion that bigger means better and more means better, but that's not always the case.

For high SPL applications 8381's are the best speakers out there. For someone who is living in an apartment, there is no point in buying 8381's.

A few studios is 200 m² yet the mains are way bigger than 8341.
My room is quite smaller than 200 m² too,it's only 80 m² and nothing smaller than double 10" for bass (not sub-bass,we're talking 30-250Hz,specially the 100-200Hz) has ever done justice.Think of Aerial Acoustics 20T and the likes as the minimum.

The likes of 8341 are really good at all areas except they don't fill the room and most importantly don't kick no matter what if one is in the mood for it.
People think that this kick is a pain but most of the old monkey coffins could do it.

To get that sense of this midbass energy subs don't do it.
The least you have to go in a biggish room is 8361 plus the accompanying genelec woofer (not susb) W371A.

Suds rubble,vibrate,etc but they don't kick unless you put under the mains and cross them over at 200Hz but they are not very nice at voices then as they exceed their usual range.

All the above has nothing to do with extremely high SPL,at around 110dB for peaks is fine,but that instantaneous 110dB has to be all the way up to 250Hz.
That's all after real life listening to a lot of rooms and a couple of studios.
(soffit mounted big ATCs had the best bass I have listened to in my life)

 

[Blockader]

A few studios is 200 m² yet the mains are way bigger than 8341.
My room is quite smaller than 200 m² too,it's only 80 m² and nothing smaller than double 10" for bass (not sub-bass,we're talking 30-250Hz,specially the 100-200Hz) has ever done justice.Think of Aerial Acoustics 20T and the likes as the minimum.

The likes of 8341 are really good at all areas except they don't fill the room and most importantly don't kick no matter what if one is in the mood for it.
People think that this kick is a pain but most of the old monkey coffins could do it.

To get that sense of this midbass energy subs don't do it.
The least you have to go in a biggish room is 8361 plus the accompanying genelec woofer (not susb) W371A.

Suds rubble,vibrate,etc but they don't kick unless you put under the mains and cross them over at 200Hz but they are not very nice at voices then as they exceed their usual range.

All the above has nothing to do with extremely high SPL,at around 110dB for peaks is fine,but that instantaneous 110dB has to be all the way up to 250Hz.
That's all after real life listening to a lot of rooms and a couple of studios.
(soffit mounted big ATCs had the best bass I have listened to in my life)

Music is usually mastered for playback at around 85 dB SPL, with peaks around +20 dB above that level. Movies are typically mastered for playback at 85 dB SPL with peaks up to +20 dB, but the reference level for theaters is set to 105 dB SPL with peaks that can reach up to +35 dB above the reference level.

Now you can see why there is a need for monitors like 8381 despite the fact that the studios are rarely larger than 50-60sqm2.

going back to this point:

''The likes of 8341 are really good at all areas except they don't fill the room and most importantly don't kick no matter what if one is in the mood for it.''

Again, the lack of impact or 'kick' from the 8341 speakers depends on the room, the room modes the speakers are subject to, and your listening distance.

Also do not get me wrong, I am giving 8341 just as an example. I use 8361 + W371 in a 30sqm2 room. (and they can get louder more than I would ever need)

 

[YSC]

Music is usually mastered for playback at around 85 dB SPL, with peaks around +20 dB above that level. Movies are typically mastered for playback at 85 dB SPL with peaks up to +20 dB, but the reference level for theaters is set to 105 dB SPL with peaks that can reach up to +35 dB above the reference level.

Now you can see why there is a need for monitors like 8381 despite the fact that the studios are rarely larger than 50-60sqm2.

going back to this point:

''The likes of 8341 are really good at all areas except they don't fill the room and most importantly don't kick no matter what if one is in the mood for it.''

Again, the lack of impact or 'kick' from the 8341 speakers depends on the room, the room modes the speakers are subject to, and your listening distance.

Also do not get me wrong, I am giving 8341 just as an example. I use 8361 + W371 in a 30sqm2 room. (and they can get louder more than I would ever need)

I can completely see the difference in the need of SPL in studio, and IMO, when your own listening habit SPL requirement is much lower, the better directivity of the 8351/8361 with subs or W371A will champ over the 8381A, in order to achieve the clean high SPL they have sacrificied some of the mid directivity from their plots, which in lower volume environment is a big tradeoff, for some SPL where you won't need is kind of going in the wrong direction

 

[K_Media Engineering]

The Hungarian Hi-Mod Audio introduced a new active 3-way speaker prototype in Budapest this month at the Audio Expo and Hifi Show.

It is similar to the big Genelec 8381A, so I post it here.

It has an 18-inch woofer in its feet, using a 4x 5-inch mid, and a 6.5-inch Air Motion tweeter with a unique 3D printed horn. Crossed at 125 Hz and 1000 Hz, with its internal DSP. Driven by 6 pieces of Class D amps inside, bridged as 3 pairs (per speaker), total power is 3x2000W per speaker. Using AKM A/D and D/A chips. DSP is running at 96 kHz/24 bit.

 

[Jimbob54]

The Hungarian Hi-Mod Audio introduced a new active 3-way speaker prototype in Budapest this month at the Audio Expo and Hifi Show.

It is similar to the big Genelec 8381A, so I post it here.

It has an 18-inch woofer in its feet, using a 4x 5-inch mid, and a 6.5-inch Air Motion tweeter with a unique 3D printed horn. Crossed at 125 Hz and 1000 Hz, with its internal DSP. Driven by 6 pieces of Class D amps inside, bridged as 3 pairs (per speaker), total power is 3x2000W per speaker. Using AKM A/D and D/A chips. DSP is running at 96 kHz/24 bit.

Waaay off topic. Set up a new thread if you want to discuss this brand/ speaker please.

 

[K_Media Engineering]

Waaay off topic. Set up a new thread if you want to discuss this brand/ speaker please.

Thanks for the note, I will do it later this week.

 

[holdingpants01]

I just listened to 8381A at audio show, but the room was not good and there was something weird in the calibration even if it looked flat in the GLM measurements. Anyway I didn't like what I heard, I like my 8351A+W371A way better, quite a relief but regardless it was impossible to judge in this environment. They are massive, but for some reason look better in reality than in photos. I heard many worse and plain horrible setups there, but also one surprisingly awesome, so it wasn't impossible to achieve high level in this space