Genelec 8040B 6.5 inch Powered Studio Monitor Reviews

Best purchase I have made.

After using them for a few months now, I had gotten better at listening from the detail it provides.

I would recommend these if you are serious in improving, I would not know about someone who is an expert since I am getting there.

Please Give Them A Shot!

If you are not sure of the value, research the Genelec lab. Try to get a tour around their factory in Iisalmi (Lake Porovesi). No mass production, nothing is part Chinese components, you'll be amazed at the level of technology they put into these speakers. If you love audio (any kind of audio), you buy Genelec, period! There is NOTHING better.

Be sure to carefully select the size you need for your environment, I originally went with the 8" but they over powered the acoustics of my room and went down to 6.5" which we absolutely perfect. You'll find that when sizing space/environment you'll probably want to go down one size when it comes to Genelec.

Needed to replace my JBL MK11s and $ was my limit for new monitors. There are only about 3-4 monitor pairs sold at Sweetwater in that price range. First I bought the Dynaudio LYD 48s but was underwhelmed by the lack of detail and clarity despite it having a dedicated mid driver. I called John Vaughn and asked if he wouldn't mind if I also bought (about same price) the Genelec 8040B to compare the two brands at home then choose one and send the other back. John said that's perfectly fine. So, got the Genelec monitor today and spent an hour A/B-ing with the Dynaudios and also my NS10 Studios (which I love.) I did tight solo EQ sweeps of Jack Joseph Puig's definition of midrange - 600 to 4k -- and the Genelecs had much more clarity and detail than the Dynaudio LYD 48s even though the Dynas have a dedicated mid driver. Stunning sound. Tiny EQ moves are clearly heard even in the low frequencies. To me pairing NS10s with super detailed monitor like the Genelec is the best of both worlds. Thanks, Sweetwater. I'm one happy camper. Oh and will be replacing my crappy stands with concrete soon.

Love these monitors, so precise so accurate. Worth every penny

I'm pretty impressed by these monitors. I've worked on genelecs in the studio and had a little baby 8030 that I really loved so I took a jump to these. I can say that for the money, they are solid professional monitors that I can do pro work on. At first I was worried about them being fatiguing as you kindah hear that around a lot. I would say though after having them a while, they are more brutally honest speakers than fatiguing. Meaning that they will reveal the impurities of the music extremely well, and this means distortion in your power, distortion in your cables, an inferior DAC, or simply harsh audio which I get a lot of these days with home studios. Some might mistake that as fatiguing and indeed it is..But not the speaker. I upgraded my outlets to hospital grade and upgraded all my cables and I'm comfortable with the distortion levels now. A good mix sounds sweet and clear. They arent ATC's and they make you work for the mix, but they are honest, great dynamics, and translate emotion well. You cant really go wrong with them in my opinion. I wish for a little more bass and a touch more midrange clarity sometimes...but for a middle of the road speaker...Solid, usable, and built like a tank.

It"s important to note I am coming from only having used KRK VTX6"s and with the change in speakers I also changed where they were placed in the room which I believe had a positive influence.

Honesty as a relatively young and amateur producer/mixing engineer, I don"t have so much credibility.

All that said I love these so much and I want to at least leave a 5 Star review!

Will update this review in the future when I understand some more of what I"m doing...

Had mine 18 months.I use these with the Genelec 7050B sub and an OPPO DAC for my "man cave" hifi. I listen at well below their rated output, without any deliberate room treatment, but I get excellent balance, imaging, detail, punch and timbre accuracy: If the recording is subpar/dated (e.g., most 70's AOR), you're going to hear it with these! Auto standby a welcome necessity, as are the protective driver grilles. I run the "desktop" bass rolled--off. These simply deliver on all accounts, whether the source material be good or bad. Rediscover your music collection with Genelec!

Sweetwater = 10/10 customer service.

Title says it all. I was unsure if these monitors were the ones for me, but once I go them into my room, I realized their incredible clarity and detail. The midrange is beautifully warm, and hi-end provides an almost 3 dimensional stereo space. Lows are thick and balanced.

I can't begin to express how much I love these things.

I was looking for a relatively flat, brutally honest pair of monitors and settled for the Genelec 8040's. Thus far, they have exceeded my expectations.

The build quality is outstanding and the sound appears to be relatively uncolored. Absolutely no distortion when played at high volume. My room isn't outstanding, but the -4db roll off dip switch worked wonders (along with a few other tweaks).

Bass articulation is great, and there's plenty of it. I doubt you'll find need for a sub.

These things are brutally honest. You'll hear the slightest EQ, compressor, and gate adjustments. You'll hear details in your favorite songs that you've never heard before. Reverb tails for days!

The soundstage and stereo spread is excellent. The sweet spot is large and enveloping.

Please, for the love of god, invest in high quality stands and proper acoustic treatment for your room. Mine aren't singing quite the way they're capable of due to minimal acoustic treatment in my room.

I purchased mine with large ISOAcoustic stands and feel they may be slightly too large. Go for the medium if you're considering these.

You can't go wrong with these. Smooth, accurate, excellent bass for the size. Would be 5 stars except there are other monitors nearly as good for less (Mackie, for example).

When it comes to listening, I've been doing that for forty years! So I don't skimp on really good monitors. These replaced my JBL LSRs. Which is a very good system. For me, I realized the upgrade from JBLs from the first few notes of Al Dimeola. Now I am hooked on Genelec for life. I am not going to go into any technical talk and all of that. The best thing is do your do diligence and listen, listen, and listen. This is an excellent pair of monitors studio monitors!

Compared to my 7 year old adamS1A (what is now the S1X), the Genelec 8040B has much more lowend beef. Surprisiong because the Adams show in their specs that they start at 40 Hz and the 8040 at 48. Not true. Genelecs go lower the the Adam S1A. In my heavily basstrapped 4 x 3 mtr-room the Adam's fell away in the lowend. The Genelecs give me the feel back of the lowend. The Adams have a 6 inch woofer, the Genelecs 6,5. I use both monitorsets still. The volume of the Genelecs is way higher then the Adams, they have much much more power to fill a room.

a commercial dance producer showcased them to me in his 4 x 4 mtr studios and told me that he tried the 8050 also but preferred the 8040.
no sub needed ... probably.

its quite a safe monitor as far as acoustic problems concers. not as wauw as the opals i could try in my setup but more then decent. and in europa where i live, 2000 us$ a set.

they are for sure good for electronic dance music.