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Did you just pick up a pair of HS8’s?
I read through this thread and swapped my HS8 out for the Genelec 8020s I still have and definitely noticed the tone getting more boxy. There's something with both the low end that is pumping due to the smaller woofer and enclosure along with a bump in the midrange right around the crossover point, where the HS8 seems to have more extended frequencies and a little dip in the mids maybe?
Put the HS8's back up today and they are nice at low volumes. WAY too big for my desk but hey the sound is pretty good. I do think you have to be aware of maybe a little too much high end with them though. Not enough to try and compensate with the HF switch, but maybe a little less presence or treble.
I did indeed. I’m currently getting over the “you REALLY should have done that sooner” aspect of it all that‘s coming with a learning curve of hearing all those frequencies and figuring out how to mix with them.
I was just saying the other day that I was considering putting some tissue paper over the tweeters because they’re REALLY bright, but after actually taking the time to understand and experiment with the Room Control and High switches, I think I got a comfortable spot.
The placement of them plays a big, big role. I wasn’t even thinking about that when I first brought them home and just put them on the HS5 desk stands-
I got my ears right between the tweeters and woofers, figured I’d be ok, but that all felt to crammed together, physically and sonically, so I got floor stands and was able to spread them out, that changed a LOT of things-
I’m no longer getting bombarded by everything at once and having them behind my monitor like they were was cutting off the sound spreading out. It’s crazy how sensitive these ares to placement, even with my room being extremely flat. I think I spent 30-40 minutes just angling them correctly towards me, then measuring with a tape measure to get equal distance between them and my ears.
With guitar tones specifically, there was so much low end I was missing out on with the HS5’s that don’t even enter the discussion simply because the HS5’s can’t produce those frequencies, so things like low end robbing from the top end doesn’t come into play. With the HS8’s you hear how all those relationships work out and it’s a whole learning curve of understanding that before plowing ahead with making killer tones, for me it is anyway.
I’m trying to track guitars for a song that’s drenched in synths, fast/slow sections and a kick drum pattern taking up the majority of the song, finding a guitar tone that does what I want while fitting in that mix has been brutal, but I’m pushing through it because I know I’ll learn something as a result.