If you’re short on time and just want the highlights of this article, here it is:
Overall, the Genelec G Three 2-Way Powered Bookshelf Speaker is a great choice for anyone who is looking for a speaker with great sound quality and features. The active design and room compensation switches make it ideal for challenging acoustic environments, and its “Power Out” option makes it a great choice for creating a multi-room audio system.
The sound quality of the G Three is pretty good, producing a very clear and balanced sound with a warm and detailed low-end and a crisp, detailed high-end. While the sound quality is good, it still has some room for improvement, as I feel like the sound could be a bit more detailed and the bass could be a bit more punchy.
The G Three is an ideal choice for audio enthusiasts and music professionals, but it is not the best choice for anyone looking for a super-loud speaker or a speaker with a lot of bass. All in all, the Genelec G Three 2-Way Powered Bookshelf Speaker is a great choice for anyone looking for a high-quality speaker with great features.
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Now let’s get to its bolts and nuts.
Genelec G Three Review: Sound quality
Have you ever noticed that there often tends to be quite the opposite opinions about a speaker?
I can understand this for more "personal taste" kinda products like clothing, for example.
But for engineering products like speakers? Personal tastes and preferences probably still play a role. But shouldn't it be less?
Why is it that we can't set a universal metric for sound quality?
First time I asked this question to myself has been a pivotal day.
Because it turns out that in the mid 90's, Electrical Engineer PhD Floyd Toole came up with a method called Spinorama. This is exactly what he accomplished with this. Turns out that his book Sound Reproduction is like the bible of audiophiles.
Put it simply, Spinorama is a set of measurements that gives a comprehensive overview of a speaker's performance from various angles.
It allows you to compare the performances of different speakers before even laying your ears hands on them.
Isn't that amazing?
This is why Spinorama was apparently groundbreaking news for audio industry. Hence in the mid-late 2010's, most brands and magazines began publishing Spinorama measurements, despite the challenges of making such measurements.
Fortunately, now we have the Spinorama data for a bunch of quite popular speakers. Pierre Aubert put all this untidy data together and put it into https://www.spinorama.org/. This is a stunning source. Pretty valuable stuff from him right there.
All good up to this point.
Now there comes a caveat.
Since the sound speakers propagate are in the form of omnidirectional waves, all measurements are obtained in anechoic or semi-anechoic chambers (a super-quiet room where soundwaves don't bounce back, here's how different that room sounds [a mind blowing time-adjusted video]).
This is a problem because it means that Spinorama alone, unfortunately, won't give us all we need. Placement and reflections play an equally important role there too.
This is why most A-class brands (like SVS, Bang & Olufsen, etc) often come up with room correction features, adjusted either manually or automatically. The EQ adapts itself to the placement (room, corner, center, etc) for a better (deeper and more accurate) sound. Which is great.
Additionally they often emphasize the importance of placement, here is an example: https://www.svsound.com/blogs/subwoofer-setup-and-tuning/75365187-the-art-of-subwoofer-placement
Anyways...
The source code under Pierre Aubert's work is licensed under GPL (General public license). He didn't perform any of the measurements himself, and instead he compiled all of them into one place, so that makes sense.
At this point, I thought that if there was a tool that combined both the Spinorama with the room acoustics data, it'd be extremely useful.
Unfortunately, it turns out that there wasn't any.
This is where I stepped in and partnered with an Acoustics and Audio Engineering PhD in order to achieve this.
We combined Spinorama data with room acoustics and came up with Soundton. A very simple, 2D online tool that allows you to:
- Reveal optimal speaker positions in a room,
- Test with real speakers from real brands,
- Compare different speakers and different positions in the room.
It can be very valuable for the vast majority.
The colormap provides you the locations with the best (green) and worst (red) listening experience.
It works the best with subwoofers since Soundton processes low frequency response waves only.
- Soundton is going to be, say, 80% accurate. Not 100%.
- Because, other parameters such as the age/materials of the building, furniture/windows in place also have an impact on room acoustics.
- If you want absolutely the most detailed room analysis, then what you need is an acoustics consultant. Mind you that's going to require deep pockets and patience though... assuming you find the right person and they get the job done.
Anyways...
When I first heard about the Genelec G Three powered bookshelf speaker, I was really excited to get my hands on it. After doing some research and hearing different reviews, I decided to give it a try.
As expected, the sound quality is pretty good; it produces a very clear and balanced sound. The audio is natural, with a warm and detailed low-end and a crisp, detailed high-end. The speaker has a 2-way design with one built-in Class-D amplifier for the 5.1″ woofer and one for the 0.75″ metal-dome tweeter. It also features a 54 Hz to 20 kHz frequency response and has a die-cast aluminum cabinet with a rear-facing bass port.
The G Three has many great features that enhance the sound quality, including active crossovers, Directivity Control Waveguide (DCW) technology, Intelligent Signal Sensing (ISS) technology, and Minimum Diffraction Enclosure (MDE) technology. The speaker also offers great protection circuitry and a reflex port design for better sound delivery.
One of the best features of the G Three is its active design, which eliminates the need for bulky external power amplifiers because the amplifier is built into the speaker. This amplifier is optimized for the drivers and enables you to connect your sound source directly to the G Three. With its room compensation switches, you can tailor the sound to your unique acoustic environment, ensuring faithful sound in nearly any room.
While the sound quality of the G Three is good, it still has some room for improvement. I feel like the sound could be a bit more detailed and the bass could be a bit more punchy. Also, I think the treble could be a tad brighter, which would make it even better.
Overall, the Genelec G Three powered bookshelf speaker provides good sound quality and great features. However, there is still some room for improvement, which I hope can be addressed in the future.
Genelec G Three Review: Connectivity
The Genelec G Three 2-Way Powered Bookshelf Speaker offers great connectivity options. It has both an XLR and an RCA input, so you can easily connect two source devices for seamless switching. This is great for connecting various devices, such as a CD player, a turntable, a computer, and any other sound source.
The G Three also features an integrated signal-sensing circuit that will turn the speaker on and off when it detects an incoming signal. This is a great feature that helps to conserve energy and prevent any damage due to prolonged periods of inactivity.
The speaker also has a “Power Out” option, which allows you to link multiple G Three speakers to create a multi-room audio system without the need for extra cabling. The “Power Out” option also allows you to link the G Three to other Genelec speakers, such as the G Five or G Seven, to create a surround sound system.
Overall, the Genelec G Three 2-Way Powered Bookshelf Speaker offers great connectivity options and makes it easy to connect multiple devices or create a multi-room audio system. It is a great option for anyone looking to easily expand their sound system.
Genelec G Three Review: Most & least ideal user profiles
The Genelec G Three 2-Way Powered Bookshelf Speaker is an ideal choice for audio enthusiasts and music professionals who are looking for a speaker with great sound quality and features. The G Three is designed to reproduce the fine nuances of your favorite music and movies, making it a good choice for home theatre systems. The active design and room compensation switches also make it a great choice for challenging acoustic environments.
The G Three is also a great choice for anyone looking to create a multi-room audio system, as it features an “Power Out” option that allows you to link multiple G Three speakers without the need for extra cabling.
On the other hand, the G Three is not the best choice for anyone looking for a super-loud speaker or for any other application where loudness is the priority. The G Three is also not recommended for anyone looking for a speaker with a lot of bass, as it does not produce enough low-end for it to be considered a “bass-heavy” speaker.
Genelec G Three Review: Conclusion
Overall, the Genelec G Three 2-Way Powered Bookshelf Speaker is a great choice for anyone who is looking for a speaker with great sound quality and features. The active design and room compensation switches make it ideal for challenging acoustic environments, and its “Power Out” option makes it a great choice for creating a multi-room audio system.
The sound quality of the G Three is pretty good, producing a very clear and balanced sound with a warm and detailed low-end and a crisp, detailed high-end. While the sound quality is good, it still has some room for improvement, as I feel like the sound could be a bit more detailed and the bass could be a bit more punchy.
The G Three is an ideal choice for audio enthusiasts and music professionals, but it is not the best choice for anyone looking for a super-loud speaker or a speaker with a lot of bass. All in all, the Genelec G Three 2-Way Powered Bookshelf Speaker is a great choice for anyone looking for a high-quality speaker with great features.