Question about how to connect a genelec installation

[Daaadou]

Hello guys,

I am about to pull the trigger on a 7370 and two 8340 to replace my actual stereo system and I wish to add some more along the way.
I just followed the recommendation on the genelec website for mid sized home theater
Any comments would be appreciated on this choice.
My room size is 5 x 6 meters (ceiling is 2m40 high) so you have all relevant info.

I am actually wondering how to connect my sources to the subwoofer.
I have multiple sources and they are all connected to a hue sync box except the pc and the ps5, these two are attached to a hdmi switch.
So there is two hdmi that goes into the lg tv.
The tv was feeding back a spdif to a rotel pre amp who worked paired with a power amp and passive loudspeaker.

Question : can I feed this spdif to the genelec subwoofer in this stereo 2.1 configuration?

 

[linear diver]

I have 8440's and a 7360. I use them in both analog and digital mode. Lately, I listen mostly in digital. I either stream from a R Pi with a spdif hat or from an interface with spdif. The digital connection to the Genelecs is pretty robust, and I have gotten it to work with cheap unbalanced audio interconnects since the distances are so short. However, it's not much trouble to do it 'right' with 75ohm coax for spdif, a transformer/converter, and 110ohm balanced for AES.

 

[Daaadou]

Thank you for your reply.
This is interesting. From the manual, if I understand it well, I can feed to the aes ebu digital à stereo signal, that is what you are doing here.
What is a hat exactly? How do you convert the spdif to the digital aes ebu?
On the same topic and exactly my concern, my blu ray player propose me to downmix its signal to stereo only before outputting it. But in the case of my tv, I’m not sure it is doing that. I have not seen the option.
Will the genelec sub be able to read the spdif signal from the tv if it is not a stereo signal?
I don’t know how the rotel stereo pre amp is managing that but it does well, will the genelec sub will do as well?

If it could work this way, it is very neat, it means I don’t even need a pre amp in this case, the tv is doing the job of converting hdmi to an audio signal that the sub can manage in stereo mode.

I will add more speaker to the system later this year and thus, the need to add an avr, still not sure what I’ll get, I’ll appreciate a iotavx with its classical xlr outputs and with hdmi 2.1 compliance… will see in a few months. Though maybe the denon 3700h could fit the bill, cheap but rca…
Do you have any clue about feeding the genelec system from avr’s rca? Is this still a proper way to do it ?

 

[Daaadou]

I have the answer about the tv, it does output a stereo signal. I had the idea it could send multichannel but it is not possible.
So what would you recommend to convert the spdif to the aes digital input of the sub?
I’ll use that till I will upgrade the system with a third speaker and so on.

 

[linear diver]

How do you convert the spdif to the digital aes ebu?

I use this passive device from Neutrik to convert from S/PDIF to AES, Canare also makes one.
(edit: forgot the link)

S/PDIF is an unbalanced variant of AES_3. A 'hat' is the term for an add-on board for the Raspberry Pi platform. I use the HIFiBERRY Digi2 PRO to get S/PDIF out of my Pi 3.

From wikipedia ....
AES3 is a standard for the exchange of digital audio signals between professional audio devices. An AES3 signal can carry two channels of pulse-code-modulated digital audio over several transmission media including balanced lines, unbalanced lines, and optical fiber.[1]

I hope this helps

 

[Daaadou]

I use this passive device from Neutrik to convert from S/PDIF to AES, Canare also makes one.
(edit: forgot the link)

S/PDIF is an unbalanced variant of AES_3. A 'hat' is the term for an add-on board for the Raspberry Pi platform. I use the HIFiBERRY Digi2 PRO to get S/PDIF out of my Pi 3.

From wikipedia ....
AES3 is a standard for the exchange of digital audio signals between professional audio devices. An AES3 signal can carry two channels of pulse-code-modulated digital audio over several transmission media including balanced lines, unbalanced lines, and optical fiber.[1]

I hope this helps

Thank you.
Your link points to 4 different devices, which one is the one you use ?

 

[linear diver]

Sorry! I should have sent this link instead. the NADITBNC-M gives 75-ohm unbalanced in (S/PDIF) to 110-ohm balanced out (AES). I use a F-RCA to M-BNC adapter and a 75-ohm RCA-RCA video cable from Amazon. Here is a quick picture. (The Apollo is not part of this, it's analog only)

 

[Daaadou]

Thank you very much sir!
About your installation, you have a 7360 and a pair of 8340.
How is your room?
Do you use glm?

How is the sound in the room when you are not at the sweet spot?
I intend to do the critical listening and watching at the couch, aka sweet spot, but this is a living room and my wife will probably listen to music from another couch.
Someone on another forum told me that with monitor the sound off the sweet spot will be weird, I have no way to try so I’d like to know what you experience.

 

[Trell]

Someone on another forum told me that with monitor the sound off the sweet spot will be weird, I have no way to try so I’d like to know what you experience.

I’ve the 8330A in my home office and they sound very nice off the sweet spot as well. My use is for near field listning sitting 1 meter away.

I’ve paired them with a 7360A subwoofer and I do use GLM for its room EQ. Other pair of 8330A has no subwoofer, but of course I use GLM for them as well.

 

[Daaadou]

Thank you for giving me a feedback.

Since I will be approximately 3.5 meters from the pair of 8340 plus a sub, do you think it will be enough to watch movies properly?
Amir’s review are making me weary about the spl at my listening point. Though, he listened to them without a sub.

 

[Trell]

Have a look at the following guidance from Genelec with tables for their monitors and subwoofers.

Correct Monitors - Genelec.com

A monitor, by definition, observes, checks, controls, warns or keeps a continuous record of something. An audio monitor, studio monitor or monitoring speaker is more than just a good-sounding loudspeaker. It is a device used in the process of recording, mixing or broadcasting audio in any...

www.genelec.com

 

[linear diver]

Since I will be approximately 3.5 meters from the pair of 8340 plus a sub, do you think it will be enough to watch movies properly?

My room is 20x20x13.5ft (6x6x4m). It has a vaulted ceiling with an average height of about 13.5 ft. Right now it is untreated, but I have a set of bass traps coming around the end of July

Genelecs always sound good to me - I have used them for many years. I like them off axis and at low levels. But ... I do serious listening between 85-95 dB. My 8340's are on a 82in/2m triangle, but I often listen to them from as far a 3m.

Based on my experience, if you really want to crank them, the 8340's and 7360 are JUST enough for my 2m position. I personally would want bigger speakers AND a bigger sub at 3m.

 

[Trell]

My room is 20x20x13.5ft (6x6x4m). It has a vaulted ceiling with an average height of about 13.5 ft. Right now it is untreated, but I have a set of bass traps coming around the end of July

Genelecs always sound good to me - I have used them for many years. I like them off axis and at low levels. But ... I do serious listening between 85-95 dB. My 8340's are on a 82in/2m triangle, but I often listen to them from as far a 3m.

Based on my experience, if you really want to crank them, the 8340's and 7360 are JUST enough for my 2m position. I personally would want bigger speakers AND a bigger sub at 3m.

I think they would work nice as surrounds, and since he intends to complete a multichannel setup he can try the 8340 as fronts to test if they are loud enough for him.

 

[Daaadou]

I think they would work nice as surrounds, and since he intends to complete a multichannel setup he can try the 8340 as fronts to test if they are loud enough for him.

I think that is what I will do.
Ive changed the configuration in the living room, I took the couch forward, it is 2m50 from the screen. More or less. The 77" screen looks far bigger…
I guess the 8340’s will be a far better fit this way and I had to make some space for the surround.
As you are saying, if I need louder, I could get some 8350 when I’m ready.

Would I need to have the same speaker for lcr or lr needs to be the same but not c ?

 

[n1rvana]

I think that is what I will do.
Ive changed the configuration in the living room, I took the couch forward, it is 2m50 from the screen. More or less. The 77" screen looks far bigger…
I guess the 8340’s will be a far better fit this way and I had to make some space for the surround.
As you are saying, if I need louder, I could get some 8350 when I’m ready.

Would I need to have the same speaker for lcr or lr needs to be the same but not c ?

Ideally, you would want LCR to be the same.