Why Actual Listening Matters | Genelec 8331 Studio Monitor Review 

I have a pair of these and they are quite nice. I had considered the next model up, but they would have been massive overkill for my room. Room correction can't do anything about cancellations. So the trick is to work your positioning to get as much of the deviations from flat in terms of build-ups as possible, which it can adjust for quite well. My small room is very well treated and with the correction system and careful positioning, it's amazingly flat. As you mentioned but maybe didn't fully expand on, the fact that they are coaxial and have no phase issues, you can have them far closer to you than you can a non-coaxial speaker. That's often an issue in small rooms. Non-coaxial speakers need a certain distance for the pressure wave from the multiple drivers to blend. Coaxials are blended to begin with. You can get these 8331's I think down to under half a meter. I replaced a set of (previous generation) A5X monitors, and they are a big step up from those. Though of course they definitely BETTER be for the price differential.

A very honest review, thanks!

One thing about genelec speakers, the dynamics are off the charts. So much dynamic detail.

Thanks, you pretty much covered everything.I bought a pair of these plus a 10’’ sub, which I suggest, to anyone that wants to feel the low end and have better overall response in a small room.In my previous setup I had my mains with 8’ Woofer and when I added a 10’ sub and finally I could feel the bass in the listening position, 8’’ is not enough to judge the low end, at least in my experience. I have a small room, treated with very thick corner traps which I designed and built after extensive research, primary reflections treated just missing ceiling reflections, and all this treatment made already a substantial difference. The reason why I bought them (after reading reviews on sound on sound, audio science, among others, and listening) is that I know they’re suppose to minimize the room effects.So what I was looking for, was a speaker that what you listening is what you get ( specially the mid range ), mitigation of the phase between drivers, and very important transient response. As a side note, if you’re a beginner/ intermediate and want to buy a pair of speakers, save yourself a lot of frustration and get a copy of the book by Mike Senior, “ Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio”. Everything you must know about how to choose a pair of speakers is there together with independent measurements of some models.

I'm fortunate to have a pair of 8351B in my small mixing studio. The GLM system is pretty amazing by itself, but I'm also fortunate to have a Trinnov ST2 Pro. I first calibrated to room with the GLM system and then fed that into the Trinnov. It's magic. I'm not associated with either of those two companies, but I wholeheartedly recommend Genelec to everybody: they are an awesome company to work with. If you can scrape up the money, the Trinnov is a no brainer. With this type of setup, there is no need for any other monitors in the room. So, you can sell your old stuff and put that cash towards a set of Genelecs. Pretty sure you won't be disappointed. Note: make sure to get Genelecs that are GLM compatible.

You should still consider at least testing small stands for those Genelecs. The early reflections from your mixing table can still affect the audio when you have the speakers on top of the table. If I've understood correctly, optimal height would be to have the tweeter at the height of your earlobes. I'd also recommend trying to turn the speakers inward to point directly at your sitting position, possibly even towards a point a bit in front of you, and then do GLM calibration again. I think this makes the sweetspot even bigger.

I just got lucky and got a pair of new in the box Barefoot 01 for $1,300. and they are amazing, perfect for electronic music I believe. I always wanted a pair of Genelec, but the ones I want are just too expensive. But some day I will 🤔

What interface do you recommend for the Genelecs in a small desktop setup, perhaps the RME Fireface UCX II Audio Interface?

Hi, thanks for the video!! Sorry for a stupid question, but what do you think about the idea of using beolab 8 as a monitor speakers?

I have had the HEDD Type 20 Mk 2s for two and a half years. I absolutely loved the sound and how my mixes translated, but unfortunately they broke on my twice. The first one, after a bit of back and forth replaced it free of charge, which was very generous. The second time they broke was just a few days ago, so I am not sure what will happen. Even though I loved the sound, I unfortunately lost faith in them due to their unreliability. I decided to invest in the Genelec 8341s. They are on their way. I am truly hoping they will be a monitor I can happily use for the next several decades.

Hopefully this video is a good starting point for your studio journey. A follow-up video regarding the Genelec 8331 is already planned. What do you want to know about the Genelec speakers?

A lot is due to calibration : when done right, an eq calibration starting from basse to midrange will clean up and open the treble sound, and the result is a sound that is comfortable and you can push the volume higher without any fatigue. Rooms all have modes due to their size and no amount of treatment can solve that. Speakers have limitations and no eq can solve all. But combining all can clean up a lot of problems and make sound clearer. When in doubt remove more : because each of the excesses are damaging multiple other parts of the sound, so it is better to lack some small parts, than having some resonances.

As the Genelec system is kept in the digital domain from your PC DAW USB output, what is the best way to integrate external sound sources such as a hardware synthesiser?

Any comment on how the genelecs perform when backed up close to the wall versus further away from the wall?

Cool! Looking for speakers to work in my small room circa 3x3m. How large is your room?

I have one question regarding RME, I have an original ufx and was thinkig do I will have any of improvements if I will feed an Genelec’s (mine 8351a) with adi-2 pro fs or 2/4? And yes, I’m running it through AES/EBU? Maybe I need to switch to analog, to get better quality? (I’m happy with it, but you know, Genelec’s was quite an investment and ufx also, but it is ~10 years old?)

Nice

Were the genelec / GLM your first introduction to room compensation EQ software? Or were you using software such as Sonarworks before? I'm asking because if you haven't tried them both you would not be comparing apples to apples.

Halbmarathon gelaufen? LG Fabian 😀👍 Hatten uns in Mannheim getroffen...

Does your room have much acoustic treatment?

Did you get your GRADE report?

Just found out your channel! Adi 2/4 pro user from RME! haha

Hey Wolfgang hier aus der Clemensstrasse 1:25

Do you need a sub with these?

Neumann KH 120 ii with a KH 750 sub is the correct answer if listening AND money are considered ✌️

Boring.. to much talking about nothing..