Genelec SAM active studio monitors for home use

Hi, will get back to you on this thread when I had the opportunity to try the 8341 which I hope to be able to do in a month time. They might be the best buy around 4-5 K$. I believe 8 feet would do fine, but remember they're made for near-field listening, which is about 2-4 feet.

Well, with qualified pro monitors you get the truth, For me that's not boring. Be prepared that some of your favourites will not sound as nice as before. But the good ones will sound even better. That includes female voices :-) Generally I don't find active speakers made for home listening that interesting. They actually tend to sound a bit boring. Like the active LS50.(which I got). Naturally also prospeakers differ. Some are made to reveal all too much of the mistakes in a mix. Those should be avoided for listening. They are a working tool. Geithain, Amphion, PMC, ATC are examples of other very well regarded pro brands. New brands to look for are Kii and Dutch & Dunn. 

I believe with the SAM system you are able to increase the listening distance without loosing too much. Also remember that genelec has a lot of other models, also with SAM, for mid- and far-field listening.I'm really interested in the 8341s because they might be perfect for my desk-top system. I have plenty of active monitors, but for some time I've returned to passive near-fields (small Diapason and Westlake monitors + small REL sub).I also use the active Unity Boulder mk2 that is a beast for all listening distances :-). That's the one the 8341 will have to beat...

@strojo 
very good to hear. how do you find their imaging capability since they are what audiophiles tend to appreciate - a point source (with power and bass capacity).

@cortes
Don't have theGen 8341 yet. On top of my try list when I return home in a couple of weeks. For my final near-field setup... Do have e.g the JBL LSR 4326/4328/4312sp with AES input so interested in that. Aldo thought of buying the small Neumann KH80 with AES input. Is there maybe a streamer with AES output to find or do you need some pro studio DDC inbetween?The Gen 8351 model now seems to be able to find for the same cash as the 8341. Would they be too large for near-field? Like 2-4 feet listening distance.
@jeffersondavis
thanks for your info.

@cortesThanks for much valuable info.

Elac new digital products may be of interest.
Alchemy DMP-1 has AES/EBU output.
Combine with Alchemy DDP-1?

@rohanstevens 
you only need a streamer with AES/EBU output to feed the Gen. Like the proposed above. DAC is built in. The same for a lot of other moderna pro monitors. The Elac has roon capacity. Or did you mean something else?

Have listened to the smaller Genelecs 8331 for an hour at a dealer (listening room) with the room correction active and at a distance of 1,30 meter.
They are a little more hifi-ish than I expected. Warm sound, tries to play more bass than they should which means the red light comes on before you want it to. Detailed sure, but did not hear the ultimate resolution I was hoping for (maybe due to too much bass overpowering the mids). Will remove them from my wish list because for this money you want to immediately feel that they are a must. I'm looking for a more pro sound and so far much prefer my active Unity Audio Boulders mk2. They are monsters - a little big though. I'm sure the 8341 is a better buy. Just my humble and perhaps much too quick opinion. 

Should also say that the imaging and 3d soundstage was stellar. Could not wish for better. And certainly the bass should be able to get more precise in your room with manual dsp corrections. Just felt they didn't give me anything more than what I already got - besides the small size.
But there are also neumann KH80 for much lesser money if you want something really small with digital input and a dsp correction system.

Please note that my first impression of the Genelecs 8331 was a quick one, not in my room and not set up by me. So if you are interested in these don't let my words scare you away. But I do mean that the 8341s is probably the one's you should try to if you like me want the possibility to crank the volume up sometimes and/or you will be sitting further away from the monitors.

@ sesdiamond 
After some manual setting I may very well be able to control the bass to my liking. However, I read that the GLM software does only small adjustments and you can't do that many manual corrections. I'm used to room correction systems like Lyngdorf, Arc2, Antimode 2.0, Sonarworks and have them for cleaning up the bass/mid. Unfortunately I find that, to my hearing, they all present to much low bass after calibration. Fine bass but to much! I read somewhere that Lyngdorf actually admits this and say that their in-built correction curve "Open" is the flat one. With the correction active I thought the Genelecs played so heavy bass that you didn't really hear the the mids (I'm exaggerating, but....). Not the bass I want and for this money I want it to be very close to perfect from start.

@cortes 
Nice looking up my speakers! Bought them from a studio in London last year when they moved further up to the Kii three. Bought them instead of Genelec 1037a SAM. Not sure I made the right decision, but the Gen's were too big. I mean it's a desk top system :-). Amongst others I have the ATC 150 ASL for main system. Havn't compared the Boulders and the ATC side-by-side but they are not too far away. Need an Antimode 2.0 to control the bass from the Boulders, otherwise it will overpower my working room. Also to clean up the bass/mid. Works fine.