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• 5

  14 out of 14 members found this review helpful

  in voce

  2024-03-08

  What to say first about this speaker.

  The build quality is leagues above the cheap monitors in the 300-500 euro range per pair, primarily due to the cast aluminum cabinet that is acoustically as "dead" as possible, unlike the MDF used in lower-priced speakers that usually have their resonances at specific frequencies (whether they are audible in a random test is another matter). The use of aluminum also has the additional advantage that the cabinet walls can be significantly smaller in diameter than MDF, resulting in the speaker being smaller in size with approximately the same internal volume as the corresponding 5-inch monitors (e.g. the ADAM T5V with the same woofer and features has a depth of 30 cm while here it is only 18!): very important for placement on a desktop and close to the rear wall, and even though it is back-ported, you save valuable space on your desk, very compact form factor without sacrificing extension in the lows (the speaker goes down to 54 Hz but in-room easily reaches 45 due to gain, especially from the rear wall if placed close, e.g. at 5 cm as recommended by the company itself to avoid cancellations in the bass).

  Another characteristic worth mentioning regarding the cabinet is the lack of corners: the Minimum Diffraction Enclosure (MDE) as Genelec calls it is not a choice dictated by aesthetics (their appearance actually polarizes, it's a bit of a love or hate case) but mainly acoustic, as this reduces unwanted diffraction phenomena and greatly improves the directivity and dispersion of the speaker on and off-axis. The result is that the speaker presents a very balanced tonality and frequency response, with the only downside being the directionality on the vertical axis (on the horizontal it is very good) where it exhibits all the typical disadvantages of a two-way speaker where the tweeter and woofer are not acoustically a single point source (as is the case, for example, with the KEF LS50, LSX, etc.) so when you sit above or below the speaker, there is a dip in the midrange (around 2200 Hz, there is a 2 dB dip).

  These observations apply more or less to the entire 8000 series of Genelec, although some are more balanced than others - here the 5-inch is a sweet spot for many, at least for listening distances up to 2 meters and when extension in frequencies below 50 cycles is not required (or there is the possibility of integrating a subwoofer). The philosophy, however, has been the same since 2005 when this series was first released, and each revision is simply an improvement on the same basic concept.

  Otherwise, the speaker has great imaging, revealing all the details of a recording, the multiple layers added to the mixing (effects, compressors, limiters, etc.) as it should as a monitor. You also have a very "clean" sound for all the reasons mentioned, you can distinguish the kick drum in the drums from the notes of a bass and it is not the mud of the one-note bass that you hear in cheaper speakers where the implementation of the bass reflex is lacking and produces all kinds of "dirt", so that it is simply a mess that many confuse as "awesome" bass from a speaker.

  Of course, in low frequencies, the room's acoustics play a bigger role than the speaker itself, and in that aspect, Genelec cannot work miracles. If you have standing waves in the room, excessive energy in the low frequencies, or the speakers are not symmetrically positioned with the tweeter at ear level, you will get a result inferior to what the speakers can deliver on their own. However, there are some dip switches at the back where you can remove only -2, -4, or -6 dB from the bass, -2 from the tweeter, and a desktop switch where you can remove -4 dB from around 160 Hz, suitable for when the speakers are not on stands but directly on the desk. Of course, even in this case, the rubber feet on the bottom of the speaker help a lot in achieving basic decoupling.

  There is also an option for automatic sleep mode when the speakers do not receive a signal for about 1 hour, and they automatically activate without lag as soon as they receive a signal. However, personally, I prefer to turn them off from the back when I'm not using them. The good thing is that this option can be disabled, and they can remain continuously on if desired. It should be noted that the speakers only have XLR input, and the signal remains analog throughout the entire path, meaning they do not have DSP, although the crossover is, of course, active, but it remains in the analog domain.

  Distortions are generally low, and the speaker can play quite loudly without distortion (the company claims a maximum SPL of 110 dB at 1 meter, but this is at its peak, in reality, it will not be able to exceed 96 dB for a long time since the protection circuit will automatically activate to prevent the speakers from being damaged). And of course, these values are for frequencies above 100 Hz, music with a lot of energy in the low frequencies inevitably pushes them to their limits, and while you want them to deliver more bass, they reach a ceiling and stop there. However, even at that point, they are already quite loud, especially if you are listening nearfield, as you should since the speaker is designed for such listening and not for 50 sqm living rooms where someone would place them to listen from 4 or 5 meters away. They are unsuitable for that purpose, and I would not recommend them for such use. However, for small spaces and desktop systems where you listen from 1.5-2 meters away, they are ideal and suitable for long, fatigue-free listening sessions.

  Finally, it should be mentioned that 1100 euros for a pair of small active speakers with a 5-inch mid/woofer may seem like a lot to many (and it is), but if you consider their build quality, balanced frequency response (there are measurements for the speaker that are excellent), relatively low harmonic distortions, imaging, excellent dispersion, small form factor without sacrificing low-end extension, the research and development involved in their design and construction, their long expected lifespan as they are made in Finland to high standards and usually last 15-20 years without repair (but even if they break, the company provides replacement parts even for speakers that are 30 years old or older!), I think they are a very good value for money choice and definitely an upgrade compared to more budget options.

  On the other hand, having tried the Adam T5V, Kali LP-6 and IN-5 (the latter as a three-way coaxial has advantages that Genelec does not have), I believe that you can do your job just fine with these, both for simple music listening, movies, gaming as well as for mixing/music production. Budget monitors have improved so much lately that already with pairs of 400-600 euros like the aforementioned (but also cheaper ones of 300) you get 85-90% of what Genelec will give you, meaning here we have the law of diminishing returns in action (you pay disproportionately large amounts to get small improvements) and the higher you go, the smaller the gap becomes.

  This turned out to be a huge "sheet", but I hope I helped some people get a comprehensive picture of the product!

  Translated from Greek · Show original

  • Rich sound
  • Sound quality
  • Construction quality
  • Value for money
  • Ease of adjustment
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• 5

  gregli

  2023-07-19

  • Sound quality
  • Construction quality
  • Value for money
  • Ease of adjustment

  • Not so rich sound

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• 5

  Panos_Diasinos

  2021-08-30

  • Rich sound
  • Sound quality
  • Construction quality
  • Value for money