Genelec 8320A PM Genelec

The Genelec 8320A SAM PM is a 4″, bi-amped 100W (50W LF/50W HF) studio monitor with Smart Active Monitoring, loudspeaker management software, and other proprietary Genelec technologies for superior sound and imaging – Producer Grey finish (P), magnetically shielded (M)

The Genelec 8320A is the baby of the SAM series of smart monitors, but a baby in size only. The 8320A sports all of Genelec’s most sophisticated technologies, up to and including Smart Active Monitoring (SAM) technology, which delivers advanced functionality for tuning monitors to your room. So, you think SAM network monitoring is a bit of an overkill for 4″ monitors? Neigh and uh-uh, we beg to differ, gentle sirs and madams, for nowhere is SAM needed more than in diminutive domiciles, where comb filtering due to proximity to walls will have a deleterious effect on your dubstep, wreak havoc on your rock and slow your roll, punch holes in your pop . . . well, you get the point. Nowhere is intelligent room compensation needed more than in small rooms, especially if you’re not wise in the ways of room tuning. The SAM system, working with proprietary Genelec Loudspeaker Manager (GLM 2.) software is designed to assist and adapt to your environment. Among its features is AutoCal, which ensures that your monitoring system is perfectly calibrated to your listening environment for a truly optimized monitoring solution.

Genelec 8320A SAM – Just the Facts:

• Smart Active Monitoring technology networked via GLM 2.0 software via Cat5
• Minimum Diffraction Enclosure (MDE), die-cast from recycled aluminum
• Directivity Control Waveguide (DCW) for consistent off-axis response
• Genelec quality and reliability
• 4″ woofer, 3/4″ tweeter
• Balanced analog XLR input
• Genelec 2 x 50W Class D amplification
• Universal mains voltage
• Efficient, distortion-free reflex port
• Producer grey finish (P)
• Magnetically shielded (M)

Genelec 8320A – Behind the Grille

Compact and lightweight enough for mobile rigs and topped off with today’s most advanced monitoring technology, the 8320A can turn any recording environment into an optimized one, where ever the muse or business takes you. The two-way, Class-D bi-amplified 8320A blends a surprisingly powerful 4″ woofer with Genelec’s renowned acoustic design expertise and proprietary Genelec Loudspeaker Manager (GLM) software to deliver a suite of time and gig-saving functions if you work on the go. Use GLM to manage up to 30 Smart monitors and subwoofers, allowing you to mix the way you want, from simple stereo to ambitious immersive audio setups. Delve deep into control options including the full recall of settings for different listening positions.

Networked Smart Active Monitor (SAM) Systems

Genelec’s advanced SAM Systems can automatically adapt to acoustic environments and correct for levels, delays and room anomalies. SAM Systems can be controlled via Genelec proprietary Loudspeaker Manager (GLM) network and software, enabling you to build a highly flexible and reliable monitoring system. If the monitors have to move between rooms, you can rely on SAM technology to give you absolute consistency, a neutral soundstage, and low distortion. All electronics, drivers, and enclosures are designed, assembled, tested, and calibrated in Genelec’s factory in Finland. Genelec quality and reliability ensure a secure long-term investment, with environmentally conscious, low energy consumption and outstanding audio quality.

AutoCal room calibration

Genelec AutoCal is a system integrator’s dream and gets you out of stasis and into production faster. It facilitates setup by measuring acoustic response in the listening area and applying the appropriate compensation in the low and low-mid frequencies to minimize the muddying effect of room modes and other unwanted room resonances, while simultaneously accounting for the differences between various listening positions.

All this combines with the color-free accuracy of the Minimum Diffraction Enclosure (MDE™), and precise on- and off-axis frequency reproduction of the Directivity Control Waveguide (DCW™). The result is the ideal small monitor to fit the way you work.

Directivity Control Waveguide (DCW) Technology

Genelec’s Directivity Control Waveguide shapes the emitted wavefront of direct radiating multi-way monitors in a way that allows predictable tailoring of the speaker’s dispersion pattern. DCW technology also minimizes early reflections, providing a wide, controlled listening area with accurate sound reproduction both on- and off-axis.

Another advantage of minimized early reflections and controlled constant directivity is that the frequency balance of the room’s reverberation field is essentially the same as the direct field from the monitors. As a result, the monitor’s performance is less affected by room acoustic characteristics.

The consistent off-axis frequency response of the waveguide enables engineers to move in and out of the sweet spot without losing perspective while working.   

DCW technology key benefits:

• Flat on- and off-axis response for wider usable listening area
• Increased direct-to-reflected sound ratio for reduced control room coloration
• Improved stereo and soundstage imaging
• Increased drive unit sensitivity up to 6dB
• Increased system maximum sound pressure level capacity
• Decreased drive unit distortion
• Reduced cabinet edge diffraction
• Reduced complete system distortion

Minimum Diffraction Enclosure (MDE) Technology

Genelec’s highly innovative aluminum enclosure (MDE) improves the linearity of the frequency range and power response of free-standing monitors via rounded edges and gently curved front and sides optimized to match the acoustic properties of the drivers. In addition to achieving a remarkably flat frequency response, minimizing cabinet diffraction yields superb sound stage imaging.

Directivity is further improved by the waveguide being integrated into the MDE enclosure. Since the low-frequency limit for constant directivity is determined by the size of the waveguide, the larger the surface the better the control. Highly directional off-axis radiation yields a consistent listening window, which is critically important in multichannel monitoring. Controlled directivity also reduces possible first-order reflections on surfaces near the loudspeaker, such as walls, floors, ceilings, and studio furniture, which contributes to consistent audio reproduction in various acoustical environments.

High air-flow bass reflex port design

There are three methods to handle bass frequencies in small monitors, infinite baffle, or sealed cabinet, ported reflex, and transmission line (passive radiator designs are a subset of ported reflex speakers). Genelec’s choice for vented, or reflex, enclosures dates back to the first Genelec product in 1978. Since then Genelec has refined and improved their designs to increase low-frequency extension and sound pressure level capability to provide outstanding bass articulation and definition.

The downside of ported designs is that turbulence in the ports due to extreme air pressure from the driver excursions can cause chuffing noise in the ports, and/or interfere with frequencies higher up in the spectrum. To minimize air speed and turbulence, the cross-sectional area of the vent should be large. This, in turn, means that the vent tube has to be long, which presents quite a design challenge. Genelec’s solution is a long, curved tube that maximizes airflow so deep bass can be reproduced without compression. The reflex tube terminates with a wide flare located on the rear of the enclosure minimizing port noise and providing excellent bass articulation.

The curvature of the tube has also been carefully designed to minimize any audible noise, compression, or distortion. The inner end of the tube has the proper resistive termination to minimize audible chuffing noise and air turbulence. Proper reflex port design allows also to significantly reduce the woofer’s displacement, improving the linear low-frequency output capacity.

PAD Pro tech note: For small cabinets to handle bass frequencies lower than the laws of physics would allow, the ported or reflex is the easiest design from a manufacturing standpoint to achieve a deep bass response. It takes advantage of the cabinet’s resonance and in essence feeds sound coming from the rear of the speaker through a tube connected to the back of the cabinet into ports, which are usually on the front panel. The length and diameter of the tube are precisely calculated for the desired low-frequency response. The trick is to make sure the sound coming from the port is in phase with the speaker, which reinforces the low frequencies of the monitor. It’s important to note that while this technique does provide a better bass response in small cabinets, it’s primarily a psychoacoustic effect. The addition of a subwoofer enables smaller drivers to handle midrange frequencies while bass frequencies are directed to a larger dedicated bass driver.

Intelligent Signal Sensing function

Genelec’s Intelligent Signal Sensing (ISS) is a power-saving feature that prolongs the service life of the monitor. ISS reduces power consumption to less than 0.5 watts by automatically switching the active monitor to standby when no audio signal has been detected for some time. When playback begins, the mode indicator light on the loudspeaker lights up and the playback resumes after a slight delay (<2 seconds).

Protection circuitry

The protection circuitry prevents driver failure by detecting signal levels and responding accordingly. In the case of sudden peaks or levels that are too high for long periods, the protection circuitry reduces signal level automatically. This feature does not affect the sound quality in any way when working within the specifications of the loudspeaker, but only prevents inappropriate input signals from breaking the loudspeaker.

Protection circuitry features and benefits:

• Reduces the output level when required (e.g. when driver voice coil temperature reaches the safe limit), which highly improves system reliability
• Appropriate protection circuitry design for each loudspeaker and subwoofer maximizes system output level

Room compensation controls

Each room changes the monitor’s response in a unique way, e.g. reflective vs. damped rooms, or placement against a wall vs. on a stand away from the walls. All Genelec loudspeaker systems feature room response adjustments to compensate for the room influences and retrieve a flat frequency response at the listening position. Frequency response can be adjusted to match the acoustic environment by setting the tone control switches on the rear panel of all Genelec monitors.

Optimized amplifiers with active crossover

In a typical 2-way loudspeaker system, the active crossover needs two power amplifiers; one for the woofer and one for the tweeter. Electronic crossovers split the audio signal into separate frequency bands that can be separately routed to individual power amplifiers optimized for the frequency band of their respective transducers.

The power amplifiers are connected directly to the drivers of an active loudspeaker, resulting in the power amplifier’s load becoming much simpler. Each driver-specific power amplifier has only a limited frequency range to amplify (the power amplifier is placed after the active crossover), which adds to the ease of design.

The active design principle offers multiple benefits:

• The power amplifiers are directly connected to the speaker drivers, maximizing the control exerted by the power amplifier’s damping on the driver’s voice coil, reducing the consequences of dynamic changes in the driver electrical characteristics. This may improve the transient response of the system
• There is a reduction in the power amplifier output requirement. With no energy lost in the passive crossover filter components, the amplifier power output requirements are reduced considerably (by up to 1/2 in some cases) without any reduction in the acoustic power output of the loudspeaker system. This can reduce costs and increase audio quality and system reliability
• No loss between amplifier and driver units results in maximum acoustic efficiency
• Active technology can achieve superior sound output vs. size vs. low-frequency cut-off performance
• All loudspeakers are delivered as a factory aligned system (amplifiers, crossover electronics, and enclosure-driver systems)

Iso-Pod stand

Often workstation furniture has equipment racks whose top surfaces double as speaker stands. While this may be a convenient option, placing speakers on wooden surfaces or console meter bridges has side effects detrimental to accurate and effective monitoring. In such a scenario, aiming the loudspeaker axis towards the listener rarely occurs, and sympathetic vibrations (which are not very sympathetic to bass) propagate from the loudspeaker to the surface. Also, first-order reflections on the surface cause comb filtering and subsequently ripples in the frequency response.

To solve these very common problems Genelec designed the Iso-Pod Isolation Positioner/De-coupler. Made from special lossy rubber-like material to de-couple the speaker from a surface, it has four shallow feet and is firmly attached to the enclosure so that it can be slid along the curved bottom or side surface to allow for a ±15° tilt of the loudspeaker. The loudspeaker’s acoustical axis can then be pointed precisely towards the listener. The vibration isolation and damping properties reduce midrange coloration caused by unwanted vibration transmitted to supporting surfaces.

Versatile mounting options

On the base of the 8320A is a 3/8″ UNC threaded hole which can accommodate a standard microphone stand. On the rear there are two M6x10 mm threaded holes for an Omni-mount size 20.5 bracket.

The Genelec 8320A brings smart monitoring technology to desktops, mobile rigs, or multichannel systems. Order yours today. For more information, call or chat online with your PAD Studio Specialist.

 Specifications

System

• Frequency range –6dB: 55Hz-23kHz
• Accuracy of frequency response: ±1.5dB (66Hz – 20kHz)
• Maximum short term sine wave acoustic output on axis in half space, averaged from 100Hz to 3kHz: > 100dB SPL
• Maximum long-term RMS acoustic output in same conditions with IEC weighted noise (limited by driver unit protection circuit): 94dB SPL
• Maximum peak acoustic output per pair, at 1 m distance with music: 107dB SPL
• Self-generated noise level in free field on axis: < 5dB (A-weighted)
• Harmonic distortion at 85 dB SPL on axis: 50Hz-200Hz < 3%; >200Hz < 0.5%
  

Drivers

• Woofer: 4″
• Tweeter: 3/4″
  

Amplifier section

• Bass amplifier short term output power: 50W
• Treble amplifier short term output power: 50W
• Total harmonic distortion at nominal output: <0.05%
• Mains voltage: 100-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz
• Power consumption (ISS active / idle / maximum): < 0.5W / 3.0W / 50W
  

Input Section

• Digital AES/EBU audio signal connectors (Single wire): n/a
• Input word length: n/a
• Input sampling rate: n/a
• Crossover frequency: 2.9kHz
• Analog input (load impedance): XLR female 10k ohm, balanced
• Analog input level for 100 dB SPL output at 1 meter: -6dBu (adjustable in GLM software)
• Maximum analog input: 24dBu
• GLM Control network connectors: 2 x RJ45
  

Physical

• Height including Iso-Pod table stand: 9-1/2″
• Height without Iso-Pod table stand: 9-1/16″
• Width: 6″
• Depth: 5-5/8″
• Weight: 7 lb. (3.2 kg)