Nearfields for audiophile listening?

I stand corrected! So it is really about the colours of the LED's.

 

Tabletop room eq... how is that different from the adjustments you can do with the 8030B?

Daisy chaining seems useful...hm, I might just go with the 8030 instead of G series then.

Any impressions here for using this monitor with the Mjolnir2 pre-outs?

 

And aluminium vs MDF housing.

 

Tabletop setting deals with the increase in certain bass frequencies that flat surfaces create when the monitor is positioned on a tabletop( - 10db dip at 160hz.)

 

Right, can that not be achieved with the 8030B dip switches in the back?

I have access to frequency response measurement equipment so might try to do that from listening position just for the heck of it

 

Both 8030 and G3 are aluminium - not MDF. M030 are made of recycled wood.

 

Aren't you confusing the G Three and the M030?

 

No it cannot. The bass tilt and bass-roll switches are gradual roll-offs and does not create a dip like the tabletop dip-switch. Using measuring equipment will help you tune the sound with the dip-switches.

 

Crap. I'm just way off my search skills.

 

Gotcha. I'm going to use them on table-top, and what's even worse; one of them is going to be placed in a corner (left wall - back wall) because of my office desk placement which can't be altered.
I'm confused. Which one would you go for?

 

Don't bother with Mjo2 as preamp to active monitors, just go straight from Yggdrasil. The colouration is nice, but IMO you lose too much on dynamics, clarity and imaging with Mjo2 in the chain.

Neumann KH120 might also be worth a look in your price range. Dunno what they are like but I love their bigger brother the O300Ds to bits.

 

Ah ok. Would mean I have to go single ended out from Yggdrasil, since the balanced are busy feeding Mjolnir.
But that's fine I guess.
I'll look into the Neumanns @Garns , I've listened to your advice before

 

...the O300 is now the KH310 I guess

 

You can go single-ended into balanced on an active speaker by connecting the right pins in the cable. My cheapo AV40 speakers had both balanced and unbalanced inputs: you really can see the difference in the levels if you compare.

None less than the Big Man (Numero Uno, Head honcho, etc, but above all, big on engineering as much as, if not more than, marketing) for Genelec's India distributors gave me a lecture on this, amounting to, sure you can use a converter cable, but the proper way to do this, if you must, is a converter box which matches the levels. In this days of magic boxes on USB lines, and all that stuff, this is probably not too much to ask! A pro balancaed input is expecting a much higher signal than a domestic unbalanced input.

Comment on this from our people with engineering experience invited!

LEDs can always be dealt with. The one on my desktop integrated is spotted with black marker pen. I can see if it is off/green/red, but it does not dazzle.

 

One more thing that hasn´t been mentioned yet: the pro series (8000) are built with more strict tolerances than the consumer lineup. You can see it in the official specifications.

For example:

- G three: http://www.genelec.com/home-speakers/g-series-active-speakers/g-three-active-speaker (± 2.5 dB (58 Hz - 20 kHz)
- 8030B: http://www.genelec.com/studio-monitors/8000-series-studio-monitors/8030b-studio-monitor (± 2 dB (58 Hz - 20 kHz)

That being said, I doubt the differences are audible. In the store demos I´ve tried I haven´t really heard any clear differences between the pro and consumer lines. I´ve always went with the pro series myself though because of the XLR inputs. Most DAC/preamp combos I´ve had have had XLR outputs so the choice was easy. That being said, the consumer series has XLR inputs from G Three and up.

This guide has already been posted here, but I´m posting it again as there is one page in it that I would like to draw attention to: http://www.genelec.com/sites/defaul...talogues/genelec_monitor_setup_guide_2015.pdf

Check page 20 to see the distance needed until the bass/treble drivers will integrate correctly. This is very important. If you are looking for a desktop setup, the 8020 will be optimal for people using small desks where you can´t place the monitors further than that. If you have more space (depth in particular), then you can go for the larger models.

One last thing... I don´t currently have any Genelecs, but I´ve owned a few sets before. In my experience they have a very clear and non-distorted sound that is so transparent that any missing low bass fundamentals will be more annoying than with less transparent speakers. In other words they need a fitting Genelec subwoofer more than most speakers. With full range playback they sound beautiful, but still listen before buying as the somewhat ultra neutral sound they output isn´t for everyone.

 

I would suggest to order a pair of 8030B's from Thomann and measure them in your listening area. The G- series might be prettier(matter of taste), but also more limited for future upgrades compared to the pro -series. Thomann offers a 3 year warranty and their return policy is very good.

 

I'm very happy with the 8030B, though I do have the 7050B sub to complement them. I don't have a lot to compare against, but it bests my B&W 684s pretty handily. They are very revealing and neutral, so I find similarity with the Andromedas in the sense that crappy production isn't glossed over and I find myself seeking out well produced material and avoiding things I used to listen to happily because their flaws are so apparent. In my case, this is exactly what I was looking for - YMMV. They are clear, revealing, composed and beautifully controlled.

It seems money is not a crucial limiter, so I would advocate for the 8030B as well, for flexibility. They are just small enough to fit on a desk, but I might consider 8020s if they are to be constrained to desk duty, and a 7040 sub to back them up. They'll be a tad smaller, there are desk stands available for them, and they will get quite loud enough to literally deafen you .

 

There's been an o300 in Canada for a while that's intriguing...
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=144539.msg1545426#msg1545426

 

Weren't these notorious for running pretty hot?

 

I've heard that before too, but don't know if that means "uncomfortably warm" or "fry an egg on top"...