Bailing on the Genelecs...ordered some 8" Yamaha monitors

[Jarick]

RIP my desk space...

I never bonded with the Genelec monitors I got last year, and after A/B-ing them against the cheaper JBL 306's I got a couple months back, I really prefer the bigger monitors. There's more low end extension with cleaner low end too, and there's more high end extension. But JBL's are kind of scooped sounding (I used the 305's for years), and they have an annoying hiss at close range.

So I'm going to give the Yamaha HS8's a shot. When I tested monitors a few years back, the Yamaha speakers had the most prominent midrange which seemed good for guitar. The little ones were too harsh, but the big ones seemed to smooth that out and extend the frequency range.

While they are ungodly big, if they sonically sit between the Genelecs (all mids with no highs and lows) and the JBL's (lots of highs and lows but scooped mids), I could see getting rid of a TON of gear (extra monitors, headphones, amps, even the other modelers I have). Would love to really just dial into one good pair of monitors, one good modeling unit (Axe FX 3), and be done with it.

 

[fretworn]

I find that the HS8 are surprisingly good… And I hate Yamaha monitors generally.

The only reason I tried was because Cliff thought they were pretty good for the price point as well.

Plenty loud and plenty of bass response.

I put mine on some IsolateIt Sorbothane rubber feet to get some of the lows off the desk. ( I forget the size, but take the weight of the speaker divided by four.)

 

[Jarick]

I find that the HS8 are surprisingly good… And I hate Yamaha monitors generally.

The only reason I tried was because Cliff thought they were pretty good for the price point as well.

Plenty loud and plenty of bass response.

I put mine on some IsolateIt Sorbothane rubber feet to get some of the lows off the desk. ( I forget the size, but take the weight of the speaker divided by four.)

View attachment 10456

Oh man that’s a nice setup!

I’ve done the merry go round on modelers and headphones and just came to the realization that monitoring is so much more important than everything else. So invest in good monitoring.

No sense in getting a 500 watt "FRFR" and running it on 0.5, or getting another cheap solid state amp with a crappy cab.

Also realized guys like Leon Todd run their Axe Fx through big monitors and enjoy it. Maybe I’m not enjoying as much running through little 4” speakers or 40mm headphones.

 

[fretworn]

Oh man that’s a nice setup!

I’ve done the merry go round on modelers and headphones and just came to the realization that monitoring is so much more important than everything else. So invest in good monitoring.

No sense in getting a 500 watt "FRFR" and running it on 0.5, or getting another cheap solid state amp with a crappy cab.

Also realized guys like Leon Todd run their Axe Fx through big monitors and enjoy it. Maybe I’m not enjoying as much running through little 4” speakers or 40mm headphones.

Physics still apply in the universe last I checked. Lol

Driver size and power matters. Anything under 6 inches not gonna give you anything close to 80 Hertz properly in the room, sometimes not even <140. And I program stuff into the low 30s.

Let us know what you think.

 

[jellodog]

I put mine on some IsolateIt Sorbothane rubber feet to get some of the lows off the desk.

I'm also a Sorbothane half sphere user. Wonderful stuff!

 

[Jarick]

I have iso acoustics stands but if I put the speakers on them will probably touch the ceiling lol

 

[DrewJD82]

I’m tempted to try different monitors, but there’s a good chance I might just jump up to HS7’s or 8’s. I’m so used to the 5’s at this point, I’d just like to drop the sub. I even dig them for casual listening.

 

[fretworn]

I’m tempted to try different monitors, but there’s a good chance I might just jump up to HS7’s or 8’s. I’m so used to the 5’s at this point, I’d just like to drop the sub. I even dig them for casual listening.

They image well and have some thump.

I’ve toyed with getting a nice Dynaudio subwoofer with the dual 9” throws.

 

[la szum]

#Subsforever

 

[fretworn]

#Subsforever

I have several all over the house; currently only attached Home Theater’s

 

[la szum]

#Tunablecrossoversforever

 

[JCW308]

Physics still apply in the universe last I checked. Lol

Driver size and power matters. Anything under 6 inches not gonna give you anything close to 80 Hertz properly in the room, sometimes not even <140. And I program stuff into the low 30s.

Let us know what you think.

You might want to let the Bose people know about your discoveries.

 

[fretworn]

You might want to let the Bose people know about your discoveries.

Are you talking about a wave-guide?

I’m fairly familiar with acoustics. A lot of ways to hype the low end.

But if you think that sounds tight and accurate… You do you boo.

 

[Orvillain]

I've never liked Genelecs. Always seemed too hyped to me, with a huge exagerrated low-end.

I have the Yamaha HS8's and I love them. I had Focal Alpha 65's before, and I hated them. They would always distort even at reasonable volume levels. Utter crud!

 

[SillyOctpuss]

I've been wanting to change my m-audio bx5s for ages but I've barely turned them on in months. I've been using my stomp and some pedals into my jvm and haven't been doing any recording so just haven't used them.

 

[FuzzyAce]

I have a pair of KRK Rokit 8's that are pushing 20 yrs old (). My current recording space has not been acoustically treated, except for an iso closet. I would like to use them more instead of headphones because they still sound great.

 

[laxu]

I've never liked Genelecs. Always seemed too hyped to me, with a huge exagerrated low-end.

Absolutely not my experience.

But placement in the room as always matters. It's easy to make them boomy if you put them too close to a wall and don't use the dip switches in the back to compensate. Similarly they need to be placed at ear level, which might be why Jarick is feeling them are "all mids".

The M040 models I use are the same size as the 8040 so pretty big. I have tried them with a sub but removed that from the setup because it mainly added sub-bass which was not very useful to me. On their own I find the M040 is good enough even for playing standard tuned bass through them.

I've listened to all the 80xx models Genelec offers in a few stores and the only ones I don't care for are the smallest 8010 and 8020. They are fine for what they are, but I always feel like I would want a subwoofer with them.

Genelecs are the #1 studio monitor here in Finland, mostly due to being made here. Pretty much every pro studio uses them but it's usually either the older 1000 series, the larger 8040-8050 or the same size, hideously expensive "The Ones" range.

 

[Orvillain]

Absolutely not my experience.

But placement in the room as always matters. It's easy to make them boomy if you put them too close to a wall and don't use the dip switches in the back to compensate. Similarly they need to be placed at ear level, which might be why Jarick is feeling them are "all mids".

The M040 models I use are the same size as the 8040 so pretty big. I have tried them with a sub but removed that from the setup because it mainly added sub-bass which was not very useful to me. On their own I find the M040 is good enough even for playing standard tuned bass through them.

I've listened to all the 80xx models Genelec offers in a few stores and the only ones I don't care for are the smallest 8010 and 8020. They are fine for what they are, but I always feel like I would want a subwoofer with them.

Genelecs are the #1 studio monitor here in Finland, mostly due to being made here. Pretty much every pro studio uses them but it's usually either the older 1000 series, the larger 8040-8050 or the same size, hideously expensive "The Ones" range.

I just don't really like Genelecs. The ones I tried were the 8040's. Not to pull rank or be a dick, but I am an audio engineer. I don't need educating about monitor positioning and the like.

Loads of studios have NS10's in them as well, because they sound shit. The theory is if your mix sounds big and powerful on those, it will sound big and powerful anywhere. But I don't like the sound of those either. The modern day Yamaha's bear very little resemblence to those old NS10's, fwiw.

 

[Rock Chalk]

#Subsforever

This.....

I thought I was really liking my Adam A7X monitors.....then I got a matching Adam sub and WHOA! Night and day.....

 

[laxu]

I just don't really like Genelecs. The ones I tried were the 8040's. Not to pull rank or be a dick, but I am an audio engineer. I don't need educating about monitor positioning and the like.

It was not directed at you but just a general statement.

I generally loathe huge, exaggerated bass and that's not what I've heard with my own Genelecs, even in acoustically shitty rooms. Even measuring the room with something like Sonarworks it has usually not needed any extreme corrections apart from the ~130 Hz room mode in my previous apartment.

Similarly in the few studios I've visited as I have some friends who are pro musicians or engineers, I haven't heard anything I didn't like from their Genelecs.