How to pick reference monitor speakers & review of the Adam A8X, Adam A7X and Genelec 8040a
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- Опубліковано 17 чер 2012
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Over the last month I've been setting up a new studio. After I upgraded all my acoustic treatment to some top notch Primacoustic kits, I turned my attention to upgrading my studio reference monitor speakers. After much musing, I decided to test out 3 pairs: Adam A7X, Adam A8X, and Genelec 8040a.
In this video I talk all about the process I went through to test and choose which ones I wanted to buy. I include reviews of each set of speakers with the low down on why I did, or didn't like them. Enjoy!
Very good informal, to the point review. Thank you! :)
Absolutely loved this review. I'm looking to upgrade my monitors here in the near future, and you made some excellent points regarding things to consider. Thanks for taking the time to share this.
Thanks man, I completely see where you're coming from. I really appreciate your detailed perspective. Keep doing what you're doing!!! :)
Excellent review and comparison. Thank you for your informative impressions.
Thank you for posting this video. It really gave me some insight on studio monitor selection. Hearing this information from people like you hits home a whole lot more than hearing it from a salesman at a music store !
I have a pair of Genelec 8330 with GLM 3 kit, and the sound from these beasts is unreal. So neutral and detailed sound!
Exactly what I needed to learn!! Thank you!! You helped me make a terrific purchase decision :)
Thanks for all the hard work you do. Keep the videos coming!
The monitors look so good the way you've framed them, its almost like they are not even there! Great video
my friend had Gennies and a matching sub for uni, and i LOVED them.
Great video and very helpful information. Also, I agree that room treatment has a profound impact on how sound will be recorded.
just got my set of 8040s, love them! thanks for this video
Great informative video, well explained. I am going for the Neumann kh120s myself but have heard great things about the Genelecs.
Thanks for the info on the rockit 5's! I happened to buy a pair of these and I'm quite happy with them.
Thanks for the wonderful review! Even though the video is pretty long, I found myself hooked to the screen.
Thanks for the great reviews! I've placed these on my list! :-)
Man what an amazing breakdown and well-reasoned approach! Really enjoyed the video. Would be curious about how the Focal Solo6 stack up in that lineup as well.
Thanks Jason. Glad you enjoyed it. I've tried and tested some Focal Twin 6 monitors, but that's as close as I've gotten. The Twin 6 monitors, to me, lacked enough low end to be used without LFE for electronic music. However, I'm quite interested in the new Focal Trios. They're most likely going to be my next monitor now that I've built a new studio with a hard front wall. That or possibly ATCs, but they're quite pricey.
Nice review Exactly what I was waiting for ! Thank You
Glad you liked it. Cheers!
Awesome review, I work at Guitar Center in California and ive had experiance with all those monitors and you nailed everything someone looking to get into high end monitors for EDM. Great work
I love listening to frequencies above the human hearing they sound so damm good :)))))))))))
Great review! In discussing sound it can be difficult to describe what you hear. I thought you did a great job in this category. I would love hear how you treated your room and what the requirements are to make this happen. Thanks again for the review. Tim
excellent review , exactly what i read in many threads all over the internet , i am going to buy the GENELEC M040 ,people say they are almost identical to the 8040s
Nice one very good review! lots of care over it. Got a pair of 8040a's myself and I record many different styles and timbres of music (mainly acoustic/electric guitars, live percussion vocal etc etc) and I love them dearly. You are right when you get the mix right they kinda sing.... I was not fortunate to be able to demo these or other monitors but went on pure advice and the overwhelming conclusion was the 8040a's, so I got lucky.
I bought my Genelec's 8040's around 8yrs ago. Couldn't be happier! They are just great, look great, they sound great (which is the most important thing for a monitor of course) and it's fantastic build quality! I love them so much! 😎
Very nice!
Great Excellent review and comparison. . I have just reasonly switch to Genelec 8240A and what an experience. I wont change easily from it now. my mix are so accurate. i got my hand on another pair of genelec but the 1032A.
Glad you enjoyed the review. Enjoy those Genelecs!
really great speaker review :) thx a lot!
Great review! Top notch info. Thanks!
Hi, thx for the review! I too have the Genelec 8040a's, though just for my own enjoyment in my living room for listening music and movies. I share your view of the pairs ability to accurately produce the full range from down low to high up. Not to mention that the sheer volume and pressure from a pair so small, and you can just hit the volume more and more without losing quality. Grade A ;)
Hey man, thanks so much for all of your videos! I really value your insights and think of you as one of the best electronic music educators that I know of.
I am in a very similar position.
The mid range clarity and tightness of the genelecs seems great. The power and excitement of adams seems great as well.
I am thinking about switching between a pair of the Adam A77x (mid fields) and either the G 8030a or 8020bs; using 2 sets as a team.
Honest thoughts?
I sat ur first webinar dude, can't wait to hear it a lll polished up like a sportscar :)
Excellent review. Here's a question I am asking myself about positioning. As you said, the direct positioning is on stands behind the desk, but as you also said, that is very often difficult to achieve, so people put them on the desk, with all the attendant problems. Why don't we put them on stands behind us? This is often much easier to arrange. For making changes one would face the desk and listen; for critical listening you swivel your chair...Not sure why that would not work.
Great review vespers. I'll be looking closely at the gennies and some focals when I'm buying monitors. Cheers.
Excellent .....unbiased review. Good job sir.
Thanks for mentioning Genelec. I hadn't heard of them before this video... Now I have a pair of 8260 monitors, and there are no audible issues with that Monitor from 20hz to 20khz. Time for room treatment.
Nice one. Glad you picked up some monitors you're happy with. Definitely time to treat the room. Cheers!
Thank you for this review! I will pick up the 8040b's next month:)
Glad I could help!
Oh thanks! I saw the pads in the background but wasn't sure if they were used to test. I think i like i like those stabilizers. I heard some good things about Opals too. I'll have to audition all of these myself. Thanks a lot :)
FYI You look like a Canadian Tom Cruise. Great review though! Very informative. I think I'd like the A7X the best, but I'm curious to hear the Genelec too.
Cool thanks! The Apogee Duet 2 and the RME Babyface are on my list. BTW, I was reading the Genelec is coming out with M40s in a few weeks (and they are geared towards EDM producers).
awesome review! totally unbiased! thank you!!!
Awesome review Drew! I've heard great things about the Genelecs.
Great review, good work.
thank you, Mona Lisa! 🙏
She's great looking, isn't she!
haha
Hahaha now that you say !
XD
Hahaha
I have the genalec 8040a' s and my mixes come out sounding fantastic. They're great monitors.
Your mixes are fantastic because you are fantastic 🥰❤️
are they loud?
Genalec 8040a is near field monitor. They are loud enough for near field monitoring. I keep my monitors about 6 feet away from me and I have it at 50% power on the speaker. But on my audio interface, I keep the volume at 50% or less. That's all I need.
@@ygung i just meant if they can be potentially loud if you set them up so.do they sound big? if i just want to listen to music. do they have great soundstage? i also like to play guitar through speakers with guitar processer
Christel Hall. These speakers are only 180 watts peak. For a large sound stage you will have to go to a music store and try out powered speakers with about 1300 watts e.g. powered rcf speakers may serve you right, however it's up to your subjective taste.
thanks for the extensive review.
here in germany the neuman kh120 are quite popular and supposedly one of the most flat yet pleasant sounding speakers in that price range (around 1200€/pair). I'm enjoying mine to say the least, although I did not test as many speakers before, and my home studio is far from optimally isolated. they are a bit smaller and don't go as low, but the bass sounds tight and dry. neumann also have a sub for them (that's well above what I can pay tho -.-)
Cool review man great job
Dude. You are great at this. Thanks!
thanks for this excellent review man. cheers
Thank you for the info on the: KRK's.
Thanks for the review. checked them out myself. I agree, price sucks but what you get out of the Genelecs are accurate balancing tools. to add that I found the hype in the Adams as well. When you mix, your ears will tell you right away which ones are for you. Given of course you do have a nicely dialed up room..
That and trained ears are invaluable. Which is numer 1 to me..Most hear , great engineers listen critically..
wonderful presented! thanks a lot!
Very good review. The only thing I would've added to it is how well do the mixes translate when made on each speaker. Anything to say in that regard?
Thank you. I've also taken the time to check out Genelecs in many occasions, as of recently once again, and in my humble opinion they are very sterile (yes, in order to be flat), however the one thing that really sticks out to me is the dip in the mids. It's almost uncomfortable for that reason. I don't know if you've noticed the same thing, but in any case, would the amount of room correction provided in the back of the speakers be enough an amount and broad enough to compensate for that dip?
I am really looking at the Yamaha HM80s (spelling lol!) Specially after listening to this review. I enjoyed how honest his review was.
Thanks mate. Interesting video.
I have stuck with the 8040s for 2 years now, no regrets, mixes translate fine to other systems. so yes, I agree. Great vid BTW.
Glad you're enjoying them!
Love your reviews. Very credible.
I would have a question: How do you determine how true is the sound on speakers ?
Great, informative review! How about A5X vs. 8030/20s?
Good and competent review!
Fantastic video, very informative.
Very objective review. Much appreciated.
DJ Vespers Seriously considering the Adam A5X bundle with sub. 1599.00 for all of it, stands, etc.. "may"...be the best overall value out there. But the competition is fierce!
Thank you for your info!
Cheers. You're welcome!
Hi, do you have comparison with Adam a77x? They are similar to a7x?
excellent review, im subscribing.
yeah, think you are spot on. Listened to some 8040B and Adam A7X the other day, it was like day and night, the Genelec filled the room with a detailed picture of the sound, the Adams sounded boxy.
Thanks for posting your feedback and thoughts. Glad you were able to listen to them in person. Cheers!
Nice review! Why did you choose 2 monitors over a 2.1 System?
I'm currently planning out my home studio set-up for producing. I think, the front ports of Adam speakers are beneficial for most "bedroom producers" like me due to the positioning of the speakers. However, there would be the option to go for smaller monitors + sub, but hardly anybody mentions 2.1 systems...
NIce! Thanks Drew... Keep on keepin' on! :D
Thanks for the video. You mentioned the Genelecs were a demo pair and you were waiting for the real pair. How do you go about "demoing" monitors? Do you just buy them and return within the return policy? Or is there some other process?
Excellent review... thanks!
Awesome! Review thanks for sharing
You're very welcome Greg. Thanks for tuning in!
Hi DJ, I recently bought Genelec 8040bs, amazing, do you think these are fine for a professional studio also? I intend starting a small studio. I deal mainly in rock/metal.
not sure if I should have gone for the 8050?
I replaced a long time set of Mission SM6As with a pair of Genelec 8040s and they are totally better in every metric.
Stereo image is amazing. You can place sounds in the mix with real accuracy.
Mix is transparent but to be fair that was something the missions did really well as well.
Bass is not as extended but is much more accurately placed.
All in all amazing monitors.
Luv and Peace.
Respect your viewpoint and counsel together with your evidently established experience in frequency identification and mixing. My personal preference would have been that you could have taken advantage of the Adam speakers (both) rear panel frequency representation options. If you had spent the time to appropriately tweaked the Adams to your room via the rear panel options, would your preference have remained the same. Unfortunately we may never know because you didn't.
Hey DJ. Many thanks and big respect for your resourceful reply.
I'm currently aiming at upgrading my studio speakers to a pair of Adam A77X. In keeping with your comments they are more oriented towards a three-way. Have you ever or are you ever likely to review the A77X speakers?
Your choice of the Genelec 8040a speakers is very interesting especially as here in Melbourne, Australia they seem to be on a price parity with the Adam 77X speakers.
I suppose it would be helpful if I mention that my current project is a three album event with vocals and harmonies and choirs with a full orchestral score of virtual instruments, so I don't have the massive low end requirement that maybe one might need for modern dance or trance music, but I obviously do need as much clarity and transparency as possible.
Any pointers one way or another would be gratefully received.
Anyway again I offer my thanks for your help. It's refreshing to meet a true gent on line. :)
Thanks for the information. Well explained and detailed. Do you have any suggestions for artists on a budget?
i have a well treated room i was thinking of picking up the focal alpha 80 same size speaker ?? ev sound ?
Thanks i was thinking of changing my a7x-s for a8x-s, but same - i need flatness for mixing! Gonna keep my a7x-s with the sub :)
Good choice!
Did you try adjusting the tone controls on the rear (A7X) to improve the bass?
Great review! What would be your second or third choices if the Genelec's were fiscally out of reach? Do you use a subwoofer in your setup? Anyone else have any preferences for EDM monitors? #djvespers #edm
Thanks for the review. Do you know how the Genelecs 8040a compare with the M040?
for electronic which one will you recommend?
Hey Vespers! Long time fan! I would like to ask a question in relation to acoustic treatment and speakers. In context, I was wondering if placing 6" or 8" monitors on stands would still produce resonances and a loss of accuracy in frequency response. Typically you could place an isopad underneath but that could make the speaker less stable hanging on a stand (EEK). Do you see where I am coming from and could you please give me your perspective?
Hey man, I'm wondering what you would think in terms of how the Genelec 8040a speakers compare with Brainwavz HM5 headphones. Obviously I know a direct equivalency can't be drawn, however, what I love about the HM5's is precisely what you described about the 8040's. They are my go-to headphones for mixing, and because I don't have a room which I can very well treat nor the budget for particularly high-end monitors, I tend to mix more in the headphones and compensate for what I know the relative difference would be on most speakers. Obviously, I also go back and forth for reference.
In any case, these are the best headphones I know for mixing (and general listening as well imo) from ANYTHING below $300 (some other noteworthy headphones $200+ perhaps), especially if properly amped and with a good quality DAC. They are relatively inexpensive and I'm wondering, if you don't have a pair, perhaps you can get them to try out. Your perspective seems exactly right to me and it'd be rather helpful if you'd be able to make this comparison. Thanks!
PS- They're also the most comfortable headphones I know of whilst actually providing a good seal and insulation. I could literally wear them 24/7 (and I have) without any issues. I wear them practically all day, every day. Imo, their soundstage is just perfect! I don't think imaging gets much better in headphones. Perhaps it is actually a bit too wide with a slightly weak center image but nothing which isn't easily compensated for.
Was listening your outtake on the bigger Adam and was wondering that you don't do room measurement and acoustic compensation?
#DJvespers where did you get your monitor stands I have larger monitors, however I haven't been able to find stands that support BX8a's Weight Without the stand wobbling and look like they fall over easy, where did you get your wood monitor stands, thanks in advance.
Thanks for the very extensive review! So you went for the 6 inch genelecs, I wonder what are the dimensions of your studio.
can you review the Event Opals??
Any recommendations on monitors for electronic-edm-trance? i'v heard about krk rp5 g3 jbl 305 adam f5 and yamaha hs5 but idk which to choose
I wish you would review every monitor speaker currently on the market. This was a very informative video, sir.
Cheers! Me too. It's fun testing monitors.
Nice review! would you recommend the Adam A8Xs for a DJ who wants to practice his DJing for a home setup. I'm not looking into music production since I sold a pair of Genelecs since I hardly found myself producing tunes.
Hey! I'm looking forward to buy a KRK Rokit 8 'cause many people say it has a great definition working with low frequences. The problem is my room isn't that big and friends adviced me not to purchase this one because the problem with low definition is more related to the room itself. I'm also planning to treat my room acoustically as soon as I can. Should I take the Rokit 8 or 6? Greatings from Brazil
Hi ,thx for your reply .I have few more question ,for your mixing experience with the 2.1system , do you have any problem to mix with a sub woofer ? what are the differences to mix with and without a sub woofer? Can i use an outboard gear(parametric EQ )to have more control in calibrate my speaker ? thanks .
Hi, Im looking for a set of speakers for my room. After watching your review I am leaning towards the Genelec 8040a's. However, Genelec launched the m040's. Have you had the chace to try those ones? I live in Mexico and you just dont have the option of trying gear. Your opinions would be very useful. I see that you analize sound in similar ways that I would do. Your help is appreciated.
Good review. Genelecs also don't require you to turn them off before powering off your mixer, which is a boon for people with a mixer that doesn't have a speaker protection circuit.
Thinking about a pair of 8020's + 740 sub-woofer. I find I can hear a lot more clear with 4" mid drivers. I think the extra clarity in the mids from a small size driver would outweigh the hassle of placing a sub some place.
That's a good note about the mid driver size. When I tested other 2-way monitors with 9" or 10" mid-bass drivers, I found that the mids really suffered. I also agree with you that placing a sub is really fussy, and in many cases not worth the LFE in rooms unless they're professionally designed and tuned with a sub in mind. My focus now is exclusively on 3-way nearfields, and I'm testing out the Dynaudio Core series and the Focal Trios. They're more spendy, but well worth it due to the 3-way design.
@@warpacademy You have a point about the 3 ways, which allows you to skip the subwoofer. All the classic JBL and EV radio station monitors used to be 3 ways, from the size of a small fridge to the size of a huge double door fridge, and their sound was fantastic, but not as flat as modern near field monitors, but thankfully, the curve wasn't a bathtub either.
I think in the end, you can't really make do with only one pair of speakers, even though that would be really nice. I have a pair of KRK V4 from the Year 2003, which are really clear but obviously lack bass. Then I have Yamaha DXR112s, which don't belong into a studio, but they do help out, when working on low frequencies, since I don't have anything else atm. Last year's order for studio monitors apparently got lost in the mail!
I think the Genelec Subs have the best tools to help place and tune them, so that's my next plan, cause I'd really like to be able to turn off the sub at will, without actually switching speakers.
Great review
which speakers would you choose among neumann kh120A, genelecs 8030c, adam a7x or focal speaker at similar price range???
Can u dova comparison between 8020d with ultra subwoofer 7040a genelec and Adam's a3x with sub7 I need something compact in a non treated environment room
Hello. Thank You for review. Very usefull. Cheers.
Also, how does the speaker itself interfere with stereo imaging?
hello
I'd like to know where is the volume, eq and etc adjustments based on these 8040s as well as 8050s.
Thank you.
are the krk rockit 5 good for dj:ing as well?
I absolutely agree with what you're saying. I just wanted to point out that there's nearly always a way to improve what you have with very simple tools, if you don't have the money to spend on high end gear :)