Studio monitors - Genelec 8020 vs Genelec 8030 vs Adam A7

[ATN69]

Hi folks!

I can't make up my mind here. I been thinking about getting Genelec monitors. Problem is that there is no place I know of that have Genelec monitors on display in my area. I am curious to know the difference between 8020 and 8030. I know the technical spec of both but I would like to get opinions and comments from those of you who have experience of these models.

Today I was offered to by a used pair of Adam A7. I tested those and they sound nice, all though they have some cosmetic defects. I been so focused on Genelec that I can't make up my mind. The guy who is a colleague of mine offered me these Adam A7 for $380, which is a good price. It's a pair. Genelec however is almost triple that price. I found a pair of 8020 and the asking price was $945. Cosmetic wise they looked nice on the photos but I can't test them because they are in UK, and I am in Hong Kong. 8030 is even more expensive but this time around I am planning to buy high end stuff.

I have a pair of M-Audio BX8 that I plan to keep and I am looking for a pair of good quality and smaller sized monitors. I realize that if I buy Genelec I must take a chance and buy based on reputation and based on reviews since I can't demo them.

Questions:

- Is the price difference between 8020 and 8030 motivated? Are 8030 that much better for a home studio located in a small room (approx 8sqm), or will the 8020 be just as good?
- From a sound point of view, what is the difference between 8020 and 8030?
- From a sound point of view, what is the difference between Adam A7 and 8030?

I realize that it's a matter about taste, preferences and all that, but still I think it would be helpful to know what all of you with experience of these monitors have to say.

Cheers!

[Andreas71]

If you are going to use 8020 model in studio you definitely need a subwoofer. 8030 are much better in that regard. If you can find Genelec M030 you should consider those. Much cheaper than 8030 and basically the same excluding the casing.

[Scotty]

No matter your final decision Adam A7x for $380 a pair is a steal if they are working properly. I'd buy them as a good second pair for A/B mixes without second thought. If these are working (you should be a bit suspect at that price) having a poor final mix will certainly not be due to having bad speakers.

Hi folks!

I can't make up my mind here. I been thinking about getting Genelec monitors. Problem is that there is no place I know of that have Genelec monitors on display in my area. I am curious to know the difference between 8020 and 8030. I know the technical spec of both but I would like to get opinions and comments from those of you who have experience of these models.

Today I was offered to by a used pair of Adam A7. I tested those and they sound nice, all though they have some cosmetic defects. I been so focused on Genelec that I can't make up my mind. The guy who is a colleague of mine offered me these Adam A7 for $380, which is a good price. It's a pair. Genelec however is almost triple that price. I found a pair of 8020 and the asking price was $945. Cosmetic wise they looked nice on the photos but I can't test them because they are in UK, and I am in Hong Kong. 8030 is even more expensive but this time around I am planning to buy high end stuff.

I have a pair of M-Audio BX8 that I plan to keep and I am looking for a pair of good quality and smaller sized monitors. I realize that if I buy Genelec I must take a chance and buy based on reputation and based on reviews since I can't demo them.

Questions:

- Is the price difference between 8020 and 8030 motivated? Are 8030 that much better for a home studio located in a small room (approx 8sqm), or will the 8020 be just as good?
- From a sound point of view, what is the difference between 8020 and 8030?
- From a sound point of view, what is the difference between Adam A7 and 8030?

I realize that it's a matter about taste, preferences and all that, but still I think it would be helpful to know what all of you with experience of these monitors have to say.

Cheers!

[ATN69]

If you are going to use 8020 model in studio you definitely need a subwoofer. 8030 are much better in that regard. If you can find Genelec M030 you should consider those. Much cheaper than 8030 and basically the same excluding the casing.

So the 8020 lack that much in the low range? This is my concern to. I would like to have smaller monitors and I do not care all that much about the low range but I am still concerned that 8020 just are too thin. My cheaper BX8 that I already have are quite boomy and have too much low end. Thanks for your advice!

[ATN69]

No matter your final decision Adam A7x for $380 a pair is a steal if they are working properly. I'd buy them as a good second pair for A/B mixes without second thought. If these are working (you should be a bit suspect at that price) having a poor final mix will certainly not be due to having bad speakers.

My colleague and work mate in my office bought those A7 from another guy in Japan. It is the old A7 and not the new A7X. I did borrow those monitors and put them in my home as a test. I worked with them for a few days and they work perfectly. I am tempted to buy them because they sound good but I always had my eyes on Genelec. A small part of me just worry that I might regret buying those Adam A7. On the other hand I also worry I will spend all that money for Genelec and realize that those A7 would have been just as good ..decisions, decisions.

I totally agree that a poor final mix can't be blamed on the speakers. I do cross reference my mixes with other tracks and also in different players/speakers. A good quality monitor can however make the work both more fun and quicker. As always, it takes time to get used to new speakers no matter what model.

Thanks for your comments and input!

[samsam]

I got 8030s in a small-style studio. Gorgeous monitors, even have to turn down the bass down a shade in my reduced sized room. 8020s look pretty tiny to me.

[ATN69]

I got 8030s in a small-style studio. Gorgeous monitors, even have to turn down the bass down a shade in my reduced sized room. 8020s look pretty tiny to me.

May I ask what genre of music you mostly work with? Is it bass heavy kind of music like EDM or is it more acoustic, rock or pop perhaps? 8030 seems great and I suppose there is a reason why they are so popular.

[himalaya]

- From a sound point of view, what is the difference between Adam A7 and 8030?

I realize that it's a matter about taste, preferences and all that, but still I think it would be helpful to know what all of you with experience of these monitors have to say.

Cheers!

I prefer the sound of the A7 to the 8030. I was able to audition these two (in addition to many other makes) some years ago, and the difference was very clear to me. The 8030s have a low-mid response which I didn't like. I don't know if the reason for this was the way the rear port reproduced the bass or some other inherent tuning but in direct comparison the A7 had a much more solid, defined low end and mids. Very clear, upfront, which I preferred to the weirdly 'distant' or 'scooped' low-mid sound I heard in the 8030.

Today I use the A7 and A7X. But that same day I was also able to audition the Dynaudio BM5 mk2, which I felt were also excellent, and for a while I didn't know which to choose, the A7 or BM5 mk2. Very different sounding monitors, but I loved the sound of both. I'd choose the Dynaudio if I were making electronic music only, since they just sound so sweet, smooth and 'lush', with an immediately plummy bass end, whereas the Adam A7 are much more 'brutal', 'dry' for a lack of a better word (but this is exactly what I need for the wide range of music styles I make/mix and do sound design for).

Having said that, a pro-sound designer friend of mine (doing sound design for Korg) hates the Adams, and loves the sound of the Genelec (8030 and 8040).

[ATN69]

You pointed out some interesting facts very well worth considering. Front ports is a plus on the Adam and so is the wider frequency range. I mostly work with Electronic music but I also work with Jazz, Pop and other genres. I also need good monitors for a wider range of music.

I really wish I had a shop or show room where I could take a good listen to each model, all though the room acoustics in different rooms will also contribute to the listening experience. Some say Genelec have a more flat response which is then good for zooming in on details in the mix, while Adam in general have a little bit more 'nice' sound and not necessary as flat response. Wonder what is facts and what is opinions.

I decided to go for the Adam A7 for now. I have tested them in my place already because it is a friend of mine who sell them to me. It's the old A7 and not A7X, but they still sound very nice. I checked what a new pair of 8030 will cost me here in Hong Kong and I would have to pay around 15,000 HKD. My friend sell his old Adam A7 to me for 3,000 HKD. My thinking is that these old Adam A7 can still do the job and I don't need to spend a lot. Later I can save up and get the 8030 or even 8040 from Genelec and keep the old Adam as another reference for A/B comparison.

[Scotty]

That's a great strategy and a tremendous deal on those speakers.

You pointed out some interesting facts very well worth considering. Front ports is a plus on the Adam and so is the wider frequency range. I mostly work with Electronic music but I also work with Jazz, Pop and other genres. I also need good monitors for a wider range of music.

I really wish I had a shop or show room where I could take a good listen to each model, all though the room acoustics in different rooms will also contribute to the listening experience. Some say Genelec have a more flat response which is then good for zooming in on details in the mix, while Adam in general have a little bit more 'nice' sound and not necessary as flat response. Wonder what is facts and what is opinions.

I decided to go for the Adam A7 for now. I have tested them in my place already because it is a friend of mine who sell them to me. It's the old A7 and not A7X, but they still sound very nice. I checked what a new pair of 8030 will cost me here in Hong Kong and I would have to pay around 15,000 HKD. My friend sell his old Adam A7 to me for 3,000 HKD. My thinking is that these old Adam A7 can still do the job and I don't need to spend a lot. Later I can save up and get the 8030 or even 8040 from Genelec and keep the old Adam as another reference for A/B comparison.

[samsam]

I got 8030s in a small-style studio. Gorgeous monitors, even have to turn down the bass down a shade in my reduced sized room. 8020s look pretty tiny to me.

May I ask what genre of music you mostly work with? Is it bass heavy kind of music like EDM or is it more acoustic, rock or pop perhaps? 8030 seems great and I suppose there is a reason why they are so popular.

Bass heavy music

[ATN69]

I got 8030s in a small-style studio. Gorgeous monitors, even have to turn down the bass down a shade in my reduced sized room. 8020s look pretty tiny to me.

May I ask what genre of music you mostly work with? Is it bass heavy kind of music like EDM or is it more acoustic, rock or pop perhaps? 8030 seems great and I suppose there is a reason why they are so popular.

Bass heavy music

Thanks! Your comment tells me that 8030 is the one I should go for when I will order Genelec. The shop here doesn't have anything in stock ..that's why no demo.

[himalaya]

Some say Genelec have a more flat response which is then good for zooming in on details in the mix, while Adam in general have a little bit more 'nice' sound and not necessary as flat response. Wonder what is facts and what is opinions.

Well, I'd say that this characteristic - of being able to 'hear' into the mix - is normally associated with the Adam speakers. It's mostly to do with the ribbon tweeter, which provides a more natural and detailed reproduction of the top end. Together with its very flat mid range, the A7s seem very flat, and 'dry', which is what I tried to highlight in my previous post.

This ribbon tweeter is so useful. I really like the clarity it provides. However, some people translate this 'clarity' as 'harshness', and do not consider the Adam sound to be that 'nice', actually. For me, the very first problem here is with the word 'harsh' and 'top end'. For me, 'harshness' is associated with a lower frequency range, somewhere from 1.5Khz to 4Khz and not the higher frequencies which is what some people comment on when talking of this 'harshness'. So, I appreciate the high-end detail the ribbon tweeter creates, which is really great for acoustic music, but it's also great at telling me if the electronic sounds have too much uncomfortable high-frequency content.

There is also another question. Today, a lot of Pop music is produced in such a way that vocals (as an example) are processed to death with multiple equalisers, exciters, saturating compression, basically processing that adds a lot of top-end sizzle, excitation, which just sounds fake, and unpleasant and grating during longer listening periods. So, when using such 'brutal' monitors as the Adams, you are basically exposed to this sound, meaning, the Adams tell you as it is, they will tell you that all this processing is just shit and is killing the mix.

Some also criticise the bass response of the A7s. However, in my tests, when playing my Drum&Bass and Dub tracks, I felt that for the size, the A7s are just fine. Of course, you can't expect floor shaking bass levels from the 5" woofer, for that, you can always pair the A7s with a sub. However, the bass that is there is just very well balanced, solid, and not overhyped. Lastly, room treatment, speaker positioning, and your listening position will alter this anyway, so pay attention to these aspects too, no matter what monitor. I wonder how many people who say that the A7s don't have any bass are working in non-treated bedrooms, and are sitting in a bass hole created by standing waves...Anyway.

Once you get the A7s, learn how they sound by playing lots and lots of your favourite music.

[ATN69]

However, the bass that is there is just very well balanced, solid, and not overhyped.

I agree with what you say. When I tested the A7 I found that the 'lack' of bass still were in balance with the rest of the frequencies, and that in itself would mean the response is flat. In the end the room acoustics comes into play anyway so the sound anyone hear with their own ears are never really flat.

My livelyhood is working as an acoustic engineer so I know everything about room treatment. The irony is that the owner of the house I rent doesn't allow me to put anything on the walls. In Hong Kong the houses are small and so are the rooms. I am working on some frames with stands that are small enough and doesn't have to be wall mounted. I need some dampers and some traps. This problem is another reason I like the A7 because the bass ports are located on the front. Those bass frequences doesn't bounce into the closest wall.

[Daimonicon]

Don't buy anything you can't try. Just because some monitors are popular doesn't mean you will like them. What if you do buy them and you realise you have wasted money?